Culinary Class Act: Kinton Ramen
What is it?
If you’re on the hunt for a dining experience that combines bold flavors, warm hospitality, and a touch of fun, look no further than Kinton Ramen. Tucked away at 1379 Upper James Street, this Hamilton gem has been delighting locals and ramen enthusiasts for a year — and they’re celebrating in style.
From Nov. 18 to Nov. 24, Kinton is celebrating their one-year anniversary. To celebrate, Kinton Ramen is offering $5 off their signature, making it the perfect excuse to dive into their menu of comforting classics and inventive dishes. If you have a PRESTO card (which let's face it, as a student, you definitely do), show it to get free gyoza with every ramen purchased for a limited time (and trust me when I say, the gyoza is WORTH IT).
If that couldn’t get any better, McMaster students save 20% on all ramens between Monday and Thursday exclusively at the Upper James location.
McMaster students save 20% on all ramens between Monday and Thursday exclusively at the Upper James location.
How to get there from campus:
The quickest route to get to this ramen hot spot is to take the 5, 51, or 1 from campus to downtown. Exit at James at Jackson, and transfer to the 20. Get off at Upper James at Stone Church, and walk 2 minutes. Kinton Ramen is on the south-east side of the intersection.
The cost:
Ramen prices range from $15.99 to $18.99 and will typically require you to grab a to-go bowl because it is not a small amount of food. In fact, Kinton Ramen runs a special loyalty program where if you do finish, you earn a stamp. Collect enough, and you can unlock free dishes or other tasty surprises.
Kinton also offers add-ons to their ramen which range from $1.49 for nori to $5.99 for extra protein.
If you are brave enough to venture out into getting some side dishes, they range from $2.99 for steamed rice, to $11.99 for a beef donburi rice bowl — a great, light alternative to ramen. These sides are the perfect size for sharing, or grab a few as a substitute to having a ramen bowl.
Kinton Ramen also offers combo deals for one, two and four people ranging from $23.99 to $83.99. These combos typically include ramen, gyoza, tokyo fries and a soft drink.
Considering the cost is comparable to campus food, why not grab a bus and head up the mountain for an experience you can't really get anywhere else near campus.
What to get:
There is so much you need to try. If you factor in the four varieties of protein (pork, chicken, beef and veggie), the four varieties of broth (original, shoyu, miso and spicy), plus the two types of noodles (thin or thick), you are left with 17 different varieties of ramen to try.
Personally, my favourite is the chicken original ramen with thick noodles. The thick noodles nicely soak up the broth's incredible flavour, while the toppings of this dish are light. You leave the table feeling full, but not gross.
I'd also recommend trying the donburi. To the average person, I'd describe it as a rice bowl with nori, protein and sauce. It's a great, light dish that will tide you over if you don't want soup.
I urge you to try the chicken karage. They have original or hot. I was apprehensive with how spicy the hot would be, so I asked for sauce on the side. The karage itself are large piece of juicy fried chicken. The sauce itself was fantastic — not too spicy, almost close to a sriracha sauce, but at tad sweeter. It was an amazing complimentary dish to the ramen.
Finally, you can't have Japanese food without gyoza. For those who don't know, gyoza are fried dumplings. They are soft and juicy in the middle, but nice and crunchy on the outside. Kinton serves it with a sweet chili sauce that is subtly sweet, a hint of spice and elevates the dumplings to a level that I've personally never had. They were absolutely fantastic. Getting them is a no-brainer in my opinion. They are offered in either a pork, or veggie option.
Want to leave off in a sweet way? Kinton serves a variety of cheesecake and ice cream flavours. Staples like their matcha cheesecake, mango cheesecake or matcha ice cream will leave you satisfied, and craving more.
Why it's great:
Kinton Ramen provides something that most ramen joints don't — variety. While this might be compelling enough for some, I want to quickly talk about the atmosphere. Not only is the interior absolutely stunning with the wood paneling around the walls, but the staff are remarkable.
When you walk in, you are instantly greeted with "Irasshaimase", meaning "welcome, please come in" in Japanese. This instantly personifies the deeply rooted hospitality that is within Japanese culture. As you leave, they thank you saying: "arigato gozaimasu".
It is also worth noting that the staff are very connected with one another. Not only can you feel the comradery in watching them interact, but they operate like a well-oiled machine. They try to get your ramen out to you in 15-minutes or less, and will shout to each other to let them know when an order is coming, or when an order is ready.
Great food, decent prices, a welcoming environment, and $5 off for their anniversary? You can't go wrong with Kinton Ramen. This is a great place to take a date, or to catch up with friends. Although it is up the mountain, take the time to explore the city that you will be calling home during your undergraduate career — you'll never find the gems like Kinton if you don't.
This is a sponsored article researched, written and developed by the Silhouette team.
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