You know the world is shrinking when a British restaurant operator launches an Asian concept in the Yankee bastion of Boston. But Wagamama, a pan-Asian noodle house concept with a casualer-than-thou vibe, had a ready fan base before opening two locations in the city last year; the powers that be reckoned it made sense to go where the vibes were already good. The strategy appears to be working.

Americans who know anything about Wagamama (translation: willful, naughty child) are likely to have stumbled upon it in London, where the Zagat Survey twice named it the city’s most popular restaurant. In that wildly expensive destination, it’s hardly a surprise that cheap, fresh food would be a hit.

Alan Yau launched the first two noodle bars in London’s Bloomsbury district in 1992, then sold the concept in 1995; current majority owner Lion Capital (parent company of Weetabix, Orangina, Jimmy Choo and other consumer brands) has spread the love to some 50 locations in the U.K. and another two dozen scattered throughout Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands and Dubai.

But, except for a following of value-oriented jet-setters, Wagamama is still an unknown quantity in the U.S. That stands to change if things go well with the first two locations, in Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall and on Harvard Square in Cambridge. But don’t expect to see a Wagamama sprouting on every corner soon; if Lion does expand the brand in the U.S., it will do so slowly and deliberately.

The Premise

Wagamama’s trademarks are an appealing combination of speed, convenience and fresh, healthful ingredients cooked to order. The menu is designed to attract diners of all ages and tastes. It incorporates a healthy children’s menu, vegetarian dishes, noodle- and rice-based recipes, a dozen or so Asian-inspired sides, ramen soups, teppan-style selections and fresh salads. Prices range from $2.50 for miso soup to $9.95 for a chicken salad to the most expensive item on the menu, ramen soup with either salmon or sirloin, for $13.75. Fresh juices, wine, sake and Asian beers are available.

The menu contains a fair amount of guidance, including how to order, translations for the various Japanese food terms and what’s vegetarian-friendly.

The menu also explains the quirks of service at Wagamama, which is unlike the typical American restaurant. Servers use handheld electronic devices to send orders quickly to the kitchen, and they deliver dishes to the table as they are finished, not all at once. So a party of four diners might end up with their food at four (or more) different times. There is no appetizer/entrée/dessert sequence. Dishes that might appear on a more traditional Asian menu as appetizers are labeled as sides.

Another distinguishing trait of Wagamama is the seating arrangement. The 4,600-square-foot Faneuil Hall space, designed in a signature minimalist style, is equipped with an open kitchen and long communal tables, where up to 133 strangers can rub elbows.

“We tried to create something that people don’t really have to think about,” says Paul O’Farrell, Wagamama’s U.S. c.o.o. “They just have to be hungry, they don’t have to think about the cost, the menu, making a reservation and the time, because that’s something they determine themselves.” The two Boston locations are open from noon until 10 PM and are busy throughout the day.

With the casual atmosphere, fresh and well-seasoned fare and midscale price points, Wagamama seems to be perfectly suited to Millennial and Gen X lifestyles. In fact, market research has found that the biggest group of customers falls into the 25- to 35-year-old category. The Boston locations are attracting their fair share of students, young singles and families.