Ninjas With Appetite

The boys at NWA always deliver. I have been coming here for a year and always come 1 to 2 times a weeks, so often they know my voice when I call to make my order. The food is always bomb you can never go wrong with a beef bowl 2 eggs and extra teriyaki sauce. That’s the Austin special. Try it.

This is probably one of my taste buds all time favorites. I tried it for the first time last year and my taste buds still remember the savory burrito and mouth watering quesadilla. Only downside is the restaurant hours.

If you like the taste of butter you’ll love this place. They slather everything with butter, so of course it taste great. Pretty similar to flame broilers or waba grill, but better ingredients. They have chicken or beef, and it comes in a burrito or a bowl. Beef was tender and comes in nice thin slices. I’ve been asking them for a tofu option but no dice, so go to the new Terra in 4^th Street market if you want tofu. Other than that, a good, quick, filling meal for the money.

I finally made it here after trying their food truck and i wasnt disappointed. I got the chicken bowl w shrimp and garlic fried rice. This bowl was the bomb! The amount of chicken was generous as was the side of shrimp. I got onions n cilantro on side so you see the huge amount of chicken and shrimp. Huge flavor throughout every bite. I am very impressed with this place alot better than mos, flamebroiler or any other local place around. Mark was very customer friendly as well, made me feel very welcomed. Went in on sat and was no wait parking was a block away but not bad as i was told their is a structure across street. Four metered spots are out front if you are lucky. Give this place a try and you will be back! Thanks for the good grub keep it up.

Been here a few times and I have only tried the half beef and half chicken burrito. I really want to try other stuff, but the damn burrito is so damn good that I have not been able to.
Definitely recommend this place and will keep on coming back.

Had jury duty in Santa Ana court and ventured off during lunch to see what’s within walking distance. I decided to try this place. It’s a small spot with similar menu to Waba or Flame Broiler but you can get your rice with meat in a burrito or taco form as well as a bowl. Portions here are definitely bigger. I was full with a half beef half chicken rice bowl. More meat to rice ratio than other franchises. The beef had a slight garlic flavor and chicken had a nice teriyaki sauce. All for $ 6.75

This place sounded good, and had a catchy name so I decided to stop in after work. First, the parking situation sucks, and you have to park at a meter on the street or in a parking lot across the street. The shop is tiny, so it’s probably better to order to go. Everything on the menu is around 7 – 9 dollars including tax. They have bowls, or for the really hungry, you can wrap it up into a burrito. The concept was good, and the food was tasty. At least I think it was, but I couldn’t really tell as they drenched the burrito in teriyaki sauce. That kinda killed it for me. If this place was easy to get to, had a little less teriyaki sauce in the food, and had a cook who was a little more polite and less «bro-​ey» then I’d probably be back.

Found this little place in DTSA and it’s a gem. They have a small menu and they do it well! A little bit Mexican and a little bit Asian, who knew to put these together?
My family loves the garlic fried rice that comes in the burritos. It’s so yummy! Add the brown rice and it’s a good option.
Love the truck and now they have a shop that we can always find. Perfect

Honestly, I found myself in the middle of Santa Ana with a craving for Waba Grill or Flame Broiler. Neither was within walking distance, so I consulted the almighty Unilocal and Ninjas With Appetite was just .3 miles away.
As I was in line, I found out that this place originally was a food truck, which already scored some points. Additionally, I quickly learned they are a teriyaki/​Mexican fusion.
The menus is very small, yet I found it hard to land on just one item. Therefore, I went with a steak burrito with pineapple and two chicken tacos… too much food in retrospect, but I have no regrets.
Wow! The burrito was amazing. One of the best things I’ve stuffed in my face. The beef was tender. The garlic fried rice was on point. The pineapple added just the right amount of sweetness.
The tacos were amazing as well, although in reality it was two giant mounds of chicken on top of tortillas. A fork was a must.
To boot, the table chili sauce was the perfect touch to already amazing food. Pass on the Rooster stuff and use the table chili.
This place is on another level. I will definitely be returning.

You can’t really go wrong with teriyaki, but this place really gets it right! My third time here I found out they make the sauce from an old family recipe, fresh every day… it all makes sense now.

Ninjas with Appetite was one of several food trucks at a recent event at the OC Fairgrounds. As I scanned the menu my eyes came to a screeching halt when I came across Chicken Teriyaki Burrito.
A five star Unilocal review is «As good as it gets!» which perfectly describes this burrito.

The guys here were super nice.
I was walking by looking for a place to eat and they convinced me to give them a shot.
Got a bowl half beef and chicken with rice. I scarfed the whole thing down. Portions are huge too.
Place is busier during lunch times. Everyone seems really chill and friendly.

Quoting a wise old Jewish lady when asked how her borsch soup was at a deli: «very, very mediocre». That is my response to being asked how the food was at NWA.
I shared the half and half teriyaki burrito (chicken and beef) with a co-​worker. All I could taste was the sugary sweet teriyaki sauce and bite into some gristly chicken pieces (not all gristle, to be fair). The thinly sliced beef was tender. The food was very one note, and it wasn’t a particularly good note either.
4.5 stars… yikes. Either these guys had an awesome run with a recent steep decline in flavor, or a bad day, or lots of lots of friends to post 5 star reviews or ??? Can’t say I’d try them again. I’m just happy I didn’t have to pay $ 8 for an entire disappointment… I shared my disappointment with a co-​worker. Misery loves company? Indeed.

