Love it! I would definitely recommend this to my friends and come back again. The service is really good. The waitress is very professional, kind and cheerful. The dishes are amazingly delicious. All the ingredients are fresh. They know that it's my birthday so they even played a birthday song and designed a special dessert with candle and flowers for me!! Price is reasonable. 10/10!! read more

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Celebrated valentines a little early this year and we stumbled upon this place and decided to try it out. Since this place is located in an older Asian plaza, It felt like it was just a regular Japanese restaurant. Thought I was too dressed up for this place, however the interior was beautiful. It was modern, marbled walls, and dim lighting to set the mood. I love how they have these bamboo wall over the booth to separate the tables and gives you a feel of privacy where you don't see other patrons. The reservations and tasting is done in 2-2.5 hour block. We came early to our reservation and had to wait until everyone was done eating and cleaned up before they let the next group of people in. I'm not too sure if they had change the menu, or they did a valentines special. They did not have special A or special B menu like I have seen on yelp. We were prepared to grab a snack or something to fill us up in case we were still hungry after the tasting but we were decently filled! I would say we were 7-8/10 full Posted the pictures in the order it was received and is placed on the menu. Everything was beautifully plated and everything was delicious! The sashimi were fresh, and I'm not too sure what they added but there was a slight sweetness to it. They provide you a foam soy sauce which was kind of fun hahaha. And they provided so much for dessert. The dishes came out fairly quickly for us, and didn't have to wait that long, but we did have to wait for a bit for dessert. After seeing how much they gave us for dessert, I definitely didn't mind. They were quick to take the dish away so I couldn't have asked for a box for the dessert The service was great, the waiters were knowledgeable about the dishes and explained to us what we were eating when they brought it out to us. I would definitely come back every now and then when they change up the menu read more

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Small, curated restaurant hidden inconspicuously in a strip mall. Interior decor and lighting provides a very nice ambience. Came here for my 6 month anniversary with my girlfriend, and the service was spectacular! We were quite hungry, and Ichika managed to blow us away with the freshness of the nigiri, taste and composition of each omakase item, and attention to detail from Chef Gomi. read more

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Delicious! Omakase/prixe-fix $158 Set (no other sets) Took over what use to be sushi kai, completely remodeled Delicious! Every bite from finish to last was amazing. Amazing presentation, super fresh and delicious flavors! Licked my plate clean! Amazing service, the owner kai himself was serving, cleaning the whole 9 yards read more

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The food is very fresh and remind me the days back in Japan. The environment is nice and good for anniversary and birthday. Highly recommend this place! read more

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I had a lovely dinner at this place with a group of friends. We went with 10 course option. Each dish was beautifully made with the best possible ingredients. I loved the grilled beef, the garden salad, sashimi, surf and turf and the mocha tiramisu desert the most. The interior is beautiful and has a cozy charming feel to it. The service was great and fast considering the fact that they are in soft opening phase. Please note you will be there 2:3-3 hours which for a fine dining is totally reasonable. read more

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What can I even begin to say... Ichika is a truly amazing experience! The unique flavors, quality of the food, the presentation, friendly staff!! The list can go on and on. I am a food lover. I enjoy trying new foods and exploring. Ichika really transported me to another place. Each dish was so well thought out. Every piece was extraordinary. 100000/10 recommend this to anyone looking for a delicious and adventurous dinner! read more

Ichika - Appetizer - Sushi Bars Near Me - Milpitas, California

My husband took me here for our anniversary and we had a wonderful time. The atmosphere, service, food and everything else was perfect. I especially enjoyed their foamy soy sauce which I've never seen anywhere else before. High quality unique food that's definitely worth a try. My only regret was that I was getting way too full towards the end and could not fully enjoy the surf & turf and dessert. Be sure to go super hungry because they do give a lot of food! Overall, definitely recommend this restaurant if you are looking for a fancy dinner with good vibes. read more

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Amazing Japanese restaurant in bay area. Excellent service and food. Try it and love it! Set A is good as well. read more

Ichika - Sushi Bars Near Me - Milpitas, California

I had the best birthday celebration here, celebrating for my 20th birthday and I was welcomed by the host as soon as I walked in. I was seated within 10 minutes. The atmosphere was quite elegant interior with a soothing tone perfect for fine dining. When the food arrived I was surprised on how great the presentation was. The sushi was really fresh and had a sweet after taste. I highly recommend this place and will be back soon! read more

