JINYA Ramen Bar - NASA — Restaurant in Webster

As a veteran who has been to Japan and wished to get something, anything to even be slightly similar to doppos decided to look for Ramen near me to see if that itch could be scratched.

Luckily for me I found Jinya with 4.7 reviews, lucky me! So I decided to go. I walk in, place looks quite nice, very nice and chill vibe. But in doppos and other ramen places in Japan, the food is what matters.

I sit down and waiter takes my order and goes the extra length to ask if I wanted my appetizers to come out with my meal. I tell him no and specifically tell him what id like with my ramen and specifically ask for no scallions.

He goes to the back and after a decent amount of time my ramen and appetizers come out. My appetizer had a big ass curly hair in it lol so I decided to sit it aside and just wait for the ramen. Once I obtained my ramen, it looked good, but as soon as I go to eat it a few things cam to mind.

Big meh? The broth, noodles and other toppings within a ramen bowl is all supposed to be apart of the same meal. The toppings were thrown in the bowl pretty haphazardly. None of the portions made sense. There was more corn and seaweed in my bowl than noodles or broth.

Didn't taste like milk base which I understand for dairy reasons but it lacked a full taste, buldok noodles would be a good example of a taste that actually explodes in your mouth instead of limping idly by. The noodles themselves had nothing, NOTHING, on them. It was clear to me that the noodles and broth were secondary to everything in the bowl. Which brought down the overall quality of the dish.

And last but not least there were the scallions. Every other scoop of ramen would have a fistful of scallions despite me asking not to have any. Could've had an allergy, or aversion, but c'est la vie!

So when the waiter comes back asks how the food is, I tell him what my experience is like so far. He apologized and says if I hadn't started eating it he would've taken back. Fair. But I explain if I was allergic to the scallions I asked not to be in my food I'd be having an allergic reaction right now. He freezes and I tell him it's okay, idk if he told the cooks or if he was negligent.

Gave him a good tip nonetheless. But I've realized now people don't know good ramen out here. 4.7...

UPDATE: NOVEMBER 2022 - I will change my stars from 2 to 4 because the broth is really just that good and I have not found anything comparable in this area if I'm being honest. The atmosphere hasn't changed, it is still cramped and loud. They still charge $1 for green onions or cilantro when an entire bushel is 30 cents so I don't get that one. I only came because my daughter is really into ramen, and she wanted to try it.

I ordered the Black Garlic Tokontsu and she ordered the children's plate. I have attached pictures for this visit. The egg was cooked PERFECTLY and was so incredibly delicious. The broth tasted like something straight from Heaven and I couldn't get enough. The waitress and food runner were both very nice and attentive. The price was still a bit high for some soup but the kids meal came with a good amount of food that we had leftover.

NOVEMBER 2021- 2 stars and that's only because the waitress was really nice and attentive. I have been frequenting here for years yet this past visit made me not ever want to go back. They hiked up the prices for everything CRAZY HIGH! This isn't California so I don't know why my ONE bowl of Ramen was almost $20. Charging $2 for cilantro or green onions is insane, when they used to offer a handful of free add ins. Even the chili sauce that used to be on all the tables are now ONE DOLLAR FOR A SQUIRT OF IT.

I went here to read a book and drink a glass of wine but they had loud music playing, which I wasn't expecting for a ramen joint but not that big of a deal. When I received my bill, my red wine that I had ordered was $2 more than what the menu had said. When I asked the waitress, she told the manager and the manager simply said the menu hasn't reflected the prices. I had to talk to the manager directly to tell her that everything else on the menu has been updated and reflects correctly and that if they put a menu on the table with prices, those prices should be honored. She said she would adjust it and tell corporate but she seemed irritated I even brought it up.

Anyways, after a $50 tab for ONE person, I will not want to go back. Hopefully they knock their prices back down to reasonable price because they are not a 5-star Michelin...

So idk why this place has such great reviews. The seats are worse than high school bleachers and literally hurt the entire time you’re seated. Especially your back. I already use a cane and even after we moved to the “cushioned” 4 seater table it still wasn’t comfortable. The ramen is mediocre and overpriced especially if you want any add ins. They don’t really have any good flavorful appetizers from our experience. I ordered the “recommended” Pork Tonkatsu Black Ramen and added bean sprouts and Subbed the pork for chicken. The broth was ok, but I had to keep adding from the seasoning oil just to get any savoriness. I also ordered the 7.50 two mini salmon tacos with celantro and they were literally no bigger than my Thumb. I tried one with just a tad of the lime that is served along side it and it was crunchy but flavorless. Ended up adding seasoning oil and lime to the other one and it made it pop. The taste was much better. The proportions were just very poor. Both my wife and son got the Nakuman steamed buns and they didn’t like them much either. I tasted a quarter of my wife’s portion and the steamed bun wasn’t steamed enough so it was gummy and what little meat they put inside was yet again also lacking in the flavor department. It looks cool when you walk in the door but the area is so crammed the atmosphere is literally just a bunch of people talking loudly. The lady we ordered from couldn’t even hear us. I’m not a big salt person, but I’ve never had to add so much of anything just to get something tasty. After adding the seasoning sauce quite a bit the ramen finally had a good taste. We spent 80$ for a first time try for my Birthday but I won’t be going back until they step it up a notch. Felt like a waste of money for such sub par food. The dried ramen bowls from your local HEB or Walmart with some veggie add ins are literally better than the stuff this...