This place is great - affordable, tasty, relatively healthy food, served quickly with a smile in a relaxed, informal atmosphere. This is always our first choice when looking for somewhere to eat with the kids when we're in Headingley, and we've been a couple of times without the kids too.
I don't recognise the place described by "Karm S." in the review below, it sounds nothing whatsoever like the Jino's I know & love! Every time I've eaten here the vegetables have been super fresh & lightly cooked, the sauces have been tasty without being heavy or over seasoned, and I've never had noodles that seemed "pre-cooked". That reviewer must have visited on a rare bad day!! Admittedly I'm not sure I've ever tried their Pad Thai, so perhaps that dish isn't one of their strong points (I've had some disappointing Pad Thais in other places though, so maybe it's a dish that is easy to get wrong? I've often found it a bit greasy personally, which is why I don't usually order it these days), but every dish I've ever eaten here has been nice, and everyone I've ever visited with has been happy with their meal. Oh, except for my son who hates courgettes, mushrooms & onions, so he complains that there's always something he doesn't like in the dishes!! But my daughter loves the place; in fact Jino's was responsible for her developing a taste for tiger prawns (and for the fact that she's almost always disappointed with the tiger prawn dishes served elsewhere)! And both children (and adults!) love the delicious desserts :)
When we've visited on an evening we've found that the place has a slightly more grown-up atmosphere, and the menu reflects this - I'm not sure if it's my imagination but the food seems spicier in the evening (which we don't have a problem with but it's worth bearing in mind if you can't handle much chilli! However there are usually a few dishes on the menu listed as mild so you should be able to find something edible. Because many Thai dishes contain pre-prepared curry pastes I'm not sure how much luck you'll have asking for a mild version of a spicy dish). They have a good vegetarian selection, and a range of different types of dishes - it's not all green curry and pad thai, although obviously they do serve those too (and their green curry was very nice when I ordered it). I've never visited Thailand so can't comment on the authenticity, but it definitely compares favourably with the many Thai meals I've eaten in this country (in fact it's a darn sight nicer than some more expensive places I've visited!). I'd consider myself someone who appreciates good food and won't go back to somewhere I don't consider up to scratch unless I have no other choice, so the mere fact we've been here so many times says something about the quality. The dishes are generally fairly simple, cooked quickly with the minimum of fuss - if you're looking for elaborate, fancy food this is not the place to go, but the flavours are always fresh and tasty, and it generally seems fairly healthy compared to a lot of restaurant food - not too fatty (apart from the coconut milk, obviously) and with fresh, quickly cooked ingredients.
During the day we tend to drink one of their delicious teas (my personal favourite is Oolong, my husband prefers Tikuanyin. A couple of times staff have offered to top up the teapots too, thus making it an even better value-for-money drink!) but if you want something "harder" they have a bring-your-own policy and don't charge corkage. The kids love their selection of asian canned drinks, especially the roasted coconut drink.
This is a simple, no frills restaurant; not the place to take someone you're trying to impress with a sophisticated dining experience, but if you're looking for somewhere informal, affordable, with delicious food, pleasant staff and fast service, you can't really go wrong with Jino's. read more