I have been to itchiban on several occasions. I really love the lighting and the chefs are great and friendly 4 out of every 5 times I go. The service for beverages or anything from the kitchen... More

I have been to itchiban on several occasions. I really love the lighting and the chefs are great and friendly 4 out of every 5 times I go. The service for beverages or anything from the kitchen directly leaves much to be desired. There has been an occasion when I walked up to the manager to ask for my beverage since I had not had one refill and the meal was over and our waitress had not returned once. Don't expect great drinks or fast refills but when you go and are friendly to the chefs they make it a great experience where we have even brought the little ones and the chef did wonderful tricks for us and always makes us smile. They even stopped and told my daughter to sit back before the lit the big fire and made sure she got to see all the fun that is cooking at the table. Pros: Ambiance, Character, Fun Show Cons: Drinks and Refills
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After hearing the locals rave about this restaurant I was excited. The moment we got to our table it was awful. The chef was clusmy and dropped utensils on the floor. At one point he just left the... More

After hearing the locals rave about this restaurant I was excited. The moment we got to our table it was awful. The chef was clusmy and dropped utensils on the floor. At one point he just left the food cooking without any explanation. He tried to do a trick with an egg and my son's fried rice had eggshell in it. I mentioned it to the cook he just shrugged. He was placing meat on another ladies plate and missed stated;"The five second rule counts" and placed the meat on her plate. The ladies face was flushed red with embarassement. The cooked attempted to turn the rice bowls on a spatula and dropped not one bowl but two bowls in attempt to dazzle us. Awful. The food was mediocre at best the portions were small the salad and soup terrible. The bill 158.00 for two adults and 2 y/o. Don't waste your time going to this place. It's a beautiful building but the service is terrible. I had two glasses of wine to stomach the food. Which reminds me I had a 12 dollar itchiban drink couldn't even drink it was terrible. Pros: thank Goodness they served liquor Cons: The entire Dining experience was a mess
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After reading all these reviews raving about Ichibans, especially 2 in particular that said they liked it more than Benihana, I had to give it a try. Benihana is my all-time favorite restaurant... More

After reading all these reviews raving about Ichibans, especially 2 in particular that said they liked it more than Benihana, I had to give it a try. Benihana is my all-time favorite restaurant since as long as I can remember, so I really had some high hopes for Ichibans. When I called in to make my reservation, I asked for a more experienced chef and we ended up getting the head chef! I really liked the set-up of the place and everyone was nice. So far, so good. But, It all went downhill from there. The food SUCKED plain and simple. Everything was swimming in this AWFUL sauce!!! The food itself was cooked so good, but then it was all ruined when the chef poured some gross red sauce all over it. Everytime he put it on something else, I cringed!! It was awful. The meat was so tender and perfect when he cooked it, and then, BAM the sauce and it's ruined. We spent $98 for just two people and NO drinks. I wouldn't have paid $5 for that food. Benihana ONLY from now on. Nothing beats that place. I grew up in LA, so if you are ever there, go to the one in Encino! Nothing can beat it!!
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WORST experience EVER!! We were told the wait for two at the sushi bar would be about an hour. It was actually 3 hours! The sushi was ok -- nothing special, the sushi chef was rude and the... More

WORST experience EVER!! We were told the wait for two at the sushi bar would be about an hour. It was actually 3 hours! The sushi was ok -- nothing special, the sushi chef was rude and the manager even worse. The only thing nice about the place were the servers at the bar where we spent 3 hours of our evening. We will NEVER go back! Pros: Bar service Cons: Rude sushi chef, rude manager
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12 of us visited Ichiban on Saturday night for our holiday party. A good time was had by all! The staff at the front asked us nicely to wait in the bar until our whole group arrived, so we... More