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This place was so good! I recommend coming here it is such a good tasting menu spot. You need a reservation to be able to dine here so make sure that you make one. It was $168 per person and there is a two hour time limit. Definitely try it if you are in the area! read more

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First time trying Omakase. Food is tasty and service is fast. Definitely fine dining and expensive but not the actual location. If you like Nigiri, you'll enjoy dining here. read more

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TLDR: Loved it. Amazing experience. Highly recommend. While the outside of the restaurant is a little unassuming (I came during their soft-opening so I don't think they've had a chance to dress up the exterior), the inside looks fantastic. Lots of black marble, lots of stylish mood lighting, very sleek, very cool. The place is pretty intimate as well, with only one large party table, a handful of smaller tables, and some bar seating. The staff and service were both excellent. The staff were engaging and attentive. They gave us a little backstory regarding the opening of the restaurant, answered all of our questions regarding the food, as well as asked for feedback on the entire experience. The service was on point, never had to wait long between dishes, quick with handling my groups requests, etc., etc. Before talking about the food and price point, I wanna preface it by saying I'm not an avid partaker of the fine dining scene and I wouldn't describe my palate as sophisticated. Your boy likes his Taco Bell. But that being said, I was pretty much blown away by the offerings here. All of the courses felt very creative and inventive, be it in the presentation, the flavor pairings, the dish itself, or some combination of all three. The first thing you'll notice is the plating, which was all done very well. There was clearly a lot of thought that went into how each dish should look which manifests as a driving, distinctly playful aesthetic across all the courses. The garden salad and uni plates were especially fun. For the food itself, everything was straight fire start to finish. The sashimi and nigiri omakase dishes were the standouts with the wagyu beef plate not too far behind. Straight up, the tuna sashimi and scallop nigiri felt something like a religious experience. High quality ingredients, fish imported from Japan, great stuff! Part of me wishes they pushed those sushi dishes back as later courses but the entire menu has such a great flow to it, I feel like it'd throw off the ride if they did. If I had to nitpick one thing, I'd say the surf & turf duck was perhaps a smidge too chewy, but it still tasted great so who cares? Also the tiramisu was *chef kiss*. They be putting in work in that kitchen. Now regarding the price, it's a fine dining restaurant so the check's gonna run a little big. But, to its credit, there was never a point in the meal where I felt like I wasn't getting my money's worth out of the experience. This place seems like a great option to celebrate a special occasion or a major life event. All in all, great experience. You can tell how much thought went into the restaurant, from the interior decoration to the order in which the courses arrived. The food was amazing, service was great, the staff was personable and engaging, what more could you ask for? Also the bathroom's pretty sick too. Toilet's like a spaceship. Definitely check that out. read more

Ichika - Sea Bass + Risotto Course - Sushi Bars Near Me - Milpitas, California

So this is a 10-course preset menu. Ichika considers itself "modern" kaiseki because it throws some curveballs in there not typical to the traditional Japanese kaiseki, and boy is it great. First dish is a salad with a massive shrimp head, stylized by a dry ice vat that looks really cool. It's a great way to open the meal up and prepare you for what's to come. From there, the next three courses were the highlight for me. Really loved the omakase and the wagyu- fish is very diverse and just melts in mouth and the wagyu is freaking great. The next several courses take you through a lot of different flavors, all of which are very well done, and really shapes the meal up to be an experience rather than just fancy food. Last meal- sea bass- was also delicious, definitely the best white fish I've ever had. The whole place is clearly designed by someone who's put a lot of thought into every detail, from the material of the seats, to the sound system, to the lighting. Just a beautiful interior, and once the crowd files in, really good vibe. Even though the place is still in a soft opening stage, they already have repeat customers (overheard some other tables). Obviously, its reservation only. While it's soft opening and people don't know about it, get in while you can! Easy 5 stars. read more

My best friend planned my Surprised Birthday dinner here. They are still at their soft opening stage. And let me tell you! Their tasting menu is amazing!!! I love it here. Perfect choice for my birthday dinner. All the waiters were super nice. Over there customer service. They were very accommodating and so is the chef. I would definitely recommend this place and come back here. As for the food, you must come and try it yourself and you will not be disappointed. read more

