JINYA Ramen Bar

Came here on the recommendation of one of my co-​workers and it didn’t disappoint. The staff are great and the ramen was delicious! I ordered the Cha Cha Cha. If you’re a garlic lover, you’ll love this one (I know I did).

Located in a small strip mall with some parking in front. A cozy spot with attentive services. The ramen, the actual noodles, is rather with a tough texture contrary to the more elastic texture of the hand-​made ramen. I do see the operation functions more like a fast food joint.
The boiled egg came runny, the yoke the egg white are all runny — quite a shocking thing to even taste that inside was even cold. They probably had boiled it earlier and stored in the fridge. This is a big let down even for a simple thing.
Finally, although I cannot say with certainty, but I suspect they might had added MSG in their broth. Why? Because I got extremely thirsty an hour after eating this ramen that lasted the whole night. Although I cannot say for sure, but that’s a big sign for me. So if you’re allergic to MSG or intolerant to it, make sure to check with the restaurant! Overall, I’d give a 2.5star but the attentive service makes up for it. However much quality has been sacrificed for convenience and costs.

Went to a second Jinya location and I was impressed with their service and food quality in both locations.
I reviewed the one in Studio City, CA and here I am copying my review that also applies to this location.
Outstanding service from every staff member, they all greet you and take care of your table for an over the top experience which is a bonus on top of their excellent and tasteful food.
Take advantage of Happy Hour, everyday 3 — 5pm.
Crispy chicken (5pcs for $ 3 — happy hour) — very tasty, crispy to perfection. Even better with Mayo.
Takoyaki. Really good. They don’t skimp on the octopus and price is simnifically cheaper than other places in the Valley. $ 5.20 — 6pcs.
Crunch Roll was delicious, soft and again very affordable price.
I will for sure come back and will recommend it to my family and friends.

Came here on a Saturday early evening during happy hour. Had the vegetarian ramen and ordered a quinoa salad since it was only $ 3 during happy hour. I enjoyed the salad, but the person I was with didn’t like it much. The dressing is mayo-​based, I believe. The ramen was good but it came with lettuce and greens in it, which I didn’t expect. I wouldn’t say it’s the best ramen I’ve had, but it was still tasty. The staff who helped us was very friendly and helpful.
The location seemed a little dead but that is likely due to the time and the fact that there was construction on the main street

