AGU Ramen's Plans

Hawaii-based ramen shop invades Houston with three locations and unique recipes

AGU Ramen will arrive in Houston this month.

One of the dominant themes of this year in Houston restaurants has been the arrival of out-of-town restaurants that are seeking success in the Bayou City. As the lines at Hopdoddy, the ridiculous revenues at Steak 48, and the frenzy surrounding the imminent opening of Shake Shack all demonstrate, Houstonians have embraced the newcomers.

That trend will continue this month when Hawaii-based AGU Ramen makes it debut. Chef-owner Hisashi Uehara tells CultureMap that he’s firmed up the plans he first announced in April by signing three leases in Houston: one in the Energy Corridor on Eldridge Parkway, one on Westheimer for the shuttered Pollo Feliz, and a third that will replace the original location of Christian’s Tailgate at Washington Avenue and I-10. The first two locations will open in November; Washington Avenue will follow in December, pending some renovations to the space.

AGU serves two broths: a pork-based tonkotsu that cooks for 22 hours and a chicken-based jidori that cooks for nine hours. In addition to making its own soup, AGU makes all of its toppings in-house. The same noodle company AGU uses in Hawaii will ship product to Houston from three times per week in refrigerated trucks from its facility in Los Angeles.

Uehara explains that he originally trained as a classical Japanese chef in tempura and sushi, but the self-described ramen lover wanted to make soup. He developed all of his own recipes after visiting over 600 ramen restaurants Japan.

“Throughout these experiences, I met a lot of old school Japanese ramen master,” Uehara. “There was no social media. I would go eat, take notes, watched the toppings. Now, it’s common to take pictures. Back then, you had to have notepad and pen. You had to hide, because some ramen masters would get mad. They’d kick you out, because they’re old school.”

Those lessons paid off. AGU has become popular enough to open five locations in Hawaii with more on the way. While opening three Houston-area locations in such a short period of time may seem overly ambitious, Uehara explains it will allow him to centralize production at the Westheimer location, which will ensure quality and consistency. Five AGU employees are moving to Houston from Hawaii for up to a year to make sure the recipes are followed and to train a Houston-based team.

Houston only has a few dedicated ramen shops, and Uehara says he’s visited them all. He sees the city as an emerging market for his product and hopes diners will give him a shot.

“I want a challenge,” Uehara says. “Sure, it may take a long time. Sometimes it’s not easy, but if I do it right and stick with what I believe, I just want to introduce real, authentic, Japanese ramen to Houstonians.”

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meet the tastemakers

Houston's 11 best chefs of 2026 are leading the city's rise to prominence

Photo by Zachary Horst

Felipe Riccio, March.

We’ve reached the final category in the 2026 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards. These are the nominees for Chef of the Year.

This year’s nominees are an accomplished group. They hold Michelin stars and received Bib Gourmand designations. They are James Beard Award semifinalists, finalists, and winners. They’ve competed on Top Chef.

Of course they all serve consistently well-prepared dishes that keep diners coming back again and again. They’re also leaders and mentors who are guiding the next generation of cooks who will make their own mark on the dining scene. Many are involved in a number of local nonprofits, including I’ll Have What She’s Having and the Southern Smoke Foundation.

Who will win? Find out this Thursday, April 16, at the Tastemaker Awards party at Silver Street Studios. We’ll dine on bites from this year’s nominated restaurants and sip cocktails from our sponsors before revealing the winners in our short and sweet ceremony.

A limited number of tickets remain. Buy yours before they sell out.

Here are the nominees for Chef of the Year:

Benchawan Jabthong Painter, Street to Kitchen
The first Houstonian to win the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Texas, Chef G, as she’s known to friends and supporters, continues to make Street to Kitchen one of Houston’s destination restaurants. Regular travels back home to Thailand inspire new dishes on the menu, and G has also embraced her inner Texan with a rotating selection of steaks and chops. Her warm personality also sets the tone for the friendly service diners can expect at Street to Kitchen.

Evelyn Garcia and Henry Lu, Jūn
The two friends and business partners have come a long way since their days of serving meals under a tent at area farmers markets. Now, they’re James Beard Award finalists for Best Chef: Texas, Top Chef alumni, and they successfully spun up a daytime concept, Third Place, that hosts the city’s most intriguing roster of pop-ups. If that weren’t enough, they released debuted Loaded Potatoes, a new podcast that showcases their distinct perspectives on food and culture.

