The Manna opened it's door on Feb 12th, 2002, in historic downtown Newark, Ohio; however, the renovation of the 107 year old building began 10 months earlier.

On a beautiful day strolling through downtown Newark, Jin & Rami spotted a building at 5 North 3rd Street.   In this building they saw completely plastered walls and a dropped ceiling with hanging florescent lights. They saw a glimpse of a future, thus The Manna began.

Originally from Portland, Oregon Jin and Rami found Newark home in 1994 when Jin was transferred by a timber company.   After launching his own company several years later, the family began settling in Newark. For many years, however, Jin’s true passion was cooking. Knowing the restaurant business is a tough business to be in, the desire to someday own a restaurant was not in the mix until a vision captivated them on that sunny day.

With a hammer in one hand and a chisel in the other, plaster was coming off the wall.   Little by little over a century-old beautiful brick wall started to show.   It was as though the history of the building was beginning to unlock itself. Drop ceiling and florescent lights were also dropped revealing a beautiful tin ceiling.  By mimicking the pattern Jin restored the tin ceiling by using a chopstick to its original appearance.

With the help of local carpenter, Mike McNemar custom designed beautiful Amish solid walnut booths lined both sides of the brick wall and then tables and chairs were added.   The skillfully carved front entry door demonstrated Mike’s exceptional craftsmanship.

By using old barn wood, the roof, server station, bakery & bar were completed.    The end result was a beautifully restored dining room with an eclectic atmosphere with a flare for a big city dining experience.   To compliment this, it was very fitting to offer fusion gourmet with a theme of American cuisine.

We are very pleased to share this experience with you. We invite you to come and experience The Manna Restaurant.

 Gift Certificates are available upon request.