Jinza Teriyaki — Restaurant in Pomona

As a Seattle boy, I am very picky about Teriyaki, but Jinza definitely gets my stamp of approval!

Came last month during the heat wave and we were craving some good takeout before heading back to the room to cool down from the heat! Our car temperature registered at 117*F. It was insane.

Back to the restaurant, Jinza is very close to Cal Poly Pomona, so it was packed with students at lunch time. The restaurant exterior is unassuming and hackneyed, but we were immediately greeted with that heavenly Teriyaki smell from outside, and even more amplified once walking through the door, so that made us ignore the exterior. Reminded me of those unassuming strip mall, rainy late night Teriyaki runs back in Washington. Jinza was very cozy inside, with a small seating area to the right and ordering counter to the left. Spartan decor, and a bit worn, but endearing. Chefs were grilling in the back, and the see-through kitchen added encouragement of quality. Quaint ambiance.

Takeout was quick and service was kind.

The Food:

Chicken Teriyaki: It was easy to tell Thigh meat was used as the texture was soft, supple, and tender. The teriyaki was sweet and juicy, with a small amount of char, adding to crunch without being overwhelmingly burnt. The rice was cooked well, and molded well with the richness of the meat. Overall, very good, but of course, sorry LA, Seattle is the place to go for Teriyaki in the US ;). Excellent prices, at around $5.65. For LA and the price, it was refreshing and definitely worth it. (4/5)

Gyoza: Not sure why I ordered this, but was a little extra hungry. The texture is excessively crunchy, hard, and lifeless. Gyoza is traditionally very thin skinned, but this was like biting into a Fried Spring Roll (ugh). Definitely seemed frozen, as it didn't have that nice pan-fried texture, and soft edges that normally accompany it. Anyways over-analyzing here, just pass on it y'all (1/5)

Overall cute place! Great Teriyaki in the Pomona area and suitable for those on a budget. Highly recommended! Will definitely come back when back in the area and try that much talked about white magic...

The flicker of lightning outlined her silhouette, the thunder rolled in with the rain. Quickly becoming drenched, we ran for the door and found an open table.

Age had left its scars in the crinkles of her eyes, and the creases of my brow. We blinked away those years like the raindrops in our eyes, leaving only the images of first love.

Our conversation danced with the giddiness of rekindled friendship and accents of desire.

An atmosphere thick with new and lost possibilities mingled with the aromas of perfectly grilled teriyaki bbq... Oh yeah, forgot where as going with this...

The chicken and pork was perfect, with just the right amount of char. We had the classic teriyaki sauce, though they have a house white sauce they highly recommend. I'll give it a try the next time I'm in town. The teriyaki dressing was the lighter Japanese style sauce, not the dark syrupy Chinese style. It was exactly what this style of bbq should be. Light, with the perfect amount of crunch through the blackened char lines.

The staff was friendly and ordering was a breeze. I look forward to eating here again.

The decor is lunch casual, and the prices match. Bring your co-workers.

It may be too casual for a first date, but not a bad place to rehash memories with an old, but...

This place is literally one of the best teriyaki you can have I am very fortunate to have been a student at Cal Poly Pomona which happens to be extremely close to this restaurant for this reason when I went to this restaurant I thought I was going to have regular teriyaki like any other teriyaki place but this place by far gives great quality food extremely healthy and has an amazing customer service with a beautiful environment that delivers an amazing taste and experience. I have been very fortunate to have met the manager there since he is very courteous and welcoming and always checks on everyone within the restaurant but he does that with everyone as there is many different types of people in the restaurant from mayors of local cities other politicians fire Department police officers students family members this place is a place where everyone goes to because they know this is the best teriyaki to have. I personally like to take friends that are visiting or that have never gone to this place and watch them be impressed with the service and the quality of food and how they like to spread the word to others of how amazing...