Felipe Riccio, March
As the leader of Houston’s one-star, Mediterranean-inspired tasting menu restaurant, Riccio leads the ultra-ambitious team that changes its entire menu twice per year. Not only does this effort require extensive research, training, and preparation, it only requires the discipline necessary to execute at a consistently high level to meet the expectations of diners who are fully aware of the restaurant’s lofty reputation.

Jassi Bindra, Amrina/Kitchen Rumors
Houstonians already knew Bindra could execute fine dining cuisine based on his success at Amrina, but the chef also showcased his adeptness with casual fare at twin concepts Bol and Pok Pok Po. He dialed up the creativity at Kitchen Rumors, bringing Indian flavors to everything from pot roast to ramen. Although his Top Chef experience came to an abrupt end in only this season’s second episode, he’ll remain a local chef whose future projects will always be worth sampling.

Lucas McKinney, Josephine's
Already a winner of Rising Star Chef of the Year, McKinney steps into Chef of the Year consideration after leading Josephine’s to a Recommended designation in the Michelin Guide. The inspectors praises dishes like the crab fat rice bowl and shrimp po’ boy, but they neglected to include McKinney’s world-class crawfish. That just means more for us.

Manabu Horiuchi, Katami/Kata Robata/Sushi Horiuchi
Known to all as Hori-san, your favorite chef’s favorite chef is riding higher than ever. Katami, his ode to contemporary Japanese fine dining, quickly established itself as one of Houston’s most sought after reservations and earned the chef a James Beard Award semifinalist nomination for America's best chef. More recently, he opened Sushi Horiuchi, a six-seat omakase counter that gives diners an even most personal experience. While diners should certainly engage with him about the dishes they’re eating, we also suggest asking him about his favorite karaoke songs.

Mayank Istwal, Musaafer
As the leader of Houston’s only Michelin-starred Indian fine dining restaurant, Istwal oversees an impressive restaurant that offers both a la carte and tasting menus. With Musaafer’s recent expansion to New York City, he’s also the only nominee to be dividing his time between two cities. Thankfully, he’s built a strong team who can ensure Musaafer remains consistent even when he’s in the Big Apple.

Nick Wong, Agnes and Sherman
Known for leading UB Preserv to a best new restaurant award from Texas Monthly, Wong returned to the kitchen with this Asian American diner in the Heights, which also earned best new restaurant nods from both Texas Monthly and finalist status in the James Beard Awards. The wide-ranging menu applies his unique perspective to everything from fried chicken and club sandwiches to egg foo young and pasta bolognese — made with Korean rice dumplings, natch. While his commitment to make Agnes and Sherman a good place to work is certainly worthy of respect, he deserves this nomination simply for introducing Houston to cheeseburger fried rice.

Shawn Gawle, Camaraderie
A former Pastry Chef of the Year winner for his work at Goodnight Hospitality, Gawle has been showing off his savory chops at this restaurant in the Heights. The restaurant’s prix fixe menu reflects the style of dining Gawle enjoys the most, where friends share a meal and conversation. Recently, the chef has been inviting guest chefs such as Rebecca Mason and Raffi Nasr in for can’t-miss collabs.

Thomas Bille, Belly of the Beast
As the winner of Best Chef: Texas in the 2025 James Beard Awards and a Bib Gourmand designation in the Michelin Guide, Belly of the Beast no longer qualifies as a hidden gem. Still, Bille isn’t resting on his laurels. He added a tasting menu to Belly of the Beast’s offerings and continues to roll out new dishes that explore the intersection of Mexican flavors with other immigrant cuisines.

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The Tastemaker Awards ceremony is sponsored in Houston by Maker's Mark, Culinary Khancepts, Herradura Tequila, Ritual Zero Proof + Seedlip, Shutto, NXT LVL EVENT, and more to be announced. A portion of proceeds will benefit our nonprofit partner, the Southern Smoke Foundation.

Photo by Zachary Horst

Felipe Riccio, March.

tastemaker awards chefs