HANOVER TOWNSHIP, Pa. – A growing Japanese restaurant chain – known for incorporating 24-karat gold flakes into dishes – is set to open its first location in the Lehigh Valley.
Offering “authentic Japanese foods and flavors with fun twists,” Kinya Ramen Sushi Bar is listed as coming to the Airport Shopping Center, 925 Airport Center Drive, Hanover Township, Lehigh County.
The premises formerly housed Roma Ristorante, which closed in 2020 after 10 years of business.
Kinya has nearly a dozen locations open or coming soon in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Florida, according to the company’s website.
Other regional “coming soon” locations are in Royersford, Montgomery County; Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County; and South Plainfield, New Jersey.
A Kinya representative did not immediately return a message seeking more information, including a target opening date.
Kinya, “home of the golden noodle”, is known for its various specialties containing 24-karat gold flakes, including Kinya ramen (pork broth flavored with black garlic oil, topped with fish balls, minced scallions, ginger, bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, a spicy boiled egg and 24 carat gold; served with golden noodles, chicken or pork chashu); and Kinya roll (tempura shrimp with avocado inside and topped with spicy tuna, salmon, mango, tobiko, eel, spicy sauce and 24-karat gold; wrapped in soy paper).
A “Kinya Experience,” $42, features Kinya ramen, a Kinya roll and Kinya Old Fashioned cocktail.
Kinya, which means “gold” in Japanese, aims for customers to have a “glowing and golden evening,” according to the company’s website.
“We are proud of the meaning of our name, gold!” a message on the company’s website reads. “Gold is fine, pure and unmatched by any other metal. That’s the experience we give customers every time they dine here at Kinya.”
Offering “authentic Japanese foods and flavors with fun twists,” Kinya Ramen Sushi Bar is listed as coming to the Airport Shopping Center, 925 Airport Center Drive, Hanover Township, Lehigh County.
Kinya offers appetizers such as edamame, gyoza, pork and soy garlic dumplings, or spicy wings; dishes such as chicken chashu and poke (salmon, tuna, oshinko, avocado, edmame and sushi rice); nigiri or sashimi such as eel, tuna and yellowtail; and ramen dishes ($15-$18) such as miso, tonkotsu and shrimp tempura.
Restaurants also have a variety of classic rolls ($5-$6) such as California, Philadelphia and shrimp tempura; and specialty rolls ($13-$18) such as “Tuna Maniac” (tuna with avocado inside and topped with spicy spicy tuna, tobiko, crunch, spicy sauce and eel sauce) and “Lava Roll” (spicy salmon with avocado inside and topped with seared salmon, sriracha and spicy mayo).
Customers can also enjoy a selection of beers, wines, sake and cocktails such as a lychee mojito and mango mai tai.
Kinya restaurants are represented by a Daruma character, a recognizable symbol of perseverance and good luck in Japanese culture.
“The one-eyed Kinya Daruma mascot is a visual representation of our continued quest to provide high-quality food and service to our guests,” reads a message on Kinya’s website. “… The design of Daruma combines elements from the Kinya logo and our brand icons to create a cohesive look between our brands. Wavy lines on his body refer to our signature ramen “golden noodles” and his base matches the bottom of a ramen bowl.”
Kinya Ramen Sushi Bar will join more than a dozen Airport Shopping Center tenants, including other restaurants such as Five Guys, On the Border, Panera Bread, Miller’s Ale House, Starbucks, Chipotle and MOD Pizza.
Tenants that have opened in the past six months include Trek Bicycle, Buff City Soap and Wingstop.