Maggie Rita's swears it never called a customer fat: Restaurant claims it's a fake Facebook page

Maggie Rita's Mexican Kitchen may have only one location left in the Bayou City, but that doesn't mean the Carlos Mencia-owned chain is going down without a fight . . . Or at least that's how it appears on Facebook.

Local Amanda Newman took to Facebook to say goodbye to Maggie Rita's recently-shuttered Shepherd location — making sure to bring up the infamous 2012 comments from co-owner Santiago Moreno in which he labeled his customers "old Taco Bell clients" and claimed that women only care about margaritas at Mexican restaurants.

Happy to see that your location on Shepherd closed! Insulting Houston before we tried your food was kinda 'dee-de-deee' of you! We hope they all close soon."

While perhaps not the kindest of words — right down to using Mencia's outrageously offensive "dee-de-deee" catchphrase — Newman certainly hasn't been the first to lash out at the restaurant chain.

Operators of the Maggie Rita's fan account spent five days carefully crafting this response:

I thought fat people were supposed to be jolly."

Clearly, the high road was not an option.

"After all of those comments about Houston and Houston women, I said I'd never set foot in one of those restaurants," Newman tells CultureMap. "When I saw the one on Shepherd has closed, I thought it was hilarious. It was like all that bad karma got them in the end."

Newman says she wasn't surprised by the comment, but wasn't terribly offended.

"I'm not going to get upset or hurt by an insult a third-grader would say. It just goes to show that these idiot haven't learned anything. All those bad reviews were right after all."

Facebook fake out?

When CultureMap spoke with Santiago Moreno on Thursday, the co-owner was taken aback at the news, explaining it was the first he's heard of the situation.

"I haven't been on our Facebook page for months," he says.

"I'm the only one who can use it, other than a few promoters we hired in the past. These are professional people though, so maybe we were hacked . . . Whatever happened, I sincerely apologize on behalf of the company."

Five minutes later, Moreno called back to report the account in question — which only has 154 likes — wasn't started or operated by him.

He says that the official Facebook pages are only "friend" accounts (not "like" accounts) and listed as Carlos Mencia's Maggie Rita's and Maggie Rita's Modern Mex, the latter of which was started when the first account maxed out at 5,000 friends. The second account is currently linked up to the restaurant's website.

As of Thursday afternoon, the "jolly" comment to Newman remains posted on the Facebook fan page.

This Maggie Rita's restaurant critic didn't exactly receive a civil response. Fat joke anyone?

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Domo Arigato

Award-winning Texas ramen shop sets opening date for Meyerland location

Courtesy of Ramen Tatsu-ya

Ramen Tatsu-ya's Meyerland location opens on Saturday, October 31.

Houstonians had to wait seven years for a second location of Ramen Tatsu-ya, but the Austin-based restaurant’s third Houston outpost is coming much more quickly.

The restaurant’s Meyerland location will open on Saturday, October 31, in the former Boston Market location at 4672 Beechnut St.

Known for its signature tonkotsu broth, which takes up to three days to prepare, chefs Tatsu Aikawa and Takuya Matsumoto opened the original Ramen Tatsu-ya in 2012. It quickly earned wide acclaim, including a spot on Bon Appetit’s list of America’s Best New Restaurants of 2013.

Since then, the restaurant has grown to six locations in Austin and two in Houston — a Montrose store that opened in 2017 and a Town & Country outpost that debuted in December 2025. More could be on the way.

“There's certainly room and good trade area dynamics to support more Ramen Tatsu-Ya locations in Houston,” CEO Todd Coerver writes in an email. “I have no magic number or timeline in mind for such growth. A lot will depend on the performance of the newer locations we are opening in Houston. Community reaction will dictate the answer to how many, how fast.”

In addition to its noodles, Ramen Tatsu-ya also serves small plates such as its signature Sweet and Sour Yodas (aka, Brussels sprouts), karaage, and gyoza. They can be paired with a full range of drinks, including beer, sake, frozens, and non-alcoholic sips such as lemongrass-cucumber limeade and strawberry-yuzu lemonade.

The company operates three other concepts: Domo Alley-Gato Tatsu-Ya, a casual patio bar; Tiki Tatsu-Ya, a tiki bar and restaurant; and Kemuri Tatsu-Ya, a Texas-inspired izakaya that holds a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide. Could they be headed to Houston, too?

“I wouldn't rule out the possibility for a version of Kemuri to expand to Houston one day. But we are really just focused on Ramen Tatsu-Ya at the moment,” he writes.

Ramen Tatsu-ya will celebrate its Bellaire grand opening with free t-shirts for the 25 customers, the chance to win free ramen for a year, a free popsicle with purchase for anyone in costume, and a DJ set from 6-8 pm. It will also give out treats to trick-or-treaters.

“We’re excited to bring a new location to the Bellaire area,” Coerver added in a statement. “And having our grand opening on Halloween gives us a chance to really ratchet up the fun!”

Ramen Tatsu-ya is only the latest addition to the Bellaire/Meyerland area. The second location of Tex-Mex restaurant Candente opened in late 2025. Pudgy’s Fine Cookies and Underground Creamery will open their second location across the street from Ramen Tatsu-ya this Sunday, October 25.

Courtesy of Ramen Tatsu-ya

Ramen Tatsu-ya's Meyerland location opens on Saturday, October 31.