Ramen News
New poke restaurant in North Richland Hills brings all the hot trends
The poke trend is set to hit North Richland Hills with the imminent opening of Kahunas, a new restaurant with a Hawaiian flair featuring ramen, poke, and boba tea.
The restaurant will open in a shopping center at 8509 Davis Blvd. at the intersection of North Tarrant Parkway, in a space once occupied by a location of Dickey's Barbecue.
Spokesperson Jessica Sapp says that the restaurant is due to open in January.
"The menu combines Hawaiian elements and some Asian food," she says. "Poke is the main thing, plus ramen and boba tea."
Owner is Matt Ewasik, who previously owned a gun shop but had the desire to open a restaurant instead.
With Kahunas, he encapsulates three of the hottest restaurant trends in the past few years:
Poke is the raw fish concept from Hawaii, traditionally ahi tuna or salmon, frequently tossed in a soy sauce and sesame oil, and then combined in a bowl with healthy items such as rice and vegetables.
Poke first emerged in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in 2016. The area has since seen dozens of poke restaurants open, but the trend has yet to hit N.R.H.
Ramen is the Japanese soup with noodles and long-simmered broth that first started happening in Dallas in 2013.
Boba tea, aka bubble tea, is the Taiwanese tea drink you order with chewy gummy-like tapioca pearls.
Other dishes on Kahuna's menu will include noodles and kimchi fries - French fries topped with the famously spicy fermented cabbage, plus chili mayo and sriracha sauce.
Sapp says the menu is not yet finalized but there will be multiple varieties of ramen and poke, plus a full boba tea bar with iced teas, slushies, and smoothies.
