Ramen Tatsu-ya — Restaurant in Round Rock

First time trying this restaurant, as we live north and have never gone to the other locations.

(I understand this location just opened, but this was a very bad experience from a restaurant that is established and opening new locations. Most of the problems we had are things that should not be happening at a business that has been operating for years.)

For starters there is a single door, and a line to a counter when you walk in. People were crowding so tightly into the small space here, that the people who were trying to exit could barely get by to go out the door.

We waited about 10-15 minutes to get to the counter to order. As we get there, we realize there is no menu, neither posted on wall, or a handheld one(like some restaurants have, so you can look while you wait.) We had to lookup the menu on our phones, while at the counter, further delaying the still growing line behind us.(we werent the only ones having to do this.) Once we found the menu, ordering was fairly simple as the menu seems pretty basic and straight forward. Kudos for that!

We ordered soda for drinks, and apparently there is no fountain where the employees can fill your drink from. They have to do it from a handheld drink spout.(like the ones at a bar) This also causes an issue when you inevitably need a refill. The one cool thing i noticed was that they had a customer-facing water spout so you can service your own water refills if need be.

once we were done ordering, the employee was trying to figure out where there was seating... we practically had to sit in someone's lap to sit down. This brings up the full on picnic table style seating. not what i expected, or was comfortable with, from a ramen place, where we're about to be slurping and sucking down some noodles and broth. That being said, a quick glance around the dining room, will tell you why they chose this seating style... because they obviously chose the smallest location they could to put in a restaurant with a very popular following. It just seems like it wasnt thought out very well.

Appetizers came out pretty quickly. we ordered Gyoza, and Edamame.

Then we waited over 40 minutes for our main courses. It wasnt that they came out late, but more that we got tired of waiting, and had to find an employee to ask to check on our food. Identifying the employees is not easy as they are all apparently wearing anything they want, and no uniforms which would make it much easier. The easiest way to ID them was the pissed off and stressed looks on their faces.

Once we asked, the employee went to check for us. And the food came out almost instantly after we asked.. id guess about 30-45 seconds later. now this might have been the end of my complaints, but the employee claimed the delay was due to the kitchen needing to make one of the ingredients fresh. ok, cool... but the food was cold(both entrees that we had ordered, obviously having been sitting on a counter in the kitchen waiting on this mysterious "fresh" ingredient. (she never told us what that ingredient was, by the way).

not only were both dishes cold, but one of them was the wrong order. I will also add, that there were entirely too many green onions in both our dishes. we normally might have said something, but in this circumstance, we just dealt with it, and ate the wrong dish, for fear of causing any more delay or issues, or chancing someone spitting in the food.

This whole experience was rather disappointing after having been hyped up by several friends and coworkers over the years that this place(not location specific) was amazing.

I spent over $50 for 2 people to have dinner, and due to the experience, I dont know if i can justify doing that again.

If i do choose to go back to this business, it would likely have to be at one of the other locations, but i dont foresee that happening due to...

I will begin by stating that this is my second time eating at this establishment. The building looked amazing, it was very clean on the outside, and the artwork was very eye-catching. The inside was very clean and offered a very warm and cozy feeling. The place looked great. I went up to the counter and grabbed myself a menu, the laminated paper made it effortless to glide my finger across the menu and locate the food I will choose. I had finished ordering and clicked “no tip” when paying ($14.50). Almost immediately I begin to receive dirty, disgusted, and repulsed looks from the two workers at the box. I’m sorry but who’s giving a tip for someone to click a screen two or maybe three times. I asked for “The Og” and a water, nothing crazy. I went ahead and sat myself at the “Live Noods” section and 5-7 minutes later I had received my food. The food smelt amazing, but seeing all the oil floating to the top of the bowl put an unpleasant feeling in my stomach and began to get rid of my appetite. As I placed my chopsticks in the bowl, I began to notice that most of this bowl was broth (lots of oil), I got very little noodles and a somewhat decent amount of the other stuff. The food had a very strong taste, but I was mostly thinking about how oily my mouth remained after every bite. Each bite became a meditation on excess, a struggle against the overwhelming tide of oil that coated my palate and dulled my senses. I very quickly ran out of noodles and was left highly disappointed. The bowl was nowhere near filling (coming from a 150lb guy with a pretty normal appetite), I asked for a second cup of water to try and fill myself up a little more. Was it worth my money? No. Was the food filling? No. Did the food taste good? The first few bites were good but it began to be too overwhelming and began to seem disgusting. Would I eat here again? No. Do I recommend this place? Only if you want to drop some of your money for some overly oily lips and an even more overly empty and disappointed feeling in both your heart and your stomach. This experience served as a stark reminder of the chasm between aspiration and reality, a poignant lesson in the subjective nature of taste and the elusive pursuit of contentment. The lingering taste of oil became a metaphor for the lingering dissatisfaction, a reminder to never return here again. The bowl, a symbol of potential fulfillment, proved to be a vessel of fleeting gratification, leaving me adrift in a sea of unfulfilled desire. I don’t believe I will be eating here again. But for those willing to eat at this place, I wish nothing but for you to be able to enjoy your food and time spent here. May the experience bring a joyful, pleasing, and contented feeling to you that may make up for the disappointing, saddened, and downhearted food. Thank you

Attached below is a photo of the...

4/21/2025 Update: Came to this location and was going to get the Mi-So-Not add mushrooms and chasu which is my normal go-to for Tatsuya. Decided instead today to venture and try their special the Crawmen. It has tonkotsu, crawfish, andouille, bayou butter, corn & peppers, ajitama. I was pleasantly surprised with the richness of the broth, the bold flavors as if you are eating a crawfish boil in a pot with ramen noodles, and the buttery goodness. Pro tip: start eating the broth as-is and once you get to a point where the richness gets a little heavy then start to squeeze some of the lemon to change the flavor thus cutting into some of the richness. Highly recommend this special that's available until 5/28/2025.

Original review: This is very similar to the other Ramen Tatsuya locations. Which is actually what you expect for consistency when it comes to expanding with additional storefronts. The chashu here is very tender and flavorful. It could very well be the best in town when it comes to just the chashu.

If my wife were to go to this place, she would say that the broth is lukewarm. From what I understand, in Japan, this is very common. I would say that I prefer my broth somewhat to the middle hot range. This is more in the middle.

As for the broth, it is very rich and can be salty depending on what you put in the Ramen bowl. Overall, it's very consistent for what I have experienced at other locations.

I'm glad to have a place close to where I live. It is a solid Ramen. Is it the best in town? I don't think so, but it is consistent and fills the need for tasty Ramen in...