Ramen del Barrio’s signature Carnitas Tonkotsu broth in Austin, Texas.
Chris Krinsky/Courtesy of Ramen del Barrio
After a six-month hiatus, a Michelin-recognized Japanese and Mexican fusion hotspot will soon be making its long-awaited comeback to Texas’ capital city. Ramen del Barrio owner Christopher Krinsky told MySA he and his team are putting the finishing touches on the restaurant’s new home and first brick-and-mortar in Austin.
Krinsky is tentatively aiming to have a grand re-opening celebration for Ramen del Barrio in mid-July, as the restaurant is in the process of receiving its final city inspections over the next two weeks. In December 2025, Ramen del Barrio shuttered its first location in Austin at Hana World after the market’s owners decided not to renew the property’s lease. The ramen spot had operated in that location since 2023.
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Ramen del Barrio owner Christopher Krinsky (left) with Food Network star Guy Fieri (right) at the restaurant’s first location at Hana World Market in Austin, Texas. The restaurant was featured on an episode of Fieri’s “Diners, Drive Ins and Dives” show in August 2025.
Chris Krinsky/Courtesy of Ramen del Barrio
Krinsky said he learned the market would be closing at the end of year in May 2025, which left him scrambling to find a permanent home for Ramen del Barrio in six months. By August 2025, Krinsky signed a lease for a new space located at 2007 Kramer Lane, which is only about 2.5 miles from RDB’s original Hana World stomping grounds on Parmer Lane in north Austin.
Ramen del Barrio fans can expect the same and revolving food from its original menu like pozole and carnitas tonkotsus as well as mariscos, salsas and yaki-tacos. The new restaurant, which Krinsky described as “warm, wooden and comforty,” will also serve authentic Mexican and Japanese alcohol including imported beers, mezcal and whiskey-based cocktails, sake and even spiked aguas frescas.
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How long did it take to get Ramen del Barrio open?
Although Krinsky initially intended to quickly re-open Ramen del Barrio at the beginning of the year, the construction process ended up taking longer and being more expensive than he could’ve ever anticipated.
“Everybody wanted to assure me that I’d be open and ready to go by January 1, and it just wasn’t the case,” Krinsky said. “I actually took out another $100,000 to try and keep my staff afloat, and I was basically in my stimulus check era, where I was handing out like $2,000 every two weeks to my staff.”
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Krinsky explained that he wanted to keep paying his staff’s rent because he thought the restaurant would be ready by February or March, but as time went on he realized the cost became too much to bare financially. He ended up advising his employees to get part-time jobs until Ramen del Barrio would be finished.
Ramen del Barrio’s team in Austin, Texas.
Chris Krinsky/Courtesy of Ramen del Barrio
“In hindsight, and I’ve known that from this part, I could have saved myself $100,000 and told them to get part-time jobs from the start, but ultimately, you know, it’s like, we’re family. They take care of me, I take care of them. And no regrets on the personal side there, just really unfortunate timing with everything that happened, and all of the advice that I was given,” Krinsky said.
What Krinsky learned about opening a restaurant in Austin
Krinsky described the process of opening his first stand-alone restaurant in Austin as a “huge learning experience,” as he’s had to quickly adapt to working with architects, city planners, inspectors, individual private contractors to bring his vision to life. However despite these construction delays, Krinsky has stayed busy over the past six months collaborating with local businesses and keeping his brand alive in the Austin community.
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“These last six months that I’ve been closed have allowed me to kind of take my head out of the sand for the first time in three years,” Krinsky said. “While all of that was happening, and I’m trying to scrape together the means to survive and to stay relevant in people’s minds. I think what has truly been such an eye-opening experience was how the community came together around me.”
In January, Chinese eatery Yellow Ranger hosted Ramen del Barrio for a month-long residency, running a lunch service from their kitchen which Krinsky said helped pay for some of the labor costs he accrued. From April to June, RDB also held pop-ups serving their specialty Japanese ramen with a Mexican twist from Lao’d bar, Mercado Sin Nombre and more recently, Nixta Taqueria.
Seafood tostadas at Ramen del Barrio in Austin, Texas.
Sushi Tattoo/Courtesy of Ramen del Barrio
A bowl of ramen from Ramen del Barrio in Austin, Texas.
Pat GTG/Courtesy of Ramen del Barrio
“It’s always been, wherever we go, the city of Austin follows, and obviously that speaks to our creativity, our perseverance, and consistency, but just also the loyalty from, from our fans, and the connection we have,” Krinsky said.
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Ramen del Barrio owner and chef Christopher Krinsky pours broth into a bowl in the kitchen.
Chris Krinsky/Courtesy of Ramen del Barrio
Pending approval on the restaurant’s upcoming inspections, Krinsky hopes to open the new Ramen del Barrio on July 15. In addition to hosting more community events, Krinsky said he’s most excited to turn the space into “a culinary school for its employees,” to teach the ropes for their future aspirations.
“One of the things that I miss about working for somebody else is being surrounded by a wealth of knowledge,” he concluded. “So given that I can’t have that back in that same form, I think the next best thing for me is to assume the role of the teacher and share what I can, and at least be in that learning environment again, and pushing everybody, including myself, to be better.”