JINYA Ramen Express

This place is a tourist Trap
My Initial excitement and expectations of eating a hot bowl of Ramen on a cold windy day in LA died away very quickly when the reality of this place kicked in. We saw plenty of signs and ads spread out through the Hollywood/​Highland shopping plaza and it took a while for us to even figure out where it was. You will have to go around the bend on the 2^nd highest floor by the Hollywood side of the mall to find this place.
Surprise — Its Outdoors seating only so if its freezing cold and windy. Good luck to you.
Surprise — Its a counter designed like a Subway sandwich restaurant where you pick your own ingredients and they put it in for you. Be Prepared to stand in a long boring line.
Surprise — The Brine or Base soup was lacking in flavor and they were missing many key ingredients the night that I went to make a good ramen soup.
Lastly the price was not exactly cheap for a food court style meal.
Final Opinion — Don’t make this place a destination meal. This is a food court meal.

Oddly, I like this place better than the Jinya next to my apartment complex. This place is a Chipotle-​style build it yourself ramen joint. I get the chicken ramen with regular noodles, add an egg, and top it with green beans, grilled chicken, green onions and crispy garlic! Definitely get the garlic oil on top too! You can take your food to go or sit at the booths overlooking Hollywood Ave., at night it’s all lit up and it’s really pretty. I love taking visitors to LA here because you can look at the stars and the Chinese Theatre afterwards.

Try it again tonight. I guess the outdoor weather around 6 p.m. was way too cold for my ramen. It’s just luke warm. Very disappointed. Will try again maybe around summer. By then, hopefully I will not complaints about cold ramen anymore.

I was skeptical when I saw bussel sprouts in my ramen, but holy smokes it was delicious. Menu is a bit intimidating as I had no idea what I was walking into/​doing. Not generally a ramen eater so I had no idea what to do when it came to building my own. Went with the signature. The broth was very spicy and intense, noodles were on point and the veggies were great. Next time I’ll build my own and go without the egg and add more veggies. I wish the the studio city restaurant had the same menu, I’d go back today!

Best ramen I’ve had! Great broth base, well seasoned chicken and add ons. Thank you for having multiple base and sauce options! $ 11 for a bowl that can probably feed 2 people that aren’t terribly hungry.

Excellent fast food, loads of choices. I tried the spinach noodles in the spicy chicken broth, with grilled chicken. You can add 2, ½ portions of the vegetables. I tried both the Brussels Sprouts and the green beans, both very good, with an edge to the green beans. There is no inside seating, and sadly there is loud music being played throughout the outdoor seating areas.

This place is amazing the service was amazing and the food is even better! The cashier helped us since it was our first time! Def coming back

I love the Chiptole concept made in the form of ramen, but the food quality and service of Jinya Express definitely needs more work. Since it’s made to order, every order must wait until their rice bowl/​ramen is done before the next person can order. This can create a huge unnecessary backup. I’m sure there has to be a way to speed up the process without sacrificing the freshness and quality of the food.
I’m not sure how it’s even possible for the broth of my ramen to be cold, considering it’s made to order and I waited 10 – 15 mins for it, but it was cold from the start. My noodle was also way over cooked, almost killed. I’m extremely picky with my ramen noodle, such as having the perfect texture, slightly chewy and firm. I’m not asking for perfection, but what I got was soft and mushy noodles. Anyone can kill a bowl of over cooked noodles at home without having to pay for it.
Overall, I think there’s still a lot of potential. I know it can be done, but the management must do something with the speed and quality control to make it a splash. While you get a lot of tourist at the complex, I can tell most of the customers will be for business employees nearby. If they do not get their act together and improve their system, people will not come back.

I like the concept but the execution could be improved. Nice new store in a not great location where fast dining restaurants have struggled to stay in business as they’re super hidden from the tourists as the mall there.
This place is basically the chipotle of ramen. I love the full service restaurant so figured the ramen here would be the same. Unfortunately it’s totally different. Ramen itself was good but overly salty even for ramen. In talking INSANELY salty. The weird thing is they put Brussels sprouts in my ramen. I didn’t love it. I don’t comprehend how it is even an option. I may try this place again but the food was a bit underwhelming. Maybe it’s because I went literally the first weir that they opened?

