SD Sushi Ninjas

I had just gotten out of class on a gloomy afternoon when I realized I was pretty damn hungry. I was hoping there was going to be a food truck at my stop so I could get off the bus and try the wonders that the phenomenon of food trucks now have to offer.
I approach the truck and am startled as I see that they serve sushi. A red flag goes off in my head — sushi from a truck? Not so sure that’s a good idea.
…ten minutes later I’m at home opening the box and am astonished. The amount of food that they gave me was startling in itself, but the vivid, beautiful presentation of the sushi was something else.
I’ve gone to decent Japanese restaurants that haven’t served sushi this good looking. It was artful.
Big deal, it looks nice but we care about taste! Well then, look no further, as Sushi Ninjas aim to please not only your visual cortex, but they mean business in the taste department. This sushi was fantastic! I ended up getting all of their dipping sauces (as well as the standard wasabi/​soy sauce combo) and enjoyed all of them!
So fear not. This sushi may come from a food truck, but it can trump the sushi of many establishments around town who provide you with a table and a chair.
Now I know why they call themselves the sushi ninjas: they sneak up on you with their expertise and next thing you know your taste buds have had their asses kicked without you realizing it.
Cheers!

This is another one of those places that has a really good concept, but the product does not deliver. I’ve always been a fan of food trucks because of their convenience and unique menus. Unfortunately, my experience with SD Sushi Ninjas had neither of those qualities. I was treated to very, very slow service and sub-​par food.
I tried the spicy tuna roll, kamikaze roll, and edamame. I waited nearly 40 minutes from the time I ordered to the time I received my food. Even if they don’t do any prep ahead of time and have to assemble the rolls once they’re ordered, there’s no reason it should be taking that long. When I finally got my food, I was not pleased. The edamame was bland and mushy. The rice for the sushi was undercooked. The tuna, scallops, and other ingredients for the rolls were okay but nothing special. I won’t be coming back.

First time trying sushi on wheels at the Mira Mesa farmers market! Good deal on the rolls and tasted good as well. It was all packaged nicely in the box.

I only get the hand rolls from here because they’re affordable and are a good snack size. I’d love to give them those last two stars because their product is good, but there are just a few things I wish were different:
1. They don’t take LevelUp anymore? They’re listed on LevelUp’s site, which is part of the reason why I wanted to get food here. But apparently there’s a communication error between the two entities that disturbs me. The guy I talked to today didn’t seem to know what I was talking about or really just wanted to dismiss the payment option which didn’t feel right with me.
2. The rolls aren’t balanced! My kamikaze roll tasted freakin’ awesome but I never got all the ingredients in one bite. I’d either get a ton of the spicy sauce (which was awesome) and rice, or some scallops and veggies… by the end, all I could taste were the veggies, seaweed, and rice. Obviously, it’d be a challenge to stuff some scallops into the end of the roll, but it wouldn’t kill them to ensure there’s spice in each bite.
3. Not sure why, but I always manage to see their truck when they’re missing something. I was going to order a salmon skin hand roll, but they had to let me know they were out. That’s not really a problem, but they had blocked off something else from their menu, so why didn’t they cover up the salmon skin?
None of these points are really that awful, but they really add up to make for a less-​than-​ideal dining experience. At least I got a free soda from checking in here today. Too bad it was pretty warm from being in the San Diego sun.

The people who work here are so chipper and fun to interact with that I hate myself for not giving SD Sushi Ninjas higher than 2 stars. But as a graduate student who makes enough money to eat beyond an undergraduate budget (well, just barely), I can’t see any reason why I would spend the time to walk here when I could just as easily traipse to Ki Sushi, Bluefin, or Nozomi (all of which offer some sort of discount too, making them tastier alternatives at almost the same price). Or even Vons. I think even Vons has yummier sushi rolls than Ninjas.
Besides the shrimp (which was surprisingly sweet and fresh), none of the fish impressed me. The portions are teeny tiny too. A single specialty roll like the Skittles just does not fill me up.
Sorry SD Sushi Ninjas, no extra (ninja) star for you.

The central question regarding Sushi Ninjas is whether it deserves extra props for being a food truck. Looking at other reviews I get the sense that the uniqueness of a *sushi* food truck is a major selling point. Yet, for me, I don’t think that aspect carries as much weight given that there is almost nowhere in San Diego where a sushi place is nowhere to be found nearby. Moreover, I think the value in a food truck is when it adds something new and exciting to the local food scene. And that’s how I must evaluate Sushi Ninjas.
For what it’s worth, Sushi Ninjas is pretty good but nothing that knocks my boxers off relative to other local options. I was initially disappointed at what I perceived to be the lack of unique, exploratory options. I settled with the Blazin’ Tuna hand-​roll, which was a good variation on the spicy tuna roll, with its habanero and chipotle taste blending, but it wasn’t mind blowing. As such, I left with the sense that Sushi Ninjas is a competent yet ultimately indistinguishable from the norm kind of option.
Summary: If 100 feet is too far to walk to a sushi place, try Sushi Ninjas.

