Kinja Japanese Restaurant — Restaurant in Yelm

Coming here was a last minute decision as it was last Sunday and other places were closing early. I still, a week later, remember the food and service from this establishment and how the quality of the food was matched only by the expert staff and their exemplary service. I had the mountain roll sushi and miso soup (with a small side of sake), one of my roommates had the bento box, and the other had the teriyaki chicken and miso soup. The fact that I remember the food I had a week ago speaks volumes for the quality considering I can't remember what I had for breakfast yesterday - something at Starbucks probably. We all were trying bits of each other's dishes, and the freshness and the pop of flavor you get here is truly unique. The miso soup was savory, warm with the tofu adding some texture to it; the bento had great chicken, and dressing on this salad that I could not get enough of; the teriyaki chicken was fresh with a zing of flavor from the seasoning. The hot sauce they have here is incredible too. My roommate who had the teriyaki chicken practically drinks hot sauce for breakfast and she can speak to the heat and flavor of the sauce better than my poor burnt mouth could.

To summarize, if you're in the area and looking for a quick bite to eat then stop by; you'll be in for...

So starting with the good. The Place was clean and the staff were very nice. Food came fast except for the shrimp tempura at the end. We ate shushi rolls for our first order and they were not bad but not to die for. It's not a bad place to stop by during lunch for a quick fix or maybe even take out as a last min dinner solution. However, for the price it would make me consider other cheaper but probably more fulfilling options in those situations. The worst part of the dinner was the shrimp tempura. It didn't taste bad but it went along the common theme of just alright but not bad. But which is a huge but, cause it cost 16 dollars for 6 shrimp that tasted so average and the absolute worst part is that they cut the shrimp in half. I mean come on!! That was the last thing I ordered and I was about going to leave them a really amazing average review. Anyways that was my most honest review. For the owner, Please do not cut the shrimp in half its insulting for the price and they are not even that good, not to mention the amount you are saving is not worth loosing potential loyal customer over. Overall I give them 5...

Can cost anywhere from 30 dollars to 40 dollars for two people, but this is by far the best asian restaurant I have ever been to in my entire life in Washington state. The food is so perfectly made (I always get the yakisoba, but I've tried the seafood version, the tofu version, and the chicken versions and all are phenomenal. ) the tofu is so soft and flavorful, their soup has me officially hooked on miso soup (I used to hate it now im addicted to them) and I hated tofu until I tried the tofu options here (the tofu in the yakisoba is softly fried and seasoned on the outside and silken on the inside and deeply reminds me of extremely tender chicken) and now I'm addicted to both miso and tofu because of this restaurant. For a very special night out for asian food you WONT be disappointed with this place. I never feel gross here either like I did with cheaper Chinese restaurants (would always get Chinese food syndrome in my lower digestive) but here you feel amazing and energized like you've had a good meal. 5 stars, if I could...