Four-star sushi chef Jesús García opens two new ramen shops in North Texas

At 32, Jesús García has opened his third and fourth ramen shops. Just four years ago, he launched Oni Ramen in Fort Worth, and a Deep Ellum location quickly followed.

Now he has opened Kintaro, which has two locations, one in Arlington and one in Fort Worth. García is also getting back to being a celebrated sushi chef with over 10 years of experience: He initially made a splash in North Texas at Fort Worth’s Little Lilly Sushi, which earned four stars from The Dallas Morning News in 2013.

Opened last month, Kintaro’s downtown Arlington location is a kiosk concept similar to Oni Ramen, where García’s only remaining involvement is a small piece of the ownership. With minimal interior design, the shop looks similar to Oni, with customers ordering meals on a touch screen and swiping their cards at the front door. It’s open for dine-in, takeout and delivery.

But last year, García’s two main passions as a chef were reunited when he did hands-on work with friends at Salaryman noodle house in Oak Cliff and Sushi Axiom in Fort Worth. Now at Kintaro in Arlington, a gorgeous bowl of tonkotsu ramen showcases a silky pork broth that has a complexity of flavors, and it only costs $10. In Fort Worth, the menu also includes modestly priced sushi.

García is making the food at the Kintaro in Fort Worth, which just opened this week and operates exclusively through food delivery apps DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub.

For García, ramen and sushi are yin and yang. “Ramen is less strict and a little more freeing,” he says. “Although with sushi there definitely is technique and a quality that you’re looking for. It can be a little more stressful.”

Kintaro is located at 101 E. Abram Street, Suite 130, Arlington, 817-538-5344 (dine-in, takeout and delivery); and in a ghost kitchen (delivery only) in Fort Worth, 817-489-5055. kintaroramen.kitchen.