Ninja Hibachi Express — Restaurant in Greenville

When I first saw Ninja Express, I was caught off guard by the idea of a drive-thru Hibachi restaurant. Honestly, I thought it was a joke when I saw their sign. After eating so much fast food during the long work hours and tiring commutes, though, I was dying to have anything other than a hamburger, so I gave it a shot.

Boy am I glad I did. Their appetizers (Ninja Gyoza, Bulgogi Roll) are amazing, and their Bibimbap is out of this world. It was exactly what I was looking for - a fast, light, well rounded, and filling meal. And I'm not kidding about filling; every time I've gone, the portions have been enormous and I've only been able to finish about half the dish. It's honestly two meals for the price of one (each entree being about $7). The only downside is that the drive-thru takes a while at roughly 5 minutes a visit. This is understandable, since they're cooking it fresh, and it's no longer than what it takes to get food from any Hibachi Express-style restaurant. The Chicken Hibachi isn't anything to write home about either. Their other menu options make up for it though.

Oh, and their staff is crazy helpful too. They'll answer any and all questions you have if you aren't familiar with the cuisine, and their...

A weird, wonky and yet surprisingly enjoyable and affordable take on hibachi, Ninja combines the taste of fresh hibachi with the convenience of counter ordering. I pretty much always get the combo bowl (served on a plate, because it's way too much food for a bowl) with chicken and steak. The steak is fresh and cooked well to order; the chicken tends to be a bit on the dry side, I'm guessing because it's made beforehand and then heated up on the grill, to keep service quick.

The atmosphere is simple but modern, and the staff is friendly and helpful. One time I went there and the piece of meat used for the steak had gone off a bit; a fresh plate was whipped up for me double-time. You always get plenty of white sauce, too!

I wish they'd serve extra teriyaki sauce hot, instead of cold and a bit congealed - it doesn't take away from the taste, but it's not the most appetizing thing to pour over your food. The fountain drinks also tend not to be primo; a bit of balancing in the Syrup-to-water-to-CO2 mixture would be useful.

All in all, I really enjoy Ninja and eat there relatively often! Give me hot teriyaki, fresh chicken and balanced soda, and I'd eat there three...

I ordered a hibachi bowl with veggies and shrimp;

What I received was an undercooked meal with uncooked vegetables, no flavoring or sauce that should be considered hibachi.

Chicken; no seasoning, flavor, just grilled chops of tiny pieces of chicken and in a very small portion (considering the price) 1/10.

Shrimp; immediately after opening the container the smell that came along would deter any person with a hungry stomach. 0/10

Veggies; no seasoning, flavor, I assume the hit the grill for a few seconds before making it to the bowl, 0/10.

Rice; plain white rice with a hint of teriyaki sauce and eggs in a consistency that didn’t resemble “cooked”. 1/10

White sauce; I would have mistaken this sauce with Zaxby’s sauce or mayonnaise. 0/10

There is some good that can be taken from this post, I took your food home and used the stuff you cooked with to make a better meal. There wasn’t much wrong with the actual ingredients, rather the lack of cooking and flavor that should come with a hibachi meal.

Maybe I’ll try one of your...