Amazing service and delicious food. Staff was very warm and inviting. Food was fresh and made with full entertainment. read more

Food was awesome, the service was top tier, very laid back ambiance. 100 percent recommend read more

The ambiance is clean and quiet for lunch time, great work stop. The service was friendly, but too friendly for our visit. We were the only ones there and she kept coming back every 4mins to bring us things we weren't asking for and interrupting our lunch. She meant well and this is not the reason for the 3 stars, just making it known for others who may experience this. The food was meh. It's hard to mess up sushi and sashimi but this was just not great. I've had better at buffets that offer sushi and that's saying a lot. The hibachi was ok, but nothing I would brag about. Maybe dinner time is better, but I don't think we will be back for lunch. Their ginger dressing is very good though. read more

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This was good! We were in town and my daughter had heard about it. Great service too!

The service was very great. The food was INCREDIBLE!! And the feeling with the fire and the rice throwing was amazing.

The food is always delicious and the service is prompt & very friendly. The ambiance is classy yet relaxing & comfortable. The prices are also very fair for the quantity of food & the quality. My husband & I enjoy it every time we eat at Ichiban read more

I've been here once before and had a good experience, so I decided to return to celebrate an anniversary with my partner. The atmosphere and decor are stunning, and the timing of our 6pm reservation worked out well since the restaurant wasn't too busy. However, parking remains a challenge, which is worth mentioning upfront. We were seated next to the bar, which, while nice, came with an unexpected downside--the constant door openings made it pretty cold, to the point where some of the servers were wearing beanies. It wasn't ideal, but we made do. The food, though, was fantastic. The spicy edamame was tasty, though it could have been spicier. The Age-Dashi tofu was a real standout--delicious and perfectly portioned. For my main, I ordered the veggie deluxe combo, which included tofu skin inari, a tempura sweet potato roll, and a cucumber avocado roll. The meal was filling and really satisfying. If anything, I wished I could've taken some of the sweet potato rolls home, but by the time we decided to ask for them to-go, 45 minutes had passed without anyone checking in on us. We also tried to order a side of fried rice and lemonade, but it took so long to get someone's attention that we just ended up getting the fried rice to avoid further delays. On the positive side, the Old Fashioned I ordered was very well-made and kept me warm while enduring the chilly draft. As for service, it was a bit rough. Our server appeared new and was clearly overwhelmed as the restaurant got busier. We were patient with him, but the wait times were frustrating, especially when we tried to order more food. At one point, after waiting 20 minutes to get his attention, we just decided to settle for the fried rice. One odd moment was when he asked, "When do you want your check?"--it threw me off a bit. I wasn't sure if it was a language barrier or a lack of experience, but I was left a little confused by the interaction. Overall, the food earned five stars without question, but the service experience was lacking and pulled the overall rating down to about three stars. With a little more attention to service and maybe some heat by the door, this place could easily be a solid 5-star spot for both food and experience. read more

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We have been here plenty of times. We like the layout and atmosphere. The specialty rolls are where it pays off. The hot sake is meh , but the sushi makes up for it. The other side where the have the sit down chef is entertaining but they load a lot rice and not much protein. So you are paying for a ton of the cheap stuff and not getting the real good stuff which is why it gets 4 stars. Don't be chincy. read more

Ichiban is the best sashimi and sushi in Waco!! I had a blast here for our celebration of a new job, and we are going back for or 25th anniversary!!! Sashimi and sushi here I come!!! read more

Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse - Side of eel with eel sauce - Japanese Near Me - Waco, Texas

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We sat at the bar top, which was incredibly dirty and had not been wiped down. When I mentioned this to the bartender, he handed me a paper towel to wipe it down myself. We ordered two drinks, which were both warm. Our server was not friendly and brought us the ticket five minutes after receiving our food. We ordered two sushi rolls, the Dynamite Roll and Hot Mama Roll, which were both delicious. read more

Celebrated mom's birthday here. Our party had 6 people and 2 were strict gluten free. They sat us at our own hibachi table and the chef cooked everyone's meals gluten free in front of us. So happy they have GF soy sauce. They advised us the yum yum sauce was GF but not the soup or salad that came with the hibachi meal. They really took great care to not cross contaminate. There was so much food, portions are large which made for lots of leftovers. Can't wait to go back. Love finding restaurants that accommodate gluten free. read more

Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse - Rainbow Roll - Japanese Near Me - Waco, Texas

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We were at the restaurant last night, had reservations over 1 hour and 15 minutes later we were in our seats still waiting for a chef along with the table next to us. We get it, it's Saturday night but don't take reservations if you are not able to provide service. The hibachi area and restrooms were filthy. We decided to leave after being at the restaurant for over 1.5 hours. As we were leaving there were about 8 workers at the front just hanging out ... just seemed unprofessional. Hope management does something to fix this situation. It was such a disappointing evening. :( read more

Food is always very good. Large portions. The chef can be hit or miss as far as entertainment goes. Not as clean as it used to be. Overall we enjoy going every now and then. read more

I highly recommend the Waco roll and the salmon/fillet #C combo. The service and the atmosphere are both excellent. I'll definitely be back!

I realize I'm in the middle of Texas, but honestly, the food here is just meh. I think quality control and preparation may be issues. I do not think I would eat here again. Examples, the vegetable tempura contained shrimp tails and once thick slices of zucchini and sweet potato. The batter was more akin to a chicken fried steak. My udon was a sloppy mess of flavors and the chicken wings had an odd look and salty flavor. Not the best experience. read more

Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse - Gyoza, kind of anyway. - Japanese Near Me - Waco, Texas

good good soupweird sticker in my salad it's making me type some more so i guess i will say the chef lit his head on fire read more

Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse - weird sticker in my Clear Soup - Japanese Near Me - Waco, Texas

We love eating here! The chefs are always so much fun and Jordan is a great server. A+++

Waited for 45+ minutes (which we didn't really mind, it's a Saturday, we get it) but once we got sat the service was subpar at best. We had been super excited to try their sushi after hearing great things. We got the dish with an assorted roll and a California roll. When I tell you this was the blandest sushi I've ever eaten it's an understatement. Also, the sushi was warm which just threw me off. We literally had a conversation about how HEB sushi is wayyyyy better than this and a fraction of the price. I'm sad because I really wanted to love this place but it had to be thé worst sushi I've ever eaten. Great environment though! Maybe next time we will try the Hibachi side of the restaurant and avoid the sushi! read more

This place was great! We were going to go to a ramen and sushi joint, but they were out of sushi. Talk about Devine intervention. This place was epic. You have to try the edemame! They have different flavors and the garlic one was more amazing than I can describe. The fried rice was delicious too. Our server was professional, attentive and super helpful. As for the cheesecakes. All the options are the same with different toppings. My son and I contemplated for at least 10 minutes where the marshmallow was in the cheesecake, and it wasn't even there. Lol. Still good, but if you're having dessert, it's frozen cheesecake and chose based on the toppings you want. That's the only difference. read more

Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse - All the delicious things! - Japanese Near Me - Waco, Texas

This place is a hit or miss. It's been amazing and it's been "I'm never coming back" but not many options in Waco when wanting habachi. They have had many run ins with health department getting shut down. Now they add mandatory tip read more

We did main seating without hibachi. First I ordered edamame without spice and it came after are entrees came, drenched in salt and cold. The chicken yakitori appetizer also came after the entrees. I had to ask for chopsticks twice. My friend got the fried rice with beef and there was a hair in it but they gave her a new plate and took it off her bill anyway which was very kind. Also when we were to pay separate bills, they got our orders mixed up but we got it figured out. Overall, everyone was very nice it just wasn't what I had expected. It was mostly clean too but the floor was sticky where I was sitting. read more

Had the shrimp fried rice, was very good! Restaurant was very pretty inside. But had to wait like 10 minutes for someone to come up front to tend to guests. read more

If you're going for the hibachi then this restaurant is great. We've been here for that in past. But the restaurant side has grumpy staff and the food is so salty and my chicken fried rice was just that....super salty! The chicken was slimy. Not going to return to the restaurant side. Lastly, our server has an attitude and we e been super nice. I even said I take the chicken home so no worries... we will mix it with plain rice and take the salt down somewhat. She walked away & didn't seem to care. But the atmosphere is pretty and it seems clean... it is Sunday 8-13-23 at 4:45 pm. Our server has long dark hair and she has no glasses. Her name is Giselle... anyways... we'll be back for Hibachi but not the restaurant... read more

Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse - Very very very salty chicken fried rice! - Japanese Near Me - Waco, Texas

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Fresh fish. Attentive service. Very bright inside. We had the boat. Just enough fish for two. Not too little and not too much. read more

Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse - Sushi Sashimi boat. - Japanese Near Me - Waco, Texas

we started to elave when they let us in because it was so dirty. They are closed from 2:30 pm till 4:30 pm; why they couldn't clean was a mystery. The tables still had rice on them from the lunch crowd. They set us down at a cooking station and the plates where all dirty we got some off another table. The floor was dirty. Why we stayed I don't know. The waitress seated us and an hour later we go someone to cook our food. The food was really good but the hour wait made us a little annoyed for sure. The waitress also had a small child hanging around with her everywhere she went which was weird to me. Guess she couldn't find a sitter. I wont be back because of the dirty resturant but the food was great. read more

The service, atmosphere and food is amazing here! I way over ordered what I could eat but the kids steak was delicious, the mango type roll I had was to die for and the service was awesome. I wish their yum yum sauce was thicker instead of being so watery but the taste is right. I'd be a regular here if I lived in the area. read more

Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse - Japanese Near Me - Waco, Texas

Super good food amazing service the atmosphere was so phenomenal I highly recommend this place.

It took forever to get seated. Then we got seated in a section that had no waiter. After 20 minutes of nobody waiting on us we had to go ask for help. Once we ordered it took forever to get our food and then the food was barely warm. This is the first time our service and food were subpar. For $142 I expected better. read more

Came here for lunch and I won't be back. I ordered the veg tempura, an eel roll and a cucumber and avocado roll. Nothing was good and the tempura was very disappointing. The batter was very thick, greasy, and underdone. Not light and crispy at all. I couldn't eat it. It was also missing green beans, which is my favorite. It was served with a sauce that was really strange. It tasted like soy sauce and bbq sauce mixed together. Very smoky, nothing like any tempura dipping sauce I've ever had. The eel roll also had a bunch of bones and more avocado than eel. The other roll was fine but overall I wish I didn't spend $35 to still be hungry read more

Was here for a birthday party and the service was fantastic!! Food came out in good time as well.

We were seated quickly and service was prompt at the beginning. The California roll and Philadelphia roll were both very small, considering the price, and they were the blandest versions of these rolls I have had. The beef fried rice was salty and oily. The beef had a nice flavor, though. After our food was served, we didn't see our server again for a long time and had to track her down to get our check. In its current state, I wouldn't recommend eating here. read more

Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse Beautiful Japanese Restaurant with private rooms for tappypinyaki or regular dining. We choose to dine in the bar area so we could talk with each other, in the tappypinyaki area it is very loud and you sit in a line where you can not hear one another Ordered the following sushi Scorpion Roll and Dragon Roll which both were excellent. Beef Bento Box was a awesome deal for $16, you get beef Medallions, rice, pot stickers, California Roll and shrimp Tempura. Even though the beef Medallions were not the most tender, it was a great meal. Hibachi Steak was more tender beef with fried rice, shrimp and onions. This restaurant is absolutely modern and beautiful, almost doesn't fit in Waco, sorry. read more

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Food was so bad. We got 2 deluxe sushi rolls and 1 basic roll and they were all horrible. We also got some udon noodles with chicken and it smelled and tasted bad. Had to go somewhere else to eat after because we couldn't finish our food here. read more

The portions were much smaller than I'm used to at a good sushi restaurant. Less flavorful, but kind of bland compared to good quality stuff....especially considering how they are listed on their menu. read more

