A nice restaurant for a relatively delicate meal on campus! I ordered the Fried Chicken Wings and the Takoyaki (Fried Octopus Ball) for my appetizers. The chicken wings were on the average level, but the octopus ball was really amazing, which could melt in my mouth and had a very appropriate balance of each aspect of flavors. For the main Sushi plate, I ordered the hot pick on the menu called Angel Hair Roll, and that also tasted delicious with abundant sauce on the top! The total cost of this lunch was below 35, which I believe was reasonable. Might go there again if I miss the taste of Sushi! read more

See all

Came here for my birthday dinner and the food was pretty good for the price. I got two rolls and I think it was around $12? It came out pretty quickly. I also ordered the miso soup and the size of it was pretty big and it was super delicious and warm. If I ever need a quick sushi fix, I'll definitely come back!! read more

Sushi Ichiban - palatine roll and new york roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Incredible chicken teryaki at an even better price. One of the cheapest restaurant i've seen around CU, and the food is well worth the low price. Will definitely be going again! read more

Great sushi for the price, love this place! The 2 regular roll deal is a good price, and the sushi is always fresh!

In a prime location, this place offers inexpensive food that is prepared very quickly. I'd suggest coming during lunch hours because they have lots of lunch specials. I haven't tried their sushi because of the negative reviews, but I ended up getting their chicken teriyaki. Ordering is simple and quick at the counter. The reason for three stars is because of the taste of the food. It's not amazing, and I'd probably not go there again for the teriyaki. I might try the AYCE sushi sometime. read more

The sushi deals here are amazing. I think it was two rolls for 14 bucks which is great because one roll elsewhere would be a little over 10 dollars. Miso soup is delish and crab Rangoon's too. The people here are also chill. This wouldn't be my first choice sit down sushi spot tho, it has a lot of charm nevertheless and I love it very much!!! read more

Sushi was not bad but didn't really stand out and taste was okay. I enjoyed the pot stickers more and they were more flavorful read more

Sushi Ichiban - a tray of sushi on a table - Sushi Bars Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

See all

Good food and good customer service, and not too expensive. Overall would come back!

I went to Sushi Ichiban earlier today for lunch, and the woman who was the cashier was extremely rude. I ordered Yaki-soba noodles while my girlfriend ordered Ramen. When our food was ready, they gave us two plates of Yaki-soba noodles. So, they got my girlfriend's order wrong. My girlfriend told the cashier that the order was wrong, and that she actually ordered ramen. The cashier then told my girlfriend that ramen was not what was on the receipt, so oh well, even though clearly the issue was that the cashier put the wrong food item into the computer. The cashier was giving lots of attitude when my girlfriend asked for the ramen to be remade. The cashier finally agreed to have the kitchen remake it, and said "Next time order what you mean" to my girlfriend. At no point did the cashier admit to entering the wrong dish into the computer, and instead chose to give my girlfriend attitude the whole time. Needless to say, I will not be going back there again! read more

The sushi here can be really good if you know what to order. And the prices are great :) I always get the lunch special which is any 2 rolls for $9 or any 3 rolls for $11!!! I Recommend the Michigan and the New York rolls read more

Sushi Ichiban - Michigan roll and New York roll (back to front) - Sushi Bars Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

One of the guys that works here is super rude and needs to be retrained in customer service. For that reason, I will not be back. They also do not follow COVID protocols here- blatantly refusing to wear masks. Being this far into the pandemic, how are we still being defiant about a public health issue? Either wear the mask or stay home and don't, nobody makes you come to work. Will be telling my sorority about this experience. read more

Great food will go back again very tasty I recommend to anyone that likes ramen it's tasty read more

Sushi Ichiban - a row of chairs in a restaurant - Sushi Bars Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

See all

I'm a big fan of their 3-roll lunch combo: 3 different types of sushi (about 18 rolls total) for $12. They also give you wasabi sauce and soy sauce on the side. I'm also a fan of their noodle soups. Sushi Ichiban located close to Green and Wright close to Campustown. It might not be "authentic Japanese food" per se, but it's tasty and inexpensive. read more

Sushi Ichiban - Lunch combo sushi - Sushi Bars Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

See all

Staff are pretty nice! I think the cashier working right now is new and they're super sweet and patient! The food comes out fast and while the sushi are not the best I've had, they certainly get the job done and are pretty darn tasty! I've had the takoyaki here a few times and it's pretty good, standard taste. Recommend swinging by for sushi combo! Boston and eel rolls are great! I come here a bit too often to be honest but it's nice and more quiet than the other popular place in town so I can actually study and get stuff done here! read more

I miss this place so much. Since graduating over a year ago and leaving this cursed godforsaken state for good, I would still sacrifice my left nut and kidney to fly back here and enjoy the three roll combo. Nowhere else in the world will you find such a sushi joint with warm and inviting homely vibes overlooking the cross section of green street. No where else will you find immaculately mixed & delicious homemade sushi rolls with prices so outrageously low and affordable. I worked at a sushi restaurant and I know quality sushi. Make no mistake, this isn't omakase sushi -- this is homemade sushi for the soul. And I haven't even touched on the fantastically delectable and filling hot foods. I went many a cold and frosty evening revitalized by the curry chicken wings. I would not repeat my undergrad years, but for this hole in the wall with a special place in my heart, I would briefly reconsider. read more

