This place is small but mighty. It's the best sushi spot in the area, hands down. The fish was fresh, and it melts in your mouth. The service was attentive , fast, and warm. My beautiful date had the miso soup with tofu. The flavors were deep and flavorful. I will definitely come back. read more

Icho Izakaya Sushi & Grill - The large sashimi platter. Yum. - Japanese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Icho has quickly become one of my most favorite places to visit. The small interior seats only a few guests which makes it great for date nights and special outings with a few guests. However this allows the staff to be more directly invested in your experience and keep the same level of quality in each dish. The fish is always fresh. The sushi rolls are creative enough to stand out from your local sushi restaurant but not over the top that the flavors get so mixed up that you're not sure what you're eating. The star of the show is their truffle escolar. I can't say more than if you are a fan of sashimi, then you will want to get this to be the first and last dish you order. read more

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It's been a bit since we trekked here. Just got back from Seattle. Had some sushi there at a very highly rated -(4.6. Lots of reviews) place. Was very mediocre and disappointing. So was super excited to have date night here and as always it did NOT disappoint. Shishito peppers. Hands down, the best thing behave ever had. I don't know what they do different. But they do it consistently and very well. I could eat these alone and feel happy. We are on a yellowtail kick. We asked the amazing and attentive waitress to as yellowtail choices she recommended. We tried them all. They were fantastic. Best. Sushi. Ever. Haven't had better in Cali. Or Seattle. It's.... Ya. Icho Izakaya as the overall champ. Our waitress is such a sweet spirit, she checked in frequently. I wish I had gotten her name. My wife and I both talked afterwards about how she pleasant and sweet spirited she was, super helpful and knowledgeable. She was outstanding! I will say, the master chef is busy. Lots of orders come in. And he rotates them so everyone gets part of their order. Be patient. Enjoy your company. Catch up. Slow down. It's so worth it. And as am I am writing this, my wife texts me again. "That sushi was so delicious". Shes right. It was. read more

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Tiny Lil gem! I heard great things about this restaurant which is only a few minutes away from my favorite magic studio in town, mystique. I popped in for a quick dinner tonight. The prices for a reasonable. The sushi pieces were small but fresh, customer service was friendly and kind and the sushi chefs were outstanding! I was so impressed that they were willing to adapt my chirashi to my taste. Loved the $4 option to add Soup and salad. The truffle ponzu sauce was incredible! Loved the wasabi octopus! Next time I would probably do one of the omokase options Seating was very tight so it was a tad uncomfortable feeling can find especially sitting at the bar and being so close to where staff enter and exit the kitchen. They're only a few tables so I imagine the place gets busy and fills up relatively quickly. Realistically I would give this experience of 4.5 stars and I'm going to go ahead and round up to five because staff were so warm and accommodating. read more

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my favorite hidden gem sushi spot in Mesa!! Every time we come the food is so good and satisfies the sushi craving. The specials are always so good we love the madai sea bream and the scallop with crab hand roll (off menu). The restaurant is small and intimate making it the perfect place for a date night. The fish is fresh and good quality. read more

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It's a small izakaya with warm atmosphere. We ordered several yakitori , tempura, and sushi. The food quality was good, but need to wait for a bit even there was not packed. I liked the light batter of the tempura, and also the yakitori was grilled perfectly. It's on the pricer side but the freshness of food and friendly staff made it worth it. read more

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Clean open concept eating area with a sushi bar. We came in around 12:40 (shortly after they opened at 12:30-2 on Sunday's) was peacefully quiet, enjoyed our rolls. Noticed there's a lot of take out orders for those that are conveniently nearby, as for us we aren't as fortunate living in QC. Yellowtail Serrano was refreshing, Firecracker Roll was our favorite, we ordered another before leaving! We also had Kyoto Roll and Truffle Tide Roll. Service was friendly, it seemed pretty slow with our order being made for just being only use dining in the whole time we were there, maybe because of order take out being made in between our waiting? I'm sure the evening is decent timing with more chef at the bar, as there was only one guy for the 2.5hr opening for the first shift on Sunday. Will be back to try other rolls on the menu. Thank you. read more

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It feels like I'm in Tokyo! Incredible selection of fresh fish! Never disappoints for lunch or dinner. Service is fast and friendly. Great hidden gem with an authentic feel in and out! read more

