Santa Monica: Best Asian Restaurants In Santa Monica
Even though Santa Monica doesn’t house dedicated enclaves devoted to Asian cuisines the sprawling continent’s culinary traditions have become pronounced strengths of the seaside city’s thriving dining scene. Learn about 10 places to eat compelling food from countries like China, India and Japan and order from pan-Asian menus that defy easy categorization. By Josh Lurie
JINYA RAMEN BAR
JINYA Ramen Bar founder Tomonori Takahashi opened a branch of his emerging chain along Main Street in 2015. The glass-fronted outpost features wood booths and counter stools indoors and an umbrella-shaded patio with communal table and central fire pit. JINYA makes 12 different chicken, pork and vegetable ramens, not including a rotating chef’s special. Iterations might involve spicy meatball ramen with chicken broth, crumbly beef meatballs, bok choy, bean sprouts, scallions, seasoned egg, fiery “JINYA original chile seasoning” and thick noodles. Pegged to St. Patrick’s Day, they rolled out “green monster” combining chicken broth stained green with kale paste, green onions, crispy kale, crispy onions, chicken chashu and vegetable noodles. Ramen rules at JINYA, but people supplement with small plates like chicken karaage and kale “lollipops.”