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It was one of the most interesting places we had had in SJ. Was definitely on the pricey side for us but all the food was delicious so can't complete too much. Sea bass, and both the steak courses were exceptionally good. We were also surprisingly full at the end of the meal. Would definitely recommend for a special night out! read more

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very good experience. The food is super good. But for the price I feel the interior decoration could be better. read more

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My review for Ichika is long overdue and is based on three visits during their soft opening. My number of visits should be evident enough about how much I like Ichika. One thing that stands out is that having a meal here is an absolute experience that you'll be thinking about for days after your visit. End to end, Kai/Irvin (owners) and team have curated an amazing dining experience. Ichika is located in a very unassuming, yet typical busy South Bay shopping plaza, but as soon as you step foot inside, you're taken back by how serene and calm the atmosphere is that it instantly transports you away from the hustle and bustle of the valley. The custom interior, lighting and music provides for an amazing dining environment. As for the food, it's spectacular. Each course was designed and executed with amazing precision along with a great balance of flavors and textures leaving you yearning for the next course to come out. Our favorites were the Ocean Garden Salad, Sashimi/Nigiri Omakase, Surf and Turf, and lets not forget, the Tofu matcha Tiramisu. Ichika is truly an experience to be had. As for the the subpar reviews, they seem to be overly critical and are off base from the true epicurean value that Ichika has graced Milpitas with. I've had my fair share of Michelin meals, as well as a few from The World's 50 Best Restaurants list, and I would gladly add Ichika to the conversation as one of the best meals I've had. Given that I've been three times, I can attest that my experience has progressively improved with each visit during their soft opening which gives me great confidence that they will soon be a premier south bay dining destination. Now that we're entering the holidays, you can guarantee that I'll be back once they switch over to their winter menu. read more

The food is beautiful, delicious and interesting (that crispy noodle dish!!) The service is attentive and not overbearing The restaurant is immaculate and has a nice vibe The two friends I was with loved the low fi music the restaurant played. They were in soft opening but it felt like the restaurant was getting in its groove. I'm excited to come back when their menu changes for the winter. We had a great time read more

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Went there with friends for a birthday dinner. Our server Christine was really nice and all the staff were super friendly. It was very helpful that Christine told us the recommended sequence of eating for each course. Food was very very good and fresh, and a lot of the combinations are interesting. My favorite dishes were Hassun and Nigri Omakase, but everything else were also very tasty. At the end of the dinner Christine set up a candle on the cake to celebrate the birthday and played a happy birthday song in the restaurant. That was really sweet. I'm definitely recommending and coming back again in the future. read more

Ichika - Sushi Bars Near Me - Milpitas, California

Christine was very sweet to sing birthday song for us. Decent food, great service. Will come back. read more

Ichika - Sushi Bars Near Me - Milpitas, California

Came here during soft opening. The ambiance was nice and zen. They served tasting menu. Food presentations were similar to a Michelin star restaurant and the food had a lot of potential. I enjoyed some of the sushi items. One star knocked off as a few fish items should have been a bit more fresh in taste. Photos were some of the fav. read more

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One of the only great Japanese restaurants in the South Bay. You no longer have to brave the gauntlet to get to SF in order to get real Japanese cuisine. Ichika serves an incredible selection of quality nigiri, including some decadent cuts and some charred perfectly to bring out its marble. Thinking about the wagyuu nigiri is making my mouth water all over again. The chawanmushi is a creative + delicious take (please keep that on the menu forever!), and the hassun was a bite of all my favorite Japanese flavors (that peach refresher was wonderful)! This is not even mentioning their incredible selection of sake and special drinks. Honestly, just trust the drink-master - everything he served was magic! The staff was wonderful and charming, the decor made you feel like you slipped out of the South Bay and off a swanky Tokyo kaiseki. You can tell they put a lot of love and hard work into bringing great food to our area. read more

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At this price point you are comparing against some really amazing places in the bay. The food simply doesn't hit the mark for the cost. Presentation is nice, atmosphere is nice, food good but not great read more

It was a fantastic dinner. The ambiance was great, the sake choice was excellent, and the food was very flavorful. The service was excellent!!! read more

Creative chef! We like the big bass and beef nirigi most! Enjoyed birthday desserts and there's birthday song too! read more

