LATEST NEWS
2019 Best Restaurants in Austin
OCTOBER 21, 2019 | Austin360
Austin American-Statesman’s restaurant critic Matthew Odam released his anticipated 2019 edition of the best restaurants in Austin, with Kemuri Tatsu-Ya landing in the top 10.
The New Generation of Chefs Pushing Japanese Food in Unexpected Directions
SEPTEMBER 2, 2019 | New York Times
For Tatsu Aikawa, food tells the story of immigration and the meeting of cultures.
The Best Texas Restaurants in Every City
JUNE 20, 2019 | Texas Monthly
Texas Monthly’s restaurant critic Patricia Sharpe includes Kemuri Tatsu-Ya as one of the best restaurants in Austin.
The 12 best Austin chefs for 2019 leave diners in awe
APRIL 8, 2019 | CultureMap Austin
Starting with a small ramen shop, Tatsu Aikawa and Takuya Matsumoto have since built a full-on restaruant group, creating concepts so original, it defies imitation.
18 Best Restaurants in Austin
MARCH 7, 2019 | Conde Nast Traveler
An izakaya-meets-smokehouse concept unlike anything else in Austin, there’s a reason why Kemuri Tatsu-Ya was included in Conde Naste’s Best Restaurants in Austin list.
The Most Eye-Catching Cocktails from Coast to Coast
FEBRUARY 27, 2019 | Food Network
Not only is the house favorite Puff Puff Pass a beautiful meld of sweet potato shochu, aged rum, grapefruit, and five-spice bitters – it looks as fun as it tastes!
2018 Best Restaurants in Austin
OCTOBER 20, 2018 | Austin360
Austin American-Statesman’s restaurant critic Matthew Odam released his anticipated 2018 edition of the best restaurants in Austin, Kemuri Tatsu-Ya landing in the top 10.
Kemuri Tatsu-Ya Adds the Last New Smoker Built by John Lewis Sr.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2018 | Austin Chronicle
Hot off the press – Austin Smoke Works’ John Lewis. Sr.’s last smoker can be found at Kemuri Tatsu-Ya.
Food and Music Strike a Chord With These Austin Chefs
MAY 24, 2018 | Austin Chronicle
“At Kemuri Tatsu-ya, the music is as much a part of the dining experience as the playful dishes at the Japanese-Texan izakaya, and that transcends from the front to the back of house.”
The winners of the 2018 Time Out Austin Bar Awards
MAY 21, 2018 | Time Out Austin
With mash-ups like the Matcha Painkiller, Okinawa Old Fashioned, and an impressive sake and shochu list, there’s more than enough reasons why Kemuri Tatsu-Ya isn’t just known for their food.
The Definitive Guide To Doing Austin BBQ Right
MAY 1, 2018 | Thrillist Austin
Kemuri Tatsu-Ya is changing the way you eat BBQ, combining Texas techniques with Asian flavors for an experience unlike any other.
Tokyo in Texas: Distinctive Japanese Food Is Thriving in Austin
April 30, 2018 | The New York Times
Distinctive Japanese food is thriving in Austin. The New York Times sat down with Chefs Tatsu Aikawa and Takuya Matsumoto about how the cuisine has evolved.
Restaurants of the Year 2018: Kemuri Tatsu-Ya
April 10, 2018 | Food & Wine
“The restaurant conjures a world where cowboys slurp ramen after quick-draw duels—a Texas roadhouse by way of Akira.” Food & Wine names Kemuri Tatsu-Ya a Restaurant of the Year 2018.
The 10 best restaurants where every Austinite should dine in 2018
April 9, 2018 | CultureMap Austin
CultureMap names Kemuri Tatsu-Ya as one of the best of the best in the annual Tastemaker Awards 2018.
The Best Restaurants and Bars to Hit Up in Austin During SXSW
MARCH 1, 2018 | Esquire
Esquire hits the best stops in Austin during SXSW, including Kemuri Tatsu-Ya.
2018’s 10 Best New Restaurants in Texas
FEBRUARY 19, 2018 | Texas Monthly
“From the day Kemuri Tatsu-Ya opened, thrill-seeking diners and national food writers have been beating a path to its funky front door.” Texas Monthly names Kemuri Tatsu-Ya as one of the Best New Restaurants of 2018.
Semifinalist – Best New Restaurant 2018
FEBRUARY 15, 2018 | JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION
The 2018 James Beard Awards Gala will take place on Monday, May 7, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The 2018 Media Awards will be held on Friday, April 27, at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City.
