Reviews & Ratings for Ninja Restaurant

05/04/11

Bad times

by NOLA Del at Citysearch

As an restaurateur with over 30 years in the business I was shocked by my recent experience at Ninja New Orleans. I have eaten here in the past and had an over all good experience. Today I brought some family members to Ninja for a nice dinner and I was totally embarrassed. We had 2 hour of excuses and untimely service for meals coming out piece meal 1 or 2 at a time till the last meal arrived an hour & a half later & then was asked if we would like a doggie bag while the last meal was still being eaten. After dinner while I was speaking to the owner about our experience, I was approached by a gentleman and he told me to never to come back to Ninja. I have never been treated with such disregard. Ninja does not care about what is right or trying to make things right. They just want you to eat what they give you, how ever they give it to you, pay you check and leave. There are to many other sushi restaurants in New Orleans that actually care about their patron and their reputation to ever go back to Ninja.

11/29/08

Best sushi ever!

by crackberry2 at Citysearch

I've lived in New Orleans for about 5 months now and I've lived in Baton rouge prior to that my whole life. I've been to every sushi restaurant in BR and Ninja doesn't compare to any of them. Ninja's sushi is the most fresh and well prepared sushi I've ever had. A lot of times I feel like I've been served sushi that has been made 2 hours prior to my ordering but at Ninja you know everything is made (quite neatly) after you order. I don't eat raw sushi so for the cooked stuff I recommend the BBQ Yellowtail roll, Rock N' Roll and Salmon roll(it's under the appetizer section). SO GOOD! Oh and yes the 1st floor is kinda scary but don't let it scare you away!

• Pros: fresh sushi, service
• Cons: the entrance/1st floor. why can't they just fix it?!

05/30/08

Best Sushi I have ever had!!!

by ChrisTorano at Citysearch

I used to work at Ninja along time ago, and this is where I was introduced to sushi. They make everything in house (sauces etc.). Momo (the owner), is very strict about the quality of her food, and would often get on me if the rice was not made correctly (you wouldn't think it was that important, but trust me...it is). I heard her once say that she would rather not serve tuna (the most popular sushi) then serve fish that wasn't up to par, and that was on a Friday night! I have had American style Sushi all over Louisiana, Florida, Texas, New York, California...and have not find anything that compares in taste, portion size or price. My favorites are the 1/2 tuna 1/2 fresh salmon box, bbq yellowtail roll, special eel roll, cajun tuna tataki sashimi, home-made gyoza, ninja salad (you get a little free if you sit at the sushi bar), mochi ice cream, & toro if they have it (they don't lie like other sushi bars). If you go down to Jazzfest they used to have a booth there, too! I make it a point to eat there everytime I go back to New Orleans. If you go, ask for Mr. Johnny (the other owner) & buy him a shot of Jager on me!!!

• Pros: FOOD, FOOD, FOOD! Haunted House at Halloween!
• Cons: Stairs!!!

04/16/08

GregYoungster is Crazy

by ProphetPower at Citysearch

I dont know what ninja you went to but your view is horribly screwed up. If you go to any other major city restaurant you can easily pay 100 bucks for just one person and get a lower quantity of food. i just took 3 friends who are from all over the contry, one from houston another from maryland and another from denver and they all said that ninja was the cheapest sushi they had ever seen. They also said it was the best they had ever tasted. Anyways just to let people know, the dark dungenous feel of thewaiting room dwnstairs was done on purpose. The intent in the beginning was to design the waiting area as a new orleans bar. most bars you go into, especially maple leaf just down theroad, has the same exact feel. The only problem that was encountered was that there is a church one block over. according to city code ninja was not allowed to call it a bar anymore. instead it is now called the "waiting" room with a bar feel. For anyone who feels it awkward for the bartender tell you wether or not to go up. this is necessary. or would you rather go upstairs and have the host/hostess tell you that the restaurant is full and you have to go back downstairs. it also prevents the host/hostess running up and down the stairs constantly. i all may seem to look wierd and unorganized but behind the scenes, there is a method to the madness. also, service is understandably a little slow but there are a few things to consider there as well. half of the wait staff are college students with very little concern for customers and their jobs. the problem is that they are usually the only ones that go in for hire. therefore there is little choice in quality of servers. furthermore if they fired them all then they would have a wait staff at all now would they.

