Jobu Ramen

Permanently closed apparently… I didn’t get a chance to use my Groupon :(lol
See this article for details:

I had heard mixed reviews, so I was skeptical. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.
To begin with, the service was top notch and I think this place hit a nitch in Cbus that no one else had quite filled. My ramen was good– a bit lacking in something I can’t put my finger on, but definitely a good eat on a cold day. What really knocked me out were the chicken steamed bun and the house pickles. Fantastic. Will definitely be back.

On my first visit I had the chicken ramen which tasted very bland. My husband got the Yakisoba special which is something he’s had every visit when it was available. I tried it and it was delicious. I regretted my food choice. We both had the fried walleye steam buns which were great.
Since the first visit, the Yakisoba has been added to the permanent menu. On our most recent visit we both had the Yakisoba which was delicious. As an appetizer we started with the salt and vinegar wings. They were crispy, tangy and salty. Even while eating them I was dreaming about having them again.

This place may be small but it’s mighty! I went here for dinner with my boyfriend because we LOVE Ramen noodles. We got 2 apps and 2 entrees. We wanted to try it all. The pork belly buns are awesome, so juicy and delicious. We also got the 5 spice rubbed wings. The wings are VERY good. Like nothing I’ve ever had before. (They do have a lot of cinnamon on them just FYI). For my main meal I ordered the spicy chicken ramen… Spicy but not too spicy with tons of flavor, I loved it!
They did have the movie ‘Hook’ playing on a big screen tv in the dining room. Which was awesome, so I highly suggest this place. For their movie choices and definitely their menu!

My name is Doug, and Im a Ramen-​holic. Hehe. I have always loved instant ramen in the comforts of my own home, but I am very happy my lady discovered Jobu Ramen!
This was a neat new little place we decided to go to, and we were very excited and not dissapointed! We decided to get two appetizers (snacks) and two entrees to share because we were so excited.
First we got the dry-​rub wings and a pork belly steam bun. I am not typically a fan of dry-​rub wings, and i absolutely hate cinnamon, which these had on them, but they were terrific. A savory cinnamon flavor was very unique and very delicious. A must to order. The steam bun had a lot to live up to after that but it was just as delicious and very fresh! I know its a soup place, but the wings might have been my favorite part…
For entrees i got the yakisoba, a noodle stir-​fry, and my lady got chicken ramen which was a more traditional soup ramen. Both were loaded with flavor, but i had to say the best part was the broth of the chicken ramen (spicy version). Unbelievable.
I cant wait to return to Jobu and try more ramen! Easily one of my new favorite places :)

I visited Jobu Ramen as part of the Columbus Food Adventure in Grandview. Maybe this is not an entirely accurate review, since I only tried a small bowl of ramen, but I figure I should document my initial impressions.
The owner told us about his story and his love for ramen. It’s a pretty awesome story and amazing that he’s so well-​traveled at such a young age. He explained his inspiration for opening up a ramen shop and told us that he put his own spin into ramen at Jobu.
We got a small bowl of the Miso ramen, consisting of roasted pork, egg, corn, scallions and sprouts. My favorite component was the roasted pork. Succulent and melt in your mouth, I wanted more!
I’m not familiar with corn in ramen, but it tasted a little off to me. I think the sweetness of the corn, combined with the saltiness of the miso base was a bit jarring to my taste buds. Instead of complimenting each other, the broth just tasted too salty and too sweet. The ramen noodles itself had a nice consistency.
I’ll be back to try the other ramen dishes without corn. The roasted pork steam buns also sound delicious. It’s definitely worth a second look.

A small, new restaurant in the Grandview area. The service is good, and the waiters are very personable and often came over to chat about what we thought of the food, some new recipes they were going to roll out onto the menu soon, etc. It steers a bit away from traditional Japanese and puts a modern spin on it. They also have a fairly limited menu (less options than most other restaurants), but all their items seem thoughtfully laid out and everything Í’ve tried has been pretty good so far.
I’ve had one of their ramens which was alright, nothing spectacular but still good. The one food item I would go back for again was their port steam buns which aren’t the normal «closed» steam buns that you usually see; they are more «taco-​style» with the pork placed in a folded bun, but not sealed up. Hope that makes sense. Either way it was delicious; the pork was melt-​in-​your-​mouth and the flavors were excellent.

