Recently, I went to Jinya Ramen Bar in the Mosaic District, near BIM. In this article, I will be providing a review in which I detail my personal experiences of this restaurant. Remember, this article is entirely my opinion. Nothing I say is definitive; it merely reflects my own experience dining at Jinya. 

Starting off this review is the pork gyoza appetizer, a fried dish consisting of a ground pork filling wrapped in a thinly rolled piece of dough, often served with a black vinegar and sesame oil dip. This appetizer didn’t necessarily meet the highest of my expectations, while the wrapper was well crafted and the sauce provided was acceptable, the meat itself lacked any deep flavor. Portion-wise, the appetizer was adequate, with six gyozas which I shared among two other people. In the end, this appetizer just left me wanting more.

While the appetizer I ordered is not something I would necessarily get again, my entree was brilliant. I ordered the wonton chicken ramen. When I return to this restaurant, which after the experience I had I hope will be soon, I will be ordering this again. The broth was rich and flavorful and the chicken flavor was palpable. Despite this, the flavor was not overpowering and just made me want more. They seemed to have been cooked at a nice al dente. (I am not sure if that is the proper terminology when in reference to ramen, but it gets the point across.) The dish included spinach and green onions, which, while they did not add much in terms of depth of flavor, the ramen would be remiss to have missing. Finally, the soup came with the star of the show, the wonton chicken, which, in reality, was not as impressive as the fantastic broth but was still a very welcome inclusion. While it was a bit fatty, I was not necessarily going into this dining experience expecting something particularly healthy, and personally I thought it helped the dish. However, while the chicken being fatty was a pro for me, it might be con for others, so I’d suggest you be careful with it. I would give the overall taste value of the restaurant, a metric based on my experience with the appetizer and entree, a 4 out of 5 stars. 

The vibe of the restaurant was similar to many of the trendy locales you might find in the Mosaic District. The decorations were interesting but they didn’t stand out enough for me to really think about them much. Also, and while this is a very minor complaint, I feel like it should be mentioned that the chairs made a really loud noise whenever you moved them across the floor. Luckily, the service was pretty quick; however, some of our orders arrived a good deal before others. The overall vibe value I would give to Jinya is a 3 out of 5 stars.

The value of the restaurant was pretty good. Some of the menu items got a little pricey, but the large portions made up for it. All the people who accompanied me brought leftovers home. Therefore, the menu ended up being somewhat well-priced. I would give the overall value rating of Jinya a 3 out of 5 stars.

I had a positive experience at Jinya Ramen Bar and would recommend it to other people. In the end, this restaurant earned a 10 out of 15 on the BIM Restaurant Ranking System, with 4/5 for taste, 3/5 for vibe, and 3/5 for value.