Just when poke seems to be eclipsing the ramen trend, a 4,000-square-foot noodle shop plans to open on 14th Street (with poke). Jinya Ramen Bar, a Los Angeles-based chain that opened its first East Coast location in Fairfax’s Mosaic District last year, will debut its long-planned DC branch early this summer, though a precise opening date has not yet been determined.
The two-story space will offer seating for 100, a 20-seat outdoor patio, and bars on each floor specializing in sake, beer, and Japanese cocktails. Like at Jinya’s other locations, the kitchen will serve a voluminous ramen menu compared to tiny shops like Daikaya or Toki Underground—13 signature recipes, 20-plus toppings for customizing, and three styles of broth: vegetarian, chicken, and porky tonkotsu.
In addition to the noodle soups, the menu includes rice and curry bowls, and a large variety of Japanese-inspired small plates like gyoza and takoyaki (octopus balls). New dishes for both the Mosaic and DC locations include pork-stuffed steamed buns, and poke. The tartare-like tuna and salmon will arrive in mini tacos, or in a “California poke bowl” with shrimp, seaweed, and avocado. We’ll see what the Hawaiian exceptionalists at Abunai have to say about that.
Jinya Ramen Bar. 1336 14th St., NW (at Rhode Island Ave.)
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
