For those who love comfort food, a new restaurant on the south side of campus might catch your eye: Champion’s Curry is opening its first Berkeley location at 2510 Channing Way in mid to late October.

Champion’s Curry has more than 30 locations in Japan, according to its website. The Berkeley location is its first in Northern California, with two other restaurants open in Southern California.

“We wanted to open near a college, and we had the opportunity to so we were like ‘why not?’ ” said Kazuto Justin Hoshiko, manager of Champion’s Curry’s Irvine location. “Curry rice is a go-to for students in Japan, so we wanted to spread that out to college.”

Japanese curry originates in spiced European stews thickened with roux, the website reads. Japanese cooks embraced and reshaped these stews into the curry now eaten widely across Japan.

The specific curry served at Champion’s Curry was invented in the Japanese city Kanazawa, the website notes. The first Champion’s Curry was opened by a chef named Yoshikazu Tanaka, whose recipes were known to be rich in texture and flavor. The chain has made what’s referred to as “Kanazawa curry,” accessible to people all over Japan and soon, to the Berkeley community.

“Japanese curry has come a long way, from its roots in South Asia, introduced to Japan by way of European cooking, and now Champion’s Curry is proud to write the next chapter for this delicious dish: bringing Japanese curry to the US with a distinctly American twist, for a great new fast-casual destination,” the website added.

Champion’s Curry also emphasizes its desire to incorporate this Japanese staple into American fast food culture. In addition to menu items such as beef, pork or chicken katsu curry, the chain also offers sandwiches with curry dips, salads and fries. Another side option is a box of curry lemon chicken kkara-aage.

Hoshiko noted the importance of the energy within Champion’s Curry restaurants. He described their many locations as casual, comfortable dining spaces. When looking at the bright yellow interiors and warm bowls of comfort food, the restaurant communicates its passion for the food it serves.

Champion’s Curry also provides a long list of takeout options for its customers, including its signature and most loved dish, the chicken katsu curry.

“We try to make order by order, fresh out of the box,” Hoshiko said of their takeout service. “We want to deliver everything hot and nice. We just want to share the love of Kanazawa curry.”