Nice find in grandview. The atmosphere is clean and cute. They have kids items too. Theres metered parking close by. The miso ramen w pork belly was delicious. The pork belly was excellent quality.

I was determined this place was gonna be amazing. I have been on this «all things soup» kick for awhile… so super stoked to try their ramen.
The vibe and the décor inside was super comfortable and inviting. Simplicity meets artsy urban. I love their logo… really, really love their logo. The wait staff was great. Service was fair and friendly.
First up… ordered a hot tea — phenomenal. So why the lower rating? I hate to say it… I wanted to love it so much that I feel guilty saying — ugh, I didn’t love it at all. The menu was scarce; my date and I each ordered ramen. Me — miso; him — soy. It came out not nearly hot enough… the flavor of my broth was lacking in complexity and appeal. My date traded with me — I didn’t like his either though it was a step up in taste.
I am so sad about this experience. Truly.

This was really more of a 3.5 for me, but I’m going to round up.
First of all, this space is really cute. I was a little concerned how dead it was on a Thursday night around dinnertime. We were getting ours to-​go, but the space is very zen and updated. I would come back and eat in, especially for steam buns, which I don’t think are a very good to-​go item.
Service was very friendly — they offered us waters while we waited, which is always a nice touch.
I ordered the chicken ramen. I like it when Asian noodle-​soup places pack the noodles/​accessories separately from the broth (which Jobu did!). It makes the ride home easier, and then it tastes nice and fresh when assembled at home. Quality to-​go containers, too!
As far as my ramen, it was a little more like 3 stars for me. Which isn’t bad. I liked it well enough, but I wasn’t flipping my shiz. The chicken was just a tad too dry. The broth was not my favorite, didn’t quite have that deep flavor I seek. Would have appreciated a few more veggies. But, again, not bad. A-​OK.
FYI — I just checked the website menu, and it wasn’t the same as when we stopped in. Not sure if it’s outdated or if they change their menu around frequently or what.
I’ll come back again, for sure. Next time I want to eat in and order all the appetizers! They had some above-​average and interesting-​looking tea blends, too.

I’ve been to Jobu Ramen twice in the last 4 weeks. Both times I’ve had a decent experience, but have been overall underwhelmed by it.
First, the menu seems very limited. Three or four types of ramen is not impressive, and they recently changed their starters. I enjoyed the kimchi with pickles, and now they’ve separated these dishes. The pickles you get now are even fewer than before. What a disappointment!
On my first visit, I ate the chicken ramen. Ouch. Far inferior to my wife’s soy ramen with pork belly. I changed it up and ordered miso, which comes with pork belly. The pork was excellent, but the miso broth was hardly flavorful. The noodles were decent, but nothing to write home about. I like the poached egg.
I visited when this was Mazah Mediterranean before Jobu, so I know that it’s an intimate atmosphere (tight spaces). I’m OK with that — I like that about this place. Fair warning to those who don’t.
Lastly, the price is far too high for what is being offered. Ramen doesn’t conjure up menu prices of $ 10-​$ 15. Yes, their bowls are large and you get a big meal. That doesn’t excuse moderate quality, and even then I’d still think it too pricy with better food. This is ramen we’re talking about.
I had a Groupon, and I could hardly tell on the check. I’m not sure if I’ll go again. Maybe sometime down the road to give them a last chance.

Jobu is a nice addition to the growing variety of restaurants on Grandview Ave. I’ve tried things I’ve really liked, and things that weren’t dreadful, but probably wouldn’t order again.
What I would order again: the walleye steam buns. Holy moly those things are good. Fried Lake Erie walleye, spicy slaw, yum sauce. Every. Single. Time. The pork belly steam buns for when I don’t care that I’m eating super fatty pork belly. It is just delicious and indulgent. The shoyu bowl with a side of chili oil. Classic and tasty.
I think the thing that will really hold this place back is the price point. A bowl of noodles and broth just doesn’t add up to $ 13 in my mind… but I still go there and still pay it.

