Ramen Tatsu-Ya

Here in the States, it gets NO BETTER than Ramen Tatsuya. We drive FROM DALLAS to dine here, so that should tell you this place is worth it. They’re consistent — have been from day one, and now dozens of visits later I know my Miso-​Hot and Sweet&Sour brussel sprouts are going to be just as delicious as they first were years ago. Give’em a try you won’t be disappointed. if there’s a line — WAIT. =)

SO DAMN GOOD!!! Brussels sprouts are a must!

Many people have recommended this to me. I’ve had two of their ramen dishes, both were very fragrant and I know my friends loved it; I personally don’t love the smell of egg yolks, so that was sort of a down side for me. The broth had a very savory taste, which I liked, but it was way too salty– everyone in the table agreed.
Their servers (both times I went) were very inattentive. Also, they have a very interesting way of taking their orders. So it’s hard to order more food in case you’re still hungry, having distracted servers does not help. Also, they add an offensively small amount of noodles in the broth. Their cups for water are TINY, around the size of a small whiskey glass, so I had to make like four trips to refill. Their chairs are these artsy and stylish cubes but not comfortable at all.
The restaurant has a nice aesthetic design and feel, but the customer service, the water refill issue, uncomfortable seats, and salty broth have not convinced me to go back. But I still recommend people to check it out, if they wish.

The address may take you to the wrong place! It’s located after after the gas station on Lamar if you’re coming from the north. Very cute and trendy deco inside and serious ramen!!! Not many choices but I had the Katsu original and it was amazing! I bet the other ones are as delicious so just pick what ingredients you feel like having!

I’m writing this review after trying the entire Tatsuya menu (lunch, dinner, Pop Mondays) and countless ramen bowls across the country from little shops in grocery stores to Ippudo and Totto in New York and Orenchi in the bay area.
Tatsuya’s tonkatsu stands among the most memorable ones and it will not disappoint. The chicken broth on the other hand is just ok, missing richness and flavor, a ²⁴⁄₄₈ hour stock would do better.
All in all Tatsuya is the best in town, glad you’re here in Austin!

Well. The wife and I got a free preview of the 5^th wave from Alamo draft house Lamar and finally found an opportunity to try «real» non top ramen, ramen. I’m not sure what to compare it to being it my first immersion into this cuisine.
Maybe I’m not a soup person. Maybe it was just to salty. Maybe the ramen noodles didn’t wow me. Maybe the spice level wasn’t high enough. Just can’t place my taste bud on it.
The service is great. We felt very welcomed and the order guy was energetic in describing his product. They made great suggestions,. I asked what’s their favorite or best thing to try. I’m sure I got what I asked for.
I think I’m gonna have to try other places to compare and reevaluate my review. I guess time will tell. Call me crazy.
Unilocalers have this place a solid 4 star. Best I can do is 3 with a shrug.

I love their shoyu original. Their chashu bowl is amazing, too! There is usually a wait so if you go during their «off time» then it would probably be best. Try an hour of two before or after lunch/​dinner time. The service is usually really fast and they really have the system down as far as getting people in and out of this place. They do hover over you a bit and ask you if you need anything else a LOT but it is understandable since the place is tiny and they need to keep the customers flowing in order to get more business. Either way I think this place is the best and I have tried ramen all over the US and admit that this place tops them all. Their brussels sprouts are yummy, too!

If you want better service, go to the other location… If you want to deal with snobs, be my guest.
Our table was kind of big (party of 8) and since the majority of us have never been here, we had questions for the workers. We asked about the tsukemen (dipping ramen) and the guy up front replies «oh that’s for pro ramen eaters» and quickly recommends the #1 or #2 for us. Pro ramen eaters? What does that even mean. I’ve had dipping ramen before and it’s another way to enjoy ramen but DEFINITELY not limited to «pros.»
I got the #1 with a spicy bomb and was disappointed. There’s only one slice of chasu pork and the broth was flavorless. I asked another server for chili powder to add to my broth since the spicy bomb had no spice to it… Just tasted like a blob of oil. Definitely get fire in the hole bomb because I had that at the other location and it was worth it.
Service in the front sucks. But service around the dining area was good. A couple of servers would make their rounds checking up on us, refilling waters (even though the water dispenser was right next to us) and asked if we needed anything else.

De-​freaking-​lish. Stopped by the new brick-​and-​mortar after a failed attempt at a spur of the moment Uchi visit. Thank the ramen lordy we did.
The line outside was a little scary but it actually moved much faster than we expected. I ordered the vegetarian ramen topped with chashu and an extra egg (love the complexity of a good veg bowl but neeeed that chashu). Everything was delicious and super flavorful. Definitely a contender (if not winner) of best ramen in Austin.

«How long is the wait for three?»
«How long is the line?»
Okay. I don’t know how quickly you serve or seat, and I do know that the food you serve can be found at many other places at the same quality. Being flippant to customers doesn’t help your business and the times I have eaten there have been lackluster. You’re not important. Food like you is a dime a dozen.