All we could do is laugh about it. Service so bad that we gave up trying to make the best of it. We had big plans for our evening as we were celebrating a momentous occasion for our family. We reserved the "private dining room" thinking we would have better service enhancing the experience. We were wrong. 13 people in our party and we were seated in the private dining area, and left in a dark room for over 40 minutes while no one came to take our drink order or appetizers. My oldest son had to play with the light switch to turn on the lights. That should have been a sign. We finally placed our appetizer and drink order and were left alone again for almost an hour. By this time we are starting to worry that the staff forgot about us so I went out to find out what was happening. No menus, no lights and left alone with no one coming in to bring water or ask if we wanted anything for over 40 minutes. One server for 13 people in a private dining room! We finally started bringing it to the staff's attention that we were very hungry, had 4 young children that needed to eat and we still had not placed an order or seen a menu after almost 2 hours! Another 20 minutes goes by and I asked for the manager. No one came to talk to me. By this time, we were considering just leaving and finding somewhere, anywhere else to go but we had decorated the room for my daughter, and had to coordinate all of our family going to another location to get something to eat. As we were discussing where we might be able to go, we finally received menus and against better judgment, placed an order. Wait an hour. No drink refills and no one coming in to check on us, again. We were told they were "short staffed". I made the joke that they were "no staffed because every time I would go out and ask for something or travel over to the bar to refill our water, there was no staff anywhere. I was walking around trying to find someone, anyone that could get us help. 2 chefs come in to cook and we tried to make the best of it. Dinner was decent, but by this point the whole experience was so bad that none of were enjoying the experience at all. We tried to make jokes about it to lighten each other up, but the truth is that it was the WORST dining experience. We had brought a cake to celebrate and the waitress brought it out in the same box with take home containers expecting us to take the cake home and eat out of their plastic containers because they were closing down the restaurant. I disagreed with their request and my wife told the staff that we were not leaving and to get us real plates, which they did. We tried to make the best of a horrific experience but at some point it just becomes absurd. The sad thing is that this is usually a good place to go for entertainment and decent food. I really don't know what the problems were, but here is what is suggest the owners do if they want to remain in business and attract "private dining" parties for a more personal experience: To be clear, people that are wanting a private dining experience, know they are going to pay more and frankly they don't mind because they can afford it and they are more interested in the experience and setting rather than worrying about how much it will cost. This goes back to "know your customer!" The manager did try to make it up to us by deducting 30% off the bill but this was never about how much our dinner cost, it was all about the experience and celebrating my daughter's momentous achievement. Sadly, this put a dark cloud over the entire evening. I am not sure that I will be willing to give them another chance. Frankly, if it were just up to me, I would never even consider going back. But options are limited in Waco, so I cannot say whether we will give them another chance or not. But one thing is sure, we will be laughing and talking about how abysmally bad this evening was for a very, very long time and sharing it with friends and extended family. My suggestion is that this restaurant close its doors for 2 weeks, after hiring double the staff currently working and train everyone from the top down how to do their job. Finally, to the owners of this place, our experience was pretty disappointing. Without a doubt, this was the WORST private dining experience I have ever had to suffer through. My family came from Dallas, Houston, and Celina, Texas for this event and while we managed to muscle through and find daylight once in a while, this is bad. . . real bad. 3/2/2024 Update One week since this review posted and management has not reached out nor provided any explanation for this terrible, terrible experience. Safe to say no one in our family will be going back. Skip this place next time you go to Waco. Go to the Holiday Inn and order warm beer and bread and you will be better off! read more

Service was a 1/5- Our server Victor was very quick with responses, never introduced himself (asked for his name at the end), was on his phone while dropping off our food, no connection with him at all. Food was a 4/5- Everything come out great except for the soy sauce being eel sauce. read more

I went for lunch and ordered a spicy tuna roll and it was so bland . I ordered medium rare steak it was tough and overcooked. The chicken was okay and the fried rice was Bland. The miso soup was ok and ginger dressing was ok nothing special. Service was slow . I will not be back . read more

always a pleasure at ichiban lunch on fridays. they accommodated all 70+ of us no problem! John and Trey were incredible. didn't catch the rice in my mouth this week but still would recommend! read more

Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse - fire. - Japanese Near Me - Waco, Texas

The food was great! Service was good. The sushi was so fresh. My server was very friendly and attentive. I plan on going back again

Service was good but it took about an hour for my bento box to get to the table and the salmon rolls were really small and the server called my son ma'am multiple times on purpose ambiance was good read more