JAJA Restaurant & Bar

Wow!! Just wow!! The beef cheek and cod tacos are the best tacos I’ve had in years and we’ve been all over the world. These guys know how to put flavors and spices together to make magic. And the chicken burger!?!?!? That puts anything in the US to shame and makes Chic-fil-a look like rubbish. My wife ordered the chicken burger and just from the looks and size, I (who doesn’t care much for chicken) had to have a bite. Not only was this thing perfectly crispy but so thick that it was nice and juicy inside. A chicken burger that isn’t dry inside!! That’s something the US and most of the world hasn’t figured out yet. Keep up the great work and we will be back before we leave Bergen!

We tried the Japanese noodle soup. It says it has miso but was really sour, think it tasted more tom yum ramen or a more vinegar-ish taste. Don't know if it a popular ramen flavor in Bergen. The noodle and chicken were okay but the soup was not really my liking. Some of the churos were also very chewy. 1/3 was good so could have been some were out in the air for long. The waitress were nice and accomodating and tried to help answer our queries.

Cool place with great tex-mex / asian fusion (?) food. Every thing was good taste. (Chef : Use something Else than the "boiled dow bun" to the dish... the taste on the content - deserved something better ! 😉)

Looking for a restaurant where the portions are tiny and the service is awkward? Look no further! Let's talk about the food. Ah, the Japanese soup. A delightful udon soup that would please any fan of Japanese cuisine... if only it wasn't served in a miniature portion for almost 200kr. Picture an elegant bowl brimming with thick, silky udon noodles, crunchy vegetables, and a rich, flavorful broth. The only catch? The size. Instead of being satisfying, this soup felt like an appetizer, all while carrying the price of a main course. Now, our charming waitress. Clearly new to the job, she pressed us to order the moment we sat down. It was 9:30 PM on a Sunday, and the kitchen closed at 10, but her impatience was palpable. When we asked for more time, she left disappointed, only to return a few minutes later. To top it off, while bringing us water, she knocked over a bottle, soaking my pants. In Bergen, being wet is almost a given, but still. Trying to be proactive, we asked if we could order dessert with our main courses. Her response? If we did, our desserts would arrive with the mains. Because who doesn't love a warm brownie sitting next to a steaming hot soup? When the dishes finally arrived, my reaction to the tiny soup portion was pure disbelief. However, I must admit the soup as little as it was, was delicious. But it really felt more like an appetizer than a main dish. We ate are meal and the waitress never came back to check on us to see if everything was ok. She literally disappeared. After the meal was finished, nobody came to pick up our plates or ask us anything. We waited long minutes… the kids were getting tired, so I went to find her. I found her in the kitchen, chatting with colleagues. I asked for the bill to pay at the bar. Done. No thank you, no goodbye, nothing. She went straight back to her conversation. I think we could have literally walked out of the restaurant without anybody noticing… So, will we be returning to this restaurant? Well, as they say in Norwegian: more of a neida than a jaja.

This restaurant has a breakfast service, however I would strongly suggest that you find a different place to enjoy a breakfast. The coffee was out watered and the scrambled eggs were dry. The price does not match the quality that you receive and the selection is quite thin.

The menu offers a fantastic variety of dishes to choose from. Each plate is beautifully presented and tastes delicious. Highly recommend!

Most people were sitting outside. So I asked Barman if I ordered at the bar or table. He said it was easier on him to order at the bar, so I did. 15 minutes later, my food came delivered by a waitress. I asked her about my drink. She went to the bar. The rude bar tender argued with her very loudly that it wasn't his job to take my drink to me I ordered at the bar. Then, for the next 30 minutes, every time the waitress went around the corner, the bar tender argued with her about my drink. This was uncomfortable and unfortunate because it is a beautiful restaurant and wonderful food. Sadly there was no manager that stepped in.

I have been to Jaja twice recently. First visit I ordered the 5 dish set meny. The taste of the food was ok, but the total amount of food was not sufficient so after finishing all the 5 dishes I was still hungry. A salad with just ONE shrimp, another dish with ONE  chicken wing etc. counted as single dishes. The starter was just nachos that I thought was just a welcome snack, but they obviously counted as a dish as well since we just got four others after that. Since I have sesame allergy almost every single dish I got was different from the rest of my group. Make me wonder if this is "Seasme Street food" or World Street food! My second visit, I decided not to fall into the 5 dish trap and therefore ordered 5 dishes a la carte instead. The highlight was the seafood bowl and the fries 🍟. Seafood bowl had scallops and some white fish sashimi in a sauce with quite much fish sauce as main ingredient obviously. Maybe a bit TOO salty, but still the best dish. The chicken wings I ordered were just so so, the sauce was more then the meat 🍖 which gives the feeling of trying to fill your stomach just bu sauce. The chicken was BLOODY inside so obviously not cooked through. I also ordered a steam bun with fish that tasted ok, but inside the salad 🥗 there was a brown fly 🪰 crawling around. I suspect the chefs did not wash the salad before putting it in my food. So I left the remaining half bun without eating it. Many of my friends ordered a 7 dish set, but after having 5 they were told the next one is the last dish. My friends counted what they had and asked the waiter to check. Then they got dish number 6, but would not have if they did not insist. So there are problems with the routines of these menus with several dished. All in all, based on the above I think Jaja deserves only 1 star, but I give 2 stars since the staff always was very friendly and helpful. Honestly, I believe that for Jaja to survive the next years they would have to do big improvements so that what I mentioned above would not happen to any others.