Jinya Ramen

Pork Gyoza

Why Come Here? Solid ramen option in the West Village

Jinya is another Tokyo ramen mini-chain import that comes to us by way of LA (and several other West Coast cities). The West Village branch marks their 12th location in North America and given the stellar reviews in LA, I decided to add it to my ramen tour. The ramen is Hakata style which features Tokatsu broth – the rich porky stock found at Ippudo which requires a long nap after consumption. The space is more welcoming for a dinner with friends than many of the hobbit holes where ramen is currently served in NYC. In fact, it actually looks like a real restaurant. A real restaurant that was short of materials that don’t come from trees. Think wooden walls, a large wooden communal table and chairs and a wooden counter that doesn’t actually overlook the kitchen. There’s even an actual bar up front, with a wooden top of course. This place was clearly made with a night out in the village in mind, not the stop n’ slurp (quick slurp) mentality of the likes of Totto and Bassanova.

The menu is small and contains typical ramen bar fare like dumplings, pork buns and edamame. One intriguing addition that I inexplicably didn’t try are the truffled tempura brussels sprouts. Gotta save something for next time I guess. There are several types of ramen utilizing both tonkatsu and chicken stocks as well as a token vegetarian version. Jinya is most famous for their Tonkatsu Black, which I tried as part of the lunch special with gyoza.

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Tonkatsu Black

Tonkatsu Black Named for the tar colored garlic oil, the thick broth is certainly heavy on the garlic and scallion. If you’re into those flavor you’ll find it enjoyable, although it lacks the complexity of some of the top ramen shops. The stringy noodles are thin and semi-firm. The pork doesn’t arrive in the hunks of belly I generally prefer, but had good flavor and was tender consider how thinly it was sliced. The ramen may not be elite quality, but it’s quite good especially for the location and vibe.