JINYA Ramen Bar - Duluth — Restaurant in Duluth

Got the Jinya Tonkotsu Ramen Black as a combo with the gyoza and salad for myself and the kids meal for kiddo. Ramen had nice springiness to it and definitely not the soft mash texture like at other places. Broth had great body to it with complex flavor and that's not overly salty. Loved the ramen and hours later loved the fact I wasn't constantly thirsty due to too much salt or msg. Definitely found my new go to place for ramen in the Suwanee/Duluth/Johns Creek area. Gyoza was unexpectedly tasty, though the salad was meh.

For all the parents... The kids meal was an awesome deal. Chicken ramen, albeit half the adult size, was delicious. I opted for the charsu addon since it's mainly just noodles and broth, but def doesn't need it. I'm not typically a chicken broth ramen guy but this one had me thinking about my next visit and if I should be a chicken broth ramen guy. Ramen existential crisis aside, the crispy chicken was good as well. This isn't some dino nugget kinda chicken normal for kids meals, but their actual small dish with the flavors and crispiness you'd expect for an adult dish. They also give 2 pieces that are quite large for kids meal. The chicken and rice dish was good, not notable. It also came with fries, but by then my daughter was stuffed. Also came with orange slice, Blowpop, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream that they bring out when kiddo is ready. Awesome value and had me wishing I could get the kids meal too. Even if you took out the ramen, the rest of the food would still be more food than other places' kids meal

On the service side, I felt they were great overall and that maybe some of the wait staff was new to industry. They were very attentive and friendly, just a tad off on timing. I do feel like they were trying their best and totally succeeding, just need a bit of time/experience. Examples... Asking if I was ready to order 3 times within 2 mins of me sitting and still looking at menu, but not asking if I had questions. After I put down menu, nobody came to take order until I waved down waitress. Asking multiple times if kiddo is ready for ice cream even though she's got half of the food and still actively eating. When I went to restroom, they took my water and napkin then also the rest of kiddos plate of fries. Luckily she saved the orange slice but I would have taken the fries home with the chicken rice they didn't take. That's like a kids lunch right there. Always gotta check with adult before removing food imho. These things aren't big issues though, really comes down to experience and maybe training. But I feel they were being attentive as they could and trying hard to do the job, which is better than many places nowadays. So minor issues aside, I think...

We decided to come to Jinya (Duluth) for a celebration. I've been to Jinya (Alpharetta) several times and know what to expect. Comparing this location to the Alpharetta location, this location may have more seating capacity but the broth was less flavorful and had an almost non-existent vibe that I loved from the Alpharetta location.

Although this location has more seating than the Alpharetta location, it's inadequate if it rains or cold outside because about 40% of available seating is outdoors. It was raining yesterday. I was standing with my family on the waitlist for more than an hour (first in line) and had to complain to get an available table in plain sight cleared so I could get food for my hungry kids. They saw us waiting but I got apathy until I complained, and I don't typically complain but it was getting ridiculous. There are no seats for people waiting.

Let's talk about the food. I'm not impressed with the food at the Duluth location. As mentioned earlier, the broth is lacking flavor and appears watered down. Again, not the Jinya (Alpharetta) quality and definitely cannot compete with the other ramen restaurants in the Duluth space. Hopefully, last night was a fluke, but it was a poor showing.

My recommendation: Do not come here expecting fast seating on a rainy/cold day. Do not come here for the ambiance or great ramen. The food quality is subpar for Jinya quality. This is Duluth and there are lots of alternatives to Jinya. Do not come here with young kids or the elderly. Do not come here for the hospitality (the waitress was ok).

I do not review often but I've given lots of thought to the experience last night, and feel this review is warranted for anyone wanting to go to Jinya (Duluth). Check the weather before going and plan for option B. And don't come here for any celebrations of any kind unless you're ok waiting. I wondered why the big table next to us (while waiting) didn't look like they enjoyed their food. In retrospect, I now understand why.

Do better Jinya (Duluth). I want you to succeed. For now, I'm going to other establishments for...

This is a bittersweet review because I love their food, and my service is always good too. However the seating arrangement is TERRIBLE. They have a long table and a high square top in the front of the restaurant as well as a bar. But then you go in and there’s this small room that they try to fit everyone into. There are two full booths and I’ve sat there before and it was terrible. The seat is WAY too low and it’s extremely uncomfortable. That time I had to ask to be moved to a different table - there’s two square tables in the middle of that room. Yesterday when I came, they tried to seat us at the booth and seat table. My friend sat down but I stood up in disbelief and asked if we could sit at the wall where it’s just a bar top facing the wall. I’d rather sit there than even face my friend because of the atrocious seating. She could barely fit in between the tables to even get to the booth, and then we were SOOOO close to the other people it was so uncomfortable. The woman next to her was also on the bigger side so that was as if we were just a party being seated together. They need to fix their seating. They would rather have more tables than comfortable tables too which is crazy. But like I said, it was so close. I didn’t want to take a picture since it would have been of the other people but I’m sure someone has posted the inside before. I was looking at the people in the booth eating since I was sitting sideways trying to talk to my friend and I could see how awkward they felt with their arm placements. It’s like even if it’s an inch higher or lower, your body will know the difference. Anyways, this is the only Jinya close to my house but it’s a lot better to go when it’s not busy...