Yona

A lot of mixed reviews here, but my fiancée and I really enjoyed our lunch at Yona.
We started with:
Steam buns with oxtail katsu
Super crispy katsu with shredded oxtail.
Smoked Hamachi
The hamachi and the gochan went together nicely.
Uni waffle
If you like uni, caviar, and ikura. this is for you. The taramasalata did overpower the uni, caviar, and ikura a bit though.
As for the ramen, I went with the King Crab ramen with uni butter. I added in chasu pork belly and a soft egg. The broth is miso based and the uni butter made it an intensely rich broth. The ramen was cooked perfectly and the portion was perfect. I’m glad I added in the egg and chasu because they were delightful. The pork belly was fatty and melted in my mouth. The egg had a gooey yolk and soft whites.
Service was nice and attentive.
I’m looking forward to coming back and trying other starters and ramens!

I really liked the poky miso ramen. But $ 15 bucks for a soup?! I wish it was a bit better priced. The location, and atmosphere is fab! Great little place for a special lunch or dinner.

I give this place two stars for the presentation. They put the chopsticks on these cool black pebbles and it’s quite exquisite. When it comes to food, Yona is just plain mediocre. The broth is bland, and the noodles were slightly undercooked. The food was expensive for what it is, and you could easily get more authentic and higher quality at Underground or Ichiban. The feel is small, and we were quoted a 15 minute wait with an exclusive heir, only to wait for an actual 5 min. While they did provide us with «drink vouchers» for restaurant 20 meters away during our wait, we wouldn’t have ordered them if we weren’t given such an exclusive vibe.
The music was cool, but very loud– I guess sometimes it is nice to shout during dinner. And we were served cold sake (during January) from a can… which was needless to say, disenchanting to say the least. Overall, I don’t find anything here worth returning. They up-​charge for anything that would be standard in another Ramen restaurant and the taste is mediocre. If you’re looking for a good ramen joint, don’t come here.

I was really disappointed when I came here with my friends for lunch.
The service with the hostess and waitress was fantastic, it was the ramen that I didn’t particularly find amazing based off the hype of a new ramen place in Arlington.
I’m only giving two stars because the fried brussels sprouts and the tuna tare tare were pretty good.(Thinking that 2 apps would feed 3 people. I was mistaken) Their downfall… portion size and price. For the portion size were given and the price we paid, I was hoping to get a little more for my money. For my main dish, I ordered the Miso Porky. With the expectation of a hearty and rich broth, it was a let down that the broth tasted like salt water. The noodles were super soggy and the ramen as a whole was just a huge salt bomb. I ended up not finishing my meal.
It’s sad to see such a ramen place go to waste in Arlington since there aren’t that many in the area. Maybe if they fixed up the ramen and adjusted their portions or pricing it would be better, but it was not worth the $ 30 I spent on lunch.

We were really excited to have a ramen option here in Arlington; I wasn’t a fan of Gaijin Ramen at all.
It’s as ritsy as you’d expect an Arlington new ramen joint to be. We sat at the counter in front of the chefs, which for us was exciting to be able to see our food being made.
Too expensive, too salty: When other reviews complained about price, we kept an open mind to the fact that it IS Ballston area, and that honestly almost all ramen is overpriced around here. People also complained a lot about the soup being too salty. I have a pretty high tolerance for salty food and tend to like it more than others, so I decided I’d give it a chance anyway.
Firstly, it’s on the higher end of price for ramen. I think the DC area ranges between $ 10 – 15 for bowls, and the bowl wasn’t very big for the price paid. Secondly, yes, it IS salty. It tasted almost like straight up soy sauce with water.
The broth was a big disappointment for me. Maybe I’m odd, but it’s the first thing I taste when I get ramen, and it’s the most important part to me. You can really taste how rich a broth is and how long they’ve been cooking it, and that didn’t come out here.
They were still pretty new when we visited, and the menu wasn’t complete. Those are things that I can deal with. I understand that they have growing pains, but I feel like price and taste are things that aren’t going to change as they work out kinks, so I probably won’t be giving them another chance.

