JINYA Ramen Bar - Vancouver Downtown
JINYA Ramen Bar - Vancouver Downtown things to do, attractions, restaurants, events info and trip planning
Plan your stay
&promo_pic=/one-page/coolest.jpg)
Posts
This place had a line up outside with a host taking people's names and a designated seating area with heat lamps. He was quick, friendly and knew how to run incoming traffic and manage waiting guests to be seated inside. The first thing that struck me was how well this place is managed. He told us it would be a 15-20 min wait and that's exactly when he approached us to be seated inside. Once we were sat our server came by right away and she (MONIKA) was super friendly. I mean she was definitely in the right line of work! I ordered the Spicy Chicken Ramen, Octopus Balls, Salmon Poke Tacos and Crispy Rice Spicy Tuna. Spicy Chicken Ramen: The level of spice you can pick - mild/spicy/hot. I ordered the spicy and it was just right. Not mild and not hot...just perfectly spicy. The consistency of the soup base also just right....not watery and not too concentrated to take away from the other ingredients. What was great was the chicken was nice and juicy and not dry at all. The noodles were also cooked just right....al dente and all the other ingredients were incredibly fresh. Liked it. Would try the pork next time. Octopus Balls: I had never had that before and was really curious. It was super fresh and just a bomb of flavour. It's like you're chewing it and at the end there's the base of the octopus and with the combination of various creams and sauces goes perfectly with the crispy centre. Loved it. Will get again. Salmon Poke Tacos: This thing had so much flavour it was ridiculous! The taco was super fresh and crispy, the salmon was very tasty and the seasoning was brilliantly and daringly on-point. Loved it. Will definitely get again. Crispy Rice Spicy Tuna: The crispy rice on the outside was crispy and the rice inside was mushy topped with spicy tuna and a slice of jalapeno. Liked it and will try another item of their small dishes. In terms of the setup and atmosphere: It was really great to see how up to date these guys were. The place was running like a well-oiled machine at lunch rush and in one of the most demanding dine out cities. The tables were set tastefully and the branding was spot-on and the service was wonderful! Really well done! Will be back.
MORI N.MORI N.
00
Decided on this place for lunch while on vacation in Vancouver. It was about a 15 min walk from our Airbnb. It is located at the end of Robson street. It looked really spacious from outside. We were seated at one of the main tables with high chairs. While not exactly ideal for larger groups, there were lots of tables and seating for group of 1 or 2. There is also lots of bar seating. They had a deal for 25$ for a bowl of tonkatsu black ramen, a beer, and an order of karaage. They also have options to upgrade any other ramen options to a combo. I opted for tonkotsu original 2010 ramen and added the 7$ option to include karaage and a salad. Also fresh garlic is a free topping. You can also choose between thick or thin noodles. The salad and karaage came quickly. We also ordered gyoza to share. We were impressed by the salad dressing and how big the karaage pieces were. The gyoza were well cooked, crispy, and had juicy filling. The ramen was authentic and very tasty. The broth was very flavorful. They provided garlic that you can mince yourself and really adds to the broth. The garlic is super fresh, so only add one or two pieces. The ramen also came with a whole egg and some veggies. The meat was also very tender and decently thick. One of my friends ordered the flying vegan harvest and they were really impressed by the taste of the ramen. It came with such a variety of veggies as well. Service is very attentive. They were very accommodating to our big group and even hung our jackets for us when all our things couldn't fit on the hooks below. Even on a weekday, the restaurant got really full by lunch time and lots of people were enjoying ramen here. I would recommend it and can see why this place has such high reviews. Definitely meant for smaller parties. There was also an error on our bill but they resolved it very quickly.
