Big-Shot Ramen

Las Vegas' Monta Ramen plots first Texas noodle shop in popular Dallas suburb

Dallas' emerging ramen scene is about to welcome a big-deal newcomer. Monta Ramen, one of the top ramen joints in Las Vegas, is coming to Texas, with a branch opening in Richardson, on Coit Road just south of Arapaho.

Monta comes from restaurateur Takashi Segawa, who has a growing empire of restaurants that includes highly regarded Las Vegas sushi restaurant Kabuto.

Monta has two locations in Las Vegas, including the original in the city's Chinatown district that opened in 2010. One publication credits it with setting ramen on fire in Las Vegas; another called it "some of the best ramen outside Tokyo."

Monta serves "Kurume-style" ramen, with large planks of pork, broth made from pork bones and soy sauce imported from Japan. The menu is small, with the archetypal tonkotsu ramen with pork in a milky broth, plus a few alternatives such as shoyu ramen (with a clear, soy-based broth) and miso ramen (in which miso is added to the tonkotsu).

A bowl runs $6.95 to $7.25. Other menu options are limited to dumplings and fried rice.

Once open, it will join a small, newly-gathering group of restaurants in Dallas offering ramen that includes Tanoshii in Deep Ellum and Tei An at One Arts Plaza.

Segawa, who also owns an all-you-can-eat sushi chain called Sushi-Mon, was unavailable for comment. But a manager at the Las Vegas branch confirmed that Dallas would be the first Monta outpost in Texas, and that a remodel was underway. The decor at the Las Vegas outlets includes lots of pale woods, including a large irregularly shaped bar formed out of a slab of wood.

"We're hoping to be open this summer," she said.

That space has seen a string of short-term failed tenants in the past few years, from Kel's Kitchen to a deli called Stuie's to a healthy-food restaurant called Vitality House to something called H & D BBQ & Grill to the most recent tenant, a Chinese place called Lin Express that was locked out for nonpayment of rent.

A spokesman for the shopping center said that the space fit Monta's requirements to a T, and that the company was looking to open other branches in the area down the road.

Las Vegas favorite Monta Ramen is coming to Richardson.

Photo courtesy of Monta Ramen

Las Vegas favorite Monta Ramen is coming to Richardson.

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Quonset Hut News

Familiar names take over Quonset hut for new Far-Out Dallas bar

Yelp

Wriggly Tin is now Far-Out Dallas

There's a new Dallas restaurant and bar coming to everyone's favorite Quonset hut: Called Far-Out, it'll take over the space at 1906 E. Haskell Ave. in East Dallas that was previously home to Wriggly Tin, with a grand opening slated for 2025.

Founders Caroline and James Lee are calling it Far-Out & La Hermana Cerveceria and promise that a culinary adventure awaits.

"After months of creative brainstorming and a bit of furniture rearranging, we are thrilled to announce an exciting new pioneering concept that will open its doors in 2025," the duo says. "Introducing Far-Out & La Hermana Cerveceria, a dynamic new restaurant and brewery born from the collaboration of industry veterans."

The team includes some beloved East Dallas names:

Marc Cassel of The Green Room and 20 Feet Seafood Joint
Christopher Jeffers of Bolsa and Smoke
Stephanie Houston, the trailblazing first Latina Production distillery owner in America

Also joining the team is Bar Director Adam Mercado, whose resume includes stints at Billy Can Can and Brass Ram.

Marcado will crafting a unique beverage program, with support from mixologist Brian McCullough. Together, they will create what the founders call "unforgettable drink experiences to complement our delicious culinary offerings."

Wriggly Tin opened in November 2023 as an ultra-hip pizza and craft beer spot inside a renovated Quonset hut near Dallas' Fair Park — a former Cajun fried turkey place which they gave doting makeover with custom plaster walls and art objects from around the world. They replaced one whole side of the hut with glass for sunsets and created a spacious outdoor patio in front.

They earned two nomination in CultureMap's 2024 Tastemaker Awards, one for Best Bar and another for Best Patio.

Alas, the original founders, who'd previously owned Small Brewpub in Oak Cliff, parted ways shortly after it opened. And the bar closed down in September 2024, for what they called "internal changes."

Now the hut is back: The new Far-Out bar is already up and running a few days a week. In the coming days, they will offer updates and sneak peeks as they gear up for the opening of their kitchen.

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