Ramen Tatsu-Ya’s Opening a Tiki Bar

Ramen Tatsu-ya is opening a tiki cocktail bar, which will take over its next-door neighbor, the shuttered Backbeat space on 1300 South Lamar Boulevard. On deck at Tiki Tatsu-ya will be tiki cocktails, both classic and new drinks, as well as a menu reflective of tiki culture. It’s set to open later this year.

“My travels and explorations into tiki culture revealed the deep mixing of Asian and Japanese influences, co-owner and co-chef Tatsu Aikawa explained the idea behind the cocktail bar in a release. “We want to maintain the authenticity of tiki culture but with a Tatsu-Ya take on it.”

Tiki Tatsu-ya’s beverage program will be overseen by Aaron Reed, who used to work at Volstead and Hotel Vegas. He will be helped with the restaurants’ beverage director Michael Phillips and Tatsu-ya’s sake and shochu sommelier Bryan Masamitsu Parsons.

The Tatsu-ya team originally wanted to open a tiki bar back in 2014, pitched by director of operations Shion Aikawa. It was going to be be found at what is currently Mission Dogs location on East Cesar Chavez, but the plan never came to fruition.

Aikawa and co-owner/chef Takuya Matsumoto run three locations of Ramen Tatsu-ya, including one in Houston, with a fourth to come on East 6th Street. There’s an unknown project also set for Burnet Road. They also run Texas Japanese izakaya Kemuri Tatsu-ya on East 2nd Street.

• Tiki Tatsu-ya [Facebook]
• Tiki Tatsu-ya [Instagram]