More ramen restaurants are opening in Houston somewhere down the line.
Ramen Tatsu-ya is rumored to open in Montrose. From CultureMap:
Predictions about ramen as Houston’s hot dining trend have cooled in recent months. What once seemed like a movement that would sweep the city has settled into outposts of five restaurants — California’s Jinya Ramen, Seattle’s Samurai Noodle, Washington Avenue late night spot Ninja Ramen, west Houston’s Ramen Jin, and Chinatown favorite Tiger Den.
Still, a truly acclaimed restaurant could capture diners’ attention, and it seems that one of them has set its sights on Houston. Tatsu Aikawa, the executive chef and co-owner of Austin’s celebrated Ramen Tatsu-Ya, is also the registered agent for a company called “I Own This Dirt, LLC.” That company has purchased a property in Montrose at 1714 California Street, according to Harris County property tax records.
Located just behind celebrated Italian restaurant Da Marco, the lot’s size of almost 15,000-square feet seems to include the adjacent property at 1722 California, which was once slated to be home to Andes Cafe chef/owner David Guerrero’s upscale South American restaurant Evo.
While buying property that happens to contain a restaurant on it and opening a restaurant in that building are two different things, the purchase certainly suggests that Aikawa and co-owner Takuya “Tako”
Matsumoto have put their long-delayed plans to open in Houston back on track. When all this is happening remains a bit of a mystery.
and HAIF:
CultureMap has uncovered the owners of Ramen Tatsu-Ya purchased on the 1700 block California.
Records show I Own This Dirt LLC purchased the lot at 1714 California and the adjacent property in the Cherryhurst neighborhood in September. Houston Chronicle also reported on the transaction in October but didn’t link the owner to Ramen Tatsu-Ya:
I Own This Dirt has purchased a 3,370-square-foot restaurant building at 1722 California. Anthony Heins of Heins Properties represented the buyer. Josh Jacobs and Tasha Bason of Edge Realty Partners represented the seller, Bengolan Co.
I Own This Dirt LLC is a shell company established last summer by Tatsu Aikawa, executive chef and co-owner. For several years, Ramen Tatsu-Ya has been rumored to expand to Houston. The owners looked at a property near Houston’s west side in a strip center but the rent was too much. Last May, HAIFer MAB spotted Ramen Tatsu-Ya on siteplans for the 2200 Yale shopping center where Bernie’s Burger Bus is opening but was taken off some months later. The 2200 Yale property and at 1722 California are properties Edge Realty is involved with.
Ramen Tatsu-Ya hasn’t confirmed any of this but all signs point to a restaurant of some kind in Houston. An entity was formed in July under Ramen Tatsu-Ya III.