This truck came to my work last week, and I was really looking forward to trying the nachos… but they did not have them that day.
I ended up having a chicken burrito. It was really good. Very fresh, very neat and easy to eat. Some burritos are messy and sloppy but this was made well. The only thing for me, was it had a bit too much of the teriyaki sauce.
Overall it was good and I would definitely order from there again.

After a family trip to the zoo, we wanted something affordable. Either something Asian or Mexican.
We then came across Ninjas with Appetite.
This place was a bit of both of what we wanted lol. They have teriyaki beef or chicken or half/​half wrapped in a tortilla with garlic rice.
You can order it as a bowl, burrito or as tacos.
We ordered the half half chicken and beef teriyaki burritos. So affordable at $ 7.75 each.
Great size and very fulfilling and delicious. You can add additional ingredients for an extra charge.
Tip* Restroom in alley next door. Need to ask for key or an employee to open door.
Overall great delicious affordable food find!

This place is legit. The gangsta wrap is bomb. This is a placeholder for a longer review, but it was so good the 1^st time that I sent my hubby that SAME night to get it again at their truck in Fullerton. Mark is super nice and welcoming here and they remember you. Support local businesses!

«I may not look like much, but I’m an expert at pretending to be a ninja.»
― Darynda Jones, First Grave on the Right
Short review here… this has become one of my go to lunch options as I now work in DT SA. The one bowl I always order is a Half/​Half (meat-​chicken) with veggies, pineapple, brown rice. Add a bottle of soda and you are out the door for about $ 12.00. With the opening of the 4^th St Market that is inexpensive these days for lunch and comparable to other lunch options nearby like C4 and Crave.
I have never ordered anything else so your mileage may vary. Music is always played too loud plus the service can be almost dismissive when ordering. Maybe they should change the name to Ninja’s With Attitude ;-)
Having said, I will keep coming back as long as the bowls taste good. The bottom of the bowls are especially a treat after the sauce has completed coated the rice… mmmmmm. Recommended!

Followed their truck last night and had the chicken burrito — it was great and for the price you get WAY MORE than what you expect!
Incredibly filling and the garlic fried rice had a good bite to it, kind of like Chinese sticky rice.
I really wanted to try the chicken nachos … but I was too stuffed by the time I made I had half of the burrito (seriously guys, come hungry)! So maybe next time — until we meet again Ninja truck!

NWA brings together a fusion of Japanese and Mexican foods together. It’s a wonderful concept and I was really looking forward to trying this place out. The place is a little small but has a hip and happening vibe to it. There is some nice artwork up above.
Food choices are extremely limited, perhaps this might be due to the brick and mortar being so relatively new. There are choices of bowls, burritos or tacos. They come with chicken, beef, or a mix. Chicken was lean and cooked well. I went with the half and half burrito which consisted of a tortilla, rice, chicken, beef, teriyaki sauce. I felt the burrito was a little plain and needed some more flavors to it, as well as some additional textures (perhaps and some spicy Asian slaw and wonton chips). The sauce was a little overpowering. It was too sweet and salty and there was too much liquid. I also felt it was a little bland and had to add siracha. The burrito was a good size but priced at $ 7.75. I think it should have come with some sides at that price point. I was a little bummed there weren’t more options. Parking is available across the street at $ 1 for 15 minutes. Validation is not available.

The Find:
NWA got on my radar via Instagram about three weeks prior to their Downtown Santa Ana brick and mortar opening. I found their name, logo, and style of fusion (Teriyaki/​Taco Shop; AKA Teriyako Shop) intriguing. NWA started off as a food truck which they continue to operate.
The Food:
After checking them out on Unilocal,I quickly determined their Half (Teriyaki Chicken) and Half (Teriyaki Beef) Burrito with Garlic Fried Rice to be their flagship. The clerk behind the counter confirmed this by telling me the H&H Burrito was his favorite. The clerk ordered his spicy. I followed suit.
The burrito blew my mind! Solid flame licked tortilla, teriyaki sauce that almost made me cry, punchy rice, tender cuts of chicken, and beef that would make Mr. Yoshinoya envious. Not to mention the house hot sauce which I added liberally to every bite.
I eagerly look forward to trying the rest of their menu items which include: Chiken and/​or Beef Bowls, Teriyakos (you guessed it, Teriyaki Tacos), Nacho Average Teriyaki (Teriyaki Nachos), and last but not least, the mythical, off-​menu, Gangster Wrap; for this one, the Ninjas done lost their minds and threw a fried egg in an H&H Burrito.
The Service:
All food is made to order, so it is not fast.
The Dining Room:
Appropriately cramped, in true taco shop fashion.
The Ambience:
A blend of hip-​hop and electronica pulsate through the Teriyako Shop’s sound system as the chill staff sizzles the cuts, tends to the Teriyaki sauce, and composes the dishes.
The Price
When it was all said and done the sizable burrito cost me $ 8.37. Not to mention the $ 1 parking meter fee. Pricier than the average Santa Ana burrito, but to be expected when your bargaining for the best teriyaki, in a burrito, in Santa Ana. When you consider the fact that the burrito can easily feed two, it’s a steal. This puppy ranks right up there with Alebrijes’ Taco Acorazado (Battleship Taco) in terms of signature Santa Ana dishes.
The Con
No Tapatio hot sauce. No Teriyaki shop in Santa Ana can survive long without it.