Uchibā Dallas Turns Uncommon Ramen Vietnamese on Sept. 14
Ramen has never had trouble finding an audience in Dallas. What it hasn’t always had is a reason to surprise one. Since 2017, Uchibā Dallas has supplied that reason once a month, handing its kitchen to an outside chef with no interest in playing it safe.
Aaron Franklin has cooked here. So has Stephen Pyles, Tommy Lee, and Chris Shepherd. The lineup changes. The premise doesn’t.
This month’s chef swap comes with a scheduling wrinkle. Labor Day has pushed September’s Uncommon Ramen off its usual first-Monday perch to Monday, September 14, running 5 to 10 p.m. The chefs stepping in, Joshua Zacharias and Brenda Perez of Restaurant shua, know the room better than most guest cooks do. Both trained at Uchi Dallas before striking out on their own, which makes this less a guest slot than a return engagement.
Restaurant shua exists because of an imbalance Zacharias and Perez are tired of watching. Vietnamese cooking has produced six Michelin-starred restaurants worldwide and, by the chefs’ own count, only one in the United States, a gap that has nothing to do with the cuisine’s range and everything to do with how it’s been marketed. Their traveling supper club, built around a single communal table and a tasting-menu format, treats phở and its relatives as a technical tradition worth the same reverence as anything French or Japanese. That argument travels with them to Uchibā.
The centerpiece is Thịt Heo Nướng Sả Ramen, grilled lemongrass pork neck in a nước mắm caramel tare finished with ajitama, candied garlic, and pickled green papaya, priced at $24. A vegetarian version, Nấm Xào Sả Ớt Veggie Ramen, replaces the pork with grilled lemongrass king trumpet mushroom for $19. A grilled shrimp skewer with chili salt and muối ớt xanh runs $15. Dessert is Kem Xoài Lá Dứa, mango sorbet and pandan ice cream swirled together under a scattering of caramelized coconut chips, for $9.
Zacharias and Perez haven’t been hard to find this year. They joined Meridian executive chef Eduardo Osorio for an eight-course tasting built around live fire, and turned up downtown at Bazaar alongside chef Belal Kattan’s roving tasting menu. Uncommon Ramen gives them a tighter frame than either of those bookings, one bowl instead of eight courses, but the intent carries over: Vietnamese food treated as serious cooking, not shorthand for takeout.
Uchibā opened in 2018 as the upstairs counterpart to Uchi, the Modern Japanese restaurant that earned chef Tyson Cole a James Beard Award. The bar was built to feel like a hideaway, heavy on yakitori and Japanese whisky, light on pretense. Uncommon Ramen has become its most reliable draw, a monthly experiment that turns a bar snack into something worth planning an evening around.
Nights like this one sell out fast, and a nine-year track record does nothing to slow that down. Reservations for September 14 are open now through Uchibā’s SevenRooms page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Uchibā Dallas located?
Uchibā Dallas is at 2817 Maple Ave, Floor 2, Dallas, TX 75201, situated directly above Uchi in the Oak Lawn corridor near Turtle Creek.
What is Uchibā Dallas’s official website?
Uchibā Dallas’s official site is uchiba.uchirestaurants.com, which includes the full menu, reservation links, and event details.
When is the September Uncommon Ramen dinner?
The event takes place Monday, September 14, 2026, from 5 to 10 p.m. The date was moved from the series’ usual first Monday of the month because of the Labor Day holiday.
Who are the guest chefs for September’s Uncommon Ramen?
Joshua Zacharias and Brenda Perez of Restaurant shua, a Vietnamese fine-dining pop-up, are creating the menu. Both chefs previously trained at Uchi Dallas.
Do I need a reservation for Uncommon Ramen?
Reservations are strongly recommended given the series’ popularity and are available through Uchibā’s SevenRooms booking page. Walk-ins are welcome as space allows.
Is there parking at Uchibā Dallas?
Valet parking is available during dinner service at the Maple Avenue entrance.
What is Uchibā Dallas’s phone number?
Uchibā Dallas can be reached at 214-855-5454 for large parties, special requests, or questions.
What are Uchibā Dallas’s regular hours?
Uchibā is open daily from 5 to 11 p.m., with happy hour running from 5 to 6:30 p.m.