JINYA Ramen Bar - Colorado Springs — Restaurant in Colorado Springs

I left my original review.I wrote below the new review

✨ Honest Review from a Former Server of 20 Years ✨

My daughter and I visited this restaurant once before, and our first experience was incredible. The food was so good we found ourselves moaning with gratitude and talking about it for hours afterward. There was a female manager working that day who clearly knew how to lead with grace and harmony. The entire team flowed beautifully, and the energy in the space was warm, grounded, and welcoming.

So naturally, we returned.

On this afternoon’s visit, the food was still good, and our server was truly wonderful—kind, attentive, and even helped us create a custom sauce for our chicken that turned out absolutely fabulous. The space got busy for a bit, but the team was handling it as best they could.

Then came the shift.

After I quietly mentioned to my daughter that the meal wasn’t quite hitting the way it had the first time, a man approached our table. He didn’t ask how we were doing in a heartfelt way—instead, he simply placed a glass lid on the bowl of hot sauce we were using and walked away. The interaction felt strange and performative, not personal or warm.

We later found out this man was Dino, the owner.

Shortly after, once the rush began slowing down, Dion reappeared—this time bursting with anger. He loudly scolded a server who had accidentally spilled a bowl of ramen, and then turned around and reprimanded the kitchen staff for remaking the dish without a ticket. And yes, while it's his job to address systems and structure, doing so with such hostility and aggression, in front of an entire restaurant full of guests, was completely unprofessional and unnecessary.

As someone who worked in the service industry for nearly two decades, I was heartbroken to witness such demeaning and degrading behavior—especially directed toward the very people keeping his business running. The servers and kitchen crew are the backbone of that restaurant. To see them spoken to like that—so openly, so angrily—was disheartening and unacceptable.

💡 A true leader steps in with support, not shame. Offering a helping hand would have shown far more strength, wisdom, and leadership than the scolding we witnessed. A presence that uplifts rather than controls is what builds loyalty and longevity in a team.

I do not support establishments where owners tear their teams down instead of lifting them up. No matter how good the food may be, I won’t return to a space where public shaming takes the place of private support and true leadership.

✨ To the wonderful server Collin and the kitchen crew this afternoon: you were rockin' it. Your effort, your rhythm, your heart—we saw it. Management and ownership may not have, but we did. You were the true soul of that restaurant today. Thank you.✨ Absolutely Outstanding! A Ramen Experience to Remember ✨

Original Review 👇 I had the pure joy of dining at Jinya Ramen Bar in Colorado Springs, and let me just say — this place is next-level.

We arrived during the Sunday lunch rush and waited about 45 minutes to be seated, but it was so worth it. The space was buzzing with happy energy, and now I fully understand why this place is so beloved.

We tried their current special, and WOW. From the very first sip of the broth — I was completely captivated. Rich, soulful, deeply satisfying… I could not get enough. Every bite was like a hug from the inside out.

And the egg… it was my first time trying one prepared like that, and it’s officially my new favorite. Silky, flavorful, perfectly marinated — absolutely divine.

But what made it even more special was our wonderful waitress, Alina. She was kind, attentive, and so genuine. Her warmth added so much to our entire experience. Thank you, Alina — you made our visit feel like a celebration!

Jinya Ramen Bar, thank you for such a delicious and soul-nourishing meal. I’ll be back again soon — and I’ll be dreaming of that broth...

The service? 1/5. Server was inattentive, forgetful, dropped some of our food on the floor, and needed to be reminded multiple times that we were missing our order. I will only give one star because at least she was apologetic and kind. She was not rude in the slightest. She also let us know that 3 servers called off. However, that did not excuse waiting 2 hours and having poor service.

Food? 4/5. Fantastic! Great texture, hot, and tasty when it arrived. Just as advertised. Not the best, but certainly up there!

Ambience? 3/5. Lovely decor, small place that feels intimate. However, we were at a table by the bathrooms and the roof had a leak right over our table.

To start, I called the day before to make a reservation for a large party (7). They advised that they don't take reservations, but I can call ahead on the day of arrival to be placed on a list. I called at 5 pm and we were seated by 6:04. Everyone seemed decently friendly and we were warned they were 3 servers short. We said no worries. From there on, it felt like our patience was taken advantage of.

DRINKS: We ordered cocktails. 3 total. We got them 25 minutes later. My one sprite was not received until 56 minutes into the service after being asked for 3 times.

APPETIZERS: We ordered one gyoza, one tempura shrimp, one chicken karage, and one takoyaki for appetizers. None of that arrived on time but rather AFTER the meals were received 1.75 hours into service.