FIRST IMPRESSION
There were no reservations on OpenTable left, so I was very glad that they have a big communal table and counter that you can sit at «first come, first serve.» After being promptly greeted, my SO and I decided to sit at the counter so that we could watch food being prepared. The counter space was a bit tight, but worth it! I love seeing food being plated with such finesse. The music was a little louder than your typical restaurant, but I thought that it added to the ambiance of it being a fun, hip joint you can quickly pop in and out of, while still getting a fantastic meal.
FOOD & DRINK
Steamed firm tofu ($ 8) — It was phenomenal. Even if you don’t like tofu, try this! If you like a lot of flavor, you will enjoy this dish. Savory, tangy, and with an option for an additional spicy kick. The presentation was also beautiful.
Miso porky ($ 15) — I enjoyed this dish a lot. I didn’t think that the broth was too bland, but I was craving for a little spicyness. For the price, I wished that there were more than two pieces of meat, but I was full by the end of it nonetheless. I thought that the noodles were delicious and tasted fresh.
Tonkotsu-​shoyu tare ($ 15) — My SO ordered this and let me have some. If you enjoy sesame, definitely order this. I actually found this to be a lot more complex and flavorful than mine.
Rihaku shuzo, wandering poet ($ 32) — We don’t know too much about sake, but after we randomly chose this one, our waitress assured us that this was the best in the house. Although I don’t have a good frame of reference I thought that it added to my meal.
SERVICE
Our waitress was very nice and I LOVE that they serve sparkling water for free! I don’t think it was anything pre-​bottled, but it was of very high quality with small, tight bubbles. Food came out pretty fast even though the restaurant was full. My only constructive criticism on service is that our appetizer plates should have been cleared before the ramen came out.
IN CONCLUSION
We had a very lovey first experience here and are happy to have this be a part of Ballston’s fast-​growing high-​quality food scene! All of the food on the menu looks amazing and it was hard to choose what to start with, so I’m looking forward to coming back to try more ramen and ALL of the appetizers.

I came here hopeful that the reviews were harsh and the ramen would be good, but much like my other experiences with mike isabella, my dinner fell flat
the restaurant is pretty small, a little crowded, with a nice open kitchen on one side. the service was pretty quick and attentive, so no complaints there
now for the food — the appetizers were the highlight of the meal. The oxtail steamed bun was pretty tasty. The ratio of meat to bun could’ve been better, and it was filled with garlic aioli (too much). The dry-​fried wings had great texture, but I wasn’t thrilled with the flavor, tasted like it was heavy on gochujang.
the ramen was bad. the soup, the noodles, everything in it, I can’t think of something I really liked (I remember thinking a bite of mostly scallions was my favorite). The tonkotsu was bland, there were small amounts of chashu that were mostly fat, the poached egg got lost in the soup, the pickled ginger was out of place, and I could not eat the bamboo shoots they were that bad. the ja-​jang was just as bad — peculiar flavor, very little seafood and what was there was bland.
maybe a place to come for some appetizers and a drink after work, but I won’t be back for ramen. we actually stopped by gaijin on the way home to make up for our ramen night.

I checked out the hype the joint restaurant opened by Jonah Kim and Mike Isabella in Arlington. Reservation is need for peak hours. I went on a Saturday night at 7 pm with a reservation.
Clean interior. Neat. The bathrooms are Japanese style so it can get quite comfortable sitting down. The service was quickly and friendly staff.
My friend and I ordered steamed buns and uni waffle for appetizers. The oxtail as the meat for the bun was interesting but I wanted it to have more flavour. More salt, maybe. A lot of uni in that waffle and I wish the waffle was crispier.
I got miso porky ramen. Noodles were good. Not mushy. The broth was very mild because of the miso and didn’t taste that fatty (‘pork’).
In general, I had a good experience dining in this restaurant and will definitely eat here again. I want to try more of their appetizers, the ja-​jang for a difference, and their desserts.

We really enjoyed this place. It’s small in a good way — intimate — whereas Pepita feels small in a cramped, loud way (at least in the winter, since the deck is not an option).
One important thing — we did not order ramen. After reading the reviews here, it seemed like the other stuff was better. So we ordered the steamed buns first — really delicious. The buns are soft and hot, the oxtail is meaty, and the sauce/​kimchee (?) provides a different texture.
I wasn’t crazy about the waffle — it was definitely different, but I didn’t love it enough to finish my half. Which was a shame, because it was expensive.
The bean sprout salad was surprisingly tasty and larger than expected.
We ended our meal with another order of the buns.
We will definitely be back.

I heard great reviews at this place but was a bit hesitant when I first walked in with the lack of people in a cold winter night.
The service was pretty good. The staff was attentive but was somewhat disfounded.
We started with the hamachi and tuna poke appy. The fish was fresh. I didn’t think that the sauce complimented the light pieces of fish and it tastes fairly heart with sriracha sauce. However the fish was fresh. The hamachi was complemented with a generous serving of roe which always makes me happy.
My friend and I both ordered the veggie ramen in which I was surprised it could be so tasty. I am a big fan of extra broth and asked for it and got it with no problem. Super yummy savory mushroom broth. A very generous amount of ramen noodle with sliced green beans and bean sprouts. Definitely hit the spot regardless that it was vegetarian. A nice spin for the typical miso based vegetarian ramen recipe. So good job, I was impressed overall. I def will be back for my fix.