• Pros: sushi is the best in town, cheap, atmosphere excellent
• Cons: none

01/03/08

Ninja rules!

by yat08 at Citysearch

And it's not clear soup, bro. It's miso, which is going to have tofu chunks in it wherever you go. Ninja has the best ingredients and best-executed staples of any Japanese place in town

08/24/07

From Purgatory to Heaven in one short flight of stairs!

by finkymink at Citysearch

When you walk into Ninja, you get a bad, bad feeling. No lighting, strange signs on the walls, cement floor, strange smell. No good. The pompous man behind the bar will watch you like a hawk to make sure you don't try to sneak upstairs. However, when he does escort you out of the hell-hole (with much hemming, hawing, pomp, and circumstance), you get your first glimpse of the upstairs dining area, and you hear an angelic chorus because compared to the entrance, this place looks awesome. They have strings of lights everywhere, its just a beautiful room. The wait staff are friendly, but be prepared to wait for a long time for your food. The sushi is different from what I'm used to, its spicier, and the clear soup had chunks of tofu in it, which i suppose is a variation. Their green tea ice cream is great after gorging yourself on sushi - its very refreshing. The place does get loud, and the sushi isn't as good as Little Tokyo's, but for some reason I had a wonderful time. My boyfriend and I were so relaxed once we sat down, the long wait for the food almost made the experience more enjoyable. To repeat myself, eating there was very relaxing and a great way to wind down. I'm tired of quick food, it was nice to sit down at a table for a while.

• Pros: GREAT atmosphere, genuinely nice wait staff
• Cons: sushi was so/so, but the tempura, soup, and ice cream were excellent

06/28/07

Best Sushi in town!!!

by febes151 at Citysearch

I have eaten at a lot of sushi restaurants in town and this is by far my Favorite!!! The staff is so friendly, prompt service, great amount of food for the price and the clock is fabulous. Be sure to stay a full hour so that you can see it! Best green ice tea and snowcrab rolls around!

• Pros: Atmosphere and price
• Cons: parking on a busy night.

03/14/07

Great sushi, reasonable prices, very friendly.

by rigel54 at Citysearch

Wow, I just don't get that gregyoungster review! I've been going here for years, since before the move from Jeanette Street, and Kyoto, Hana, LIttle Tokyo, and Sake Cafe just don't compare for taste or value. I suppose my view of the friendliness is prejudiced due to my long patronage, though we're more monthly rather than weekly customers (well, we're sliding towards twice a month!). They've watched my daughters grow from 2'5" to 5'9", and in the early days post Katrina when they couldn't process credit cards and I forgot to bring cash (more than once!) they just told me to pay next time (and didn't complain when I forgot once!). The waiting area is a little bleak, unlike the porch at the old place, but it's worth it.

• Pros: Quality, price, service, friendliness.
• Cons: OK, the waiting area is a little bleak.

02/04/07

Fresh

by oeil21 at Citysearch

I eat at ninja almost every week - but usually just walk from my house and do take out. Their fish is the freshest I have had in New Orleans and all their flavors are right on. I have also been delving into their soba noodles - the tempura udon is great. Be ready to wait for a seat on Friday and Saturday nights. However I warn you the building is somewhat odd and it isnt much of a romantic place and can get loud with large groups. I dread seeing a large party streaming through the door because you wont be able to hear what anyone else at your table says.

• Pros: Haunted House at Halloween Time
• Cons: Waiting for a table in a dark unappealing space.