The former Tatsu Ramen space is for lease

Closed for renovations notices remain posted outside Tatsu Ramen, 167 First Ave. between 10th Street and 11th Street.

If there was any doubt about a permanent closure ... the storefront is now on the rental market, as EVG regular Upper West Sider points out. (No rental signs on the space just yet.)

The restaurant went dark earlier in the fall of 2021... the "closed for renovations" signs soon followed, though there was never activity inside the space. Still, patrons who liked their offerings — a few EVG readers said they enjoyed the vegetarian ramen — hoped for a return.

The Southern California transplant opened here in a competitive ramen market back in July 2018.

Tatsu Ramen has not been open lately

The Tatsu Ramen location at 167 First Ave. has been closed for the past month-plus ... signs on the storefront between 10th Street and 11th Street note a closure for renovations.

An EVG reader who lives nearby hasn't seen any activity inside for weeks... with the mail piling up ... 

There isn't any mention of a closure — temporary or otherwise — on the restaurant's social media properties. The East Village outpost is also no longer listed on the Tatsu website. (The three L.A.-area locations remain open.) 

We reached out to find out if/when this space will return.

The Southern California transplant opened here in a competitive ramen market back in July 2018.

H/T Steven

Tatsu Ramen debuts on 1st Avenue

Tatsu Ramen, with two locations in Los Angeles, opened its first NYC outpost last evening at 167 First Ave.

For now, Tatsu will be opening in the evening hours...

Mark your calendar, our doors open today, 07/24! We’ll be satisfying your dinner and late-night ramen cravings with our temporary limited hours: Sun-Wed: 6PM-2AM Thurs-Sat: 7PM-3AM · Stay tuned for our 11AM opening time in the near future: Sun-Wed: 11AM-2AM Thurs-Sat: 11AM-3AM · Until then, #LateNightsAtTatsu #SlurpOn #✌️ · 🍜 📸: @sgmphoto

A post shared by Tatsu Ramen (@tatsuramen) on Jul 24, 2018 at 8:13am PDT

Here's more about Tatsu, via their website:

Tatsu was founded by a handful of tight-knit USC family who fell in love with Tokyo and ramen. Having tasted the best, we went on a mission to find the best ramen in LA — and were terribly disappointed.

This sparked our (neon) lightbulb to bring Tokyo "home" to LA. We reimagined the typical Japanese ordering vending machine as iPads and flew multiple chefs from Japan to deconstruct the chemistry-laden recipes and have them painstakingly house-made from scratch with natural ingredients (and tough love!).

We shocked the ramen traditionalists by also offering gluten-free option, 100% chicken and vegan broth.

"Tatsu" means dragon and opened its door in 2012, the year of the dragon. It has since become an LA institution that’s frequented by A-listers, hipsters and blacklisters.

You can find the Tatsu Ramen menu here.

The last tenant in this space between 10th Street and 11th Street was Ashiya Sushi, who moved away in 2015.

Previously on EV Grieve:
L.A.-based ramen shop opening outpost on 1st Avenue

L.A.-based ramen shop opening outpost on 1st Avenue

Tatsu Ramen, with two locations in Los Angeles, is opening an outpost at 167 First Ave., two storefronts away from Momofuku.

Here's more about Tatsu, via their website:

Tatsu was founded by a handful of tight-knit USC family who fell in love with Tokyo and ramen. Having tasted the best, we went on a mission to find the best ramen in LA — and were terribly disappointed.

This sparked our (neon) lightbulb to bring Tokyo "home" to LA. We reimagined the typical Japanese ordering vending machine as iPads and flew multiple chefs from Japan to deconstruct the chemistry-laden recipes and have them painstakingly house-made from scratch with natural ingredients (and tough love!).

We shocked the ramen traditionalists by also offering gluten-free option, 100% chicken and vegan broth.

"Tatsu" means dragon and opened its door in 2012, the year of the dragon. It has since become an LA institution that’s frequented by A-listers, hipsters and blacklisters.

Buzzfeed named it one of the best ramen places in Los Angeles:

You are greeted at Tatsu Ramen by iPads, not people. You select your order on the touch screen, grab your receipt and then take a seat. We ordered two bowls of the the default-vegan "Hippie Ramen." It's a garlicky bowl of veggies, fried tofu, and delicious noodles. You can add more flavoring at your table, including crushing your own garlic, but there was no need. It already tasted great.

You can find the Tatsu Ramen menu here.

No. 167 here between 10th Street and 11th Street has been empty in recent years. The last tenant was Ashiya Sushi, who moved away in 2015.