Went here on a blustery night to find it hopping! The music is way too loud for my taste — its a good mix of songs, but you have to speak up to hear the person that is only a foot away from you. Minus one star for feeling like I’m dining in a night club.
Food: Brussels sprouts are great — nicely fried with a spicy mayo and plenty for two to share. I had the Miso Porky and my dining companion had the one without soup — that had squid, very strong flavors on that one. The Miso Porky was ok, but not good enough to justify $ 15. It was served hot, and the noodles were good, but the broth was just so so. I think Daikaya and Sakrua Ramen have more depth in their broth flavor. It didn’t have that umami kick that I was hoping for. I’m happy they are in Ballston, but I hope they improve the broth.
I would make a reservation as it gets pretty busy. Its ok, but I wasn’t blown away… undecided on if I would go back…

I loved this place!
The décor is modern, but the tables and ceilings and such are wood, which gives a warmer, welcoming feel.
The food is fantastic. We had a lot of dishes, including 2 ramen, a salad with nuts and mint, raw tuna, waffles with caviar (I know it might sound weird but this waffle caviar dish was extraordinarily delicious), all 3 deserts, and I didn’t have one bad taste in my mouth. All of it was delicious. Fantastic, fresh ingredients combined with talented chefs were a great combination.
The service was friendly and efficient. They checked in on us often and cleared plates promptly.
I will definitely be going back to this place. No part of my experience there was negative.

Food:
I ordered the Veggie Ramen– bland and too much noodles. How can too much noodles be bad? Well its called inconsistency among other orders. Miso porky had barely any noodles compared to the veggie ramen. Now the veggie ramen was not satisfying, and I craved for heat, at $ 3 extra. The garlic chili paste was meant to be spicy, but it wasnt.
Service:
The hostess was kind. For a party of 6 on a cold Jan. Friday night she said the wait would be 40 minutes, not bad at all. So we waited, and waited, and waited. The wait was 80 minutes long. She continued to tell other parties that the wait was 40 minutes. The WAIT WAS SO MUCH LONGER. Our waitress was attentive and nice.
Anbiance:
Rustic yet chic and hip.
Conclusion:
So the wait was not worth the price and the food was not worth the wait.

Yona is a place I have been excited to visit ever since it was announced to be opening right off of Wilson Blvd. I’m a huge Mike Izabella fan and have enjoyed his restaurants around Arlington and DC.
Unfortunately, Yona missed the mark for me just a little bit based on what I was expecting. I’m not the biggest fan of ramen in general, so if I go to a restaurant and pay for it I usually expect pretty big things.
We started with the dry fried wings which were awesome. Super crispy, juicy and super sauced up. Definitely something I’d go with again as a starter. We also got the Brussels sprouts. These were probably TOP 3 brussels sprouts I’ve had in the DC area in my 2 ½ years of living here. They were fantastic. Every bite was crispy and charred but with enough of the chili mayo sauce to cover everything.
I got the miso porky (hehe) ramen for my entrée and I wasn’t impressed at all. The broth and the pork in the ramen were just pretty bland. It was disappointing after eating the great starters and I felt like I could have made it at home myself.
I think I will be back at some point even if it’s just to eat the wings and brussels sprouts. I could see myself starting a night with some appetizers and drinks from there. Hopefully they adjust the ramen a little bit!

Prompt service and good standard offering of soup flavors but both times I went, I had tummy trouble after. Not sure if their Miso Porky is just too rich for all systems, but be warned — it wreaked havoc on mine! No issues with the veggie ramen though!

Wobbly tables, cramped interior, low quality soft ikea wood tables and a random rock on the table for your chopsticks are the initial thoughts when you sit down here…
To much thought went into the «feel» and décor in this place then actual food. Our appetizer were the steamed buns, aka semi flavored kimchi celery on a steamed bun with a fish fillet. The crust was extremely thick it overpowered everything else, tasty yes but completely unbalanced.
I ordered the Miso porky which «had a rich pork broth» but tasted watered down with a hint of miso. It tasted more bland then an instant ramen packet without the msg pack. My gf ordered the tonkotsu-​shoyu tare, aka soy sauce soup. No other flavors came into the picture when tasting the soup several times. Both of us just ate the noodles since they were the best tasting thing in the soup in all honesty.
Let me say why I am so disappointed in this place. The hype of a known chef opening a restaurant should not have any hiccups in an opening similar to a well established chain. Established backers made sure the interior was designed properly and everything works, then they let the chef run the show. Like adding a useless rock on the table for your chopsticks and to fall off 4 seconds later. I didn’t read any reviews before my visit so I could let the food speak for itself.
An appetizer, two soups and tip was $ 52. We did not finish our appetizer or any of our soups and was out the door within 20 minutes. Generally these are all red flags for a host, server or anyone who sees nothing was finished or asked not to pack anything home.
Service: ³⁄₅
Food: ¹⁄₅
Value:0/5

