JINYA Ramen Bar - Logan Circle — Restaurant in Washington

I REALLY wanted to like this place and was very much looking forward to trying it out based on the reviews and its reputation. Unfortunately, my wife and I did not have a good experience tonight.

First of all, the restaurant is very clearly understaffed. We came in and were put on the waitlist. Unlike most other people on the waitlist, we decided to stay inside the restaurant during the wait. Our wait was 25-30 minutes, which was pretty much in line with the estimate we were given. During our wait, however, I got a chance to observe the service. A woman already sitting at the bar when we first came in only got her order of ramen about three minutes before we got our table. Multiple drivers picking up takeout orders had to wait up to 10 minutes for their orders. One driver in particular was picking up three orders from this restaurant. The first order was ready right when we were placed on the waitlist. The second order was ready about 10 minutes into our wait. The third was not ready when we got our table. That's over a 25 minute wait for the driver inside the restaurant, meaning the first two orders would undoubtedly be cold already by the time they were going to be delivered. And of course it would be the driver who would be blamed and get a lower tip, not the restaurant. The manager and hostess basically just kept shrugging their shoulders and kept telling the guy to wait.

We were 11th on the waitlist in the beginning. By the time we were third in line, the manager asked a family of three (mother, father and young adult son) standing behind my wife and myself if they were still waiting for a table. They answered yes and the manager started whispering to the hostess, clearly trying to move them up in line, in fact telling them "I'll see what I can do". We ended up getting a table at the same time as them, but this left a really sour taste in my mouth and I was going to make a bigger deal out of it if we had to wait longer. Why have a waitlist at all then?

In regards to the service during the meal, our waitress was a young woman who was very sweet and helpful with the menu. Unfortunately, the last time we saw her during the meal service was when she took the order. It later took her 13 minutes to process my credit card payment. No asking if everything was to our liking, if we needed anything else, or of that sort. I do not blame her at all, like I said, the restaurant does not have nearly enough people employed.

In regards to the food itself. It was fine. Good. Solid. Nothing mind-blowing and I don't really understand the 4.8 rating. We ordered the pork buns, takoyaki and salmon/tuna cones as well as the Tonkotsku Black ramen and the Spicy Umami Miso ramen. I am from New York originally and have traveled extensively through Japan. I've eaten my fair share of great ramen. This was OK and I was honestly left disappointed based on the hype that perhaps I created in my head. I've had better ramen in DC (at a well known place in Adams Morgan, for example). My wife's portion of the Spicy Umami was also considerably larger than my Tonkotsu Black. Not sure what that was about.

All in all, I was going to leave a 3/5 but the service, or lack thereof, dropped...

When I first walked in, my impressions of the restaurant were that it was well maintained and cleaned. The decor was aesthetically pleasing with a modern look juxtaposed with an industrial vibe from the brick and corroded iron veneer. The bathroom was sleek and clean was well. I walked out of the restroom back into the dimly lit ambiance ready to browse the menu and order.

After opening the menu from the QR code, I noticed that Jinya offers a huge selection of foods such as fusion appetizers and meals like chashu rice bowls. I went ahead and ordered a classic tonkotsu ramen with no toppings with a side of takoyaki.

I waited a while for the food to arrive--on the long side for a ramen restaurant, but was excited to see that the food looked exactly it was on the online menu. Jinya did a good job on the presentation. The ajitama (egg) and the chashu slices were perfect. Slightly chilled with a melt-in-your-mouth umami feel. After finishing these, I was left wishing for more flavors and textures as there were only noodles and broth left.

Though at a perfectly cooked al dente and flavorful, I wish I ordered bamboo shoots or otherwise to combat the monotonous onslaught of noodles. I could not justify ordering more toppings as its base price was already at a premium of $20. I couldn't help but to remember the fully loaded ramen bowls for roughly half the cost in the Little Tokyo district of LA. I polish off the bowl by slurping the broth. Bold, but not pungent.

In the end, I thought the portioning seemed rather small even with the takoyaki (best I have ever had in terms of flavor and presentation). Had I ordered toppings to accompany the ramen bowl, perhaps the portioning would have been adequate. All in all, well done in terms of quality, but the portioning was rather small and left me wanting more. I will definitely...

I first visited this restaurant about a month ago with a friend and had a fantastic experience. The food was excellent, the atmosphere inviting, and the service was attentive, everything we hoped for in a great night out.

Because of that, we returned on May 23rd expecting the same high standard. Unfortunately, our second visit, especially the experience at the upstairs bar, was disappointing.

We were told there would be a wait for a table and were encouraged to head upstairs to the bar area. We found two open stools and sat down, but were not greeted or acknowledged for easily 20 minutes. Staff behind the bar seemed focused on cleaning and closing tasks rather than service.

When a lead bartender or manager eventually returned, he enthusiastically welcomed a group of four who also had been waiting but again, we were overlooked. We had to call out to get a bartender’s attention, and while he eventually brought us menus, his attitude came off as indifferent at best. It also didn’t go unnoticed that he was far more responsive to young female patrons.

When our order was finally taken (after he came back to confirm it again 10 minutes later), we had to ask a separate food runner for utensils and napkins once our meal arrived, nothing had been provided up front.

We also chatted with another customer seated nearby who had been waiting 45 minutes for his check, only to receive an incorrect one. It took another 20 minutes to resolve.

To be fair, the food remains excellent, it’s the main reason I won’t give this place a 1-star review. But the service was inconsistent and felt dismissive. I understand it may have been a tough night, possibly due to being short-staffed, but the lack of basic acknowledgment and care toward paying customers is hard to overlook.

I would return here for the food but definitely not to sit at...