A surprise attack on your taste buds awaits

Like any good ninja, Ninja Steakhouse and Sushi is hidden in an alley and ready to surprise you. The service was friendly, the servings were generous and the sushi was as good as any I’ve had in Macon.

The decor is sleek but very comfortable; you can be as dressed-up or -down as you want to be. We sat at a large table early on a weekday evening, with several early diners around us and more as the evening wore on. It seems to be at least as popular for lunch as it is for dinner.

Two of our party ordered the teriyaki chicken and the hibachi steak, both of which come with salad and soup. Our server kindly offered to bring salad and soup for those of us who only ordered sushi but we ordered appetizers instead. The wakame (seaweed) salad is bright green and suitably salty. The gyoza is fried only and not steamed, which I liked but our Asian specialist did not.

Ninja offers a few deep fried sushi, including one called Macon Sakura Roll named for our cherry blossom trees. Warm sushi is not for me, but if you like avocado, crab and cream cheese, this $7.95 roll may be for you. My favorite was the Snow Roll for $9.95, with spicy crab and sweet, smoky unagi sauce. You can’t go wrong with a California roll for $5.95 or the Dragon Roll with tempura shrimp and avocado for $9.95.

If you feel a little more adventurous, try the Father and Son Roll with fried shrimp, crab, asparagus and eel, or the Spider Roll featuring soft shell crab. They also have several with macadamia nuts, such as the Tropi Maki with barbecued eel, the vegetarian Guido with avocado and basil leaves, and the Corrupter with smoked salmon. If you like fish eggs, try the Hot Mama, for pickled pumpkin try the Futo Maki, and the Viagra Roll — well, you’ll have to find out about that one on your own.

Lunch prices are slightly cheaper, with bento boxes including soup, salad and rice for around $7.50-$10.50. Children can get a small teriyaki or hibachi for less than $8, but make them try at least a little sushi just for the experience. No matter what you try, I’m pretty sure you’re going to like it.

This story was originally published March 20, 2018 at 6:24 PM with the headline "A surprise attack on your taste buds awaits."