Jin Ramen

I have to admit that I am not so open to «change» in my ever so changing neighborhood of Harlem, or «Morning Side/​Hamilton Heights» as it now goes by. However, I have to admit that with these changes, a bunch of great eateries and cultural gems have popped up. Jin Ramen being one of them.
Jin Ramen is a little hole in the wall right beneath the 125^th 1 train stop (Downtown side) You really can’t miss it. On a Saturday night, My friends and I (party of 3) waited about 15 minutes to be seated. Not bad at all, considering how small the place was. We were greeted right away, and also knew what we wanted to order. I went for the Shio Ramen and we also shared a Gyu-​Don beef rice bowl. I was a bigger fan of the rice bowl, than the ramen, but both were decent, and the proportions were excellent for the prices. I had more than enough to wrap up and enjoy for lunch the next day.
Give this place a try if you’re craving ramen, and in the neighborhood, and make a new friend while sharing a table with another group!

Hands down the best ramen place in the area. Compared to places in midtown and below it’s certainly not the best, but it’s still very good. The rice bowls are just as good as the ramen and are really cheap (some under 10 bucks) which makes you feel not-​guilty for stopping in for lunch. The pork buns are just ok. Fast and nice service.

Great ramen. If you are a fan of kimchi I recommend the kimchi ramen with beef or pork belly. Sesame green Beens made for a great pairing. Service was an A– but everyone was working hard. Very friendly and the atmosphere was great. It has 2 separate sides to this restaurant.

Small and cozy, nice staff and great ramen. OBSESSED with their Gyu-​Don (rice bowl with beef).

Ordered the tonksatsu ramen which has three peppers next to it but I couldn’t taste any of the heat. The ramen was also very oily and bland. There are better ramen places elsewhere just not around this area.

I was pleasantly surprised by this place. We had to wait about 15 minutes for the table (was grateful for their tent outside, though it didn’t seem to be much warmer), but the service was really friendly and the vegan ramen was delicious. My server recommended the miso broth ($ 2 extra) and it was fantastic. The soup was huge, the broth was very flavorful, and the edamame and cold sesame green bean appetizers were also great. I also tried a friend’s vegetable rice bowl, which was also delicious. Will def be back.

Being a ramen fanatic i have tried almost every Ramen joint in the city. So when i was in the neighborhood running errands Jin Ramen e h on my to do list for the day. It’s daily accessible from the train stop. We got lucky and got seated right away.
Pork buns, shishito pepper spicy tonkotsu ramen, and kimchee ramen were some of thecomes Unilocaler favorites. Flavoring wise it’s definitely on the heavier and fattier side compare to others. My pork pun was a little uramendercooked, which made it a little hard to swallow. Shishito was delicious. But when it comes to the ramens, it was beyond salty. Both of us probably dumped half a glass of water into the bowls to dilute it.
The staff were friendly. But I would opt out for another ramen joint.

Love this place! Had been wanting to go for awhile so I’m really happy I finally got around to visiting!
We had tonkotsu, kimchi ramen, and pork buns. Tonkotsu was bang on and the kimchi ramen is perfect to for spicy lovers! I’ve had better pork buns but they were very tasty too!
Interior is small so be prepared to wait a little during peak times. But service is pretty efficient and food comes fast! If you’re in a bigger group you’ll have to wait longer just because they bring everything out at once.
Overall I liked this place a lot and Will defs come back!

We got our food for take out but the place had a nice atmosphere and there were a lot of people enjoying themselves. I had their Chashu-​Don. Which is a pork belly rice bowl. I was so excited for the pork belly dish that I glazed over the fact that there’s pickled ginger in the dish. I don’t like ginger. I thought it was gonna be a disaster.
When I ate it it was quite good. The ginger still had an overpowering affect on the rest of the food but the pork belly was so good that it’s flavor still stood out. I thought that everything complimented each other well.

Hard to imagine several westerners could make such delicious Japanese style foods!
The noodle is really good (although at first it tasted a little bit salty), the egg is also great in taste, it relived my pressure after the examination of linear regression, and the green bean is reaaaaaally delicious, the sweetness and the fragrance of the sesame oil are beyond description!!!
Since I was sitting near their working space, I can see how popular this restaurant is, but although the waiter was very busy, he moved very fast and all his actions were neat and precise, seeing him serving food is itself an enjoyable experience, which added to my love for this great place hidden under the subway bridge.

I came here for lunch on Friday around 2:00 PM. It was surprisingly still busy from the lunch crowd, which is always a good sign. I planned to eat there, and it was a little confusing on how to get a table, but after seeing someone at the counter, I went and asked and they just told me to take a seat.
I ordered a dish that’s not on the online menu with cold Tuna, spinach greens, a soft boiled egg, over noodles. It was pretty good, and I would have it again. The service is friendly, and the atmosphere is more chic than other restaurants in the W 125^th Corridor.
It’s decently priced for the middle class, and I will definitely try Jin Ramen again and would recommend it for lunch.

