Review: Kinjo

By Jenna Troyli

In August 2023, my husband and I were apartment hunting in preparation for our move to Newark. One of our scheduled tours was a walk through of the Urby—marketed as luxury apartments in downtown Newark.

The complex’s amenities included a quiet library nook for students and/or work from homers that connected to a forthcoming Japanese and Korean-inspired full-service restaurant, which would soft open just two months later as Kinjo. We walked the barebones of the establishment that had yet to be furnished and was only home to a paper lantern-esque fish hanging overhead in the main dining area.

The restaurant officially opened mid-November 2023, founded by restaurateur and award-winning chef Jamie Knott alongside executive chef Bill Sanders. Knott has debuted four concepts throughout New Jersey, two of which are just a PATH ride away in Jersey City under one roof—modern French bistro and cocktail parlor Madame and neighboring modern tiki cocktail lounge Cellar 335.

In the first few days of January 2024, we returned to the now fully operational Kinjo for lunch service as soon as the doors were unlocked and the kitchen was firing up. We had the restaurant to ourselves for the first 45 minutes of our dining experience, where we were able to fully take in the restaurant’s personality before it was filled with the ambient sounds of fellow diners and their tapping chopsticks.

Kinjo’s decor is cool, without trying too hard to be the next Instagrammable restaurant in town. There are two muted televisions in the main dining room, one playing anime and the other an action flick with a healthy amount of hand-to-hand combat. Over the sound system, there’s a carefully curated playlist with songs ranging from “Rain” by Sid and “Harenchi” by Chanmina to “Earfquake” by Tyler, The Creator and “Passionfruit” by Drake. Mellow, vibey and another reminder of the youthful energy of the restaurant.

The menu is separated into Chisai (small plates), Dumplings & Things, Temaki Rolls,
Bao Bunz, Noods, Mainz, and Sweets. To get a full sense of the menu with just two mouths, we opted for four different plates.

We began with the cast-iron okonomiyaki ($13), which is a Japanese-style cabbage pancake with kimchi, shiitake mushroom, citrus aioli, hoisin bonito and nori. The shareable plate was cut into four pieces and laced with the creamy sauce. This was a star.

The cabbage pancake was followed by the pork and chive dumplings ($13). The plate hosted three generously filled dumplings adorned with sprouts and a few thin slices of red pepper that added a pop of freshness. These would be ideal for a group or as a solo appetizer when dining alone or with a partner who doesn’t like to share. I definitely recommend these.

I thought ordering the Jersey Girl roll ($8) was an obvious choice. This is a two or three bite roll composed of lump crab, avocado, spicy mayo, rice pearls and Everything spice packed into a sheet of seaweed. I was instructed by the server to eat this dish like a taco. This proved to be difficult as seaweed, especially when housing a boat of moist lump crab, can be a little tough to tear away without some spillage. I thought that the rice pearls offered a nice textural addition, but overall, I wouldn’t order it again.

Finally, the lamb shank ($38), made with Japanese curry, yuzu panko gremolata and rice. The sauce for this dish was served in a sidecar for the diner to pour themselves. I thought that the rice with yuzu panko gremolata was the highlight of this dish. The meat was a little bland compared to the punchy flavors of the previous dishes, but perfectly cooked, relying mostly on the poured sauce to bring it all together. A subtle but well rounded dish that felt a little too expensive for the overall taste and portion size.

Kinjo also offers signature cocktails, sake and wine by the glass and canned brews. On draft the bar is pouring Sapporo and Asashi, as well as Jersey’s own LBIPA. I was suggested an ambiguous speciality cocktail ($13) that the bartender was experimenting with—a simple mix of mezcal, rice wine and lime, which was fine but nothing special. A little tart for my taste, but I am admittedly not a huge mezcal fan.

Around 1PM the restaurant began to fill up with a mix of Rutgers students, young working professionals and a handful of couples with attire ranging from sweatpants to slacks. Our meal total for a bottle of still water, four plates and one cocktail was $89 excluding tax and tip.

You may not want to dine at Kinjo if you’re looking for quick service. Each of our dishes came out one at a time and after a bit of waiting. I would suggest Kinjo as a dining experience best reserved for get-togethers with family or friends who are looking to catch up over shared plates and thoughtfully constructed bites. I would also suggest Newark’s latest addition to couples looking for a new date night destination, working their way from a cocktail at the bar before venturing to the dining room for food service.

While I do not plan to be a regular diner at Kinjo, I do, however, plan to return, enlisting a handful of friends to explore more of the menu like the Shiro Shoyu, Gochu Galbi (bone-in short rib with Gochujang crispy garlic furikake and scallions) alongside an array of bao buns. Kinjo is nice to have in your backpocket for when your tastebuds need to be revived after mundane weekday meal prepped lunches or if you have company coming to town and you want to stay local.