Ramen Tatsu-Ya Soft Opening

Sneak peek: Acclaimed ramen shop offers half off on food during soft opening

The acclaimed, Austin-based ramen shop will hold a soft opening from 11 am until 10 pm Thursday through Saturday.

Photo by Eric Sandler

Want to be among the first people to dine at one of the city's hottest restaurants? Want to get a good deal in exchange for helping put a new restaurant through its paces? Does the suddenly cooler weather have you craving a hot, steaming bowl of noodles?

Good news, noodle obsessives. Ramen Tatsu-Ya has the perfect solution. The acclaimed, Austin-based ramen shop will hold a soft opening at its new Houston location at 1722 California Street from 11 am until 10 pm Thursday through Saturday (February 16-18). During these three days, all food will be 50 percent off the normal price. (Update 2/17: Twitter user Chic Chick Eats reports that Friday's soft opening has been temporarily suspended due to a plumbing issue.)

That would be a good deal by any measure, but Ramen Tatsu-ya is known for making exceptional noodles. The restaurant's tonkotsu broth takes up to 60 hours to prepare, which earned it a coveted place on Bon Appetit's list of America's best new restaurants in 2013. Since then, the restaurant has added a second location in Austin.

The Montrose restaurant will be the first outside of the Austin-area.

No reservations are required; however, given the city's recent ramen fervor generated by new arrivals like Ramen Bar Ichi and Agu Ramen, expect a line. A Reddit thread to discuss the soft opening generated over 50 comments as of Tuesday night.

The restaurant has not announced an official opening date, although it is expected to be revealed soon.

(Update 2/16: Ramen Tatsu-ya announced Thursday morning that it will officially open on February 20. In addition, the restaurant would still like to hire additional "back of the house staff.")

openings news-you-can-eat

a spoonful of sugar

New Mexican eatery sweetens Houston with 150 spirits and bold flavors

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

A Dallas-based Mexican restaurant is coming to Houston. Mexican Sugar will open its first Houston location in Montrose this December.

Located next to Georgia James in the Regent Square mixed-use development, Mexican Sugar will occupy a two-story, 13,000-square-foot building. All that room offers seating for 375 as well as two private dining rooms with full audio-visual capabilities. Both the upstairs and downstairs patios will have a view of nearby Buffalo Bayou Park.

Its part of FB Society, the Dallas-based hospitality group behind Whiskey Cake, Sixty Vines, and Haywire, the Texas-inspired comfort food restaurant that opened its first Houston-area location earlier this year. Mexican Sugar has three locations in the Dallas area: Plano, Las Colinas, and Uptown Dallas.

In a release, Mexican Sugar touts its use of seasonal ingredients. It also makes its tortillas by hand. Menu highlights include skirt steak, lobster fundido, and a bone-in pork chop. At brunch, look for options such as cajeta French toast, Benedictos Rancheros, and vanilla-cinnamon pancakes.

Agave fans will find plenty of choices courtesy of more the 150 tequilas and mezcals. They’re available in individual pours as well as in flights that allow customers to compare the flavors of the different spirits.

“Our goal is to create a dining experience that blends bold Mexican flavors with our signature style of hospitality that stays two steps ahead,” Justin Beam, Mexican Sugar’s director of operations, said in a statement. “We’re excited to offer Houstonians an immersive Mexican experience in a fresh, light, and approachable way.”

Courtesy of Mexican Sugar

Mexican Sugar is coming to Regent Square in December.

news-you-can-eat openings mexican sugar