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    Ichiban Sando

    4.1 (438 reviews)
    Open 10:30 am - 8:00 pm

    Order Ichiban Sando Takeout or Delivery

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    ICHIBAN SANDO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - Ichiban Sando

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    Great decor
    John A.

    My wife found this place on IG and I wanted to try. We did the Grab and Go Fruit sandwich. Had good flavor, wife liked most of it. Didn't like the Matcha cream. We definitely want to go back when they have there Sushi. The service was great. The vibe was very nice as well.

    Monica A.

    Came by with the hubby to grab a fruit sando to share. First time trying this type of sandwich. Very refreshing. Quick service & relaxing vibes. We just got a grab & go mixed fruit sando pack. Two of the fruit sandos had matcha cream & one had regular cream. The regular cream sando was my favorite. We can't wait to visit again to try some of their sushi.

    Jennifer A.

    From Japan memories to National City bites My best friend Johanna and I used to live in Japan in high school, and we would always grab onigiri, so we were beyond excited to see Ichiban Sando now open in National City! It brought back so many nostalgic memories. From the delicious onigiri to the fluffy egg sandos and tasty sushi bowls, everything was sooo oishii. And don't forget the drinks -- the yuzu and sticky mango are super refreshing too! If you love Japanese comfort bites, this spot is definitely worth checking out. Onigiri glad we found this place again!

    Matcha Strawberry, Strawberry Fruit Sando
    Joanne E.

    Lots of "New Location Growing Pains" so be aware, have grace and patience! End results were still worth it. We arrived to the new location on a Sunday evening at 5:30pm. Parking was easy, plenty of spaces in the strip mall area. But the banner says "JTown" so that might be a little confusing. Easy to spot as the line was out the door though. Wait wasn't terrible, but they have you self-order at the register via an iPad. At some points the iPad would glitch. They did run out of several things, including any egg Sandos and any pork items, which was a bummer but they at least made it known via an announcement and a handwritten note on the door. Unfortunately some other items would sell out and they couldn't update their inventory/ipad quick enough, so as we waited after placing our order, someone would come out from the kitchen and let us know they needed to provide a substitution. We were a very reasonable group, but also I'm sure there were price differences and we weren't refunded. The place is small inside with few tables, so if busy, be prepared to take it to go or eat in your car. Some people were just sitting to wait for their food though. It did take about 15 minutes to get our food, which wasn't terrible given how much we could see them struggling. Once we got our food, everything was good! Each sandwich was fresh, hot, and tasty. Our group got a few katsu options and X Garlic options. And the only fruit sando available was strawberries and cream, which was yummy. Difficult to eat given they use strawberry halves instead of strawberry slices so beware - it'll get messy. Their drinks were yummy too! Had the matcha strawberry and a jasmine milk tea. Will be back in the future once they have their service and processes down. Hopefully they'll be in stock on everything cuz I really want to try some egg sandos. Pricing is good for the amount you get. I could only get through one half of my sandwich, so got to the enjoy the rest as leftovers. The strawberries and cream was so perfectly tart and sweet. The bread is as perfectly fluffy and soft as you'd imagine.

    Put the spam inside the nori!!
    Luigi C.

    Delicious sandwiches and the bread was soooo soft! My only gripe is that they put the spam inside the nori and NOT on top because it can easily fall off and you left with just a rice n seaweed.

    X Garlic Chicken Bowl
    David K.

    Ichiban Sando is a hole-in-the-wall restaurant with a Japanese-inspired menu of sandos, rice bowls, katsu, and onigiri. The specialty, of course, was their sandos made on their homemade milk bread, which sounds simple but was unbelievably and deliciously soft, fluffy, and chewy at the same time. The Sando Sampler A came with a nice variety of sandwiches including an X Garlic Bomb Chicken Katsu Sando with breaded chicken, shredded cabbage, black garlic sauce, and mayo; an Egg Salad Sando with egg salad and a soft-boiled egg; and a Mixed Fruit Sando made with whipped cream, strawberry, orange, pineapple, and kiwi. The breaded chicken katsu was perfectly crispy and went nicely with the black garlic sauce; and the Mixed Fruit Sando made for a nice light, sweet dessert. But my favorite sando was definitely the Egg Salad Sando, which was super creamy and delicious without being too decadent. Next, the Kimchee Chicken Sando was made of a double portion of chicken katsu, kimchi, and shredded red cabbage. The X Garlic Chicken Bowl came with chicken in their flavorful sweet black garlic sauce, served with rice and shredded cabbage. Finally, the Softshell Crab Egg Sando was made of soft scrambled egg, melted cheddar, and a deep-fried soft shell crab on extra thick slices of toasted milk bread, topped with creamy mayo. This sando was definitely the most decadent of the ones we tried (thanks to the cheese and mayo), and everything we had was flavorful and delicious. Overall, I'd highly recommend this small shop for their delicious Japanese-style sandos. The creations were quite decadent and came at a great value for the quality and presentation of the food!

