Kinja — Restaurant in Lincoln

My wife and I are new to Lincoln (moved here a month ago from North Carolina) and ate there last night, and I'm feeling very so-so about the experience. I would maybe rate somewhere between a 3 and a 4 if I could, but I mainly felt like I should write a review because I did not think this place deserves the 4.6 star overall score it currently has. Usually places that rate that high with this many ratings on Google are pretty exceptional, I didn't find that to be the case with Kinja.

However, I will say that I did not have sushi, but I did have rice. Many of the reviews praise the sushi, and the rice was very good, so I suspect that the sushi is where they shine. Last night, though, I got Chicken Katsu and my wife got Teriyaki Chicken. Overall, just very bleh. The flavors weren't really there in either dish and the chicken wasn't very good quality (kinda rubbery/fatty/overcooked). The salad that came with both dishes was also pretty mediocre, drenched in a ton of dressing (though I will say the ginger dressing itself was better than most, just too much of it and the produce in the salad didn't seem particularly crisp or fresh). The soup was quite good though, above average. Would've maybe been more acceptable at a cheaper place, but I also didn't find the value for the money we paid. It's priced in line with somewhere that should have much higher quality food than we received. Was more like what I'd expect at a cheap, counter-serve Japanese place, which is something I love (and the kind of place I enjoy even when it's not super good, since it's usually half the price and twice the food as you receive here) and can't seem to really find in Lincoln, good or bad.

Service was one area that made the experience not altogether horrible. Several reviews seem to rave about the food and rate the service as mediocre, yet I had the opposite experience. Took a while for the waitress to visit us after we were initially seated, but then she was very friendly and attentive. Spot on, no complaints there. Even noticed some guests at the table next to us being exceptionally difficult for her (one even changed her mind when the orders were brought out and asked that her order be returned so she could have what her friend ordered because it looked better... I mean, really? Come on... however, the waitress handled it well, with class and poise.)

Overall, though, the service, the food, and the atmosphere kind of evened out to a very mediocre experience (atmosphere is fine, but very kitschy bordering on tacky, and on this particular evening during the current heat wave, very, very warm inside (probably can excuse that though given that it was record-breakingly, oppressively hot outside... maybe their A/C couldn't handle it... but maybe they just weren't cranking it enough... couldn't tell, but it was pretty uncomfortable in there, but at least cooler and slightly less humid than outside)). In theory I'd go back and give them a chance on a cooler day when I was in the mood for sushi rather than a cooked dish, but it's slightly out of my way, and there are enough other good sushi places in town that I probably realistically...

Kinja used to be my favorite spot, and I’ve been a loyal patron since moving here in 2014. Over the years, I’ve seen the restaurant go through several changes in management and chefs. It used to have a great vibe, and I felt like they really invested in training their staff.

Last week, my husband and I decided to revisit some of our favorite menu items. I ordered the seared toro belly salmon sashimi, specifically requesting that it be lightly seared on the top. The food was brought out promptly, and most of the menu items were still very good. However, I was deeply disappointed with the two orders of sashimi. Instead of a delicate sear, there was a circular scorch mark on the top of the fish, and it was doused in liquid smoke sauce—it was honestly unpleasant. I’ve ordered this dish here before, but it’s been inconsistent every single time.

Our waiter, to their credit, was diligent, friendly, and attentive. We’re not the type of couple to make a scene when a dish is bad; we just don’t order it again. Unfortunately, this inconsistency and lack of creativity in the kitchen have become hard to ignore. When you return to a restaurant, you expect the same quality of food you’ve come to love—sadly, that hasn’t been the case with Kinja. Since 2020, it feels like the restaurant has been on a decline, with little sign of bouncing back.

The atmosphere also feels dated now. There are holes in the walls where decor is missing, and general maintenance seems neglected. The dark, worn-out vibe of the interior makes the place feel run down. I used to overlook the atmosphere because the food was exceptional, but now I’m finding it hard to stay in love with Kinja’s...

I used to really enjoy this place when I was in town, but service has really gone downhill the last few times I've been in.

The food is consistently very good.

Two different servers the last two times, both of them very inattentive, busy talking with other employees rather than seeing if you need anything/if the good they dropped rates okay, etc. (there was no more than 2 other small tables occupied either time) Most recently, our sushi was sent out without ginger (or wasabi), and we were halfway through eating when I was able to ask for some ginger, then were done before it was actually brought out. We ordered another roll to be polite and actually use the ginger we'd asked for.

My almost 4-year-old grandson kept getting ignored. First no napkin/silverware for him, I had to take a roll off another table, then when I asked for plates to use, he came out with only two. (After it was made obvious grandson was also eating) When I asked for little dipping plates, again, he only brought two for a table of three. (Why are we not being brought, or at least offered, plates and the dipping plates automatically?) We were not offered refills for our drinks.

If the food weren't so good, I probably wouldn't be back. Maybe by the time I get back out there, they'll have better service and I can update this to reflect what it used...