Overall this was just ok. Not the best ramen I’ve had, but decent.
If there wasn’t a wait, the service was friendly and the menu was clear before getting inside (lunch options are limited to two of the broths, other items may or may not be available depending on the day) it would get 4stars.
They got or order wrong, for one of the base noddles and the blamed us for how we ordered the extra spices (fire and spicy sauces are a must if you want spicy flavor!) and the extras we ordered weren’t delivered the first time and we had to ask for them. Apparently the fire sauce doesn’t go with the chicken ramen broth… But instead of saying that they ordered one of the pork originals. I ended up eating anyways bc it was the last item to be delivered to the group but after tasting one of the chicken was sad on my choice.
Come near the end of lunch if you can for no wait (2pm)

YAAAAAS. Tatsuya Ramen is hands down my favorite ramen restaurant in all of Texas — yes, that includes ramen restaurants in Houston, Dallas, and Austin.
I’m always throwing shade at ATX because of the mediocre Asian food scene since everything is either lackluster or overwhelmingly Americanized and overpriced. Nonetheless, Tatsuya Ramen has won my heart.
Tatsuya has two menus: one for lunch and one for dinner. The dinner menu is much more extensive so I normally try to come during dinner time. You may have to wait a while depending on what time you arrive, but trust me… it’ll be so worth it. I normally get the Tonkotsu ramen, which is a staple. If I’m feeling something different, I’ll get the Tsukemen ramen, in which you first dip the noodles into a bowl of soup. The Tsukemen is very fatty so if you want something less heavy, I would go for the Tonkotsu. It’s essentially the Holy Grail of noodle soup broths.
If you haven’t been here then you obviously have not lived life to its fullest.

The tsukumen game is strong here and it is honestly the main reason I keep coming back! The ramen noodles are thick and cooked at the perfect texture. Dipping broth is superb, it is concentrated and rich flavour — has a slight kick of lime too! Yum!
The chashu rice bowl is also quite delicious and a steal. Loads of chashu (and the accompanying sauce) topped over white rice.
The other options for ramen are good with dense flavorful pork bone broth. However, the type of ramen noodles used in these are not my favourite. And the sweet & sour yodas are just average.
Overall a good place to satisfy yerrr ramen cravings.

Sometimes the wait can be a bit long but it’s worth it if you’re really craving some ramen! I’d recommend coming around 5pm to avoid the line but even if you do come later, the wait is about max 30 min. The only difficult thing about coming late is finding parking.
They have 2 different menus depending on when you come: lunch and dinner menu. The dinner menu is more extensive and includes the traditional tonkotsu ramen. Their egg and meat is always perfectly cooked. The broth can sometimes be a bit salty. The noodles are thinner compared to the noodles in the tsuekemen, which is the dipping ramen. I definitely prefer the tonkotsu ramen most of the time and every now and then I get the dipping ramen.
This is one of the best ramen places I have ever been to and I’ve tried to find another place in Dallas that’s similar to it but nothing can ever beat Ramen Tatsuya.

I’ve only ever been to the other Ramen Tatsu-​Ya and tbh, this place serves ramen just as good as the other one.
My first piece of advice is to not order any of the side dishes. At all. Don’t. Please. Especially the Curry and the chashu bowls. Well, you CAN get the chashu bowl, but if you’re Asian and know what braised pork is then it’s more or less the same thing and you can EASILY make it yourself. The curry tastes like it came from the packet in the supermarket. Save your money (because the curry is extremely cheap to make) and if anything, stack toppings onto your ramen.
With that being said, the ramen is still hella good. Thick, creamy, smooth, with just the right amount of seasoning. I’m talking strictly about the original btw. The spicy bomb wasn’t too bad either, with the nice type of spice that isn’t scorching your throat but rather, the type that gives you that nice kick in the tastebuds. The egg is actually quite good, comparable to ramen I’ve had in Japan even. The noodles had a nice texture to them as well. Ramen Tatsu-​Ya still ranks as the best ramen place I’ve been to in America to this day… well, in terms of straight ramen. Drank that bowl of ramen straight up at the end.
Can’t really speak much of the waiters and what not because we didn’t need them except for the check at the end. Ambience will be… well, look at the pictures. This place caters to a crowd of college students and older, so it’s not going to be quiet. Line waiting wasn’t too bad either, as ramen is served and eaten quickly.
Overall, like I said, just as good as the other place. No real complaints other than the fact that it’s still pricey af and the side dishes aren’t worthy of being purchased and eaten.
8/​10, would definitely come again.