    Strawberry Fruit Sando
    Melanie G.

    I went here this past Saturday around 4pm and it was steadily busy. The workers were helpful and my strawberry sando came out quick (I believe it's pre-made). Note: I had tried to come the night previous when they advertise to be open til 8pm but at 7:30, they were already closed The bread had a perfect chew, the strawberries were fresh and crisp with a good balance of sweet tartness and the cream was light and a perfect compliment to the bread and strawberries! Close to $9 is a little steep but to try once was a treat.

    Dianna H.

    Loved my sando from Ichiban Sando! I stopped by for lunch Saturday around noon and it wasn't crowded at all. Ambience is casual with a couple of small tables. They have a good variety of food options, not just sandos but also musubi, onigiri, sushi boxes, and a large variety of tea, coffee, and smoothie drinks. I couldn't decide on what to get, so I asked the guy at the counter what was popular, and he recommended the X garlic bomb sando and the shrimp katsu sando. I get the shrimp for $11.95 as well as a mixed fruit sando for $8.95. I got both in a to go box as I wasn't sure how much I would be able to finish, but ended up finishing both. The shrimp sando was delicious, though I may be biased as I love shrimp, and comes with two shrimp patties. It was my first time trying a fruit sando. It was good, but I think I'm just not used to eating fruit and cream with bread, so it was a bit hard to wrap my mind around.

    Pork Sando and Chicken Sando
    Stephanie R.

    I found out about this spot a few weeks ago and have been back 3 times since my first visit. The chicken and pork katsu sandos are so crunchy but also perfectly moist, and the bbq sauce and cabbage add the perfect texture to complement the meat and soft milk bread. One sando keeps me full for the rest of the day which says a lot about the portion. The shop is very cozy and causal. I really appreciate that they have a self order station for folks that know what they want, but there's also a staff member available to take orders and answer questions. Super recommended this place!

    curry shrimp sando
    Ann M.

    I'm vacationing in SD and was thrilled to find a sando shop. This place did not disappoint. I liked that they had several different flavors in addition to onigiri. I got the menchie, coconut curry shrimp, and spicy crab onigiri. Everything was great but my favorite was the menchie sando. The shop is on the small side and they have decent parking on the side of the building. Service was quick and efficient.

    Shrimp curry
    Maridel A.

    Just got back from Japan and have been seriously missing it--this place really hits the spot! Japanese dishes are just next-level with flavor and creativity. The shrimp curry sando was so flavorful, with the perfect amount of filling in every bite. Super satisfying and definitely worth it. The strawberry fruit too was a nice touch--fresh, not overly sweet, and it balanced everything out really well. Can't wait to come back and try the spam musubi and sushi box!

    Inside
    Marcia R.

    Very friendly and good Katsu Sando's here! I wish it wasn't so run down it could be nicer inside. That all Be we do like the Katsu pork and chicken Katsu You and it made fresh here

    Michelle O.

    I've been wanting to try this place for a while. And this place has been popping up on my TikTok's. And we finally were in the Chula Vista area. So, I went. This place is small. Has limited seating. I got the BOX C option - $30.95 1 Classic + 2 Special® Rolls + 1 Soda And a fruit Sando The sushi was good and flavorful. But this sushi was heavy on the rice. I hate that! A thick layer of rice in sushi always feels like filler. If I'm ever in the area agin I would definitely say light on the rice.

    Chicken katsu and egg sando Coconut curry shrimp sando

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    2 months ago

    I got the shrimp Sando... SO DELICIOUS I wasn't able to take a photo because I was so hungry and I devoured it because it was soooo gooood!

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    Page 1 of 11

    Ichiban Sando Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Ichiban Sando

    Will you fix the air conditioning situation?

    Wow Is Not My Job. 🙄 Duh I'm Not The Owner.

    Are the sandos best eaten right away or can it save for a few hours?

    Yes, I believe they can be eaten a few hours later and still be fresh tasting, but lol why wait? (;

    How long has this place been here?

    I think since mid last year (2021) Maybe may or June

    Are you guys open for dine in?

    Yes they are

    View All 5 Questions

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