Ninjin

Lousy. Lousy. Lousy. I’m so disappointed. I want to write a review but I don’t want to put too much energy into it because they didn’t put any energy into my food. It was cold. It was flavorless. It was hands-​down the worst sushi that I have ever tasted. I ordered the shrimp tempura roll (I don’t know where to start), the scallop crunch roll (rubbery scallop), and the Ninjin wonton (flavorless). $ 37.00 wasted.

My favorite sushi place in SM!
Food is always great and there are other options besides sushi, including few Korean dishes.
Prices a reasonable and great service.
Highly recommend this place.

Sadly a little grungy. the seat and wall near our table definitely hadn’t been clean in a few weeks :/​But the sushi was good for the price. We got the hot date night roll and $ 15 combo.

Came here on the Saturday of President’s Day weekend aka day before Valentine’s Day aka day that Santa Monica is more crowded than usual.
We parked next to 3^rd Street Promenade but decided to walk away from the Pier to find a restaurant. Came across Ninjin on Unilocal and expected a long wait. Turns out there was no wait at all! Score!
The restaurant space itself is pretty small with only a few tables and the sushi bar. Service was fast though, and there was a steady stream of customers coming in throughout the night — definitely a good sign.
Looking over the menu, everything seemed reasonably priced. Rolls were on the higher side from $ 10 – 15 (and I would need at least 2 to fill me up), but I noticed their chirashi bowl was only $ 18. It comes with 2 – 3 pieces of each type of fish and they had a good variety (salmon, seared salmon, tuna, white tuna, yellowtail, snapper, mackerel, crab, shrimp, etc.). Rice underneath was seasoned really well too. Came with side of miso soup which had lots of seaweed and tofu. One of the better ones I had in a while.
My friend ordered a 2 item combo meal and it was HUGE. I imagined a bento box, but they brought out an entire plate of sesame chicken for him and another separate plate with California Rolls. He also ordered a beer, which was ridiculously cheap.
Overall, great place to escape the touristy areas where it’s packed and overpriced!

Been here two times so far (a month in between each) and still been impressed by its service (more so the one attending to us)
Came here on a weekend night with my boyfriend looking for a decent place to eat something seafood like. First time in Santa Monica so we didn’t know where to go that wasn’t crazy packed already.
Decided to give this place a go. Came in here and was greeted by one of the server. He was very friendly and checked up on us a few times. He gave us a recommendation on the combination too since we couldn’t decide.
So we got the bscr and 2 combination dinner (salmon teriyaki and beef bulogogi) to share between us two. Bscr was really good and so was the combo. I liked the bscr enough to ask for another one to go ;). Still tasted just as good the night after I asked for it to go.
My boyfriend was really impressed by the service they gave us. We weren’t the only ones either. The customer sitting nearby was giving them compliments too on the food and services.
So second time around, we decided to see if it was the same service a month later. Still same great service and food we got second time around. However I did notice it was same person who served us the first time doing our second time too. My boyfriend is more picky about the service than I am, so if he finds the service to be good, there is usually a good reason for it.
Although I did notice some of other servers weren’t as friendly or social able as the one who served us but still gave great service by checking on us and refilling our water when we needed it without asking when our original server was doing other stuff.
Obviously impressed my boyfriend enough to tip more because he doesn’t unless they really deserved it.
While the bscr and combination was good, I can’t say much on other food like sashimi and other food since we never had it.
If we are ever in Santa Monica again and want sushi, definitely our go to place.

Sad to say this was a pretty disappointing meal! The miso soup was not hot, the edamame were COLD and had no salt on them. They also seemed old. The avocado and cucumber roll was good– pretty standard. That is why I gave 2 stars instead of only 1. Also, the server did not come over after bringing our food to see if we needed anything, even though we were the only table in the restaurant. Definitely won’t be going back.

I ordered sushi for delivery and it was just what I wanted. I ordered the sashimi plate with 16pcs of fish. It was delicious! The food came in less time than what it said.

Great little joint! Cold cheap beer and some Korean eats on the menu. We always get the bulgogi which comes with lovely caramelized onions. As for the sushi, the fish is always fresh and they do well with the simple fish forward clean rolls and sushi. It’s not the most artful highest quality fish you can get in LA but for a budget joint, the quality is very strong. We tried one baked roll, I wouldn’t say those are their strong suit. Spicy tuna on rice cake is lovely here.

I live on the block, and have been going to Ninjin about twice a week since moving here. The food quality is probably 3.5÷5, but I’m rating ⁴⁄₅ overall as this place delivers incredible value.
You can have a filling sushi dinner here for $ 15, or lunch for $ 10, which is pretty unheard of in Santa Monica. At $ 2.25, this is the cheapest beer I’ve seen in a long time — not happy hour, just all the time.
The standouts for me are the Bulgogi and Matt’s Riot roll, but have tried some other rolls as well as the sushi, and all are quite acceptable.