Wow, this food truck is AMAZING! Especially for the price. Much cheaper than most sushi places, and the happy hour deal is awesome. Buy 2 rolls get 1 free is a great deal, especially when it comes with buy 1 get 1 free apps as well. We got 4 specialty rolls, 2 appetizers, and 2 sodas for $ 30, which is much better than any sushi restaurant around.
We got the food home and weren’t sure what to expect but were pleasantly surprised. The sushi was fresh and extremely tasty. I recommend the spicy tuna crunch-​type roll. It was amazing. Also, the gyoza was good. There really wasn’t anything I disliked, and the guy working there were super friendly.

Honestly, I’m a bit of a sushi snob. I’m willing to admit it.
But when sushi conveniently parks itself just outside of my apartment complex, that is a different story. Accounting for the obvious difficulties that come with attempting to serve sushi from a moving vehicle, this place is pretty freakin awesome.
Three main points I can condense my thoughts down to:
1. Have fun with the sauces – they get creative, you should too. Cilantro mayo, basil mayo, eel sauce, etc. all at your disposal from handy iced pump dispensers. Me, having my mayo obsession… I think it’s epic.
2. EAT THE HAND ROLLS IMMEDIATELY. I seriously cannot stress this enough. Nothing is worse than a soggy handroll, and if you let it get that way then it’s your own fault and no one else’s.
3. Most of the sushi is good – the Skittles and Jessica Albacore are in my top 5. But the true masterpiece is the unassuming Shrimp Crunch Roll. Not overplayed, not overdone… just right. Tender tempura shrimp, delicious crunchy bits and eel sauce, avo on the inside. Try it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. The others have some more edgy flavors, but this one stands out amongst the crowd (and I think to date I’ve tried everything they have!)
They can be ninja-​like in the sense that the truck hard to see at night, and sometimes hard to find cause they’ll take off once they run out of stuff. Offsetting that are the decent prices and nice guys who work it. Track them down and they’ll surprise you with their ninja stealth sushi skills.

This rating is based on a delivery to UCSD during finals week, and not the food truck experience. I’m not entirely sure delivery is a normal thing or a finals week promotion to cater to students, and make a little extra money in doing so.
Sushi Ninja delivers on campus, but not directly to the door, unlike Domino’s Pizza or DelSushi. It’s not too big of an issue though, since you only have to meet them right outside your building. Delivery charges are built in and cheap ($ 1), so you don’t have to worry about that — my guy didn’t even accept a tip when I offered.
As for the quality of the food, I’ll just go ahead and compare it to the other delivery late-​night sushi available: DelSushi. DelSushi tends to give a little more food, but it’s only a heavier volume of rice. On the other hand, Sushi Ninja’s fish is definitely fresher, and the rolls are distinct, whereas at DelSushi, I had some trouble distinguishing. The nigiri at Sushi Ninja, which DelSushi doesn’t offer, was relatively fresh, considering the time and price. Overall, it’s better to the taste, the wasabi and ginger is fresher (and not prepackaged), and the prices are cheaper.
If you’re wondering, the quality of the fish is similar to Sushi Deli. Granted, these aren’t the highest quality sushi places that we’re comparing, but hey, at $ 10 for 5 pieces of nigiri and a roll, I’m pretty happy. Sushi Ninja’s really like a 3.7 star, but I’ll bump it up for being the best late-​night delivery I’ve had so far.

I don’t know what I was thinking.
One night, while my bf and I were at Geisel I called to see if I could place an order for delivery. I was told that they weren’t open yet so to call back and delivery would take about 40 mins. Well, I was pretty hungry and couldn’t wait that long. My bf and I ended up having a snack to tide us over. After our 6-​hr. study/​work session, we headed to Regents and Nobel to check out this food truck. We had checked out their website and knew exactly what we wanted. Unfortunately, 2 hours after they had opened up shop they were out of spicy tuna so by the time we got there they were substituting spicy crab for anything that had tuna in it.
There were three guys inside the truck: one making the sushi and two guys either taking the order on the phone or in person, or getting the orders together for delivery. The guy who helped me was nice and friendly. The other guy, on the other hand, ignored me when I approached the truck and then turned his back to me. He looked like he was flustered and didn’t know what he was doing. While I waited for my order, two guys rushed into the truck to pick up more delivery orders. Then confusion ensued as the guys didn’t know where certain places were and this and that. It was so unorganized! I’m so glad I didn’t get my food delivered! It would’ve taken well over 40 mins.!!
My bf and I tried the sushi combo., Kobe hand roll, Nunchuck hand roll, serrano hamachi roll, and the crispy albacore roll. The combo came with a variety of nigiri and spicy california rolls. None of their «spicy» rolls were remotely spicy. Actually, all of the rolls tasted like california rolls, but slightly better because they had slices of fish on top or they were doused with sauce. The california rolls that were in the combo. were paltry. The only thing I really liked was their nigiri. I was surprised to find that the fish was pretty fresh. Other than that, the rolls were a total dud. My bf liked the kamikaze hand roll though.
Even though their nigiri was good, I would not seek them out or wait outside for it again. You really do get what you pay for! Cheap sushi from a food truck. If that’s yo thang, go get it!

