Send noods: New ramen bar will bring traditional Japanese flavors to uptown Charlotte
A restaurant known for traditional Japanese ramen and small plates will open in uptown Charlotte this fall, bringing warm noodles just in time for us to wish the weather would go ahead and turn, already.
JINYA Ramen Bar will open Sept. 20 at the new Ally Charlotte Center.
Menu items come with catchy titles, like:
- Slurp Up, Cilantro: Chicken clear broth with cilantro, chicken chashu, kikurage, seasoned egg, lime and chili sauce, served with thin noodles
The Red Garnet: Vegetable broth with pork chashu, spinach, green onions, kikurage, white onions with chili garlic sauce, served with thick noodles.
Shrimp Wonton Ramen: Pork and shrimp broth with shrimp and chicken wonton, green onion and kikurage, served with thick noodles.
Limited Chef’s Special: Zero-Spicy Maze Soba, with extra thick noodles dressed with rich Umami sauce, topped with ground Arabiki pork soboro, onsen tamago, crunchy spicy garlic sauce, sesame seed and shredded nori dried seaweed.
Limited Red Garnet: House-made vegetable broth served with thick noodles and juicy fried chicken thighs made with JINYA’s original garlic pepper.
Don’t do meat? Vegan options will include dishes such as:
- Spicy Creamy Vegan Ramen: Vegetable broth with tofu, onion, green onion, kikurage, crispy onion, garlic chips, garlic oil, chili oil and sesame seeds, served with thick noodles.
Flying Vegan Harvest: Vegan miso broth with soy meat, tofu, bean sprouts, broccolini, green onion, corn, red onion, crispy garlic and chili seasoning, served with thick noodles.
New vegan items include Agedashi Tofu and Vegan Maze-Men.
Limited Chef’s Special: Vegan Crispy Rice with Guacamole, which is fresh guacamole made with red onion and tomato on top of crispy grilled sushi rice.
JINYA Ramen Bar has 40 restaurants and its noodles are prepared using a special aging process. The Charlotte location, run by franchisee Jahzmin French, will be the restaurant’s North Carolina debut.
“I’m proud to join a diverse team of operators as JINYA’s first African American female franchisee,” French said in a statement. “Having spent many years in the restaurant industry, I’ve watched JINYA stand out from the rest with its authentic Japanese ingredients and culinary traditions.”
French said that JINYA takes pride in its in-house, slow-cooked approach to ramen. “We can’t wait to share its customizable menu with the Charlotte community.”
The Ally Charlotte Center JINYA will be the brand’s first luxury bar lounge.
French said the plan is to expand to more locations across North Carolina.
JINYA Ramen Bar
Location: 601 S Tryon St, Charlotte, NC 28202
Neighborhood: Uptown
Instagram: jinyaramenbar
This story was originally published August 11, 2021 at 4:40 PM.
