OUR STORY
Ramen Tatsu-ya is the lifelong culmination of
Tatsu Aikawa’s world, a mix of street and culinary culture
fusing into something uniquely his.
Tatsu Aikawa spent his early years balancing two lives in Austin. At night, he DJ’d in the city’s hip-hop scene. By day, he was in the kitchen learning the discipline and grit that only restaurant work can teach. Together, those worlds shaped his perspective and sharpened his hunger to create something of his own.
Tatsu eventually pushed further, landing at a Michelin starred kaiseki and sushi spot where discipline isn’t negotiable and precision is the language everyone speaks. It’s the kind of kitchen that strips you down and rebuilds you. After a place like that, you develop a clearer sense of what matters.
Ramen When he was ready to open his own place, he knew he wanted to bring real ramen to Austin.
“I was craving good ramen from my early days growing up in Japan. I wanted Austin to experience the real deal, not the packaged stuff,”
Tatsu Aikawa spent his early years balancing two lives in Austin. At night, he DJ’d in the city’s hip-hop scene. By day, he was in the kitchen learning the discipline and grit that only restaurant work can teach. Together, those worlds shaped his perspective and sharpened his hunger to create something of his own.
When the first shop opened in 2012, people felt it immediately. Bowls arrived rich, layered, comforting in a way that doesn’t need explanation.
You slurped because that’s how you’re supposed to eat ramen. For many, it was their first encounter with the real thing. For others, it felt like reconnecting with something that had been missing for far too long.
As the restaurant grew, more seats, more locations, more cities, the heart of it stayed the same. Serve ramen with intention. Respect the process. Give people a place to sit down, breathe, and enjoy something made with patience and care.
At its core, Ramen Tatsu-Ya isn’t just a restaurant. It’s a reminder of what happens when you honor where you come from, trust your craft, and make the kind of food that speaks for itself.