Wasn’t stellar… and maybe it just wasn’t their night. First off, they were Late in delivering the sushi because they gave the delivery person my wrong address. Second, they failed to tell me that all their rolls are served with crab not spicy tuna as it is listed on the menu. Because of that the rolls were not as dynamic as I would have
Iked them to be… maybe I just need to order something different until they get the spicy tuna back on the menu.

More closer to a 3 ½ though.
Sushi ninja is a truck that you will see around the ucsd area because, well, my friend runs it, but that won’t change my feelin on the food. I have to stay honest since I have a high standard of quality reviews to keep up! So here is the review:
I would say the food is pretty good. For the price during happy hour, you can’t beat it. 3 told for the price of 2 is awesome. They also have the free drink which is tight too.
I can’t say that it’s my favorite sushi place, but it is the best in the area (sorry, but that’s not saying that much). I don’t know if it’s the fact that my gf and I brought it back home before eating it or what it was, but it didnt have the freshness feeling of good sushi for me. The rolls were good in idea and tastes blended well, so I’ll give that to them.
I guess I just have to try it again.

In my quest to find delicious gourmet food trucks, I was surprised to discover a food truck in San Diego because I didn’t know San Diego had food trucks like those in LA. Not only is SD not known for food trucks, but a sushi truck?! I’d have to say, I was skeptical, but I was pleasantly surprised how delicious each roll was and how it was decently priced.
Rolls:
1) Afro Ninja Roll — the most popular. Spicy tuna, spicy crab, jalapenos, cream cheese, avocado. Deep fried and topped with eel sauce and spicy mayo. Personally I like less sauce than most people, so I asked for half the sauce and it was still pretty dang appetizing!
2) Serrano Hamachi — spicy tuna, cucumber, chives, sprouts, yellowtail, cilantro aioli, and serrano chile peppers. If you like spicy or a kick to your rolls, this is definitely a must try. It is definitely one of my favorites!
3+4) Lobster Delight and Scallop Delight — both contain avocado, spicy mayo, eel sauce, green onions, masago and white onions, so they tasted the same. Personally, I prefer scallops over lobsters. Both tasted very fresh.
Hand Roll:
1) Jammin Salmon — I thought it would taste like the other salmon hand rolls I’ve had at restaurants, but what really set this hand roll apart was its basil mayo.
Service:
Awesome! I was at a brewery and ordered some sushi from the truck. They actually brought my order to me, so I didn’t have to wait in the freezing cold! I’ve never had food delivered to me from a truck before. A++ service!
Overall:
1) Decent prices for sushi
2) Fresh fish
3) AMAZING unique sauces.
4) Great service.

I visited this place on the first day they opened, but I totally forgot to review this cute food truck! FAIL!
My mom and I came here because we were so hungry. We didn’t expect anything good from here since it was their first day. Surprisingly, the roll is really delicious, but I think it’s a little pricey for the quality. I visited here a few times recently, and still think the roll was really good.
I think their do really well on their quality control.

KARATE CHOP! I want to karate chop the truck so half won’t be in the red zone.
Ended up stopping by when I saw them on Regents in La Jolla. Im not sure why they chose La Jolla. Not really a good area to find street parking since the area is surrounded by apartment complexes. Well I guess the foot traffic is perfect for them since the UCSD bus stop is right there.
Able to try Shrimp Crunch and their lobster roll. Both were good rolls. I was surprised I preferred the shrimp crunch roll over the lobster roll. If you like the extra kick then lobster roll would be a good choice. I just like the taste better in the shrimp crunch roll.
The person helping me was pretty nice. I’d probably try them again if I see them around San Diego.