I had one of the best dining experiences at Jobu Ramen. The service was quick, helpful, and very knowledgeable about the menu items. But more importantly, the food was great!
I went with a buddy and we split 2 apps and 2 entrees. For apps, we got the special steam bun which featured a light tempura battered fish and an assortment of veggies including some jalapeño that was enough to let you know it was there. The fish tasted very fresh, and its flavor was not overpowered by the batter. We also got the chicken wings which are dry rubbed to perfection. They were the most unique, and among the most delicious, wings I’ve had. You HAVE to get these.
For entrees, we got the chicken ramen and the yakisoba special: stir fried ramen with pork belly, pickled jalapeño, cashews, fried soft cooked egg, and fresh cucumber. Since they prepare all of their meals fresh, they were able to substitute the pork belly for chicken with no problem. This was my favorite dish. The egg was soft cooked, lightly battered in tempura batter, and lightly fried– it was pretty neat! The chicken ramen was very good as well, but next time I might try to substitute the chicken broth for another type.

I’m torn about this place, because I really enjoyed my experience here but I didn’t love my ramen. Came here with a friend and we tried the BBQ wings which had a dry rub and they were really awesome. I usually don’t like dry rubs but these did it for me. We also had a special which was a steamed bun with a tempura battered fish with slaw and jalapeño, it was amazing. Fish was fresh, it was cooked well, dressed appropriately and made me happy.
For entrees we split the chicken ramen and the special which was a yakisoba. The yakisoba was amazing! Traditionally has pork belly but I subbed for chicken and it was fantastic. The fried noodles were perfect and had a pressure cooked, tempura fried egg on top. Now the reason I’m torn is because we also had the chicken ramen, and frankly I was not impressed. The broth had meek flavoring, the chicken was in large chunks, the nooses were decent. I like ramen, but this dish didn’t wow me, and for having «ramen» in the name of the restaurant I was expecting a little more.
The staff were friendly and courteous, and I will definitely be back again to try some of the rest of the menu.

well… We walked in here on a whim, actually it was bc of the wives (happy wife happy life and all). 4 of us sat outside. The outside seating is is a little odd for four people. All the seats sit next to each other facing the road. so conversations would be tough, luckily I have huge vocal cords and am a loud talker (I am not entirely sure if this is true, just go with it). It is also a little odd since you are facing the folks who are walking by, again I am lucky since I was given the gift of having a conversation with anyone so it was not that big of a deal. A few people stopped and asked how it was and we all said great. I can see where this could make some people uncomfortable.
The food was pretty awesome, I got the chicken, my buddy got the pork belly and the 2 ladies also got chicken. We were all very pleased with our meals, infact I was stuffed, which doesn’t happen often. We all got wings as an appetizer, I HIGHLY recommend them. As my buddy said such phrases, «ohh man these are tits» and «ohh these are the bees knees»! So they where pretty awesome! They are coated in a cinnamon and sugar rub, you don’t expect it, just like you don’t expect getting a blowie on your first date, but its a great surprise! Just let both things happen and your day will not go wrong!
During our meal we found out that all the meat came from a farm in Delaware, Oh and all the veggies were local. It says a lot about a company that gets EVERYTHING local. We came to this knowledge when the owner came out on a Sunday evening to see how everything was. Really nice guy and passionate about Ramen.
I will definitely be back!

