Ramen Tatsu-ya Review - North Lamar - Austin - The Infatuation
"The original location of the Ramen Tatsu-Ya empire that started it all. Located in a strip mall featuring some other great restaurants—like House Of Three Gorges, Din Ho, and Pho Van—you’ll be surrounded by good food, company, and smells. This location is a little smaller than some of the others, giving it a sense of intimacy that makes it especially well-equipped for a date night, but the atmosphere is casual enough to satisfy anyone in the mood for a bowl of hot noodles. Aside from some small differences in building shape and size, we’ve found the experience at all three current locations to be very similar—a plus, when you’ve hit a broth-based liquid gold. For a more comprehensive writeup, read our review of Ramen Tatsu-Ya East Austin. Food Rundown photo credit: Mackenzie Smith Kelley The OG This is the closest thing you’ll find to a classic bowl of tonkotsu ramen at Ramen Tatsu-Ya. The broth has a rich, porky flavor from the slow-simmered pork bones, with a thick, silky texture that coats the noodles. It also comes with a thick slice of chashu, in case your body wasn’t already 25% pork by volume at this point. If this is your first time here, you should probably get this one. photo credit: Mackenzie Smith Kelley Mi-So-Not Both of the miso bowls start with the same tonkotsu broth as the rest, with the addition of miso paste. This one comes topped with ground pork, making it easier to get a little bit with every bite, plus corn that adds some sweetness and texture. This is basically the same as the Mi-So-Hot bowl, but before the addition of a spicy bomb. photo credit: Mackenzie Smith Kelley Ol' Skool The first thing you’ll notice about the Ol’ Skool is that the broth is quite a bit lighter than its tonkotsu counterparts. This bowl starts with a chicken shoyu broth that works especially well with the white onion and scallion toppings. Get this during lunch, on warmer evenings, or when you want to convince yourself that “it’s just a bowl of chicken noodle soup.” photo credit: Mackenzie Smith Kelley Chashu Rice Bowl You could definitely make a meal out of this, though we usually think of this more as an accessory to a bowl of hot ramen. It’s tasty and easy to share—order one for the table and grab a few bites of pork belly between sips of pork broth and roasted chashu. photo credit: Mackenzie Smith Kelley Korokayy Ramen Tatsu-Ya’s version of a giant Japanese-style croquette. Think of this like a giant panko-fried disc of mashed potato and roast pork with a sweet, tangy katsu dipping sauce. If that description didn’t sell you on this, there’s nothing more we can do." - Nicolai McCrary