I can’t believe I didn’t Unilocal them sooner! I meant to, but forgot, so here goesssss (I hope I remember)…
My friends and I ran into Sushi Ninjas on my way to Vons/​Tapx. We ordered the following:
Shrimp crunch: sooooo good… well, you could pretty much fry anything and it’d be a winner in my eyes, but this tasted GOOD. Not soggy, not stale, but legitimately good. I will say that, since I was too busy shoving the shrimp crunch roll in my face, I didn’t get a chance to try anything else.
Skittles: aka rainbow. My friend enjoyed it.
Afro: When the last member of our party didn’t know what to order, one of the guys from the truck suggested this, as it was his best seller. The 2 guys I was with seemed to enjoy this.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the sushi. This isn’t just good-​for-​a-​food-​truck, it’s good… bc it’s DELICIOUS, regardless of the food truck! Sorry for the lame review, I really should’ve Unilocaled this earlier, but I will definitely be back again!

First off, nigiri for $ 2.50? That’s cheap even for a place like sushi deli, and this is a food truck.
My review is based on nigiri and one of the rolls that I got (forgot the name of it).
Getting $ 2.50 nigiri made me expect the type of raw fish quality you get from sushi deli, this was thankfully, not the case. GET IT!
Although I forgot the name of the roll, it has «crispy garlic chips»…what are these chips you ask? They are slices of raw garlic deep fried to perfection so you get the crunchy texture and aroma of garlic that we all oh so love.
And if you creators are reading this, update the schedule on the home page! It only shows up on the schedule tab! Not that everyone is as lazy as me…

HAI-​YAH!!!
That, my friends, was the sound of the Sushi Ninjas karate-​chopping the last bit of skepticism that I was harboring toward the San Diego food truck scene.
Seriously, the Sushi Ninjas are masters of the martial gourmet arts and know how to kick some serious culinary ass. Who knew that my favorite sushi in San Diego was not to be found in some high-​falootin’ sushi bar downtown, but rather off of a food truck right in front of my workplace in La Jolla?
I discovered the Sushi Ninjas truck by accident. I was randomly checking the San Diego Food Trucks feed on Twitter (which I have bookmarked, natch), and a new sushi truck caught my eye. The truck was also going to be parked in front of my building that same day. I couldn’t miss this opportunity to try something new and different.
I admit — I was a little skeptical. Raw fish off of a truck? How good could this possibly be?
The answer is: VERY good. Nay — AMAZING.
I ordered two items — the Skittles roll and the sushi combo. The Skittles is really just their lingo for a rainbow roll, and the sushi combo is essentially a giant Skittles roll with a few extras. All together, lunch was $ 12, and this was enough food to feed 2 people easily. (Much of it was shared.)
The sushi was heavenly. The rice was perfect. The fish was bright, fresh, melt-​in-​your-​mouth tender, and vivid in color. I was especially fond of the tuna, which had oodles more flavor than most other tuna that I’ve come across. The truck offers unlimited free dipping sauces (spicy mayo, teriyaki, and a few others) for the non-​traditionalists who like like fish and rice with a little something extra. (As for me, I prefer my sushi with a dollop of wasabi and nothing else, and even their wasabi was bright green and very fresh in flavor.)
I’m not the only one who likes this truck. It was scheduled to be in front of my workplace from 11:30am-1:30pm, and they were completely sold out by 12:15pm. Yikes. (If you want food from here, come early. Better yet, you can pre-​order your meal on their website for pickup.)
It’s amazing — I finally found a biz that I can simultaneously call my favorite food truck AND my favorite sushi in San Diego.
The Sushi Ninjas are welcome to karate-​chop me anytime.

I was pretty skeptical about the idea of eating sushi off a truck. Doesn’t seem right?
With that said, I stand corrected. Yummy, fresh sushi and I know I’d rather go here than some sushi restaurants in town and in OC. Get the sake bomb roll! I love the seared salmon and the onions on top really add to the flavor.
Don’t really know what else to say except GO TRY IT. It really is worth a try and I know I’ll be back for more to try the rest of the menu.
Oh and I love their creative roll&handroll names: Jessica Albacore, nunchuck, afro ninja, etc etc.

Came here on their grand opening day for lunch. The menu is pretty simple, and the prices are very reasonable for what you get — $ 7 for a 8 piece roll is a very good price for the area. I had the tuna nigiri ($ 2.50÷2 pieces) which was fresh and very tender. Surprisingly good for a food truck. I also had the Crispy Albacore ($ 7) — a roll with spicy crab, shrimp tempura, avacado, albacore tuna, and garlic sauce. Also fresh and had some good sweet/​savory combination of flavors. Probably could have been a little crunchier on the tempura and a little more avocado, but definitely enjoyable.
The food truck craze is in full force, but I had yet to see a sushi food truck, so there is the novelty factor which is neat. The sushi was fresh, prices were great, and if they are in the UTC area often I will definitely go back there for lunch before any other sushi restaurant in the area. Plus, the guys running it were approachable, helpful, and friendly. Give it a try.