Mei Fu LeeMei Fu Lee
00
TL;DR disappointingly small noodle portions, invest your ramen monies elsewhere I have never left a ramen place hungry. EVER. Until today. And considering I had a late and satisfying lunch at 2pm, and dinner was at 5, this sort of situation should not have happened Service was standard, water refills were plenty. Happy hour had just ended at 5pm when we arrived, so our group was seated right away at the high top table in the back. The music was overly loud and it made it hard to hold a conversation. The staff were extra loud in greeting customers in order to be heard over the noise, but I'm okay with that. I get they are trying to create a hip and trendy atmosphere for the post-work crowd to relax in In terms of their menu, I think Jinya have lost sight of their original goal. I think they are too busy pursuing the latest food trends. There's nothing wrong with adding deep fried brussel sprouts to my Sprouting Up Ramen, it was good but I don't find it was necessary. However for $14.80 per bowl, I do expect a good portion of noodles, just like they use to serve at their previous location prior to moving this year. At their old location, noodle portions were larger. You were usually satisfied post eating, especially when ordered in combo with a salad and gyozas. Today the noodle portion was tiny! You could do kaedama for extra $1.50 but judging by the amount served to me, I would need a minimum of two kaedamas to fill me up. Others in the group who also ordered ramen agreed their ramen portion was smaller than normal I did also order the spicy tofu salad. Though it's not a salad but more like a cold tofu platter. Good, delicious, and competitively priced at $5.80, I would order it again. But even having this to complement my ramen, I was still hungry after the meal Things I also noticed on the menu: crispy chick peas, Jinya bun (their version on the popular Asian bao), quinoa salad, brussel sprouts tempura, caramelized cauliflower, California poké bowls, and substitution of quinoa and bean mix for rice. It's great that Jinya is offering their take on these very popular Vancouver food trends, but they should be focusing on ramen as they're a Ramen Bar. It doesn't help that their authentic ramen listings appear as if they were added as an after thought to their menu; thrown to one side on a fly out flap. Yes, their current special and chef's special ramen take up an entire menu page but you would think for a ramen bar, their regular ramen offerings should at least appear more prominently to the customer If this place was advertised as a trendy place for drinks and appies that also served a small selection of rice bowls and ramen, I would of been okay with that. But knowing what Jinya was, and what it has become: I'm sorry but I don't think I'll be back any time soon
Christine CChristine C
00
As someone who frequented Jinya pre-move, I was very excited to get my fix when they reopened. The experience was confusing. Instead of the welcoming, warm and homey experience that made me fall in love with jinya years ago, the place was very hip and trendy, with a huge open concept bar and servers in also black get up. The restaurant doors were wide opened and there were only maybe 5-6 tables occupied, tons of open space, yet the hosted asked us for our names and told us to wait outside... bizarre. We waited about 4 minutes before the same hostess came out, seemed to act like she didn't recognize us, and asked us if we were the table for two from earlier. For context: we were literally the only people waiting to be seated. Seemed needlessly complicated, but not a huge deal. We were seated quickly then and then presented the menus. Ramen is still served, but it seems they're primarily focusing on appetizers and share plates now. The server raved about the brussel sprout tempura so we went with that, and I got the vegan ramen as my partner got a pork ramen. If you came here before, expect that the ramen is different. The pork comes ground instead of traditionally sliced. I found the noodles in the vegan ramen a little slimey, but the broth was very good. The brussel sprout tempura was crispy on the outside, but the sprouts themselves were undercooked, bitter, and tough - I expected them to at least be cooked properly after how much hype the server generated! This is the first time I've left Jinya disappointed. Part of the charm of the place was the atmosphere - almost a home cooking vibe, like you were visiting a close friend. Strip that away and vamp up the menu with fusion-Asian tapas, and its just another one of the many trendy Japanese restuarants sprinkling the city. After years of patronage, I'm sorry to say that I'm going to be looking for a new ramen place.
