Ichiban

We forgot how much we loved the charm, food, authenticity, and class of this iconic Austin restaurant. We sat at the sushi bar and had the sushi chef pick a shashimi tray and roll to present us with. We loved what he surprised us with. Our server David was top notch too! We went during happy hour just after 4 and it was a quaint afternoon date. The koi fish pond was swooning with fish and a lovely addition to this eastside gem. The calamari was splendid, and it was cut in strips, more similar in size to how they serve it in Australia. We highly recommend it!

This is honestly such a hole in the wall restaurant. They have delicious and fresh sushi and some of the best fried rice I’ve ever had. The servers are friendly and the restaurant is gorgeous, it even has some traditional Japanese seating areas. The koi pond is gorgeous and is filled with very friendly fish. They sell koi food for $1 so you can feed the fish! I can’t wait to come back and try this unique restaurant.

Great sushi bar experience, we had a the chef serving us at the bar, he was funny, and gave us complimentary mini salad, appetizer for my beer, and delicious secret spicy sauce. Even ending the night with a small sample of octopus

We went to Ichiban today. We’ve been to Japan and were looking for these vibes. When we arrived we were asked if we had a preference between standard tables or booths and we decided to seat in the booths. What we didn’t know is that the booths are like your traditional Japanese table, you need to take your shoes off and you can seat on a small pillow. So authentic! It’s also a good thing these booths have some room under the table so you can comfortably seat if you don’t want the full Japanese experience. The service was very good and fast, answering all questions and being very helpful. The food, surprisingly inexpensive, was excellent. We had the miso soup, gyozas, shumai, fried rice and different nigiri. The miso soup was delicious and the nigiri came with a generous amount of fish. My only thing is that the nigiri came with no wasabi in the actual nigiri, I like when the chef includes a bit of wasabi under the fish, like in Japan. Overall, an amazing experience for a very reasonable price. We’ll be back!

Get the appetizers and sushi. The menu is creative and thoughtfully executed, with enough variety to keep things exciting -- and to make you want to come back and try more.

This is my favorite sushi spot in Austin. It's unpretentious and delicious. They have great hospitality and both classic and creative rolls that are always fresh and beautifully made (my favorite is the Spicy Susan). As someone who has been eating here for years, I'm conflicted about how busy it has become 😆 but happy for such a deserving place to succeed. Definitely check it out (and try one of their traditional japanese tables at least once!)

My husband and I have visited quite a few places where they have sushi - I can safely say that this is one of the best places! The atmosphere is very nice and cozy, the service is excellent, the staff is very caring, the waiters are attentive. The sushi was very tasty. Large portions of rolls with excellent filling, they melted in your mouth. You can immediately feel that the products are very high quality and cooked correctly. It was wonderful! I recommend ICHIBAN to everyone! They also have beautiful fish in the pond at the entrance, which you can feed with food for a dollar (you can buy food in the restaurant at the counter at the entrance).