12 of us visited Ichiban on Saturday night for our holiday party. A good time was had by all! The staff at the front asked us nicely to wait in the bar until our whole group arrived, so we gathered at the bar. We were a little late getting everyone there, but they didn't mind. We got called and went to our table upstairs. The waiter, Ari, greeted us and explained the menu. He had a lot of patience because most of my coworkers were talking and not paying attention. The sushi appetizer came first and was it ever nice - big rolls and colorful, fresh fish. The tuna was almost red! Our chef that night was a guy named Lam. I think I saw him on the food channel competition once. He puts on a great show and the food is wonderful. I liked the beef the best, but the shrimp and lobster were so tender. There was a lot of interaction between the diners and chefs and servers which made for a really fun night. We'll being going back to Ichiban again!
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I was a little weary trying Ichibans. I've gone to Benihanas before and was really disappointed, and after reading jjn867's comment, I got worried it was going to be just like Benihanas. I'm am so... More

I was a little weary trying Ichibans. I've gone to Benihanas before and was really disappointed, and after reading jjn867's comment, I got worried it was going to be just like Benihanas. I'm am so glad that I didn't pay attention to that review. Ichibans is THE BEST!!! The food was wonderful! My husband and I both had the Superior (came with everything) and our kids had the kids meals. Ichibans is now our family's favorite restaurant! Our chef was so funny and very entertaining... my kids are still asking me if they can try the egg trick! This is definately a place you need to try for yourself and make your own decision. Personally... I LOVE IT!!! Pros: Great chef, beautiful atmosphere, awsome service Cons: Parking
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My girlfriends and I just had dinner at Ichibans last night and we can not get over talking about how much we love this place! We had sushi at the lounge before dinner and we unanimously agreed... More

My girlfriends and I just had dinner at Ichibans last night and we can not get over talking about how much we love this place! We had sushi at the lounge before dinner and we unanimously agreed that they are one of the best we ever had here in the Midwest. The highlight of our dinner was our chef who was very entertaining and funny, not to mention the succulent shrimp and the delicious steak "like candy" most of us had that he prepared right on our table. I will definitely go back to Ichibans and will bring along my whole family who loves to eat!!!
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absolutely horrible food, sushi is beyond subpar, easily the worst food ive had since moving to minneapolis. if you enjoy underseasoned steak, overdone dry chicken, and minute rice your in... More

absolutely horrible food, sushi is beyond subpar, easily the worst food ive had since moving to minneapolis. if you enjoy underseasoned steak, overdone dry chicken, and minute rice your in luck. Cons: bad food, overpriced, horrible service
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I used to go to Ichiban all the time for over 8 years. In the last year, they have gotten extremely cheap, have a new supplier with horrible product and then the management gives you attitude when... More

I used to go to Ichiban all the time for over 8 years. In the last year, they have gotten extremely cheap, have a new supplier with horrible product and then the management gives you attitude when you ask them why it's so bad now. You're better off buying sushi from the grocerty store; just total garbadge. Go to Sushi Tango, Fuji-Ya or Oragami or to Blu in Uptown for their all you can eat sushi on Sunday evenings. You'll be much happier and won't feel completely ripped off nor have to speak to a manager who wants to pretend there's no problems with the bad sushi their serving. Just do yourself a favor and stay away! It's not, at all, what is used to be so don't waste your time or money. Pros: None anymore Cons: Bad sushi, incompetant managment and waiting staff.
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This place is just as bad as the sushi you get in all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets. Complete and utter rip off. They charge you nearly $30 for low quality sushi. Meanwhile, a sushi dinner at a... More

This place is just as bad as the sushi you get in all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets. Complete and utter rip off. They charge you nearly $30 for low quality sushi. Meanwhile, a sushi dinner at a premium sushi bar goes for around the same amount!!! There are many great sushi places in the twin cities. I am really surprised as to how ichiban is staying in business serving the dog food they do. To top it off, the service is atrocious, you have to constantly hunt down the servers to get your drink, etc. I do not recommend Ichiban AT ALL!!! This place is a disgrace to the twin cities fabulous food scene. Pros: None Cons: Bad food, Bad service, Rude Manager
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