House of Fu is a ramen place with a loud personality, and it gave Manchester plenty to talk about. The creative team behind it also runs Belgrave Music Hall, Headrow House and Ox Club, three well-loved bars and restaurants in Leeds. They built the concept around ramen, vibrant rice dishes, homemade Ggyoza and an extensive plant-based range, with cocktails, sake and wines alongside. The opening was planned for July.
The Journey and Legacy of House of Fu
Critic Jonathan Schofield reviewed the venue and found uneven food alongside great service, enjoying the meal overall despite a few dishes falling between two stools. Even as locals praised it as one of the coolest ramen spots in town, the team quietly closed the site after one last weekend of service, explaining that the venue simply didn’t click.
The House of Fu brand first launched in 2014 as a popular pop-up at Belgrave Music Hall, quickly becoming a smash hit and winning Best of the Best at the British Street Food Awards that same year. Following this success, House of Fu expanded across various venues and music festivals while the team refined their concept. Inspirational trips to New York, Tokyo, Portland, and Los Angeles helped shape the unique bowl culture and aesthetics inspired by L.A. and Tokyo ramen bars.
Nevertheless, the flagship Leeds location remained deeply rooted in its independent community, relying on local partners to craft its setting and space. Following its success in Leeds, House of Fu opened on Portland Street in Manchester, operating there for two and a half years before bringing its run to an end.
Location & Venue
The Manchester building has a story of its own. CUBE Gallery opened in 1998 in a former warehouse. CUBE was an acronym for Centre for the Urban Built Environment, and Hodder + Partners created the internal design. It hosted architectural and planning exhibitions and a bookshop, but it closed in 2013 when the University of Salford, its main sponsor, pulled its funding.
Since then, this heavily designed place has housed food and drink. Leaf restaurant never filled it with enough presence. House of Fu, a sister to the Leeds original, took over the two-floored unit and brought the energy and character the space needed.
Phase one was a 50 cover restaurant. The team planned five Karaoke rooms and a top floor cocktail bar for early autumn. The outdoor Yard opened with the restaurant and held 60 drinkers.
Interior Design & Décor
Colour hits you first. The colour scheme mixes orange, red, pink, blue and white, and the Manchester site set bright orange against exposed brick. Some corners feel like a beauty salon crossed with a childrens’ nursery, and I kept looking for the bean bags and colouring pads.
Neon runs through the whole place. A neon piece of art shaped like multi-storey noodles lit up the Manchester room. In Leeds, Neon Workshops from Wakefield made the neon installations, and Bobbi Rae from Bearcubs painted the hand-painted murals.
Local makers gave the room its heart. Sunken Studios, a local ceramic studio only a ten-minute walk away, shaped the handmade, bespoke tableware. Three Create built the tables and terrazzo planters. Together they gave the energy and character a Yorkshire flavour and a clear nod to Ramen Culture.
Menu & Food
The menu offered a comprehensive list of ramen bowls, rice bowls and small plates, plus cocktails. The kitchen made gyoza on-site with handmade fillings. A Toa machine from Shizuoka, Japan, turned out 1500 pieces per hour.
Our reviewer felt ramened out, so he skipped the ramen and ordered from the rest of the list. Every empty unit in British cities seems to fill with a ramen or sushi restaurant these days. The result was hit and miss.
The salmon tartare (£8.5) was a win. Its flavours refreshed the palate, the citrus of the ponzu lifted it, and the nori (seaweed) added slippery moisture. The prawn toast (£7.5) was a failure. It came out tough, and the Kewpie mayonnaise lacked umami. The sweet chilli did not rescue it.
The Fu katsu (£13.50) was another win. Panko breadcrumb crusted chicken gave crunch and tender, moist flesh. The curry sauce, cabbage, ginger and steamed rice completed it. The teriyaki chicken (£14) brought disappointment. The garlic mayo, shichimi egg (spicy), sesame, pickled ginger and nori made it claggy, and the coating tasted like marmite mixed with treacle. The sticky rice felt stuck.
The desserts also split opinion. The Yuzu meringue pudding (£6.5) was bland, especially the shortbread. The Matcha Basque cheesecake had no crust, but the green tea flavour worked well with the strawberry coulis. When the final service came, the closure left many fans sad.
Drinks
Local suppliers stocked the bar. Beers came from Leeds breweries such as Kirkstall, Northern Monk and North Brew Co. Organic wines and homemade Kombucha rounded out the offer, and the great cocktails tied it together.
Staff & Service
The staff were friendly and cheerful, much like nursery staff. From the greeting to the table service, they delivered excellent care on both visits. The team worked incredibly hard to give customers amazing experiences from day one.The owners said the closing was no reflection on them. They also said thank you to the patrons who spent their time and money there.
House of Fu Concludes Manchester Operations amid Economic Challenges
The House of Fu team announced the closure of their Portland Street location in Manchester, calling the current economic landscape challenging and expressing that they felt heartbroken after concluding the site didn’t click. The announcement marked Saturday, 28th February as their final day of service after two and a half years. In their farewell statement, they extended deep thanks to their staff and patrons, while awarding a 10/10 rating to their landlords at Bruntwood alongside a promise to rent from them again in the future.
They also urged the public to continue supporting local independent hospitality businesses. Meanwhile, the brand’s main journey traces back to its initial Leeds opening, where the first floor debuted on Monday, 5 July, followed by the top-floor bar and karaoke rooms in early autumn to serve lunch, dinner, and late-night ramen bowls seven days a week.
Head Chef Ben Iley and the Vision Behind House of Fu
Ben Iley led the kitchen as head chef and long-time collaborator at House of Fu. His culinary journey began in Leeds in 1996 before he spent a decade honing his craft in Tokyo, working at high-profile venues like Aquavit, The Tokyo American Club, and Fujimamas where he also met his wife, Masayo. Along the way, he learned from culinary figures including Marcus Samuelsson, Bill Granger, and Ivan Orkin of Ivan Ramen, experiences he later brought back to Leeds alongside his work at Ox Club and Headrow House.
In Tokyo, sharing a bowl of ramen was a friendly competition among peers showing off their favorite neighborhood spots, and Ben aimed to bring that exact culture to House of Fu. To capture that energy, he designed a system featuring weekly specials to showcase kitchen creativity while maintaining a core menu of firm favorites. Ultimately, the ramen served as the heart of House of Fu, with a focus on training up-and-coming chefs as much as feeding its guests.
FAQs
1. What makes House of Fu unique?
House of Fu brings together authentic, slow-simmered ramen, handmade gyozas, and vibrant Asian-inspired street food in a high-energy, modern atmosphere.
2. Do you offer vegetarian and vegan options?
Yes! A large portion of the menu features plant-based ramen bowls, vegan dumplings, and small plates clearly marked for vegetarian and vegan diets.
3. Do I need a reservation to dine?
Walk-ins are always welcome, though booking a table online in advance is recommended during peak evening hours and weekends.
4. Can special dietary requirements or allergies be accommodated?
Absolutely. Detailed allergen menus are available on-site, and staff can guide you through gluten-free or allergy-safe dish options.
5. Where can I find House of Fu locations and opening hours?
You can check current locations, full menus, and daily opening hours directly on the official House of Fu website or social media channels.