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From the minute I got there entirely too early for my reservation, the staff made me feel at home. There was only one table available; it's a small venue but the tables aren't on top of one another which I love. The incredibly sweet hostess and server were attentive and helpful; and were able to work the busy room effectively while still being friendly and appearing non-stressed. Our hostess also recommended sone delicious options for our dinner. We had the yellowtail to start and it was just extremely fresh and bright. The fried chicken tenders were a revelation- the batter was flavorful and spiced with flavors Colonel Sanders WISHES he thought of. The chicken was tender and juicy and it was served with what was listed as a spicy mayo but it was really not spicy, more mayo but orange in color. I am a little bit of a sauce snob since I make very good sauces and aïoli at home. California rolls were a solid offering- good and fresh. We had the amberjack in truffle which I think was a special that day and it was literally melt in your mouth buttery and delicate. Incredible. I do enjoy the occasional raw, but I also love cooked fish and when I said that to the hostess, she let me know that they get their fish flown in daily from Los Angeles and that they are happy to cook whatever we wanted them to. I loved that! We tried so many different things. We tried the pork belly, which was excellent, incredibly tender and juicy. We had a shrimp tempura roll. I forget the name of it, but it was fantastic and again everything is so fresh that it was a delight, and I didn't worry about any of it being raw. At one point either a manager or owner came through the room and made sure everyone was OK and enjoying their meals. I love when restaurants do this. You could tell that everybody who worked there was happy and that it was well organized. This whole experience was wonderful. Love this place and the people who work here!! read more

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Such a cute little restaurant Don't be fooled by the outside, inside is quite lovely. Only has a handful of small tables and the sushi bar so if you're coming in a large group, I would definitely call ahead. The service was very nice and friendly, but the food came out very slow. Honestly I didn't mind since I was catching up but I felt bad when all my orders came out and my friends didn't have any of her food yet. Maybe they thought it was meant to share? But honestly not a huge complaint. The food was delicious. Higher price, higher quality, but smaller portions. Definitely recommend the soft shell crab, scallop nigiri, and Kyoto roll! I'd come back here for a date night :) Environment: 5/5 Food: 4/5 Price: 4/5 Service: 5/5 read more

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Nice atmosphere and really friendly staff that made special orders for our dietary restrictions and were very gracious about it. We had fried tofu and curry that was amazing and an amazing yuzu sparkling wine that I will go back for. read more

UHHHHHMAZING! Small intimate place. They offer omakase which is cool. I'll have to come back and try! Servers are attentive. Started off with miso soup. The quality of fish is very very good. Salmon was buttery smooth. Albacore yummy. Philadelphia roll was filling. Will come back for sure! read more

Icho Izakaya Sushi & Grill - Miso Soup - Japanese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

We did it! We finally found our go to, neighborhood Japanese restaurant! It is rare to find a spot that has delicious sushi and also some of the comfort dishes my husband grew up eating like Oyakodon. Every bite we had was incredible. They had so many specials like salmon Kama and omakase that make ordering a delight! Service was incredible! We have wanted to try this spot for over a year but they do have varying hours that make it tricky but worth the planning!!!! The inside is adorable. Best bite of the day was of the toro, always get the upgrade!! read more

Icho Izakaya Sushi & Grill - Japanese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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A small cute sushi restaurant. There's about 8 seats at the sushi bar and maybe 7 dining tables. The chef was amazing at picking out our sashimi as I don't usually eat raw sushi. Everything was fresh and the fish melted in your mouth. Waitresses were all friendly & attentive. read more

Icho Izakaya Sushi & Grill - Skewers - Japanese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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SENTRY - WATCHING RESTAURANTS Icho Izakaya 1911 W Broadway Rd. Mesa, AZ 85202 Companion and I were in the mood for some Japanese food. When we arrived we were seated immediately, but by the time we left, there wasn't a seat to be had. We both started with Karaage, which is a type of fried chicken. It was properly cooked and a large portion. ($8.00). Companion ordered vegetable tempura, and I could not believe the size of the portion. When we left, there was still unfinished tempura on the plate! I chose to have assorted nigiri rolls and sushi. I started with toro maki rolls. Toro is the fatty belly of the tuna and is considered the best part. ($14.00 for 6). This was followed by unagi which is fresh water eel and it was deliciously melt in the mouth. ($13.00). Next was a salmon skin roll ($12.00). It was a little weak in the making as the roll needed to be made tighter so that it didn't come apart. The flavor however was spot on. Next was tako sushi also known as octopus. The chef had an unusual technique for creating it which made it totally tender. ($8.00). The only weak point of the meal was that desserts are all American style. In Japan dessert is not served with most meals, and if it is, it normally would be some cut up fresh seasonal fruit, as eating something out of its season is not normally done. I opted to have tamago which is a sweet egg sushi ($7.00) Hygiene was good and service was excellent. The place isn't the biggest, but most izakaya's are not big places as they are known for quick service of smaller portions. Of this meal I can only say Oishii which is how you say delicious. 5 stars read more

