When you think of Austin, you probably think of BBQ, but how often do you think of Ramen? Kemuri Tatsu-Ya is fusing Japanese cuisine and Austin BBQ for the ultimate Austin dining experience. Kemuri Tatsu-Ya is always packed — it’s a dark, casual restaurant with an eclectic vibe and a great patio out back. Austin is known for turning houses into restaurants. Kemuri Tatsu-Ya may not look like a house, but it is surrounded by them in an unassuming neighborhood.
The open kitchen is lined with large jars filled with pickled vegetables [what else].
Start off your visit to Kemuri Tatsu-Ya with one of their signature cocktails. We recommend the “Puff Puff Pass” cocktail made with sweet potato shochu, aged rum, pecan, grapefruit, and five spice bitters. It’s a bit sweet, but probably the most fun drink on the menu, served in a ceramic puffer fish..
Most of Kemuri Tatsu-Ya’s menu is perfect for sharing. We tried the spicy pork ribs with Gochujan pepper rub and pickles, the “Hot Pocketz” with gouda and brisket (which was more delicious than we’d like to admit), the miso wings with miso-garlic glaze and scallion-buttermilk ranch, the Hamachi dip with smoked yellowtail, cream cheese, and crips, and the “Mentaiko N’ Tots”, with house tots, tallow, fresh horseradish, and salted-roe ketchup.
There was nothing we tried that we didn’t like, and pretty much everything on the menu was perfectly appropriate for a chilly night — Japanese-Texan comfort food. Next time we’re in Austin, we’ll be heading back here to try their ramen or to check out their new spot, Ramen Tatsu-Ya Comal.
Thank you to Alaska Airlines for sponsoring this story.