Many mid Wilshire office workers were suffering along w/​Baja Fresh and Calendars for a long time before the food trucks arrived. They brought welcome diversity to office lunches, though not much in the way of seating or healthy food. If you are looking or burgers or beer, the counter is certainly a viable option, but the arrival of JINYA ramen back in late 2011 on Wilshire & La Brea is definitely an exciting development. An offshoot of Ventura Blvd the ramen destination, which itself sprang from a Japanese company, the JINYA restaurants are dedicated to high quality ingredients with extra flourishes that layer on the flavor in a most satisfying way.
The Miracle mile location is a narrow mini-​mall space that formerly housed a dubious outpost of new Meiji. Ramen JINYA is a huge improvement over the musty sushi and flaccid tempura of the former tenant and it’s some of the best ramen in LA at the moment.
These my thought on the lists of items that I’ve tried so far in JINYA since their grand opening back in Late 2011.
1. The original Shoyu Tonkotsu ramen, at $ 8.55, is a murky, Pork-​infused broth of significant deliciousness. Spinach, seaweed, and tender slice of pork blissfully co-​exist w/​thin of thick ramen noodles that are then topped with fried onion strands for an extra hit of umami. Served in a lovely ceramic bowl as my Unilocal friend Miguel R said at a not-​too-​streaming temperature which makes a hearty lunch for one person — I MEAN REALLY. You definitely don’t want to share, but if you are ordering other items, it MAY BE possible.
*The ramen itself is as porky as it gets w/​the rich Tonkotsu broth supplemented with a sliced pork chasu, soft boiled runny york egg, crispy onions, chili sauce, and springy, thick fresh handmade housenoodle.
2. One of the most interesting, unique and best selling item I tried so far are the Brussels sprout tempura drenched in Truffle oils. I MUST ADMIT, I am NOT a huge fan of Brussels sprouts, but I did truly enjoy the texture and the flavors of the Brussels sprout because it’s not too greasy nor it doesn’t have any bitter taste after the one bite. May be because of fingerlickingly delicious Truffle oils, it may be difficult to say it has a bitter taste. From now on, I am so addicted to their Brussels sprout tempura. Anyways, highly recommended item for anybody including Brussels sprout hater like me haha…
**If you are Brussels sprout lover unlike me, there’s an item called Brussels sprout ramen. Basically, this version gets more creative w/​the addition of steamed Brussels sprout, making the dish a satisfying meal — Complete w/​veggies — serving in one big steaming bowl. The sprouts itself gets an added oomph of veggie power with the help of pea purée coating. Still think you need more veggies? As I stated in my tip while ago, tack on a buck more for the restaurant’s ramen noodles made with the spinach.**
Please note that Brussels sprout ramen is the limited item that is only served during the month of March!!! From now on, you’ll have to satisfy your fix with the restaurant’s Brussels sprout tempura or Kale tempura for another healthy tapas item (Vegetarians can go nuts about those particular tapas items)!!!
3. Panna Cotta aka dessert item, Salted Caramel Panna Cotta dessert was a great way to finish my complete meal today. Panna Cotta itself was creamy and texture itself was bit similar to jello. Not overly sweet which is the way I would prefer for my dessert. Another WINNER.
My final thoughts:
For $ 11.55, special bowls add more ingredients like Chili oil or an extra ingredients such as corn, butter, Char siu aka Japanese style fatty pork that pairs well w/​any Ramen soup, meaning that everything from corn to butter the prices may range from 1 bucks to 3 bucks. There’re some options for vegetarians, and chicken Ramen is often available as a special, but isn’t yet in the regular rotation. Also on the menu, are pots ticker dumplings, cold noodles and some kinds of seaweed salad and some unique appetizers as I mentioned above.
One thing that Jinya can improve is the service even though my server named Justin was friendly and never even looked bothered to answer all the questions regarding some items that I wasn’t really familiar with. For example, the appetizer item Spicy crispy Tuna arrived on the table after I almost finished eating my ramen soup which was kinda ridiculous. Having to wait until close to end of the meal for mediocre crispy rice w/​spicy tuna like today’s lunch was NO BUENO at all!
Will I return in the future? Yup. Absolutely.
Will I order anything other than the ramen? Yes. Particularly some interesting and unique items from Tapas and dessert item after the meal.

I used to love this place, especially when I had a cold and needed a tasty bowl of broth.
But then I brought a friend, wanting to show off one my neighborhood’s best restaurants. She was distressed about some things going on in her life. We sat there maybe 15 min after our table was cleared. The waitress came up and said they needed our table for someone else. I was so embarrassed. Who does that?
I decided that extremely bad customer service was an anomaly. Gave them another try.
My tween daughter and I came there for a relaxing lunch, as we have many times in the past. The crunchy onion was missing from my ramen. I mentioned this and was told, nonchalantly, that they had run out. This was why I had ordered this bowl, how do you just leave off an ingredient and not tell the customer? I let it go. Smiled. I’m a nice person.
But then…
My daughter ordered dessert. It was strangely warm for a custard. She seemed to be enjoying it, then suddenly wanted to leave. When we got to the car, she spat something hard on the ground, and informed me that she had bitten into something foul and bitter. When we got home, she threw up her entire lunch. My heart broke, watching her suffer and struggle and cry.
I called Jinya. Calmly shared the situation. The woman answering said she was sorry to hear that. Her voice indicated zero concern. I asked for a refund on the dessert, at least. I was given a runaround. Got called back by someone who said they could not do that but would be happy to give me a free appetizer the next time we came. No, I just wanted my money back, on the whole bill if they couldn’t just take off the dessert. They said they could make that happen.
I was out to dinner hours later with friends and got a call that there would be no refund. But, they would be happy to give us a free appetizer.
As if I would ever step foot in there again. You can mess with me. Don’t mess with my baby.

