Jinya Ramen, the Secret Ippudo, Quietly Shutters

A little-known ramen gem has shuttered. Southern California-based mini-chain Jinya Ramen opened a franchise last summer on Greenwich Avenue to considerably less fanfare than other ramen shops of the same caliber like Ippudo Westside and Totto Ramen. Pete Wells overlooked it entirely in his ramen article, but others, like Robert Sietsema, were dedicated fans. Sietsema named the shop's tonkotsu black ramen, made with charred garlic oil, one of his favorite dishes of 2013. The team announced the shutter on Facebook late last week with the farewell note: "Minasan, Konichiwa! JINYA ramen bar NY will be closing and today (July10th) is our last day open! Thank you every single one of you for all the love and support!"

The franchise operators also own the White Plains outpost of the popular Japanese BBQ chain Gyu-Kaku. We hear from the manager that the owners are talking about revamping the Jinya space and re-opening it as a sake bar under a different name. No word yet on whether the stellar ramen will be available. Check back for more details.
· All Coverage of Jinya Ramen [~ENY~]