The House of Fu story begins in 1996 when chef Ben Iley started working in the bars and restaurants of Leeds. Ben spent a few years jumping between some of the city’s best restaurants but became disillusioned and unhappy with the quality of the Ramen he was producing and decided to visit Tokyo and spend a month seeking direction and inspiration.

Ben fell in love with the city and its culture and one month turned into 9 years before Ben finally returned to Leeds with his wife and young family in 2014

On his return he started working on a new concept with the team behind Belgrave Music Hall when they discovered a shared love of broth, noodles and gyoza and a plan started to form.

The House of Fu concept began life as a pop-up at Belgrave Music Hall and the team went on to win ‘Best of the Best’ at that year’s British Street food awards. The pop-up went on to appear at various venues and festivals across the UK as the team developed the concept with inspirational trips to New York, Tokyo, Portland and Los Angeles.

The debut restaurant opened in Leeds in 2020 serving authentic ramen, fresh rice bowls and home made gyoza alongside a craft beer, highballs and frozen cocktails.

After 3 years the team knew it was time to bring House of Fu to another city… enter our Manchester site, located on Portland Street. With neon noodles, exposed brick and a new menu items, it the perfect combination of a Tokyo ramen house and Manchester.