Want ramen in LA? Try Jinya! It first caught my eye with the offering of THICK NOODLES, and kept my attention with the vegetarian and vegan ramen options!
SERVICE:
We got seats right away and our server was very nice and attentive. We got our food out in a good time.
MENU:
Had traditional ramen bowls (tonkotsu black oil) and unique flavors (spicy chicken ramen, ramen with Brussels sprouts and kale, etc.). Loved that it was so vegetarian friendly!
FOOD:
~ Cha Cha Cha (for garlic lovers): the pork broth tasted great — very porky and garlicky indeed! But he warned: it is VERY FATTY AND HEAVY. There was about a ¼ inch of oil on top of the broth!!! The cha shu pork was also pretty fatty (bf had to spit out the fatty pieces). My bf was in a pretty bad food coma afterwards…
BUT, the soft boiled egg was seasoned well though and cooked to perfection. The thick noodles went well with the thick broth. We added bamboo shoot for $ 1 and got two big pieces.
+ Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen: Yes, I know vegan ramen just doesn’t sound like it should exist. But trust me, this was just as delicious as a non-​vegan bowl! The thick white broth had a good flavor, but it wasn’t as flavorful as the pork based broths (which is expected). But there was black garlic oil and spicy oil added on top, which gave it a lot of flavor and heat!
The thick noodles (my fave) were a good texture — slightly hard and chewy. Goes well with thick broths!
I also loved that I got a lot of tofu pieces, spinach, and crispy garlic. I added corn to my bowl for $ 1 but it just tasted like corn from a can, sadly. Wouldn’t recommend that.
But overall, I’d definitely recommend giving this place a go even if you aren’t vegan or vegetarian!

I’ve taken JINYA Ramen for granted! I used to work down the street and I barely came by and now that I’m far away, I miss it!
Came back here for a weekend dinner. I really enjoy JINYA’s thicker chewy noodles & free garlic. I also remember eating a really delicious special that was almost like phở — chili lime wonton ramen?! Bring it back!
Over the years, JINYA’s menu has evolved. Doesn’t seem like the Tan Tan Men is on there anymore and there are more American friendly veggies sides like fried cauli, kale, etc.
The combo is a really good deal about $ 4.50 or $ 5.50 extra — I ordered the chicken chashu with the side salad for $ 4.50. I will say that I didn’t love the chicken chashu — kind of dry and bland. Skip!
I also like that JINYA is on TryCaviar! When I’m in the delivery range, JINYA is definitely in the consideration set.

The food here was really good. I had the JINYA chicken ramen and it was tasty. Great portion size and I definitely couldn’t have eaten any more than that. The staff was also friendly and the food came out pretty quickly. This place gets 4 stars because it is so small so you have to plan accordingly. It can only fit about 12 – 18 people at the tables and about 5 at the bar area. So it’s not that great for groups. And be prepared to wait. You may not have to but be prepared. The 2 person tables are also very close together so there’s not much privacy. Takeout would be a great option here. While I was there, about 7 people came in for takeout orders.

Ambience + Décor: 4 stars
Food + Drinks: 4 stars
Service + Staff: 5 stars
Decided to try out a different ramen joint than our regular Daikokuya. In a strip mall off Wilshire, right across the street from Genwa. Parking wasn’t too big of an issue, though the space are tiny.
Menu is huge, seating is very limited. We sat at the bar. The menu was a bit too large, it was hard to choose. We finally decided on the Assari and the Premium White Tonkotsu ramen and takoyaki. The takoyaki was interesting, it came on a bed of egg salad. I’ve never had takoyaki like that before. It was pretty good. Nice crunchy outer shell with soft insides and you can actually taste the octopus. Most places put a tiny piece of it, this place had nice chunks of octopus. Went well with the tonkatsu sauce and kewpie mayo.
As for the ramen, the portioning was a little smaller for what you pay for. The broth was salty! It was nice and thick however, with rich tonkotsu flavor, but it was pretty salty. Noodles were delicious and right consistency (thick noodles, al dente). Wish they gave you a whole egg instead of half, and the toppings were alright (I’ve had better chashu). I guess a lot of people come here for the garlic toppings and the fancy spicy oils, but I’m a purist when it comes to ramen. Definitely can try this place out again.

A solid 4-​star ramen joint. After driving around LA for ages trying to find ramen without a 2-​hour wait on a Sunday night, we finally lucked out with Jinya. It’s small and cozy inside but the turnover is quick. We basically ordered all of the appetizers so in order of my favorite:
Spicy tofu
Spicy tuna
Brusselsprouts
Edamame (generic, whatever)
Kale (hard to eat, huge tempura kale bunches)
(I don’t eat meat but the boys loved the crispy chicken. Add lemon!)
For the ramen, I had spicy vegan creamy ramen + corn and nori. I personally think both of those should already come on a vegan dish but okay, I’ll pay the extra $ 2. As far as veg ramens go: it was good but not the best I’ve ever had. Thick noodles were a plus! Of the ramens ordered at our table, the spicy chicken had the most love. $ 120 out the door for 4 people to eat well!

