Tatsu-Ya’s New Barbecue and Ramen Restaurant Is Now Open

A bowl of ramen from BBQ Ramen Tatsu-ya.

Prolific Austin group Tatsu-ya opened its newest and much-anticipated restaurant over the weekend. BBQ Ramen Tatsu-ya debuted at 2027 Anchor Lane in the MLK neighborhood as of Sunday, October 16.

There are plentiful bowls of ramen making use of barbecued meats. There’s Texas Torisho with sliced brisket in a smoked chicken broth; the Nibo Nibo with roast beef in an anchovy broth with avocado; the Red Tsukemen, which comes with chili-beef dipping broth plus sausage and optional Frito pie kit; the B&S Tsukemen, a chilled dipping ramen with cold chili-grapefruit sauce, chicken; and the Spicy Tonton Mazemen, a brothless pork belly dish with crispy ramen and tortilla chips. The restaurant’s pitmaster is Joshua Carbajal, who worked at other Tatsu-ya restaurants.

Non-ramen dishes include candied/smoked pecans with shrimp, a bean dip with white miso cheddar sauce, pimento cheese made with 10-year-aged cheddar cheese and wasabi, and smoked beef tallow gyoza. The dessert is a banana ice cream sandwich made with black sesame seed cookies. Drinks-wise, there’s an array of sakes, Central Texas beers, single white and single red wines, and amari. Cocktails include the Carmesi Sour with tequila, stool, carrots, beets, and cocoa bitters; the Melo-Byrd with sotol, umeshu, aperitivo, yaupon tea, and plum salt; and the Shiro Shiro Colada, made with rum, nigiri sake, and a smoked beef tallow ingredient.

This new Tatsu-ya restaurant took over the space that had belonged to the longtime iconic New Texan Austin restaurant Contigo. The 10-year-old restaurant closed in December 2021 because co-owners Ben Edgerton, chef Andrew Wiseheart, and Dana Curley felt that it was “time for us to let Contigo rest.” Wiseheart actually approached Tatsu-ya chef and owner Tatsu Aikawa about taking over the space.

Much like BBQ Ramen’s predecessor, there are indoor and outdoor seating areas. There are a lot of decor elements done up in the Tatsu-ya style, like decorative ropes and wooden utensil holders/table numbers.

BBQ Ramen Tatsu-ya’s hours are from 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and then from 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

The Tatsu-ya umbrella includes Ramen Tatsu-ya (with many locations across Austin and also in Houston), similarly themed Japanese-Texas izakaya Kemuri Tatsu-ya, Japanese patio bar Domo Alley-Gato Tatsu-ya, hot-pot restaurant and ice cream spot DipDipDip Tatsu-ya, and tiki bar Tiki Tatsu-ya.

Brisket ramen at Kemuri Tatsu-ya