J LJ L
00
Mixed feelings. I think my sentiments match many of the reviews already posted. The impression I get is that Jinya is trying to make ramen mainstream and more commonplace. The atmosphere of the restaurant is definitely more of a bar than ramen shop. It's louder, there's a lot more waiter/patron movement. The music is louder. There's cocktails and more variety of alcohol. The biggest issue is the line ups. They are implementing a queuing app to manage wait times. You give your phone number and you get a text with the expectation that you'll be back in 10 minutes to sit down. It's a nice touch but I think that it is very different than the expected quick turn around time for typical ramen shops. 1 hour + wait times is very long for ramen and although some shops at Denman and Robson have long line-ups, I think the turn-around time (at least subjectively) feels shorter. On top of that, I think because Jinya was just a few doors down prior to opening their new location and line-up times were at most 10-15 minutes, it's a big change. The food is on par with previous. There are some new additions like the sprouts noodle and the takoyaki. Overall, the ramen is a bit pricey compared to other ramen shops nearby (e.g. Yah yah yah Ramen) and the ramen combinations seem more 'fusion'. I'd say it's a great start if you haven't tried ramen before or want something with a more energetic bar atmosphere. If you already know your ramen pretty well and know your likes/dislikes, this may be disappointing (because of the unexpected long lines, unexpected loud atmosphere, pricier cost). To each his/her own =)
Kristopher WanKristopher Wan
00
There must be over a dozen places to get Ramen in Downtown, and I'm sure most of them are good. None of them though, offer a Wonton Chicken Ramen {that I've seen} that makes you feel so ridiculously full after consuming an entire bowl, that you don't need to eat anything else for the rest of the day. One of the reasons that I love Jinya is their soup base. It's so buttery smooth and flavourful. It pairs wonderfully with the thin noodles and gives the wonton an extra oomph. I usually order my Wonton Chicken with an add on of Pork Chashu. The Chashu breaks up pretty easily into strips so you can get quite a few of them if you section it right, as opposed to finishing it in two big bites. The wonton is actually quite large, and they give you 5~6 of them, so is it any wonder that you are full after eating it? They have a nice offering of Small Plates like gyoza, edamame, takoyaki, etc. and plant~based items as well, so they are inclusive in terms of their menu. And if you still have room after eating all of that, there's Panna Cotta and Mochi Ice Cream to sate your hunger. Somehow, I ended up on their Email Subscription List, and I have to say, this place cooks up New Ramen Dishes all the time, so the innovation is there. Whether the motivation to go there every time a new dish is announced, is up for discussion. I admit that the prices have gone up, but what place hasn't hiked up their prices? The only difference is that at least at Jinya, it's money well spent. Do give the place a try, as I think it's one of the better Ramen Joints around.
AlexandraAlexandra
10
Nearby Attractions Of JINYA Ramen Bar - Vancouver Downtown
Gastown Steam Clock
BC Place
Rogers Arena
CF Pacific Centre
Vancouver Art Gallery
Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre
Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Harbour Centre
Pan Pacific Vancouver
Orpheum
Gastown Steam Clock
4.5
(9.7K)Click for details
BC Place
4.4
(5K)Click for details
Rogers Arena
4.5
(5.1K)Click for details
CF Pacific Centre
4.3
(5K)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of JINYA Ramen Bar - Vancouver Downtown
Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House
Miku Vancouver
JOEY Burrard
Glowbal Restaurant
Steamworks Brewpub
Black+Blue
Cafe Medina
Chambar Restaurant
Shabusen Yakiniku House
Jam Cafe
Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House
4.5
(3.3K)$$$
Click for details
Miku Vancouver
4.6
(3.2K)$$$
Click for details
JOEY Burrard
4.6
(3.3K)$$
Click for details
Glowbal Restaurant
4.5
(2.9K)$$$
Click for details
Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
541 Robson St, Vancouver, BC V6B 2B7, Canada
Map
Phone
+1 604-699-9377
Call
Website
jinyaramenbar.com
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.4
(2.1K reviews)
Ratings & Description
attractions: Gastown Steam Clock, BC Place, Rogers Arena, CF Pacific Centre, Vancouver Art Gallery, Sheraton Vancouver Wall Centre, Queen Elizabeth Theatre, Harbour Centre, Pan Pacific Vancouver, Orpheum, restaurants: Joe Fortes Seafood & Chop House, Miku Vancouver, JOEY Burrard, Glowbal Restaurant, Steamworks Brewpub, Black+Blue, Cafe Medina, Chambar Restaurant, Shabusen Yakiniku House, Jam Cafe
- Please manually select your location for better experience