Kinya Ramen — Restaurant in Hanover Township

Bottom line up-front: The atmosphere is absolutely beautiful! I wish they were as attentive to food and service. To be constructive, I think the place would benefit from the owner and chefs taking a course on Japanese cuisine (or looking up and sticking to some great recipes you can find online!) and from enhanced customer service.

Background: Our waitress was fabbbulous, but it seems like the owner is very strict and wants to up-charge for anything if it veers slightly from the menu. For example, I wanted no bamboo shoots in my ramen but a few extra pieces of scallions instead, but it would have been an up-charge. I was left with ramen with only fish cakes, very few scallions, and an egg as toppings because of this (there are normally more toppings on ramen). Unfortunately, toppings might have covered up the taste of the broth. I’m not sure if they’re adapting ramen to the taste preferences of locals (as I’m not from around here), but I lived in Japan and nothing tasted remotely close to the fairly uniform products you get across the island. The ramen broth lacked an umami flavor (think it was just chicken broth but should be cooked with fish flakes and dried mushrooms for a rich flavor). I asked for miso paste - which I know is always a key ingredient in vegetarian ramen broth - so that I could add some flavor to it, but the manager/owner told our waitress he had none (so not sure how they’d be making their vegetarian ramen broth). I particularly loveee okonomiyaki, so got that. It was actually very good; however, it was nothing like okonomiyaki. The pancake texture was more fried and less thick/filled with vegetables than any I’ve had, and the sauce (while again, very good) was not the type provided for the dish typically (it should always come with a rich, umami gravy-style sauce on top, a mayo drizzled over this, and bonito - fish - flakes on top of this). I think that I’d have been okay with the non-Japanese Japanese dishes had the manager/owner provided me with the materials he should have had (at no up-charge - the prices are expensive already for the area) to make the dishes more authentic. Unfortunately, I would not return or advise others to do so if they’re looking for true...

My wife and I ate here yesterday and loved it. The service was great and friendly...everyone smiles a lot...and the food was very good. I only gave 4 stars because I was a little saddened by something that disappoints me in many restaurants although it's no big deal; but I don't think the workers or the cook are Japanese. I love the Japanese culture and know a little about it and the language and I don't think anyone there was speaking Japanese. The cook and the guy who greeted us upon entering were speaking a lot and it didn't sound like Japanese ( not even Chinese). Of course I could be wrong. Plus, knowing the Japanese and their ways I'm sure upon entering we would have been bowed to. So why hire all non Japanese Asians? Just to fool us? Again...Not a big deal...like I said everything was good including the cleanliness and the style and ambiance of the whole place. But it's like Italian food for example. I come from an Italian Family and if I want real Pizza I go to an Italian Pizzeria not Pizza hut or Dominoes. I love Carrabba's and Olive Garden but I like them as treats not real Italian food. The cooks are Americans and the Job is open to anyone. For real Italian food I go to family owned Italian places where the cooks are Italian and so are many of the workers. Pretty much like going to a Chinese restaurant. Even Ichiban steakhouse. Not Japanese....It's American! For me it's all about the culture and being part of it. So I ask..."Nihonjin desu ka" or "Nihonjin janaides". Sorry for my poor Japanese language skills. Once again just to be clear. We loved the place and will definitely be back. I'm in no way saying anything bad about the place...it's more of a personal thing. Why hire people who just "look" the part? Great place though and I highly recommend it. I was recently in Japan and had the Ramen there at a fairly popular place. So now locally I have a new place...

3 stars for food; 3 stars for ambiance and cleanliness; 2 stars for service. We had the Kinya ramen bowl, and the beef ramen bowl. The broth was rich and flavorful without being too salty (as we've found in other places). The meat cuts were unremarkable. Maybe there's a trending preference for fattier cuts of meat, or maybe it's more traditional, but the Kinya pork sliced filets were fatty, and the beef slices were bits of meat tethered to long ribbons of fat - more like a hot pot style. Maybe that's what they're going for. My companion claimed the pork smelled bad - really bad, as in rotting flesh. I was skeptical, but if true, that's horrifying. I would also have wished for more add in options - especially greens, which I love in a ramen bowl. In a dining room at 2:00 with three tables being served, and three wait staff, they all seemed to have plenty of time to talk to one another, but not to customers. The service was barely service. No one checked to inquire how we were doing for more than ten minutes after food arrived until we had almost completely finished eating - actually, I had finished. The plasticky Japanese decor is tasteful but predictable for a franchise. The music - I have a strong bias against loud pop music balrimg into dining rooms with hard surfaces - especially as here when the music is the pained falsetto bro kind. The men's bathroom was passably clean (but the floor could have been cleaner), and that's a good sign of management care for overall cleanliness - including in the kitchen where it counts. The owner is Chinese. I bumped into him and he appeared earnestly interested in the success of his business. I wish him well. Just a few simple tweaks would make this...