This ramen spot is located about 2 blocks away from the Ballston Mall. The ambience is very lively with nice décor. The servers were also very attentive and the food came out quickly. But to the important part…
Having been to the great ramen joints in NYC, I didn’t have my expectations too high on Yona. I ordered the Miso Porky which comes with rich pork broth w/​miso tare, chashu, kikurage, kimchi, negi, menma, nori, soft egg. The broth itself was nothing special. It has a little bit of spice to it but for the most part, it was bland. I was hoping it’d be creamier and richer. As for the noodles, the noodles have got to be one of the least tasteful I have tried so far. It literally tasted like the noodles from the $ 1 ramen cups… The other toppings were above par but overall, it is an average ramen place. For $ 15, I would’ve expected more. It is a great place to have lunch with coworkers and friends, but if you’re looking for an authentic Japanese ramen place, this is definitely not one of them.

Ramen-​enthusiasts, you will leave feeling robbed and dissatisfied at Yona. Reasons are painstakingly obvious: service & food. Upon arrival, my friends and I were impressed with the exterior and interior design of the restaurant. Yona felt so modern, welcoming and bright. We had a feeling that if this place looked this great, the food must be, too — which wasn’t the case.
Our waitress was sweet and endearing. She got us our teas and coffee pretty quickly. I’m not sure what’s going on in the back kitchen, but it took us at least 20 minutes to get our tofu appetizer, which was flavorful and balanced. Then we waited another 35 – 40 minutes for our ramen, and that felt like eternity.
When our food finally came, I was excited to dig into my vegetarian ramen. The ramen came with snap peas, pea sprouts, bean sprouts, and enrigi mushroom. Reading these ingredients on a menu may sound a lot, but in reality, there’s just not a lot going on there. Think: ramen topped with greens, in lackluster, milky soup. Had the ramen included an egg, I think my meal would not have been so boring? Anyway, not worth $ 14 for something so tasteless.
My friend had the miso porky ramen, and he also complained that the soup was very insipid. But my other friend got the tonkotsu shoyu, and said that it hit the spot.
Recommendation: Stick with shoyu ramen if you’re here, and stay away from ordering the other ramen dishes. The appetizers look promising, as others looked like they were enjoying them a lot. For vegetarians, however, you’ll probably feel robbed!

I came here on the opening dinner night, not really sure what to expect and left disappointed.
Located next to Pepita amongst all of Mike Isabella’s other Ballston restaurants, aside from Taylor’s, Yona had a great initial ambiance… until the waitress sat us down at a row of 2 tops that were maybe 6 inches apart from one another — no exaggeration. I’m a skinny girl and I had issues sliding between the tables to get to my seat. We actually had to move our table during the meal so that the couple next to us could leave.
Ambiance aside, the ramen was a little pricy for what you got, and it was just average — nothing horrible but nothing innovative/​memorable. If you aren’t locked into location and looking for quality ramen I would suggest Toki. If you are meeting a friend for lunch, work within walking distance/don’t want to drive, and are craving ramen then this place could satisfy that craving.

As someone who loves all manner of noodle soups, I was very excited for Yona to open. Not to mention, it would give me more lunch options in Ballston, which after 2+ years of working here, I’ve become bored with everything.
Yona is small and seating is primarily family-​style, though there are a few two-​tops and two four-​tops, plus bar seating. It got crowded fast, and by the time I left, a little after noon, there was a wait. The in-​house menu doesn’t match the website, which needs to be rectified.
Staff was quite welcoming and excited to be there. My server seemed to know the menu pretty well, but as this is a new place, there’s some polishing needed, but overall, service was good.
I had the dry-​fried chicken and tonkotsu ramen. The dry-​fried chicken was coated with a slightly sweet, slightly tangy red sauce and sesame seeds. The wings and drumsticks were huge and approached BonChon levels of crispness. I’d definitely recommend those. The ramen is fine. It wasn’t super flavorful upon the first few tastes, but did get slightly better. The broth lacks the complexity of other area shops. Noodles were good, as were the rest of the accompaniments (bamboo, scallions, nori, and pickled ginger). The pork was fine as well, and I’m lucky I didn’t experience the toughness that another reviewer did.
I’ll be stopping in when I’m craving noodle soup, as there aren’t any other options for that in the office park otherwise known as Ballston.