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Reservation only. Used to be great. Not much else to say but they decline my walk in and nobody in restaurant. read more

The nigiri and sashimi were good. Other dishes were kind of awkward, I understand the chef would like to try something new, the pastry part of golden egg tofu is just too oily, and conflicted to the egg tofu part read more

This is a very high-end expensive Japanese restaurant. The whole atmosphere is excellent but I don't like every Japanese food that they served. It's a price fix menu with good food and good weight staff. read more

I choose Ichika for my husband birthday's dinner , the food are delicious and the service is very well.The environment is good because the style I like also appointment only, it's a unique place to have fancy sushi. read more

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We've been here before with a spectacular experience. Recently went back on 2/26/22 and unfortunately things seem to have gone downhill. 3 out of the 5 people in our party got very sick just a couple hours after dining here, and I'm talking runs all night and vomiting in the morning. As I am writing this 3 days later, my mom just vomited into the sink (prompting this review). Experience: We were seated at the inner most booth next to the kitchen. To say the least the whole dining experience was chaotic. The service was rushed, waiters constantly running into each other in front of our booth, and the dining etiquette was not quite there. Given, it was a Saturday night and they had a full booking. But service and food both could have been better. Food: We previously tried the regular set menu priced at $128 and it was great. The entrees were mostly raw options, and their uni was amazing, but what stole the show was definitely the dessert. Their dessert included a wooden boxed tiramisu, warabimochi, and sesame ice cream. Now fast forward to our most recent experience, we had the $158 premium menu. Which honestly did not seem any better, and the dessert was a complete let down. What was even more eye raising, was they brought out all the dessert (for 5 people) on one single plate?! Very confused when we saw this. Like we were all suppose to just grab a spoon and eat off this one plate. Like I said, the dining etiquette is not there. For having a prix-fixe menu, and being in this price range, the owner may want to rethink all of the above. If they are aiming to get a star, or even to be on the Michelin's recommended list, still have a long way to go. read more

Went for one of my best friend birthday dinner. Service, food, and sake were superb. We order a la carte after due to certain items were so good we had to get more. Christine our server, who's a cuttie was accommodating and warm. Would come back read more

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Excellent first experience with omakase dining. Chef accommodated dietary restrictions very well!

We visited Ichika with friends just after soft opening in late July. What a wonderful and surprising find! You wouldn't believe you could walk into such a beautifully designed space set in an unassuming location. This is a really special find, a destination with great ambience. As with all good Japanese, a true understanding of how the aesthetic improves the enjoyment of the food and overall experience was clearly demonstrated. I think Kai, the joint owner really knows what he is doing! The set course meals were fantastic, a real taste and sensory journey, culminating with an extraordinary surf and turf. The creative combinations worked really well throughout, the quality and diversity was brilliant and as a result there were a good amount of 'oohs and aaahs' around our table followed by satisfied smiles! Highly recommended. read more

I've been to quite a few omakase places already and this was by far the worse one I've been too. Looking at reviews, this place was a lot of people's first experience of what omakase has to offer but if you've been to others, I can guarantee you guys would not say this place was the best. Every dish that was brought out, I was disappointed. Every dish that's being brought out should be unique and something you've never tasted before but everything here did not wow me. I'm someone that eats everything but certain dishes did not satisfied my taste bud, and my best friend had to finish certain dishes for me. We did come when they barely opened up awhile back, so maybe they've improved since then. The inside is very intimate and nice but food wise, it did not exceed my expectations. I hate leaving a review like this because I have so much respect for omakase chefs and the time and thoughts that they've put into every dish they make but Ichika did not live up to the omakase experience. read more

Ichika - Sakura shrimp Ball Soup, had no flavors and the shrimp ball itself didn't taste like anything special - Sushi Bars Near Me - Milpitas, California

