Ninja New York

The first time I went, we ended up spending $500 for three people, but it was worth every penny. The food was fascinating, inventive, and delicious, artfully arranged and perfectly proportioned. So naturally we went back.

Big mistake!

On a second visit, it was clear that they had replaced any decent chefs and quality ingredients with the cheap, bad variety to cut costs (the restaurant has gotten numerous poor reviews, including some that predate my good experience there). The food ranged from misguided to inedible, and the portions of the worst dishes were much too large.

Overall, this restaurant is only worth going to if you are a rich anime fanboy or girl finishing off a day of manga shopping and Japan-worshipping in NYC. Be prepared to pay $100/person for food and the usual Manhattan prices for booze ($8-$15/cocktail). The dishes that involve fire and/or dry ice are the coolest, but try to find them on a set price menu (ordering a la carte would be prohibitively expensive even considering the location and the high set menu prices). All of the tables are in their own little private booths, and the restaurant tends to be half empty, so it’s actually not a bad place to take a herd of loud, embarrassing otaku who are going to discuss Naruto at the top of their voices all evening. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you about the food!

If you absolutely have to experience the crazy ninja atmosphere, I recommend the champagne cocktails, the sushi, and the desserts. All are normal Manhattan prices, and all are excellent. You can also save money by going on a weeknight (check their website for details).

Do go to their website. It’s about 10x more awesome than the actual restaurant.

It’s a theme restaurant. About ninja(s)! Not a million miles away! Not in Japan, or California, but a mere hour of travel into good old Manhattan, NYC. Oh, yes. I believe my friend is having a birthday thing there this spring. I am excited.