I went here for lunch with a co-​worker and her daughter, have been wanting to try this out for a while after seeing such high reviews and was hoping it wasn’t another hyped up hipster spot. I would say that it is a little hipster with the menu and look and vibe and people working there, but that isn’t so bad… the ramen was just OK though.
First impressions is that people really need to read the one way sign in the parking lot, we almost got hit twice by people turning onto Lamar from out of the parking lot which is not the correct way to exit.
The exterior of the building is nice. The interior is pretty cool with community benches. You order as soon as you enter and then they give you a number. What I did not like so much was that everyone’s food came out separately even though we paid together. Also, this might be their business model but a complete lack of condiments was a little odd to me. I did get a dry spice mix to season my ramen dish a bit and then I got low down on «flavor bombs» that you could add in from a helpful guy there… I don’t want to call him a server because I think he did more than that. The cashier wasn’t very good at explaining the menu, so I just went with the basic old school ramen with no add ins. We
The broth base was OK, had a little ginger and saltiness to it that was pleasant. The poached egg was a little odd to me but not bad. The chicken was overcooked and not very good. The other toppings were not very memorable. The noodles were meh… maybe it was an off day but wasn’t that impressed. Perhaps I need to lower my standards a bit more, but I have had some excellent ramen in New York and San Francisco and I would hold this place to the same standards as the other establishments I have been to, especially when they want to market themselves as such.
Live up to the hype, have pride in the dishes… don’t just cater to hipster please. I would give this another chance and try it for an early dinner because I hate waiting in lines for food when I am hangry.

Oh Ramen-​tatsuya
You never disappoint me. I know when I come to you. You can give me a tonkatsu that delivers hold flavored and is consistently delicious. Thank you for the delicious bamboo. Thank you for the delicious soft boiled egg. Thank you for the delicious mushrooms.
I’m only sad that you are so popular that sometimes there’s a line long enough for me to turn you away. I understand though ramen tatsuya. It’s not your fault you’re so amazing. I know you just want to keep the ambience more personal by keeping a smaller size restaurant. I get it. You try your best to get ppl in and out by bringing out the food as fast as you can and sitting me next to complete strangers.
I don’t mind. You make my belly happy.

Surprised by how much i enjoyed this… of all places… in AUSTIN!
There was still a wait even before an hour closing but it wasnt too long of a wait.
I ordered the Mi-​so-​hot ramen with the Sweet and Sour Yodas (as mentioned by many Unilocalers)
The broth wasnt too spicy as you would imagine, it has a kick and it is the type of spicy that builds as you eat but it wont make you cry. The most interesting part of the broth is the smokiness (is it just me?). I normally never had ramen with a smoky taste like this, its not bad at all but it was really interesting and delicious. The noodles werent exactly a favorite of mine as i had better texture. I am generally never a fan of ground meat in my ramen because its hard to really enjoy the meat itself.
The sweet Yodas… peas essentially Brussels sprouts with sweet chili sauce… although they put a lot of sauce… it was good tho… it was like sweet chili sauce and something… but I didn’t think it’s worth the price for the portion I got
I’ll come back… it was memorable!

Truly the legendary Japanese ramen that lived up to its well-​acclaimed reputation!
After hearing about Ramen Tatsuya’s reputation, I was dubious whether the ramen would be even comparable to the phenomenal ones I had at Ippudo and Ichiran. When the tonkotsu ramen arrived, I tackled the broth first and was finally convinced that this was indeed Texas’s best ramen.
The flavor was spot-​on, but my favorite aspect about Tatsuya’s broth was its true depth of such flavor — a pork flavor with a slight milky undertone. Many ramen shops I tried can easily imitate the broth flavor, but only a few can create a broth of this depth. This, along with Ippudo and Ichiran, is the only place with such delicious and stellar tonkotsu broth.
As I was eating the ramen, I could not help focusing on this extraordinary ramen broth, even though the firm noodles and the soft egg were also quite the stars themselves. The only fallacy about this ramen was the small amount of noodle, which I had to order an extra amount for $ 1.60 to fill up, but it was a small flaw for this mindblowingly good ramen.
Sadly Ippudo are available only in NYC and Ichiran is in Asia only, but you are in luck if you are in Austin, because you can taste the equally phenomenal ramen, which I considered to be one of the best I had in the world.
*This review is the for the newer South Lamar branch. While I cannot comment on the Research branch since I never went, this branch is rather spacious and has a parking lot. Come 15 minutes before opening to be the first in line, although the line is reasonable and quick.
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tl;dr version:
1) Delicious ramen that lives up its reputation
2) Broth completely stands out from its extraordinary depth
3) Along with Ippudo and Ichiran, the best ramen I had in the world

I finally got to try the Ramen Tatsu-​Ya south! I know it took me long enough. I have been to the other location a couple of years ago and was super excited once I learned they were opening up one down in my part of town.
I love the location! There was a line of course when we arrived but were through it in about 15 minutes, so I would not be intimidated by it at all. The location definitely feels bigger than the north — I like it!
I ordered the Mi-​So-​Hot with a corn on the bomb. O-​M-​G! It was fantastic … and better than I remember it being 2 years ago. I loved the spiciness of the mi-​so-​hot as so many times I end up adding in spice. I loved the ground pork too. It was filling and satisfying for my palette. My husband got the dipping ramen, which is totally his favorite now. The broth is more condensed and for dipping everything in. I would not recommend getting this on your first ramen visit but definitely on your second or third. We also indulged in the mochi ice — strawberry and mango. They were both tasty as well!
Honestly you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu here. I am so glad I can get my ramen fix down south now!