Yatai Food Kart

I finally got to try Yatai. I wasn’t very hungry, but the moment I saw Yatai sitting in front of Avoca, I said !@#$ it.
Brah. The owner has to be one of the coolest owners I have ever met. When he speaks, he exudes and friendliness and kindness I don’t see from many restaurant owners. I pride myself in reading people. I kept looking for any body language that would tell me this guy is acting fake. Nah. This guy is real deal nice.
On to the ramen. I asked Kevin (?) if he had any offerings without meat or just seafood. He said the broth that day was fish based. Cool! Then, he said he could do double egg and throw some kim chi into it.
DAMN! DAMN DAMN DAMN! I get it. The noodles were awesome. I kind of understand why people nose rub package ramen now. The brother was banging! I don’t think I ever had broth stick to my ribs, but I still got this junk stuck from dinner yesterday night. (I’m writing this the following morning.) Also included were two slivers of dried seaweed.
Props to the food cart. You inspire me to steal your idea and make a competing ramen cart. JK. I’m not motivated at all. Carry on.

An amazing experience all around. Friendly Kevin and awesome ramen. A ft worth gem for sure!

Yatai Food Kart doesn’t have official hours, so your best chance at locating them is by following them on Instagram @yatai_food_kart.
We tracked Kevin down to an art show where he was serving pork sliders, chicken with watermelon, and a red bean popsicle dessert.
Pork sliders were alright, perhaps needing some sort of sauce or softer bun. We reeeeally enjoyed the lightly battered chicken on a skewer, served with watermelon topped with salt and some sweet-​ish black flakes. The chicken was so juicy and moist, and it paired perfectly with the salty-​sweet watermelon. Delicious!
He has a short rotating menu, so come with an open mind. We were hoping to try his ramen, pork buns, or okonomiyaki, so we’ll have to hunt him down again for more Japanese goodies. I can definitely see his food truck gaining plenty of attention in the near future! :)

Best ramen in DFW! Kevin is always so sweet and welcoming! On a typical day he will have ramen and another dish (kimchi burgers, pork buns, fresh sushi) and everything is always fresh and flavorful!

The ramen, in my opinion, was OK. I loved loved the okonomiyaka though! I’ve heard good things about the takoyaki, so I need to continue watching for updates on Instagram.
The food cart doesn’t have a consistent schedule. You’ll have to follow them on Instagram. They post in instagram when he is open and what foods he made for that day.
Highly recommend!

Definitely a nice find in Fort Worth! Seems like there is always 2 items on the menu when you visit. For me it was Ramen and Yakisoba. The ramen was good especially when it was made spicy. The owner was real nice and friendly, I would definitely check ahead of time by calling if there is bad weather ahead or even checking their Facebook page to make sure they are out since it is a food truck. I feel like compared to Hanabi it is slightly not as good but I thought it was great that he gave a good portion of the meat vs many ramen shops. I will definitely be back again to try the other things on the menu from time to time.

Great place. Simple menu bit good food. Friendly guy that’s loves to converse while you watch him make your food. Steam bun is really good. Duck and pork.
Parks right on magnolia in front of Avoca so there is plenty of space to eat as well as being ina great environment.

Drop what you’re doing, and go to Yatai food cart. I’m going to go as far as to say that this is my favorite place to eat in Fort Worth. Kevin is awesome, and so personable! He came out of the cart to hang out with all of us there, and I loved that! The miso ramen is out of this world! We can’t wait to go back again soon.

Kevin is embodying the American Dream. After he was displaced from his previous job as a sushi chef when his restaurant burned down, he rolled up his sleeves and hung out his own shingle. His food truck game tonight was strong, featuring a lightly seasoned Hokkaido miso ramen, featuring a rich pork broth. For a starter, he offered a surprisingly assertive shrimp ceviche. In addition to the standard lime juice, I puckered a little at the rice vinegar note. At $ 8 for a bowl of ramen and $ 4 for the ceviche, this was a slam dunk.

Ramen on Magnolia! Or where ever the food truck is parked :) The man friend and I went to check out the chef Kevin’s food. He had ramen that night and also okonomiyaki.
The ramen was full of flavor! My egg was perfectly cooked so I still got the yolky goodness. I loved the thick slices of fish cake and the chili oil to spice things up. The noodles have a nice bite to them and everything in the bowl came together. I’m a fan of shoyu broth and miso so the hybrid works for me.
The okonomiyaki was crispy with tasty bits of cabbage and seafood. Since the man friend isn’t generally a fan of Japanese pizza it just meant more for me!
I’ve heard that this cart will soon be parked at The Usual for late night and that they are doing brunch on some weekends at Avoca.
This tiny cart packs some huge flavors. Stop by!

Great find for ramen in the Ft. Worth area. I stumbled on to this food cart in the Avoca Coffee parking lot. The guy making the ramen was very friendly and willing to talk about his food as well as other must try places.
The ramen was great, thick and creamy but not overpowering. He added the chili oil to my preference which is pretty hot. The pork was 1 nice thick cut which I like better than the 2 or 3 deli meat thin pieces you get at most places. The egg was cooked exactly how it is suppose to be and I got a bit of kimchi on mine just to round the whole package out.
I’m not sure what days he is there selling his ramen but I will definitely be on the lookout in the future.

This place is AMAZING! On this particular night, Kevin was serving Ramen and Okonomiyaki. You order first, eat, return the bowls and plates to him, and then pay.
His ramen broth tonight was a hybrid between a miso and shoyu. It wasn’t too thick and packed a nice subtle heat. I was absolutely ecstatic when I saw the pork belly because it was a nice and thick cut with a rim of fat around it. He even pan seared one of the slices of pork belly and omg that took the flavor to a completely different level. The noodles were good as well, absorbing the flavors from the broth well.
He usually serves ramen and one other dish for the night, one time papaya salad and another time soft baos. Tonight he was serving Okonomiyaki, a type of Japanese pancake. The one he made only had a bit of mayo and teriyaki sauce on top. I’m glad t wasn’t doused in sauces (like some places I’ve reviewed before) so that the flavors could shine on their own. He originally said he was going to put some pork shoulder on the Okonomiyaki but instead he put that extra slice of pork belly in our ramen which was not a problem at all. Cool dude, cool experience, and super delicious food. He’s got me hooked and I foresee many many visits here.

Best ramen in the metroplex. He’s absolutely friendly and do let him know if you’d like any customization to your order.

The food here is unreal! Be sure to check it out before everyone else realizes how good it is.

This guy apparently cares and loves what he is serving up. Don’t let the little stand fool you-​big flavor! Was blown away. Definitely going back-​this stuff could easily be sold in a nice restaurant but I love that its a 1 man show in a little cart in a parking lot! Plan to eat there at the picnic table!

Yatai parks in front of Avoca Coffee a few times a week. We told him we were vegan and he made us a special meal. It was early, at the very start of his dinner service and not many customers were there, so Kevin just kept bringing us stuff. He told us he spent 9 months as a vegan to learn the ropes. We had ordered the scallion pancake, and he also gave us a snow pea salad, and a soup. The whole thing was $ 14 for 2 people getting three courses. You might not get that much attention later in the night, but whatever you get will be delicious.

Amazing bowl of shoyu ramen. The flavors were very subtle (not overly salty) and the noodles had a wonderful consistency and springiness. Best bowl I’ve had since Kyoto.