I order pick-​up or delivery from Ninjin for lunch when I have a craving for Korean food. Yes, I know it’s a sushi spot, but it’s hard to find good bibimbap in Downtown Santa Monica. I used to order the sashimi bibimbap (hwedupbap), but stopped because I didn’t like the fish quality. I now order the veggie or bulgogi bibimbap and it’s pretty good. I’ve also had their tonkatsu and I love it. So a great spot if you want something different from Santa Monica’s normal offerings.

After the reading the great Unilocal reviews, I was a little disappointed with my Grubhub delivery order.
The edamame, miso soup and gyoza were all fine. We ordered two crab rolls and received what looked like three, but the yellowtail roll we ordered did not make an appearance. The crab rolls were tasty, but too much of a good thing
The tuna roll was pretty tasty but poorly assembled. The salmon and avocado hand roll was good, as was a plain salmon roll.

Solid Sushi place in Santa Monica away from the chaotic tourists at 3^rd street promenade. Parking is a bit tricky since its on Colorado Avenue, best bet is to park on Broadway as the lot behind Ninjin is very limited.
Come here for the daily lunch special which is about $ 11 or so for miso soup or salad, then choose from either gyoza (fried or steamed), sesame chicken, fried egg roll, and pick any special roll under $ 11. I highly recommend the Spicy Tiger Roll!
Hopefully the Poke people won’t find this place.

They have a Saturday happy hour menu. My family and I went in around 2pm and there was no one else inside dining. Don’t let that fool you. The sushi is great! I recommend the monkey ball if you like spicy! Jalapeño, cream cheese, and spicy tuna! This is a nice little spot in Santa Monica. The happy hour prices are great and worth it! Check them out!

Tucked away on a quiet corner of Colorado Ave., Ninjin wins points for its relaxed vibe and its flavorful, forward-​thinking style of sushi.
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— Your best bet is to forego the more commonplace rolls (i.e. California, Spicy Tuna, etc.) in favor of some of the house specials.
— The BSCR (Baked Scallop California Roll) is a big winner; it’s basically just a traditional California Roll topped with a liberal amount (see photos) of Baked Scallop & creamy mayo-​based sauce. I love how the topping doesn’t skimp on the amount of scallop used, and how the sauce didn’t overwhelm the flavor of the sushi roll itself.
— We also went with the strangely-​named Matt’s Riot Roll, which incorporates salmon, cucumber, and a liberal topping of crispy caramelized onions. The onions provide a savory richness that balances the mild salmon, and the cucumber offers a hint of juicy freshness. While sushi purists may not necessarily be on board with this roll, I’d still recommend it.
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— Service is very quick, and drinks are refilled promptly. I was impressed with how quickly we were both sat and served.

Checked out Ninjin Japanese via Unilocal reviews and indeed I left the place with a contented belly and a smiley face!
The restaurant is located at a quiet street, the parking at the back is mostly reserved so it is better to park at the street parking. It is a small and cosy restaurant and they served reasonably authentic Japanese food. Service is good and the staffs and chef are mostly Japanese.
I ordered the Power Special Menu at ($ 15) which comes with 3 pieces of sushi (1 each of salmon, yellow tail and albacore) + any Special Roll on the menu that is less than ($ 10.95). I had the Etchi roll, California roll with shrimp on top ($ 10.95). I must say that the quality of the sushi is good and heartwarming. The portion of the sushi rice is just nice, not too much and not too little rice. Goes really well with the slice of salmon, yellowtail and albacore on top. I love what I have ordered, it is really good!
My boyfriend ordered the Chicken Katsu Curry Rice ($ 12.95). The chicken is well cooked, breading is very crispy and the meal comes with a small bowl of salad with really good dressing.
Lastly, go for the Happy Hour drinks. Monday-​Friday from 3−6pm and Sat 12−6pm. Amazing price for small hot sake/​beer for only ($ 1.99) and large for only ($ 3.99). Hot sake taste really good. Try it!
Total bill is ($ 35 w/​tax) for 2 set dinner and 1 large hot sake. Will definitely be back again!

First of all, the food is Taste good, secondly the price is reasonable. I should give it 4 star if the thing is not happen. I order the food from Eat24 like usual, I didn’t give the tip as usual too, since I only live a block away and they already charge me 5 $ for delivery (32 $ food), the guy who delivery, ask me for the tip very straight, I told him my thought and he still asking me again until I say no tip one more time. I mean, why u charged so much on delivery no matter the distance and still ask for tip? If the delivery charge is reasonable, I will apply some tips on it, but with only sort price Food I ordered with 5 $ delivery charge, No. If u really want some extra money, go ahead rise ur menu price, 1 st time meet some guy ask for tip like that, very disappointed, won’t come back again.