JINYA Ramen Bar - San Jose

What can I say about Jinya other than its my favorite ramen place. For me, no other ramen place has matched up to Jinya until now. Jinya at San Jose has a good patio seating with a table fire and ceiling heaters. These made the seating comfortable for when we were there a few days ago on a cold California night. The food, being hot and spicy, kept the cold at bay. Spiciness, of course, is as you want it. Mild, medium, spicy, and hot. If want spicier than hot, do ask your waiter for the extra spice if it's not already there at your table. The food quantity and quality as usual was a chef's kiss. I am still lamenting about the fact that they stopped the spicy edamame. I wish they bring it back on the menu. The regular edamame, even though good, doesn't match up to the spicy edamame that they had a few years ago. Overall, you won't be disappointed with Jinya. Its always been a definite revisit for me if I'm eating at the restaurant. Take out is kind of iffy. I like the ramen hot. Take out neans cooled down food, which even upon reheating isn't that great. So I recommend eating at the restaurant, if you are comfy.l doing that.

I placed an online order for pick up. I ordered the spicy creamy vegan ramen. When I got home, there was no tofu in my order. I was so disappointed. I was pretty much paid for water & ramen. I was very upset that no one paid attention when putting my order together. I called & explained to the girl over the phone my situation with my order. She said "ok" & hung up on me. I didn't get her name. I called back & this time the manager answered. Explained to her what happen. It was hard to understand her over the phone & I was told to call the next day to place the same order which I did because I was told I can order the same thing no charge. She offered me tofu only...why would I drive all the way over there just for some tofu with out ramen. It's not my fault that whoever prepared my order was not paying attention. Again, very disappointed & no good customer service.

I think this is my very favorite Ramen bar in San Jose - it is hard to say specifically why but I always feel very satisfied after I eat here, more than I have been in the other places I have tried. It has a fairly simple layout, yet still quite comfortable. My preference is to sit at the central table with the fireplace built in, but there are plenty of tables both in the main area as well as in the outdoor extension. I tend to prefer the Tonkotsu Black ramen, often adding some shrimp wonton noodles to it. This is very tasty and all the ingredients make a nice blend with the rice noodles, and the soft boiled egg is always a treat. They have a great selection of small plates as well, including caramelized cauliflower, tempura brussel sprouts, octopus balls, and spicy tempura shrimp. This Friday makes it a great place to visit somewhat frequently since you can jump around between the various ramen dishes as well as the small plates. If you're looking for a great ramen place with very tasty dishes, this place is highly recommended.