MAIN COURSE: One person got rice and curry before anyone got any appetizers. By the time he FINISHED his meal, we got 2 ramen bowls. Mind you, there were no substitutions or complication either on these. Then everyone but one person got food. The waitress DROPPED part of the chicken appetizer and said she'd bring a piece back. Like okay. Accidents happen. But why bring ONE piece? She didn't pick it up either. It sat there on the floor 20 minutes before I picked it up and threw it away. I repeatedly (at least 4 times) reminded her that we were STILL missing food and somehow, 3 other tables had already received food, ate, and left/were paying for the check. Whereas we got our first dish 45 minutes in.

PAYMENT: This was awful service. She apologized multiple times and claimed she'd take a portion off everyone's bill since we were there 2 hours. When it came time for the bill, she redid the bill splitting 3 times and it was still incorrect. We all came to the checkout tablet to help and say what we had but it still wasn't right. Also, we did NOT receive discounts as promised. All that was comped was a $7 drink. Like wow. Thanks. So helpful. At the end of the night, we all just wanted to go home and Venmo'd each other the differences.

ADDITIONAL NOTES: The food itself was fantastic and hot when it arrived. A busboy was nice enough to top off our waters and make sure our orders were put in BEFORE the waitress did. She came 10 minutes later and I told her we already had been topped off.

Our patience was so insanely tested. Two hours for service and only 3 drinks comped between the 7 of us? Such garbage. At least should've taken care of the appetizers since we got them AFTER the main course and after MUCH repetition.

Given they had plenty of warning and repetition, they should've been more prepared. Hell, after the first complaint, they should've been trying harder to rectify the issues. But nope. Our table was entirely placed on a backburner.

I'm very frustrated. I have no desire to sit in again. My friend said this was abnormal for the location because she went in 4th of July before close and it was fantastic all around. We came on the 5th and it was a complete 180....

I came here yesterday for dinner with my boyfriend and brother. It was on our list for a while and when were out and about throughout town, we were craving ramen and decided to give this place a try.

We got seated immediately and got some time to look over the menu. We ended up getting potstickers and 5-piece crispy chicken as starters before we each got a bowl of ramen. My boyfriend didn't have any of the potstickers but my brother and I split them in half. We both thought it was delicious I just wished the potstickers were a bit crispier. The chicken was mouthwatering though, we all loved them.

For the ramen, my brother got the Tonkatsu Red on a 2 spicy level, my boyfriend got a version of the chicken ramen without any veggies on it, and I got the Tonkatsu Black.

My brother loved his ramen, he was just so full from everything he ate and couldn't finish it. He said it was just the right amount of spice, the noodles were perfect, and all of the little elements making up the ramen was done the way he liked it.

My boyfriend unfortunately didn't like his ramen at all. It smelt and tasted like there was too much herb (it smelt like bay leaf) in it, and it was very weird tasting. The aftertaste was decent though. He tried to keep eating more of it but couldn't cause he couldn't get over the taste of that herb. It even threw me off when I tried it all. It's not that it was bad, it was just a little much. He also didn't like the chicken; he said it tasted like a TV tray dinner chicken that was heated up after being frozen for a while.

For my Tonkatsu Black ramen, I thought it was delicious. The pork melted beautifully, the noodles weren't too thin or too thick, the broth was nice and light. The egg was cooked perfectly. I didn't like the brown strips of mushroom in there cause they reminded me of worms. I just thought the ramen bowl itself was very overpriced for being $17. I did finish the whole bowl; it did satisfy my ramen craving I've been having and I appreciated drinking it out of the bowl like Naruto. I told myself, "If I'm going to pay at least $17 for a bowl of ramen, I better finish it."

The service was great! I forgot out server's name unfortunately but she was very sweet and attentive without being annoying about it.

When it came to the check, my brother paid for his ramen and my boyfriend and I paid for our portion with the potstickers (I treated my brother), crispy chicken, a coke, and 2 bowls of ramen. With tip, our portion came out to $70.

After we deliberated and thought about it, the three of us came to this review with our thoughts and the average rating of this Google Review: my brother loved it and would come back on his own, my boyfriend didn't like it and thought it was a waste of time and money, and for me, it's not that I thought it was bad, I thought my ramen WAS delicious, it's just not $17 worth for a bowl of ramen. I've had better ramen at other places, and they were like $5 cheaper for the bowl or they were actually worth the price.

Would I personally come back? Honestly, probably not unless I was meeting other people here and the majority wanted to come eat here. But I would come here over Night Ramen personally.

I am really happy I gave this place a chance though! It's in a great area and the atmosphere is super chill and ambient, I just wanted to keep an honest review based on the three of us and our personal experience. I highly recommend coming here and trying it once or twice and testing it out...