Austin’s Ramen Tatsu-Ya has found a home in Montrose to serve steaming bowls of authentic Japanese soul food. Located at 1722 California St. just north of Westheimer, it’s hard to miss with the massive Lucky Cat statue poised outside the doors greeting customers as they walk in.
Executive chefs and owners Tatsu Aikawa and Takuya Matsumoto founded Ramen Tatsu-Ya in 2012 and have continued to expand ever since, with two locations now in Austin and the newest one in Houston that opened in mid-February.
Ramen-making is an exceptionally slow craft: At Ramen Tatsu-Ya, it takes 60 hours to create the kitchen’s pork-based tonkotsu broth. It’s a rich, hearty soup, slightly thick and velvety. With thin ramen noodles that you can spin around your chopsticks for generous bites and slurps and a series of accompaniments — from a thick-cut slice of chasu (stewed pork) to slivers of woodear mushrooms — each bowl is a filling meal perfect for lunch, dinner or late night.
We recently stopped in to check out this new spot, admiring the vibrant mural of a man eating long strings of ramen noodles lining the wall that leads to the counter. Lamps hang from the ceiling, shaded by braided rope. Booths are spacious and large, and a long communal table stands in the middle of the room.
Our orders included the Mi-So-Hot ($11), a Tonkotsu Sho-Yu ($9.75) with a spicy bomb (dollop of red pepper paste, $1) on the side, and the Tonkotsu Original ($9.50). Extra toppings range from 60 cents to $3 depending on whether you would like swirled fish cakes (naruto maki) or extra chasu.
An close-up look at ramen from Ramen Tatsu-Ya. Photo by Melody Yip
The Mi-So-Hot bursts with fierce spices, and it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. There’s a lot going on in that bowl with ground pork, corn, shaved onions and half a soft-boiled egg. The Tonkotsu Sho-Yu and the Tonkotsu Original differ simply in their broth; the Sho-Yu features a soy sauce blend that adds a slightly sweet dimension to the flavor. The spicy bomb is also not for the faint of heart. We used about a finger lick’s worth and the broth turned a deep fiery red.
The noodles are cooked well, supple and smooth, and the prices are reasonable by local gourmet ramen standards. (Based on my visit to Japan last summer, the $9.50 for a bowl of tonkotsu here at Ramen Tatsu-Ya is close to typical Japanese prices, which are usually $6 to $9 for a bowl.)
Ramen Tatsu-Ya is a welcome addition to the Montrose scene, bringing seriousness and flair to their take on Japanese comfort food. The parking lot is a little too small, but the big flavors and savory broths are worth the effort.
Ramen Tatsu-Ya 1722 California St. ramen-tatsuya.com