Too pricey!
I’ve been eagerly anticipating the opening of this ramen restaurant for months, and finally recovered enough from my oversea travels to meet up with Heather C for lunch one day.
The interior of the restaurant is quite nice, and it was pretty empty when we arrived just after 1130, quickly filling up by the time we left just before 1. We were instructed to «sit anywhere!» and brought water glasses and a water carafe.
The menu is quite small, so I was expecting everything on it to be outstanding. I ordered the miso ramen, wincing a bit at the $ 13 price tag, but anticipating an amazing bowl of soup. Alas! The best part of the bowl was the roasted pork — two stellar slices of porky deliciousness. The noodles were adequate. I was surprised at the over-​easy style egg, since hard or soft boiled is the traditional egg accompaniment. I was also disappointed in the broth, which barely had any miso flavour, or any flavour depth at all, really.
Andy N. does a great job of describing the good and bad of Jobu’s ramen, though I’m going to go out there and say that this doesn’t even make 3.5 star on Columbus’s ramen scale (which includes an equally expensive but worthy bowl at Rishi and quick ‘n’ cheap goodness at Aloha and Tensuke).
They were doing a good lunch business for their first week in operation, and I’m sure they’ll continue to do so with the folks who have a $ 12 – 15 price point for lunch. I was just really hoping for a good cheap ramen shop to finally open in Columbus.

Ah… zannen
I’m really torn about Jobu. On one hand, they’re probably one of the more legit ramen restaurants and try so hard to make it the best in Columbus. The service was friendly, albeit very, very slow, and the ambiance was nice and quaint.
But as a California native and former resident of Japan, I gotta be real. The ramen simply doesn’t cut it.
I was told to come here by a local Ohio friend that used to attend OSU, where I currently intern for the summer. Hailing from LA, I admittedly come with high standards. Good ramen doesn’t necessarily have to have the most unique of toppings or come with the most ingredients. It just needs to meet certain criteria including the broth, noodle texture, and then the garnishes and meats.
Areas where my miso ramen/​experience suffered:
(-) The food took 45 minutes to come out, so the wait made it hard.
(-) The broth was lukewarm when it came out, instead of piping hot.
(-) The broth was lacking in SO much flavor. Good ramen needs to have fatty, rich flavors of soy/​miso/​tonkotsu that this bowl just lacked! It tasted very watered down.
(-) The noodles were hard to pull apart, possibly due to the broth not being as hot as it should be.
Also… the cost of the ramen was ridiculous! I have never paid so much for ramen before ($ 13.98 with tax included) in my life, even when the Japanese Yen was kicking the USDs butt. Maybe for an establishment such as ippudo in NYC, which is also very overpriced, but I would honestly suggest they dial it down a notch.
I also don’t necessarily see why the miso ramen is more expensive than shoyu, given it’s a matter of personal preference and taste. I think they may be playing on the fact that miso seems more Japanese… oh well.
BUT… the BIG thumbs-​up I’ll give is the pork that came with the ramen! Delicious, hearty pieces of meat with just enough fat that clearly took over the entire bowl. I was a huge fan of the pork which saved the meal for me.
I hate to sound like a complete ramen snob, but I needed to express my feelings. It comes from a place of love because I am a die-​hard fan of ramen, and I just want Jobu to consider my concerns so that they can improve.
Jobu Ramen, for being only open a week, is solid and has lots of room for improvement that I am sure will come in due time. However, I gotta be real and say that this ramen was really not satisfying, so I personally will not be returning.
However, if you’ve never had ramen before, this IS a good start to begin enjoying one of Japan’s transplanted delicacies.
Simply put:
For Ramen in Columbus, Ohio: 3.5−4 stars
For Ramen in general: 2 – 2.5 stars

