Tiger Ramen, a husband-and-wife-run ramen counter on west Custer Road in McKinney, has quietly turned into a neighborhood hangout for rich bowls and Japanese rice balls. The compact shop leans on a creamy paitan broth and a short, tightly curated menu of ramen, hand-rolled sushi and onigiri. Since opening in late 2024, the restaurant has picked up a steady following among diners looking for authentic flavors without the fuss.
Broth Built On Patient Simmering
Owner Ty Wada emphasizes technique: the restaurant’s chicken-based paitan broth is cooked down slowly to achieve a creamy texture. As CultureMap Dallas notes, that kind of slow simmer is “standard for traditional Japanese style” and is what gives the bowls their signature mouthfeel. Wada trained the menu by tasting ramen across Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka before finalizing recipes back in McKinney.
Menu Highlights And Price Points
Paitan ramen is the shop’s top seller and is listed at $15.99, while the spicy miso, a chicken-tonkotsu base with house-blended miso and spicy ground pork, runs $17.49. The menu also includes onigiri varieties such as a veggie spicy-miso onigiri ($5.99) and koji salmon ($6.99), plus a handful of hand-rolled sushi and small plates. Those menu details and prices were reported by Community Impact.
Small Space, Local Buzz And Workshops
The restaurant’s compact counter seating and colorful mural give it a close-knit, neighborhood feel, and the owners have leaned into community programming. Tiger Ramen lists hands-on classes, including a miso-making workshop and other fermentation events, on its events page, which double as a way to introduce customers to Japanese pantry staples. Local dining roundups have also tagged Tiger Ramen as one of McKinney’s new casual spots to try; Eater Dallas included the shop in a February openings list.
Where To Go And What’s Next
Tiger Ramen is located at 4041 S. Custer Rd., Unit 2110; current hours and contact information are posted on the restaurant’s site. Per the restaurant’s site, typical hours are late-morning and evening service most days, with Monday closed. The owners say they are already scouting a second Texas location outside the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex for 2026, according to Community Impact.
