Ramen Tatsu-Ya (North Lamar)
The tonkotsu simmers for almost 60 hours, and the No. 1 Original serves it with al dente noodles, a slice of chashu and half an ajitama egg.31
Why go
This is the original, opened 1 September 2012 in a strip center at 8557 Research Boulevard. It is the shop that gave Austin a ramen scene.2 Tatsu Aikawa left Tokyo at ten for Elgin, where his mother put the backyard smoker to work on fish. He met Takuya Matsumoto while the two of them were moonlighting as DJs in Austin clubs.4 After a stint at the Michelin-starred kaiseki room Urasawa in Los Angeles he came back with recipes and opened this with Matsumoto and his brother Shion.4 His reason is plain: I just wanted to eat ramen, and the only way to do that was to make it for myself.
3 The house style is tonkotsu, pork bones and fat cooked down to something rich and silky, served with thin straight noodles.3
Order this / avoid
- No. 1 Tonkotsu Original. Creamy pork broth, noodles with real bite, chashu, half an ajitama, wood ear and scallions. Add beni shoga for the pickled brightness.1
- No. 2 Tonkotsu Sho-Yu if you want the soy build. Jessi Cape calls it slightly less creamy and a bit saltier than the original
but entirely on par.
Ask for the Spicy Bomb on the side.1 - Take a katsu slider each, a breaded deep-fried burger with slaw and katsu sauce on a Hawaiian roll. Cape's instruction is not to plan on sharing one.1
- Spicy edamame, tossed with citrus, fresh jalapenos, shichimi and sea salt.1
- Avoid: the Japanese potato salad, the only thing in that review that got a shrug.1
What locals & experts say
- Jessi Cape, reviewing this address for the Austin Chronicle:
The instant I tasted the delicious noodle soup, I understood why fans of Ramen Tatsu-Ya wait.
1 - Tatsu Aikawa on the intent, to Texas Monthly:
We didn't want to Americanize it.
4 - Daniel Vaughn on what happened next:
he opened the tiny noodle shop in 2012, and it immediately set the local dining scene on fire.
4 - Aikawa on the broth, in the Chronicle's ramen guide:
You can taste the work you have to put in to make it.
He simmers it for almost 60 hours with a boombox running, from UGK to the Misfits depending on what he reckons the broth wants.3
Good to know
- Which door. 8557 Research Blvd #126. The operator calls this one North Austin, and the street is Research Boulevard. No Ramen Tatsu-Ya trades on North Lamar. Five Austin doors carry this name, plus Tiki and Kemuri. Each has its own inspection record.56
- The prices in that review are 2012 prices. A bowl was $8.50 and a slider $4 when it ran. Nobody publishes a current menu price.
- Hygiene: clean. Austin Public Health files this kitchen under the unhyphenated name Ramen Tatsuya I LLC. It scored 95 on 5 February 2026, then 99, 90, 98 and 84 back to July 2023. The city's failing line is 70.6
Verdict
should-visit — Walk in. Thirty-eight seats across communal tables and bar stools, and the room is loud, so this is a counter meal and not a long dinner.