This place just opened, so maybe they are still finding their groove.
Now that that is out of the way, this is another restaurant where the food is good and the service not as much. I work nearby and always appreciate a new spot to eat at. They seem to mess up the order if you ask for something specific. For instance I asked for an egg and both times they forgot to put one in and I had to go back. If I ask for something specific that is out of the ordinary they don’t seem to grasp it right away. It’s mostly just small things. I asked for a to go bag and the girl just put one on the counter and didn’t bag my order up. There are 2 types of pork on the menu so they ask what protein you want and I say pork I’m still not sure how they know which one I am referring to, but they put one on. For instance they will have different people handle your order as you go down the line, so if you asked for something specific then you have to reexplain it to each person. Again, maybe this will change as they all learn the drill inside and out, but the food is great and the service is so so.

Overall experience was pretty good. I had the pork broth with pork meat with lots of veggies!
The broth was yummy with a little bit of spicy sauce, garlic and ginger.
For the added veggies I recommend the green onions, regular onions, mushrooms and sprouts. This combination had a delightful taste!
For 9 $ you get a lot of food, quickly. Not to mention a chill atmosphere to dine.
I will be back andddd you should try it!

I came here because I was at the Hollywood and Highland Center and it just opened so I decided to give it a shot. It was okay, but I wasn’t really impressed for the $ 9 it cost. If you want good Ramen, go to Urban Ramen on Sunset near the Rock n Roll Ralphs (especially between 11 am and 3 pm for their lunch special) and get yummy, authentic ramen for only a couple bucks more.

Although new, this shop delivered quite a delicious meal. For a newcomer to ramen, the options that were offered and the freshness of the ingredients was delightful. The broth I chose had a deliciously spicy kick, which paired well with the spicy chicken and the garlic finishing oil that was added. The large quantity of veggies really satisfied my palette, and after finishing I was wanting more for dinner!
I had read previous reviews and noticed they were not the greatest, but decided to try this place anyway. They are still new, so some of the issues may have been related to that, but the food was on point.

Jinya works better as a sit down place. Both times I’ve had nothing but confusion from the employees while eating here. The first time I was in a rush and didn’t notice I got a completely different meat. The second time I just gave up and asked for a refund after being asked what I wanted a good four times and then still getting the wrong thing.

Good and quick ramen. I got cilantro on the side but the portion was way too big. Also the spoons are too small.

Not very good at all. Had their signature dish and it was disappointing. Work nearby and was looking forward to this place opening for almost a year… unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be going back. The noodles were the worst part. Also, a few of us had upset stomachs afterwards.
It’s a shame because I love ramen and was super excited about a new local restaurant opening

Anything but express!
The service here is sooooo slow. The people working are not the smartest.
The meat quality is also pretty low.
The broth is what saves the place, and the only reason I’m back.
Overall there’s better and close. This is my second time here, if the meat was better I would probably be different, but wait alone has promoted me to never come back again. I could have walked a block away to a better Ramen place in the time I’ve sat here for no reason. There is no valid reason it should take this long, other then bad staff.

Ramen here is not that good. Considering I ordered the «signature» jinya #1 black ramen I was expecting something at the very least good ramen. Unfortunately it was very disappointing. The only good part was the pork chasu. The broth was luke warm. I asked for cilantro and was told the jinya #1 has only specific toppings. Really? I guess they didn’t want to take away or add to their «signature dish». I’d compare this place to something like a mcdonalds. Do expect «express» to mean just that. Fast food style and taste.

On the third floor! Outdoor seating
Build your own ramen:
Step 1 — pick your base
Step 2 — pick your broth
Step 3 — pick your noodles
Step 4 — (unlimited) garnishes
Step 5 — pick a protein
Step 6 — pick a vege
Step 7 — pick your sauce
Step 8 — top it off?
$ 1 soft egg
$ 2 extra protein
Very much like poki next door and subway.
I like how quick it is and the flavors are definitely better than other restaurants out there. Portions are very reasonable for the amount you pay!
Since the restaurant opened recently, there is a queue that extends out the door around noon.
I do want to point out that the staff sometimes have trouble with English so it is difficult to get your point across if you deviate from the normal script.
Overall I recommend you try Jinya. I love the idea and wish the best for it during its time in Hollywood :)

Super friendly. Super quick and amazingly delicious. Many options to choose from,;excellent option for a quick healthy and scrumptious meal.