I came here on a Friday at around 2:30pm. It was a beautiful day out I had the day off and after a morning of unfulfilling shopping all I wanted was a nice hot bowl of ramen to lovingly coax me into a food coma before I headed out for Friday night shenanigans. I was also molding hung over (still) from Thursday night so I wanted something that wouldn’t be too harsh on the stomach.
I’ve lived in the neighborhood for a few months now and have been wanting to try Jin Ramen and decided Friday was the day. I came in solo, which is the best way to eat ramen in my opinion, and was promptly seated at the bar which was nice because I could see the kitchen. In theory you’d be able to watch them cook from the bar, but because I’m short I couldn’t really see anything. But it smelled delicious.
I ordered the shoyu ramen with a side of the spicy sesame oil. I inhaled it. The spicy oil was necessary, it was not even remotely spicy otherwise. It was really good great rich flavor, the toppings were well seasoned, the noodles were great, and I was so full that I promptly fell asleep when I got back to my apartment. I will definitely be back and I can’t wait to try the other ramen styles on the menu.

If I could give negative stars I would.
NEVER. GOING. HERE. AGAIN.
We waited for 25 minutes (patiently) to be seated. Once we took our seats, no waiter greeted us. A couple took their seat to the left of us, then another to the right of us. Then finally the waiter showed up. But not to greet us, to greet and take orders from the couple to the left of us. After taking their order, he took ours, followed by the couple to my right. From there, (after about 10 minutes) here’s how the order of food came out:
1. Appetizers to the couple on the left (pork buns and chicken appetizer)
2. 5 minutes later, our plate of gyoza arrives
3. Almost immediately the couple on the left gets their entrée
4. Bus boy takes our plate and we wait
5. Couple on the right gets their ramen bowls while we continue to wait
6. A new couple that was seated a little after the couple on the right now has their ramen bowls
7. 15 minutes later the couple to the left finishes their entrée
8. Shortly after the new couple (from part 6) finishes their bowls and have requested to-​go containers
9. The couple to our right has now finished and my wife gets really upset and decides she’d rather leave then continue to be ignored
This goes on for a minute or two more then I approach the waiter asking for my check from the gyoza so I can leave. He and another waitress starts to apologize and offer us the meal for free. At this point my wife has already walked out because she was so upset. Once she offered the free meal, the original waiter says «well they can’t because it’s still not made». He tells me it’s the kitchens fault, that he doesn’t know why they still haven’t made it. I didn’t want the crap anymore anyway.
All in all, the kitchen basically decided that our meal wasn’t important, so in summary, F*** YOU JIN RAMEN!

«UmmmmHmmm…let the food coma envelop you, stomach… delicious boiled egg, seaweed, bamboo, scallions…**open mouth drool**…raaammmennnnn.»
Oh, did you hear all of that? Um, embarrassing but true. Perfect temperature on the broth which I requested «less salty» just so that I wouldn’t get knocked into a coma, table side. Warm, salty soup has this effect on me. Anyhow. Go when you are ready for comfort food or soup or hot-​food-​that-​hits-​the-​spot-​just-​so. I have had the soup and rice bowls here among other things and those are the best.
One bowl of that tonkotsu soup was more than enough for me. No need for appetizers or dessert or drinks. I ate it in such a way that I’m surprised no one called the chef to watch. In retrospect, I must have seemed famished and greedy. No shame on giving my compliments to the chef.
On that note, off I go to catch a cab home before I fall asleep or start curling up into spooning mode.

If I’m correct, Jin Ramen is probably the only place north of Columbia you’ll be able to eat ramen. I think their broth is a little salty and their bamboo shoots a little stinky, but otherwise alright. The price point is a little too high for me, in terms of their ramen, but if you’re craving ramen and don’t want to trek down to Hell’s Kitchen (Totto or Ippudo), this is a nice alternative.
The wait time is never too long, and table turnover is pretty quick since it’s mostly MSM or Columbia students/​faculty/​staff here, not your Midtown office drones. The food is prepared fairly quickly and I’ve never had to wait more than 10 minutes for my rice bowl or ramen.
I think the highlight of this place is the 6 – 7 dollar rice bowls (small). The small is pretty large and is more than enough food for a small Asian girl.
If you have a chance, check out Jin Kissaten next door.

