JianYa Ramen

JinYa is actually a chain ramen spot from Japan, but their ramen is no joke. They have expanded in the US pretty quickly, which I love for them and the fact they are bringing Japanese culture to the states. I am working my way through all the ramen spots in OKC, and while this technically isn’t local, I still wanted to try it to see how it compared. It was pretty good, but this spot compared to another true local ramen spot, it comes in 2nd in my current rankings.

To start, we had to try their buns and poke tacos. The JinYa bun comes stuffed with slow braised pork, cucumber and greens with kewpie mayo in between a steamed bun. The bun was so light and fluffy, which is hard to nail. The pork was soft, salty and sweet and it paired really well with the crunchy cucumbers and creamy kewpie mayo. I wish I had ordered more of these because I had to share and I wanted it all for myself. Next, the salmon poke tacos – they were pretty good. The shell was crispy and the salmon was fresh and soft and so buttery. While I enjoyed them, I did feel like they were missing something – perhaps some salt or something tangy. I would probably only order these when they are on special since they are pretty pricey for what you get.

Ramen Time – we ordered Spicy Chicken Ramen and Jinya Tonkotsu Black. The spicy chicken had a great flavor with some kick. The chicken was really tender and the broth was also really creamy and rich. The tonkotsu black broth was also incredible – so creamy and garlicky. The only thing I wasn’t a real fan of was the pork – it was on the chewy, fatty side so I couldn’t finish it. I wish they had cooked it a bit longer or seared the fat to crisp it up more. Fat adds flavor, yes, but I don’t love it when it is not cooked well. I would swap it for chicken next time, but overall the broth and toppings were on point!

To see if they have a location near you and to look at their full menu, click here.