Omnivore - A (photo) tale of two ramens

Snapshots from two new Atlanta ramen spots


Summer appears to be the hot time to open a ramen shop in Atlanta. Jinya Ramen Bar (5975 Roswell Road, Sandy Springs), an LA-based chain, quietly opened July 1 in Sandy Springs near the Whole Foods. Guy Wong (Miso Izakaya, Le Fat) opened his long-awaited ramen concept, Ton Ton, inside Ponce City Market July 7. 

Both restaurants serve a variety of ramen, are open for lunch and dinner, and have been packed ever since they opened. During my visit to Jinya, I noticed people choosing to eat their ramen outside on the porch even though it was above 90 degrees that day. After a 20-minute wait on Saturday afternoon, I scored a table and, eventually, a bowl of spicy chicken ramen (I added a poached egg and ground chicken from the add-on menu). I also paid a visit to Ton Ton shortly after they officially opened last week. Wong was working the line and looked hyper-focused on making sure every single bowl of ramen was perfect before it left the kitchen. I went with the Hakata Tonkotsu Classic at Ton Ton.

It is too early to pass judgement on both, but it’s safe to say that Atlanta’s ramen scene is heating up. Up next in our ever-growing ramen market? Chef Mihoko Obunai’s Nexto, which is holding pop-up nights that you can track on Facebook