This is the best place to have sushi for somewhat of a reasonable price. Still the best! The service is super great and the waitress is super sweet. read more

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One of my favorite go-to sushi spots. The sushi always tastes fresh and delicious, especially their uni and toro. The sushi rice was an addictive complement to the fish. My friend and I recently tried their tier one fall omakase and upgraded to the uni rolls. It was such a great way to try many of their dishes for a great price. The sushi chef and owner is super nice and very accommodating to his customers. You can tell his passion for his food. It's small and cozy inside. I definitely like sitting at the sushi bar to see the chef at work. I highly recommend. read more

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I come to AZ every year to visit my bestie. And every year I look for a new sushi spot. I'm never blown away and so I look again. I think I can stop looking now. Finally, a sushi spot worthy of my discernment! Everything here is just STUNNING! Superb! Chen (I hope I'm spelling his name right) was our chef and crafted everything with such care. You could tell he was trained by the best and really loved his craft. Our favorites were the amberjack so much so we ordered it twice. Caroline was our server and she was so fun! We ordered whatever was the specials since those were the freshest and were always changing based on availability. White tuna, scallops, yellowtail and amberjack all our favorites. Even the uni was super buttery and on point. Shawn even gave us tamago which was homemade. So different from what I've ever had; you could tell it wasn't artificial. Truffle yuzu chef's kiss! I loved the little bar set up just perfect for my bestie and me. As much as I want to gatekeep, I just can't. Mesa you have a beautiful addition. Don't let the strip mall fool you. Come here! read more

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First and foremost, this place had just I was looking for--casual/relaxed atmosphere, reasonable prices, and above all great food. The dishes we ordered were all seasoned very generously and the garlic edamame (a must-order for the table) had a little heat to it. My hamachi Kama came out first and was cooked beautifully through and again, seasoned well. The ponzu and ginger were a nice dipping sauce. The sunrise roll had great flavors and cool presentation. Our scallop and chicken yakitoris were great too. I didn't get to try it but the table next to us got agedashi tofu that looked great. Side note, every table was full--always a good sign for a restaurant when there's lots of competition. As someone from the SF Bay Area I'm pretty picky about landlocked sushi places, but this one knocked it outta the park for our spring training visit. Go Giants!! Sorry for not photographing anything it all looked so good we just dug in. read more

My friend took me here for a 'Girl's Night'. We ordered Omakase and I was absolutely delighted and blown away by the quality and presentation. We had an amazing experience and the evening was incredible! read more

Icho Izakaya Sushi & Grill - Japanese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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I'm very pleased with this find! The sushi was fresh and the ambiance is quaint. It's pretty small for the Saturday crowd but I think that is what makes it more charming. read more

Celebrated a friend's birthday here and had a great dinner. It was our first experience with this restaurant. Will definitely be back. I splurged a bit and went with the omakase (the course of the meal was displayed on the specials board) and it did NOT disappoint. If you decide to opt for the omakase, I highly recommend you upgrade it because IMO, it was absolutely worth the extra $10. My friend tacked on two specialty rolls and just so happened, according to our waitress, selected the two most popular ones on the menu. When they came out, they both looked fantastic and tasted the way they looked. The whole time we dined, we simultaneously planned our next visit back to the place. That's how we usually know we know we love the place enough to add it to our rotation of places to hit up when we decide to splurge and dine out (gotta be choosey nowadays, money is NOT easy to come by and things are not getting cheaper). read more

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I found this place after doing a quick Google search for sushi in Mesa. It had 4.5 stars and was right around the corner. Honestly, the best decision! It's a very small intimate, sushi and yakitori Grill. The food was amazing. Caroline, my Server has a great personality and was able to answer any questions I had. If you're in the mood for sushi. This is the place to get it from. read more

