Of all the things Austin is miraculously lucky to have, two more Ramen Tatsu-ya locations just popped up at the top of the list. The first location is planned for South Austin, way down South Congress near Slaughter Lane, and expected to open in late summer. The second, set to open later in 2022, is in Lakeline.
The Tatsu-ya restaurant group has been busy in the past few years, opening a hot pot restaurant called DipDipDip Tatsu-ya in 2019 and one of Austin’s most extravagantly fun bars, Tiki Tatsu-ya, in 2021; in March, it even promised an unnamed barbecue restaurant similar to Kemuri Tatsu-ya in the space formerly occupied by Contigo.
Two more of the flagship ramen restaurants, nearly doubling and flanking the existing three Austin locations, were a response to many requests from Austinites to expand. Owner Tatsu Aikawa says the team had “always” wanted to expand north and south. The only other Ramen Tatsu-ya is in Houston.
The news hit as the restaurant was drafting a press release, when eager Austinites spotted the new sign at the South Congress storefront and quickly had it trending on Reddit. “The sign went up and the cat’s out of the bag,” started a statement on behalf of VP of brand and development Tristan Pearman.
“Over the last 10 years, the Tatsu-Ya team has been inundated with requests for restaurants in growing areas of Austin, especially further south and further north,” it reads. “Tatsu-Ya will celebrate 10 years in business this September, so timing felt right for this expansion.”
Ramen Tatsu-ya restaurants always use same straightforward menu, which essentially contains the classics, sometimes in hot and not variations: rich tonkotsu with miso or shoyu, assari-style chicken broth, tsukemen for dipping, and vegan with almond milk tonkotsu.
Pearman also assures eaters that the “BBQ ramen project” is still in the works, and will be accessible online “soon.”
“We love Ramen and want more people to love it. We just want to spread the Ramen love,” writes Aikawa in an email. “The main goal is to serve food that we love to eat and are proud of. The fan base that has grown over the past 10 years is incredible and we couldn't keep growing without everyone. We are just excited to feed new ramen heads.”
The new locations will open at 8601 S. Congress Ave., Suite 200 and the Lakeline Market at 14028 N 183, Building G, Suite 310.
Ramen Tatsu-ya confirmed two locations that are the farthest North and South of the Austin restaurants so far.
