NYC E-Guide

Ninja NYC Theme Restaurant

Address:

25 Hudson St
btw Duane and Reade St
New York, NY
(212) 274-8500

  

Reservations: This is a very good idea, since they team over at ninja takes their responsibility to guests serious. Also, it provides for a well prepared evening your party will not soon forget.

The first restaurant in my roundup of best places to eat in NYC is Ninja. Ninja is a themed restaurant with ninjas in a an ancient ninja village-like setting. It's rather important that I stress, Ninja is definately a themed restaurant, but unlike it's counterparts, AKA Mars2112, you shouldn’t take the quality of the food less seriously since the food is definately high-end and unique. The preparation of the food, freshness and decor is unlike most restaurants. Coupled with the look and feel of an ancient Japanese village - one is definately in for a great time. The restaurant derives from Japan, so that's where a bit of the distinction on quality differs than that of a typical American fast-food or theme restaurant chain.

Ninja is hidden in lower manhattan, a few blocks away from City Hall. It's hard to see this restaurant because Ninja does not have fancy flags, awnings or huge call-outs for its restaurant. The surruptitious styling fits the exclusive feel of the restaurant, not to mention echos the uniqueness of the experience there. Ninja has an outdoor lamp which gives it away because its got their stylized initialing, not to mention the paperwork on display behind the glass, are their menus.

Once you step pass the enterance, you’ll be in a dimly lit room that looks like a cavern since the walls are rocky, and there’s a woman standing behind a computer that will look you up on their reservation list. That is it for the whole room, including an elevator. The elevator ride is a short one, one flight down in semi-darkness. BEWARE: SPOILER AHEAD. Ninja's lurk in the dark corners and attempt to slice you in half with their swords... just kidding, rather they yell, “HIYA!” and try their best to scare guests with random placements and abrupt appearances.

If you survived that trip into the "village", you are now in for a treat. The intimate rooms are designated within the linear design of the walkways, and are quite well done with rice paper lanterns, walls and wooden decor.

This restaurant is highly recommended forvery tastyand fresh Japanese food in New York City, or if you've got friends you want to have fun with - to entertain.

 

Restaurant Facts and Fun:

1. There is about two months of extensive training for employees to get aquainted with the rituals, practice magic and learning about the myth and legend of Ninjas. They get magic classes once or twice a week, along with tastings.
2. They love to scare kids and the meek, because it's very dark and they've got ninjas popping in and out or all spots in the ninja village.
3. One specialty from Ninja is the "Meteorite Pot". The rock, which is about 800 degrees Fahrenheit, is on a big tray that comes with fresh green leaves and a kettle of soy-milk soup with clam and bacon and a couple slices of wild hog. They cut the vegetables up, put the bacon in, pour the soup, and put the rock on top using tongs. You'll see it boiling instantly. It cooks fully after two or three minutes. They imported a special oven from Japan that goes up to 1,000 degrees.
4. Some customers who arrive at Ninja, who have fire phobias, might want to inquire about dishes that are served with or on fire.
5. Celebrities like Susan Sarandon and Tara Reid have been known to come in with parties of folks ready to get the experience.
6. Ninja has this one room that's more discreet than the others. Whenever a customer asks for a romantic room, that's the one Ninja won't give them. Appearently, employees once saw a couple sitting next to each other, and the lady was doing something risque to the guy. On their comment card they wrote that the rooms weren't private enough - but this of course led to their policy to be careful about discrete and secuded dining requests...

 

 

 Check Out the Food and other random samplings in the Ninja NYC Retaurant photo collection