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Wow where to start? I thought the place with the 4.7 rating was not going to disappoint, boy I was wrong. We sat at the sushi bar for the longest time without anyone asking if we wanted anything so I politely asked the sushi chef in front of me if we should just order directly with him, he didn't even respond and called the only waitress, we ordered a glass of whisky an appetizer and 3 other plates. Another couple sat next to us a little bit after...The other couple finished their first entree and we only had whisky that whole time, finally sat up and asked for the check They still made us pay for the whisky after they admitted they never took our order in 26 dollars wasted and they gave us this container to go along with our hunger. Terrible service and so inconsiderate of our time and the gas we spent driving here. The LEAST they could have done was give us the drink as a courtesy for the hour wait to eat air. read more

Icho Izakaya Sushi & Grill - Japanese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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This place is small, super intimate, and welcoming! Locally owned and operated Japanese restaurant. But they can speak Chinese. They have a little bit of everything for everyone: Yakitori, Japanese BBQ, sushi, ramen, tempura, sashimi, and specials. My friend wanted sushi for her bday, I am not a sushi fan, so I am thankful for all the other selections. They want to town on sushi and sashimi. Below are the things that I ate, but I took pics of most of the dishes that came to the table. Service was friendly and perfect. They even bought out homemade lychee ice cream in the end. That was so so good! I tasted all these dishes and they were perfect!!!! Karaage Fried Chicken Agedashi Tofu Chicken Yakitori Duck Yakitori Chef's wall special fried fish dinner Thank you for the great food, great atmosphere, and great service! read more

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I been coming to this restaurant for a long time everything is so fresh made to order this is my favorite restaurant here in Mesa. This is my spot to come and eat and chill service can be a bit slow for some people but this is not fas food is quality food so it might take a little. I don't have nothing bad to say about this place I love it. read more

Icho Izakaya Sushi & Grill - Japanese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Sushi in Arizona? Regardless of your apprehensions, you should try Icho Izakaya because they serve up really good sushi in the middle of nowhere. We showed up early to the dinner seating and checked out the specials. The standouts included pumpkin tempura and yellowtail serrano. The nigiri sushi was high quality, and the miso sea bass was fantastic. Attentive staff in a tiny space with the appropriate decorations, this is the real deal. A full meal with all the flavors - raw, pickled, fermented, cooked. If you order correctly, Icho Izakaya will satisfy your sushi craving, even in the middle of the desert! read more

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Best sashimi in Phoenix area. This place was amazing. We split the omakase #2 for $85 between two people. Absolutely stuffed at the end. Every bite was delicious. read more

Shaun used to be the sushi chef in our town of Sedona at a different restaurant and we missed him. During a concert in Mesa, AZ., we searched him out and had one of the most amazing sushi dining experiences in a long time! The place is small, but pleasantly decorated, quiet and with very nice quality music. The service was very good and our server was super positive and a joy to have serve us. However, we were blown-away by the quality, presentation and taste of the food! Shaun is your chef and everything we had was top tier and next level compared to many sushi restaurants in AZ. The flavors are complex and yet subtle; more unique and authentic, the freshness beyond most other locations and the creativity was outstanding. While enjoying our many courses, Shaun brought out a huge fresh tuna and filleted it all in short order. We also sampled the Toro which was like nearly melted butter in your mouth, so fresh and just amazing. We also loved the crunchy rice topped with ell and should of ordered more! The Firecracker was different than most other places and had fresh tasty scallops on it... dreamy!! I have to say, we've thought about Icho and Shaun's preparations many times and badly wish that it was in Sedona. If we are anywhere in the area, without question we will go out of our way to visit again. Thank you so much for the outstanding food, service and evening.. you made our weekend.... Greg & Dawn read more

I've driven by so many times lately, so I had to give it a try. Very glad I did. Small and cozy with an attentive staff. The miso was tastier than most places. The nigiri was fresh and delightful. We really enjoyed the Firecracker Roll and the Spicy Rainbow Roll. We can't wait to go back. read more

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I was disappointed during the first visit. However, the second visit was definitely a much better experience. A group of us went for a birthday celebration. They do accept reservation. This restaurant is a small place with very limited seating at the sushi bar. You can easily miss the restaurant if you don't look up at the main signage on top from the parking lot as there was no signage on the front door or window. We ordered a bunch of items. Everything was fresh and delicious. The portion size was small for the high prices. The apps were definitely overpriced! The lack of ambiance doesn't fit with the high prices for sure. The service was superb. A must try was their Lychee ice cream dessert. read more

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We went to the Christmas night Omakase. I will tell you, it was in the top 5 meals of my life. Everything was fresh and delicious. Truly a delight for your senses. read more

