Tonkotsu Black is made with a rich pork broth, black garlic oil, and crispy garlic chips. | Jinya Ramen Bar The Japanese comfort food chain has highly ambitious expansion plans in an already crowded market After opening the seventh D.C.-area location in Union Market last week (1259 4th Street NE), national chain Jinya Ramen Bar is eyeing an even more aggressive local expansion plan. Sam Shoja, the franchise owner of all D.C., Maryland, and Virginia shops, says he’s planning to expand his reach to 25 to 30 spots in the next few years. Next up is Georgetown, with Shoja just finishing up the permitting process for a space on the main strip of Wisconsin Avenue NW. “There’s so many other pieces that come together, finding the perfect location, negotiating a perfect deal, then getting the permits, then doing the building... then we have the inflation and all the other pieces,” he explained. “So that’s why I don’t want to put a timeline, but we will be rapidly expanding.” Jinya Ramen Bar The three vegan options, featuring tofu and an array of veggies, have become some of Shoja’s favorites. The California-based ramen chain offers five different broths, but specializes in tonkotsu-style broth simmered for more than 18 hours. The brand has expanded to over 60 locations across the county since starting in 2010. Despite the plethora of delicious homegrown ramen shops, and even more inventive chains like Mecha Noodle Bar moving in, Shoja believes that Jinya brings the most authentic ramen to D.C. “Jinya is definitely a leader in a true ramen culture,” he said. “From how everything is made from scratch and the care that goes into the menu creation... we welcome competition. We have no fear.” Thoughtful cooking techniques, like long-simmered broths and a long noodle aging process, are what originally drew Shoja to the brand. Ten years ago, after trying his first bowl of ramen from a Jinya location in Studio City, California, the D.C.-native and restaurateur decided to sign a contract to bring the comforting noodle soup to his home of the DMV. He opened the first shop in Northern Virginia’s Mosaic District in 2016 and he hasn’t looked back. Now, Shoja says that the vegan ramens unveiled in 2021 are his favorite menu items and he’s been pushing the executive Japanese chefs to expand the menu beyond traditional hot broths and curries. “I pushed the corporate team to actually add sushi and other things that we’re going to be introducing,” Shoja says. “So we will be adding creative menu items, especially for the summer, that are not soup.” Shoja believes these slow additions to a thoughtful menu and speedy expansion plans are the perfect recipe for Jinya to become more even more popular. “We’re confident in the quality of our food, and therefore we want to take it to everyone that we can within our territory,” he says.