Oh my... where do I even begin?…read more
As someone originally from California, I've been spoiled by truly great ramen. I've tried countless ramen spots out there, and unfortunately, nothing in Colorado has ever come close - especially in Colorado Springs. So when I heard via Reddit that Jinya was opening here, I was excited.
I knew it wouldn't be on the same level as the best ramen places in California, and that's totally fine - I wasn't expecting perfection. I was just hoping for a decent ramen spot here in the Springs. Something reliable. Something satisfying.
I dined in a few days after they opened. The experience was... alright. Our server was friendly, but both my husband's and my tonkotsu ramen broth were extremely salty - like overwhelmingly so. We let the server know, and she said she'd inform the kitchen. She also suggested we stir the broth to make it less salty, which honestly made no sense. Stirring broth doesn't magically fix over seasoning. We tried it anyway (because why not?) and, unsurprisingly, it didn't help.
What's been especially frustrating, though, is the takeout experience. Since that dine in visit, we've ordered takeout six times. Out of those, at least four orders were wrong. Missing sauces, no dressing, less broth than there should be, overcooked chicken... you name it. To their credit, both the manager James and the owner Dino have gone out of their way to make things right - comping our meals or covering a dine in visit. But it keeps happening.
Most recently, I even texted Dino before placing my order to make sure the kitchen got it right. I sent him a screenshot of the order, and he said he'd make sure it was done properly. My husband picked it up and checked the bag on the way home - it was missing sauces, no dressing, and a hard boiled egg instead of the soft boiled egg that ramen should come with. I let Dino know, and to his credit, he was genuinely embarrassed and comped us again.
At this point, I honestly don't blame Dino. He's done everything he can to make up for the mistakes, and I appreciate that. But the real issue is the kitchen staff. Is it really that hard to get an order right? This level of carelessness is just unacceptable.
I saw another review mention that Dino was seen yelling at the kitchen staff. And while that might seem unprofessional on the surface, I don't blame him. If I were in his shoes, I'd be frustrated and embarrassed too. It's his business on the line, and the staff is clearly not holding up their end.
Anyway, I'm giving +1 star (totaling 2) purely because Dino genuinely tries to make up for the bad experiences, but -3 for the consistently incompetent kitchen staff.