I’ve been to Jin twice since it opened. Why did I go to Jin? Because it’s head and tails above any other ramen joint in the city, including HinoMaru, my little local gem? No. Because it’s f*cking ramen in Harlem, and when you need ramen, you need the place closest to you that will get noodles in your craw as fast as possible.
So it helps that this is a pretty damn good ramen joint.
The appetizers are passable — pork buns are soft, but the pork belly is not so tender, and while the beautiful open kitchen is the best place to sit and watch ramen action going down, it also lets you see 10 pounds of pork belly sitting in a heat bath for however many hours, losing moisture by the minute. The kani salad is much better than average, though, and you won’t get the side eye from your date for overporking it if you go that direction.
The tonkatsu is much thinner than you’ll get at Totto, Ippudo, or Hide Chan, and lacking a bit of salt that could have been much needed (that little spice bottle next to you? It will be your best friend if you get the tonkatsu), but the egg was perfectly cooked, and everything was in proportion. Not too few noodles that you need a kaedema (which…has anyone ever succesfully finished a double noodle?), and not too many that you’re birthing a noodle baby halfway through.
The vegetarian is… not so vegetarian if you go with shoyo or shio broth, even thinner than the tonkotsu, but much better seasoned. It might actually be wise to go with the vegetarian option, and then add extra pork to it.
There are suggested noodles for each soup, but I say skip the thin noodles, and go with the Jin noodles or curly noodles for whatever you get. I prefer my noodles thicker, and thus… curly all the way, baby.
Jin is a great add that’s right off the subway or the M60, and really, it was desperately needed for an area that is gentrifying in the wrong way. Gentrify with noodles, not with starbucks. The people you’re jacking rents up on will begrudge you slightly less.

It’s right off the 1 Train– although you make mistake Jin Ramen for it’s rice bowl shop, it’s noodle shop is right next door so be sure to head there!
On a Saturday afternoon, it was pretty busy for lunch. The place is a tad small and really great for two or four people — but certainly not larger. There is also a bar-​style sitting for single diners. Because the menu is simple and consists of things that people frequently find (or are familiar with) at other places like shio, miso, and tonkotsu ramen, the ordering process is very quick.
Our food probably came in 10 minutes. I had the tonkotsu and it was delicious! The broth was very good and it was very full of noodles. It almost became tasteless to me at the end because there was so much. Very filling though! There was also bamboo shoots, nori, half a soft-​boiled egg, and cha-​siew. Unfortunately there were only about two pieces, but they were very tasty!
The prices are moderate, compared to other joints in the city — under $ 15 per bowl ($ 12 – 13, but with tax and tip probably a bit over $ 15 per person). I’m overly impressed, but this is a good ramen spot for the neighborhood if you don’t feel like trekking down to St. Mark’s Place for Ramen Misoya or Ippudo.

I journeyed here from Brooklyn and trekked from the 4 train all the way across 125^th to come for this buzzed about ramen. The things I do for ramen.
The spicy tonkotsu here has one of the creamiest broths I’ve tasted, second to Ippudo, but also one of the heaviest. The first thing I noticed was the layer of oil in the bowl and I immediately thought greasy after my first sip. This isn’t to say it wasn’t tasty because it was — who doesn’t like a bowl of spicy pork fat — but I prefer a lighter broth. I mean, after I left it felt like there was a rock sitting in my stomach and it knocked me out for a solid 45 minutes on the train ride home. Can you say food coma?!?
The noodles were well cooked and my favorite part. The chasu was good but nothing special. My biggest criticism besides the oil was the lack of vegetables — there were only a few bamboo shoots and scant scallions which wasn’t enough to balance the richness of pork, egg, broth and noodles. I ordered a kelp salad on the side which was my saving grace.
Jin doesn’t make it to my list of favorite ramen in NYC but it’s great that it exists in Harlem. I would come back if I find myself on the 1 train for some reason.

Absolutely freaking delicious.
Now, I will admit, I am giving this spot a strong score particularly because my husband and I sat facing the chefs as they put together the ramen. It was wonderful to watch them make all the different dishes. (I do believe there is a correlation between Unilocalers’ ratings and where they sat!)
With a Sapporo in hand, my husband and I started with the pork buns. While they’re expensive, they are absolutely delectable. (Sounds like the buns might not be as good in the UWS location based on those reviews, so I guess be selective in where you order this dish.)
I had the Tonkatsu Ramen, which was complex and had a great proportion of meat, noodles, and other toppings. I seriously dream of this ramen.

Whoa, this place almost tastes like a brand new ramen place. Apparently they have a new branch in Upper West Side along with an extensive donburi (rice bowl) menu.
Gone is the phenomenal, melt-​in-​your-​mouth, tender, fatty cuts of chashu pork that I adored so much. It has been replaced by crispy, smaller cuts of pork that are tougher and not so dissimilar to all other ramen parlors in the city (I am still mourning the change as I type this). The noodles I adored so much are also replaced by a flat, eggy linguine that is reminiscent of Chinese weimien. While it is still very yummy, it just doesn’t quite feel like a bowl of Japanese ramen noodles.
However, they still have the same excellent shio broth I had back in the days — the best I’ve ever had in the city. It is delicate yet flavorful, with lovely hints of refreshing yuzu pepper and nanami (seven spice). The nitamago is still on point with its soft, golden center. They have a larger variety of add-​on vegetables as well, with enoki mushroom, soft tofu, and baby bok choy.
With that, I would still come back to Jin Ramen when I am in the neighborhood as long as they don’t change their recipe for the shio broth. Maybe I will re-​try the tonkotsu broths one of these days or request a different type of noodle. However, I am back on my quest now to find my perfectly melty chashu pork that no longer exists at this ramen parlor.