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I went to this place for a pre-Valentine's dinner. What a hidden gem I'm Milpitas! It's located in an Asian strip mall, but don't be fooled. Once you step inside, you are transported into a very modern and chic Asian inspired dinner experience. You are greeted by a very attentive wait staff. Once seated a tasty Yuzu beverage is given to you. After that, you are in for a culinary ride worth every bite. It is a prix fix menu, with a generous 7 course tasting during this night. I also ordered a bottle of Yuzu Sake. It was tart and sweet. I enjoyed it. The sushi and Nigiri courses were the highlights for me. Every course was tasty, but all were not home runs, but that rarely happens in any prix fix menu. I can't say enough about the staff and how attentive and friendly the are through the dinner. They guide you through each course with recommendations on the preferred way to enjoy the food. I could go on and on about the food, but the attached pictures say it all. You have to try out this hidden gem in Milpitas. read more

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Very very expensive sushi. Not my style, I understand that this restaurant requires a reservation, but really? They refused that I wanted to bring two more friends so they can't enjoy the same food. read more

Kaiseki dining leaning more towards raw sushi/sashimi than cooked courses. Decent, but expected better given the price point. read more

Ichika - Sushi Bars Near Me - Milpitas, California

I think Ichika has potential if they revise and refine some of their food and service. For a "$$$$" restaurant, it's fair to expect a certain level of service and quality. Most of the food was enjoyable or at least decent, the ambiance was good, but there were a couple issues that happened during our dinner that fell short. Before I speak on the food, I really need to talk about the staff. Throughout the dinner, the dishwasher guy interrupted our meal in very awkward ways a couple times. At first he just came up and said hi and thanked us for coming, and I thanked him for the work he does at the restaurant too. The second time, he reached over the counter and requested a fist bump. At first I just gave him a "socially distanced" non-touching fist bump, but he kept leaving his fist there for me to dap. This is while my wife and I were trying to eat our food, btw. I asked if it's alright if I didn't, for sanitary reason, but he kept insisting. So I bumped his fist so he would leave and let us eat, and I had to sanitize my hands before I could continue eating. The next time he came by, he asked if I wanted to drink some tequila. I politely declined and told him I don't drink alcohol anymore, and he said "whatever, sake or a beer", and I repeated "no thanks", and he said "it's okay I'll pay for it!" I just kept uncomfortably saying no thanks. Meanwhile he completely ignored my wife and didn't offer her anything. He was also blocking the table for the sushi chef to do his work. The sushi chef kept asking him to move out the way and the he was very slow to move. Ok, maybe he was just trying to be nice, but that's not the way to do it, and should be trained on the proper way. Overall just a very unprofessional interaction that I do not expect at a $$$$ restaurant. On to the food, half of it was pretty good, so I'll only talk about the food we had real issues with: For our sashimi plates, both my wife and I had several fish scales still on the sashimi. My wife's sashimi had bits of unchewable connective tissue in her fish too. And worst of all, during our Nigiri sushi plate, my wife had an actual bone in one of her pieces of sushi. All these issues are avoidable, and for being part of a $$$$ higher end dinner, this is not acceptable. One of the last plates, which had 5 or 6 items on it (including beef tongue) could be improved too. Everything was basically cold room temperature and didn't taste as good as a result. And it just felt like a random mix of food without any good chemistry tieing it all together on one plate. Our waiter/bartender was great though, shout out to Danny. And the host and hostess were also very friendly. The hostess did ask what items on the menu could be improved so it's good to see they are open to feedback. Although I forgot to tell her that in the end, for what we got, the main issue was the price. I hope they continue to work on their food/service and become a restaurant worthy of their price tag. But if they are unable to improve the quality of the food, then the price needs to be lower. read more

Food - 3 stars Food is okay. Not traditional Japanese food, but more like Japanese fusion. Presentation is nice. However, they do not change your utensils, so it affects the taste of the food. Service - 1 star They charge $158-$168/person for the fix menu. With this price, we expected a high quality of service. However, the service is bad. Just to be clear, the servers are all very nice but they need to do more training for sure. The first instance was when the waiter was clearing the table right next to us. He grabbed the dish but spilled out the liquid from the dish onto the floor and some liquid was on our table. The waiter did not notice at all after going back and forth a couple of times and he stepped on the liquid several times. Then I ask another waitress to clean up the floor in case someone might slip.  The second instance was when the waitress was serving the food to our table, and the waiter was refilling the hot tea at the same time. They did not communicate well and then the waiter spilled the hot tea. The entire hot tea was on the table, my chair, the floor, and my legs. It was very hot. I acted very quickly to move away from the table.  Based on these two instances, the servers really need to do more training to provide better service to the customers. read more