JINYA Ramen Bar - 2nd and PCH — Restaurant in Long Beach

Saw this restaurant after doing a Pilates class last week, the ambiance looked so nice that I added it to my list of restaurants to try!

Went in today and was sat at the bar. Now being a native New Yorker, I tend to be very observant of my surroundings. With that said, I noticed that 2 out of the 4 cooks in the kitchen weren’t wearing a hat or a hairnet but were preparing food. So being a sous chef and a licensed food handler, this stood out to me. You could tell that the two wearing a hat were bald and the other two had a head FULL OF HAIR!! So I asked my server if it was just a California thing or aren’t they required to wear a hat/hairnet while serving food? They said they would inquire. Moments later, they came back and informed me “oh yea, it’s just a California thing, they don’t have to wear a hairnet. It’s not required here”…🤨

A quick search of the internet quickly contradicted this (HSC 113969)…

Assuming this information came from their manager, I was just shocked! One would think that this would be common practice in order to protect the health of their customers. But shame on me for assuming.

While I stayed and enjoyed my ramen which was pretty delicious by the way. I stayed because it was prepared by the two employees that were wearing protective clothing.

I wanted to write this review as a warning/notice to those who may not be as observant and choose to dine here.

I’ve lived in California for one year now and the longer I live here, the more it feels like I live in another country! I would like say I’m not shocked by much anymore, but it just keeps getting better everyday!!

I really wanted to give this place 5 stars, but I just couldn’t do that in good conscience. God knows what other unsanitary practices they deem to be “okay” or “just a California thing”.

With that said, I will not be...

[Update: Tried a vegan ramen, the Tsunami White Pearl. I'm dumbfounded a vegan broth is this thick and rich. Well executed Jinya.]

Long Beach has a new Ramen Bar in town, and it's awesome. First, love the fire pit table outside, the inside has a nice warm atmosphere, very cozy ambient lighting. Staff is friendly and fairly attentive.

The food however is what makes this place shine. I've only tried two Tonkotsu options (one spicy, one black garlic), but they were both slightly different. The black Tonkotsu used thin noodles, and the spicy used thick; both did an excellent job of holding the broth to the noodles while you slurp it up. Thick noodles were perfectly cooked as well, springy and ever so slightly al dente for a bit of chew. Waiter warned me from spice level five saying three was hot, and four was the perfect balance between heat and flavor for me, so kudos for that. The regular Tonkotsu broth is amazing, rich but actually not as heavy as some other places.

The appetizers are also solid. Get the curry rice ball croquettes while you can, has that bit of oozy cheese inside, and the curry flavor isn't overdone. The sushi cones are neat, but maybe a little pricey ($5 for happy hour, I'd happily pay that all day). The tacos are different, definitely good portion to price and delicious. Edamame is well portioned, perfect with a pint of Sapporo as a snack.

I'm legitimately glad this place opened, it's in the perfect spot between all the other ramen establishments. Definitely will...

If we are judging this place solely on it's ramen, it's 5 stars. Everything else is meh. The greet staff is non-existent. The wait staff is SUPER slow and quite reluctant to clean. We've been here twice, two Fridays in a row. The first time we sat inside. The tables were small and a little sticky. It was pretty warm in there too. Our waitress was kind. However, not incredibly knowledgeable or even slightly enthusiastic (I understand it's a ramen restaurant, but come on.) Our second try we sat outside. Again, no one to greet or seat us, so we waited. Finally, someone came and asked if we'd like to sit at the fire pit. Sure! It was beautiful. There was one spot that was dirty with dishes. There was 2 people dining on the other side and three people on the other. We opted to give everyone their privacy and sat in the corner. Each party left. No one cleaned up. So now there's just us, and 8 dirty spots with dishes and old food. Then another party walks up. They sit -literally- on top of us. It was the only clean spot. So now, there's 5 of us. One child- side by side. And we were on a date. It became very uncomfortable when the family starts talking about personal issues at full volume when we just wanted to enjoy our meal. The rest of the spots were cleaned just as we were leaving- an hour his. It's lazy, y'all. I'm so tired of paying a premium for lazy service....