15 Innovators Reshaping Texas
FEBRUARY 1, 2018 | Texas Monthly
The Mash-Up Artists: Texas Monthly sat down with Chefs Tatsu Aikawa and Tako Matsumoto about the food revolution that has only just begun.
Eater Austin “Restaurant of the Year”
DECEMBER 5, 2017 | EATER AUSTIN
Chefs Tatsu Aikawa and Takuya Matsumoto know what they’re doing when it comes to Japanese food. The evidence? Soothing warming bowls from Ramen Tatsu-ya. For their follow-up trick, they decided to marry what they know best: Texas and Japanese techniques and ingredients.
Austin Chronicle “Best New Restaurant”
NOVEMBER 15, 2017 | AUSTIN CHRONICLE
“Every bowl is like a warm hug from your mama telling you life is going to go your way.” – Kelsie Laing
People of the Year
DECEMBER 1, 2017 | Tribeza
“How a Texas-meets-Japanese eatery became the talk of the town.” Tribeza features Tatsu Aikawa and Tako Matsumoto as 2017 People of the Year.
Austin Monthly Restaurant of the Year 2017
OCTOBER 30, 2017 | AUSTIN MONTHLY
Owners Tatsu Aikawa and Takuya Matsumoto merge the flavors of Texas and Japan in their Lone Star–inflected izakaya.
#8 Best New Restaurant in America
AUGUST 15, 2017 | BON APPETIT
Fun. That’s the one word that defined this year’s best new restaurants. Fun food, fun vibe, fun experience. And at no place did I party more than at Kemuri Tatsu-ya in East Austin.
The 12 Best New Restaurants in America
JULY 26, 2017 | EATER
Eater’s roving restaurant critic Bill Addison released his anticipated 2017 edition of the best new restaurants found across America after months of traveling, and Austin’s Kemuri Tatsu-ya landed on the list.
How to Spend a Night in Austin
JUNE 11, 2017 | VICE
The Texas-style izakaya offers a traditional lineup (yakitori, kushiyaki, sashimi), but the menu is also stuffed with delicious bastardizations of the small-plate Japanese gastropubs.
Chronicle Editor’s Top Austin Restaurant Is Kemuri Tatsu-Ya
MAY 4, 2017 | THE AUSTIN CHRONICLE
Watson also shared his personal top ten favorite restaurants of the year, ranked but unexplained. Leading the pack is hot newcomer Kemuri Tatsu-ya.
GQ’s Best New Restaurants in America 2017
APRIL 20, 2017 | GQ
After exploring everything from neo-Nordic in Brooklyn to Korean pizza in Minneapolis to ecstatic Mexican food in LA, GQ’s Brett Martin knows the 10 restaurants you need to visit in the U.S. this year.
Cultural exchange: Excellent Kemuri Tatsu-Ya mashes up Texas and Japan
MARCH 30, 2017 | Austin American Statesman
Leave it to two hip-hop DJs to find a way to layer seemingly disparate threads into a tight, electric groove that feels wholly original.
Our Ramen Changed Texas, And Texas Changed Our Ramen
FEBRUARY 23, 2017 | Bon Appetit
When we opened Ramen Tatsu-ya in Austin in 2012, we were the first ramen shop in the city, and we didn’t want to Americanize it.
How One Ramen Boss Is Blending Texan BBQ Smoke with Japanese Cuisine
January 17, 2017 | Vice / Munchies
There’s a little bit of smoke rising above the Holly neighborhood in East Austin recently, where Tatsu Aikawa and his partner, Tako Matsumoto.
Kemuri Tatsu-Ya is Your New Food Obsession
January 3, 2017 | DO512
The Japanese word ‘Kemuri’ translates to ‘Smoke’ in English. So it is fitting that Austin’s newest Japanese restaurant places a delicious focus on smoking all manner of delectable, tapas-style dishes.
First Look: Kemuri Tatsu-ya Brings Izakaya Culture to East Austin
January 11, 2017 | Zagat First Look
Fans of Ramen Tatsu-ya‘s special release brisket ramen had their minds blown late last week, when the noodle shop with a cult following opened its latest concept, an izakaya called Kemuri.
Inside Ramen Tatsu-Ya’s Funky Texas Izakaya
January 3, 2017 | Eater Austin
Austin’s favorite noodle soup slingers Ramen Tatsu-ya is shaking things up with it’s third highly-anticipated restaurant in Austin.