JINYA Ramen Bar - Calgary — Restaurant in Calgary

Ramen and Japanese food restaurants in general are more widely available than they have been in the past.

With this, specifically for ramen restaurants, it is becoming more challenging for clients like myself to differentiate offerings. What makes one ramen restaurant better or more desirable than the other?

It boils down to the details.

Upon entering, Jinya Ramen Bar is one of these places that make you feel like you are about to get not just a bowl of ramen but also an experience in the process.

The house music is playing just loud enough that you have to lean in a bit to have a chat. The decor is on the dark, minimalist side with interesting wall art.

We had lunch on a weekend and the place was busy early on. This is usually a sign of consistent quality and regular customers.

The ramen noodles we shared were tasty but not specifically outstanding. Ahead of the noodles, We ordered BBQ pork stuffed steamed buns which were not bad but while the bun was warm, the meat inside was still cold. Our waitress apologized and offered to provide a new order.

The portions up to expectations, the food (except for the meat in the bun) tasted freshly prepared and the service was attentive.

Parking is provided as part of the strip mall where the restaurant is located. This is not trivial, in a neighborhood that is typically busy.

Jinya Ramen Bar delivers good value on the food and the service.

Perhaps not quite yet a destination spot, I suspect it has the potential to grow into that space. It is in a good location, it has a service oriented attitude and seeing the cooks in the open kitchen, one gets a sense of...

Jinya is a chain restaunt, so as long as you keep that in mind you won't be disappointed.

We arrived around dinner time (7pm) on a Saturday night, without a reservation, and waited about 20min for a table (3 couples ahead of our party of 2).  Not bad, but about twice as long as the host expected it to take.

The decore and ambiance is closer to a typical chain establishment (exposed brick wall, mirrored feature wall, slightly-too-loud-and-bassy music, etc; think Moxies or Earls) than it is an actual ramen bar (alas there was no stand-up area, but that's not surprising).

After some assistance from the manager we ordered a modified Chicken Ramen (soy allergy) and a JINYA Tonkotsu Black with nori.  The Tonkotsu broth was nice; rich, not too salty, and more than a hint of garlic.  The chicken broth was much thinner, but still enjoyable.  Sadly, the "thin noodles" (made at "headquarters" and shipped in), chashu (pork), and ajitusje tamago (egg) were pretty run of the mill.

All things considered, you could do worse for the price point and location if you compare the experience to other chain places.  Kudos especially to the manager for putting up with dietary restrictions!  However, there are considerably better ramen establishments in Calgary if you don't mind a hole in the wall, or his lunch-only son.

Probably won't go back, but I'm...

Having lived in Japan for a decade, it’s difficult to walk in to a ramen spot in any other country with a complete non-biased view. That said, this place stood up quite well compared to a lot of the others I’ve been to in Canada.

They have a great menu selection of different types of broths, noodle styles, etc.

I got the red tonkotsu and my dining partner got the original tonkotsu. Generally speaking, it was pretty solid. The broth doesn’t quite get there with the desired thickness you want to see in a tonkotsu but it is definitely still very good.

We grabbed a side of gyoxa which were nothing special but like the ramen, still good.

I think they could easily expand their drink menu a bit to simulate the authentic ramen shop experience. For example, the infamous “highball” (whiskey and soda) is not available. My partner wanted a whiskey and ginger ale which she had to order separately and mix herself at the table.

It’s a cool and stimulating decor, paired with the open kitchen which makes for a fun atmosphere. We were there around 8pm on a Saturday night and the place was definitely packed out. They have an efficient waiting list system wherein you scan a QR code and are texted when a table is ready for you. We only waited about 15 minutes.

I’ll definitely come back again and recommend this place to anyone who wants a solid...