There’s a Jinya Ramen in Studio City I am aware of and had bookmarked. It so happened that my friend took me to this location.
Diana was our server. She was very positive and full of energy. You should really see them work, constantly moving. She got us our drinks as soon as we were seated. I ordered the Cha Cha Cha ramen (garlic lovers) with a pork chashu bowl and a mini salad. I was not too impressed by their ramen, only due to textile preferences. The ramen seemed much thicker and slightly undercooked. I really love chewy noodles. Besides from the broth, the pork chashu felt cold or thawed from the refrigerator. My friend got the spicy umami miso ramen, which was by far the best tasting broth. The pork chashu bowl was pretty good too.
Diana started us off, but her co-​workers shined. We never had to ask for refills. They came by frequently to ask if we were OK. I mean if you’re going to serve us the way you did, I think asking if we are OK is a bit redundant. Somewhat arrogant, right? Hahaha. Keep it up.

I recently came to JINYA since one of my friend lives down the street and wanted ramen. I’ve actually never heard of JINYA before so I was curious to try it out. It’s located in a small plaza and the location is fairly small and can fit around 25 people. It was around 2 and the place was pretty empty which was good for us. I really wanted to try the ramen, but the fact that it was 90+ degrees outside I decided to stay away from the ramen.
/​/​FOOD /​/​
Crispy chicken: Basically, this was karaage. The pieces of chicken were huge and fried to perfection. I really enjoyed this and it tasted even better with a little sauce and the spicy paste. 3.5÷5
Pork chashu bowl: Slowly braised pork, spinach, green onions and a soft boiled egg. When I was looking at the menu the chashu bowl caught my eye. I typically order this from Umenoya in Torrance and I haven’t seen it at another ramen place until my visit here. The bowl here was much larger versus the Umenoya bowl, but this lacked a lot of flavor to me. ³⁄₅
Hiyashi ramen: I absolutely love hiyashi noodles. The cold noodles and broth on a hot day is seriously the best combination possible. Unfortunately, I did not care for the sesame based sauce that they used for the noodles here. I’m used to the more typical sauce that they use in Japan. ²⁄₅
Overall, I thought the food here was just okay. I won’t ever order the items listed above again, but I would want to come back to actually try some of the ramen so I can rate this place based off of what they are known for.

Met my friend there who is a noodle expert and knows all the good places. She really likes this place. She says it’s not the best, but it’s pretty good. She says the noodles are thin, and it makes them quite tasty.
I did not have noodles. I’m not a noodle dude. I do love iced green tea though, and theirs is most excellent.
The staff is very friendly, and the service is fantastic.
I’m glad I met my friend there. I may even go back and try a bowl of noodles sometime.

Yummm well came here for some ramen and was definitely satisfied with the food. We got the crispy rice tuna which I absolutely loved! I kind of wish I didn’t share it lol.
I ordered the cha cha ramen which was pretty good BUT I kind of miss having some sort of spiciness on ramen so I liked it but not loved it. I did try my husband’s ramen which was the spicy chicken and wow how I wish I got that one. I have to say that it’s a small restaurant and the wait is long but I think we just waited for about 25 minutes for a group of 5. Our waitress was sooo nice, she really helped us and provided awesome customer service.

8÷23÷15: Well hello JINYA! so excited to have dinner here with my soul sista. We had an early light dinner and my partner in crime recommended Jinya. I have heard about other locations that I have booked marked. Located at a quaint corner shopping center. Fairly decent amount of parking spaces. We walked in and were greeted. Very friendly staff. We were seated right away by the window. This place is a fairly quaint ramen bar as most of the ones that I have been to. Colorful, easy to read menu.
I ordered the Tonkatsu Assari — The broth was very tasty. Lots of flavors. I got 1 slice of Pork which was very tender and flavorful. ½ of hard boiled egg which was perfect. I love the smell of fresh thick ramen. At first, I thought this bowl wasn’t going to fill me up. Surprisingly it did. Because the ramen was so rich and flavorful, I was satisfied. Perfect amount of broth and ramen. If you are a meat lover, maybe having 1 slice will not do it for you. This bowl is $ 8.80. I also ordered Iced Green Tea — $ 2.00
My bestie ordered The Jinya Chicken w/​thick noodles. I did taste the broth and it was fairly bland. It was good but much more on the lighter side compared to the Tonkatsu Assari. There were chicken meat and what looks like spinach. This one is $ 9.80 and $ 2.50 for a bottle of Perrier.
Highly recommend!