I saw a blurb about Jobu Ramen on Columbus Underground and bookmarked it on Unilocal to try at some point. As luck would have it, I happened to be attending to some business in Grandview at lunch time and was able to stop in for some take out.
I remember the store from when it was Mazah. It’s a cozy space, now with a modern vibe – dark gray walls and dark wood, some Ohio décor mixed in with references to other cities. It does a great job of not feeling cramped, though I walked in right at opening and the restaurant was still empty. With 30 people dining, it might feel a little tight.
I admit that I’m not too familiar with Ramen outside of the experience most of us had in college of buying the cheapest thing you could find, warming it up, shoveling the calories in and then going on with life. So the idea of a local restaurant honoring a Japanese dining staple is very intriguing.
I also don’t know what Jobu means, either. I meant to ask the owner if it is a secret reference to the classic movie «Major League», but I didn’t want to get thrown out before getting my food.
I was ordering for my wife, myself and (oddly) my 3 year old son who loves ramen noodles (my 5 year old super picky eater has been a nonstarter for ramen, so I didn’t worry about him). I went basic and got the veggie and chicken options (the chicken had soy broth as the kitchen didn’t have chicken broth ready yet) and a kimchi salad. There is also a chili oil available to spice up your dish if necessary that was included in a separate ramekin but I didn’t need it.
Jobu may not be any help with the curve ball, but he can make some darn good ramen and kimchi. My wife, son and I all favored the veggie ramen dish as we thought the soy broth made the chicken ramen a little too salty. The chicken itself was very flavorful and moist. My 3 year old son had a fun (and messy) time slurping the broth while my 5 year old stared incredulously at him over his standard PB&J. The kimchi salad was a big hit for my wife and me as well. We both really liked the spicy potatoes. My 3 year old was less enthusiastic about the salad, though.
I’m looking forward to a repeat visit soon to try some other menu options and maybe dine in the restaurant itself. I’d also like to know if my hunch about Jobu is right (again, after I get my food.)

Jobu Ramen is a promising ramen joint that adds some much-​needed flavor to downtown Grandview. It also introduces ramen to Columbus in general, which is good since the only current option is Tensuke Café, and their ramen seems very much the pre-​packaged variety. This assessment is based on one visit on the third day of business, so maybe it may change in time.
Both my friend and I got the miso ramen and found it to be very good, though we both thought the broth could have been more flavorful and in greater quantity. Both the toppings and noodles were good – would be curious to learn whether the latter are bought or handmade. I was surprised to see that the miso ramen doesn’t come with braised pork belly; this is pretty much standard for Japanese ramen shops. In addition, adding dried seaweed (as Andy L. suggests) and giving us the option for Japanese pepper (shichimi) would be very welcome. The food is also a bit overpriced, as Andy has already pointed out. A comparable bowl in Tokyo would run about $ 7 – 8, tho the décor would be more functional. Ambience was nice, tho regrettable that we can’t see the workings of the kitchen.
As previously pointed out, the owners probably are not trying to be an authentic «Japanese» ramen shop, as the inclusion of Korean-​inspired appetizers suggests. But it is surprising that the staple accompaniment to a hearty bowl of ramen – fried pork gyoza – aren’t present. Diners at Jobu Ramen who desire a more «authentic» experience may want to stop at Jie’s Good Tasting for a dumpling run beforehand.
Finally, given how this is one of the few (only?) specialized-​ramen shops in Columbus, it may want to expand its mission to feed not just customers’ bellies and souls, but also their minds. Some explanation, be it on the menu or on the website, of the components that go into ramen or the different styles of ramen (this is how miso is made, how miso and soy sauce ramen taste differently, etc) would be useful. Support for Jobu Ramen might then go from a generalized first-​level appreciation for «ETHNIC FOOD in Columbus!» to a deeper and discriminatory understanding of ramen.
Overall: good ramen, good décor, bit overpriced, nice place to go for dinner once in a while. Could do more to facilitate a deeper appreciation and understanding of ramen.

I’ve been waiting over a week for this place to open and believe me, it was worth the wait. It sits on the right side of the street just after you turn off Fifth Ave. The’ve got a large sign out so it would be hard to miss. And I lucked out with today being a holiday; didn’t have to feed the meter.
There were quite a few customers there considering the was a holiday. But the bar was empty and that’s where I sat.
I took one look at the menu and I said I know what I’m having; The first item was kimchi and pickles. Those came with rice, eggs, onions, and pickled peppers (how many peppers…).
Then I ordered my main course. Chicken ramen. This had a bowlful of roasted chicken, scallions, cabbage and veggies and noodles.
Boy, I was stuffed! But both dishes were absolutely GREAT! But it was almost more than I could eat. Maybe time I’ll just get a double order of kimchi and pickles. But it was a great meal and I’m looking forward to when I can do it again.