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I have been wanting to try this place for months but just never got the chance to go. We decided to give it a try since we were already out and about in Mesa. Our uber had a difficult time finding this place. The restaurant does have a big sign above but the sign was not on and the plaza was a bit dark. I had to call the restaurant to find them and the person on the phone actually came outside to look for us. Thank you! They are located right across the street from International Market in the Whataburger plaza. Our order: Icho Sashimi platter (medium) $60 Fire Yellowtail roll $19 Soft Shell Crab Maki $16 Uni Sushi $24 Sake Bomber w/ Large Sapporo $8 It was not what I expected walking in. Different from what I had imagined. Sushi was good but not the best I've had. Maybe because I feel like sushi/sashimi should come out cold. Usually why I prefer sushi during the cooler months than during summer. The sashimi platter was okay. The yellowtail and salmon seemed the most fresh. The other 4 (tuna, sea bream, amberjack & halibut) were okay. Some were a bit tough. One of them had a strong fish taste. My yellowtail roll was good. My uni was delicious and fresh! Very pricy though here. I don't eat soft shell crab so I didn't try that. I like that they automatically give fresh wasabi and not just regular. Total was about $160. Doesn't look like they charged my friend for her sake. My portion alone was $74! I would come back and try again when it's cooler read more

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A hidden gem with a tiny space set up with good food! The first time, we didn't get a table, the second time we got a table right away as they were not so busy! We went with chicken and pork yakitori, miso soup, Chicken Karage, a few rolls, and fried baby ! Everything was good! I want to try other items in the future as most of the things we ordered were fried, so felt like we missed out on the taste of the pallet. Service is slightly slow but nice folks! Give it a try, it's worth it! read more

Half of our dishes I would say were pretty good, other half were too saucy or not flavored as preferred. Service was very slow on a Sunday evening and had to remind them a few times of our orders that were forgotten. Found the rainbow roll and some of the sashimi appetizers pretty good. Thick cuts of fish with light seasoning. The soft shell crab roll and ahi tuna tataki rolls were pretty good too. There were some other rolls that were just too saucy that took away from the dishes. You don't need any soy sauce to dip for many of the rolls. We also ordered a miso cod that tasted more like texmex or taco seasoning than miso which was a bit odd. Fish itself was tender and well cooked though. For the service and very casual ambiance, I felt like the price point could have been lower. They gave us some ice cream to make up for it which was nice. Yuzu ice cream was great. read more

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Love this place. The miso Chilean sea bass is incredible as are many of the dishes. It's no thrills. It's warm inside, there may be a little wait, but the beverages are cold and the food is worth it. read more

Icho Izakaya Sushi & Grill - They just added a happy hour. - Japanese Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

All the food was extremely delicious. Very fresh, delicious and right on point. Seriously, one of the best sushi places I've tried. The chef uses Yuzu, which is not common in a lot of places. Everything is made in-house. Definitely recommend this place. Service was great as well. Lychee sorbet (with pieces of lychee) was as amazing as freshly fruit cut off the tree. read more

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Absolutely delighted, the ambiance was amazing, staff was super nice, BUT... It's the food, WOW, the sushi was great but the beef soup, not what it's called, but their soup made my heart sing!! Thank you so much Sam read more

I've seen this place a few times as I went to AZ International Market, so I decided to pick up some food for dinner. This is a small establishment with only 6 tables (4 seats each) and a small bar you can sit at as well, with 6 seats available. I opted to order the Hamachi Kama, Karage Chicken, Mackerel nigiri & salmon nigiri. Everything that needed to be cooked was seasoned well and prepared well. The nigiri was good and I like that they offered fresh wasabi in the container. Everything appears to be clean inside as well and all their sushi ingredients are stored properly since I could see them bringing things out and unwrapping them and then re-wrapping them and placing back in their refrigerators at the sushi bar. The gentleman (I believe is the owner) was friendly and professional. I look forward to trying other things. read more

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I enjoyed my omakase (small) . All the nigiri tasted fresh and it wasn't fishy at all. I enjoyed it with some rice and soy sauce and I can't believe I haven't had toro yet but it's now my favorite. For sure next time I'll get the toro omakase! We had it as takeout and it was done in a timely order. The vibes here is very cozy. However the katsu tasted lil sour to us and the breading didn't stick to the chicken. I'm not very picky but to some that might be an off, it tasted much better with the sauce! read more

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