I had been here a few times before they closed down. They opened back up and I was able to try it out again. New menu, new food, great company. The Spicy Chicken ramen was great. Just the right amount of spicyness, thin noodles, and lots of good flavor! We also tried the sticky rice w tuna which was great since Im a sucker for tuna. I was able to also try the broth on the garlic soup (not exact name but it had pork), thick noodles, very good and my girl was full, big bowl!
Parking was easy to find. The space is very small, it would be great it was bigger. We will come back!

Came here on a hot summer day because my husband was craving ramen. Small ramen place located on Wilshire in a small shopping plaza.
–Hiyashi Cold Ramen ($ 9)–
I ordered the cold noodle special because it was just too hot for me to enjoy a hot ramen. I actually ended up enjoying this quite a bit, but noodles are definitely harder to swallow without the broth. In replacement for the hot broth, sesame sauce was provided to coat the noodles. The nutty, creamy sauce was delicious but gave the dish an overall sweet factor.
–Tonkotsu Spicy Ramen ($ 10.50) + extra pork ($ 1.50)–
Husband thoroughly enjoyed his ramen. He didn’t realize that the Tonkotsu spicy ramen already came with pork and added more. Nice filling meal for him!
Lots of variety of ramen available and even more extras to personalize your ramen. Service was very prompt and friendly. Parking on street as well as in the shopping plaza.

I started a new job a few months back (acknowledging cause of extended hiatus) and was obviously overjoyed to find that there’s a ramen shop down the street from my office. Went for the first time and never looked back.
The menu features a range of tonkotsu, miso, chicken, and vegetable broths along with an assortment of toppings. The Tonkotsu Assari and Jinya Tonkotsu Black are crowd favorites and I’ve enjoyed both. My conclusion: save for the addition of fried garlic chips, nori, and some pretty tasteless garlic oil, the Tonkotsu Black is the same bowl as the Assari and doesn’t warrant the extra $ 3.00 charge.
Jinya’s tonkotsu broth has good depth and flavor and the noodles have a nice supple chew. The flavoring of the ajitama is always hit or miss, but the tender/​flavorful chashu usually makes up for this. In light of this never-​ending summer heat, I’ve been enjoying Jinya’s summer special, the Hiyashi. In essence, cold springy noodles and chashu dressed in your choice of Ginger Sesame or Sweet Soy sauces — sweet and salty, tartly refreshing, the Hiyashi always hits the spot for my cold ramen hankerings.
A few honorable mentions for the road:
— Pork Chashu bowl: my favorite, I add it to every meal as a combo (+$ 5.20). The pork chashu is always tender and when eaten together with the soft-​boiled egg + sesame spinach+ Jinya’s seasoning sauce, this bowl bursts with flavor. Comforting mix — recommend.
— Spicy Miso Ramen: rich with good flavor — recommend.
— Tokyo Tonkotsu (current special): way too much bonito flavor — don’t recommend.
— Jinya offers both thin AND thick noodles! All that chewww, though. ^_​_​_​_​_​^
— Free garlic press: really don’t need to say anything further.
Although I may be awarding grace points for convenience, the ramen at Jinya totally stands on its own. With so many solid elements, I don’t foresee my weekly lunches stopping anytime soon– thank goodness!

This is hands down one of the best ramen spots. Their tonkotsu spicy (spicy level is hot enough for me) is unreal and the best I’ve had. I normally ask for extra soup, extra green onion, and some lemon. I usually will sub the thick noodles for thin noodles. Their pork chasu is rich and tender and filled with tons of fatty flavor. The broth is very thick and has a buttery feel to it. The size of the ramen is perfect although I always end up leaving feeling full. They also have a great pork chasu bowl which is unreal and a decent size on its own and its topped with freshly chopped green onion which gives it a great texture and crunch.
The wait staff is very attentive and accommodating and they always remember to bring refills and check up on us. Of all the times I’ve been here, I have never had an order messed up. Last time we were there, we had a group of 6 and the waitress offered to let us split the bill individually which was a bonus.
The restaurant itself is small and the wait can be a little hit or miss but it is always worth it. I will continue coming back here again and again and highly recommend it to anyone looking for good ramen.
They also have a location on Ventura Blvd and one on west 3^rd street (which is a little higher end and has lots of sushi options). Parking has never really been an issue here since there is a small lot and parking around the neighborhood.