You want some average sushi? Well, here you go. For sushi, it's best to get the lunch special where you can get two sets of rolls for a reasonable price. read more

See all

For the price point, I think this sushi place is pretty good! There's really barely any place to get sushi on campus and this is one of the few that have good lunch deals. I enjoy their palatine, yellowtail, and eel cucumber roll! Two rolls are good enough to get me full, and three is great for leftovers later. They even throw in a bottle water or soda with your meal. They have a really large selection of fish and I would definitely hit this place up to try something new or to fix that sushi craving read more

Highly not recommended to visit because there is one guy who works there and his attitude towards clients sooo rude! Awful experience of visiting this place read more

I have been going to Sushi Ichiban for the past three years. Initially, I was skeptical about this place because the appearance of it reminds me of a Chinese restaurant with all of the printed out pictures and unmatching outdated marketing strategies - However, the more frequently I come here, the more nostalgic it becomes when I eat sushi at other restaurants. It's extremely inexpensive and very basic sushi, but their flavors are so unique and hard to find anywhere else - I typically order the any three roll. I highly recommend ordering the dynamite roll, palatine roll, and fancy roll. I have never seen a roll with deep fried sweet potatoes, shrimp, and cream cheese. The dynamite roll is so memorable, sweet, and delicious. Additionally, the palatine roll is served with a generous amount of eel and salmon. This roll would probably cost about $15+ at any other sushi restaurant. It's delicious. Lastly, the fancy roll - the fancy roll is mashed up with raw salmon and avocado wand some special brown sauce. Although it's simple, it's tasty, umami, and yummy. Also, I get a complementary egg roll with free additional ginger and spicy mayo with the combo - Such a deal! read more

I love coming to sushi ichiban for their all-u-can-eat sushi special! At first, I was a bit suspect based on what others have told me and having eaten at places in chicago, but I was pleasantly surprised! They have a large variety of sushi from spider rolls to something called a spicy tuna pizza, which is a rice patty tempura with spice tuna and spicy mayo on top. They should really add to the appetizer portion of the all-u-can-eat menu though. The only thing that really irks me about this place is that they raised the prices by like $8 within a year! WHO DOES THAT!??! Thank the lord my friends have coupons so we were able to still get the deal for a decent price. Overall, the all-u-can-eat deal is good, but only if you have those coups, lol. read more

See all

Sushi Ichiban is ironically named. It is certainly not ichiban lol. I tried their yakisoba and as far as cheap Asian-y takeout-y noodles go, I can't believe I'm saying this, Chopstix does it better. It's edible though so whatever. Lol. Their sushi rolls were a huge disappointment :c. I got the Palatine Roll. First thing I noticed: they don't know how to roll their rolls. Everything was loose and falling apart. The rice wasn't packed well and it just looked like some amateur rolled it in the dark. With no hands. Second, the pieces of fish were miserly thin. I've only had thinner pieces at My Thai, which is the worst restaurant that I've ever been to in my life (Not just sushi restaurants. I'm talking out of ALL restaurants). Most of the roll was rice or veggies (not even the avocado kind of veggie). Sushi Ichiban engages in the practice of using rice as one of their fillings for an inside-out roll. That means that the rolls are double-stuffed with rice, which I hate because they're cheaping out on you and trying to make it seem like it's all cool. It left me feeling played like they didn't even try. I've been to plenty of cheap ass sushi places that do not double stuff. The only positive is that it tasted pretty good. I've had some awful sushi and this sushi is not at that level. It's pretty yummy, honestly. But... how many offensive flavors can cheap, white rice really have... read more

This place is terrible. The only reason I gave this place a shot after experiencing their sloppy food is because it's so close to engineering campus. A word of caution for those who care: None of the non-sushi items are vegetarian it turns out. Before I order something, I usually make a point to double-check. When I asked about the 'vegetable teriyaki', the guy rudely said 'that's why it says vegetable'. When I received my plate after his reassurance, I noticed some meat in the dish. I took the thing back to him, and he refused to talk to me because he said 'I wasn't a customer'! What?! I lost it when he told me to get out of the line. Bottom line is that place has bad service, is extremely inhospitable, and is not suitable for vegetarians. Furthermore, after the owner had to get involved, I learned that the all sauces/broths have some chicken in them. I can understand when someone makes a mistake. I hate when people who cannot admit it when it happens and make no attempt to rectify the situation afterwards. read more

Incompetent management, slow and unfriendly staff, less than decent sushi...worst dining experience of my life. I didn't expect much from a fast food sushi place on campus, but I certainly did not expect to be screamed at by the old manager when all I did was simply inquire about my order since I'd been waiting over an hour for TWO rolls of sushi. Rude much? Never going back again.I wouldn't recommend it to anyone if it was the last place to eat on Earth. read more

I was at the restaurant a few nights ago and witnessed the chef harassing the patrons because they sent back one of their roles. I'll never return here again based off the owner's response to one of their patrons. "The customer is never right" Then started swearing at this poor girl. Do not support this business. read more

My friend and I went to get some late night sushi. We both ordered California rolls and the white rice was brown looking. On some rolls the rice didn't even cover the whole roll. The content inside had nothing a California roll would have. Some would just have cucumber, some would have zero crab, or some would just have avocado. The display of the sushi was messy and honestly sketchy. Not something a traditional sushi place would do. The owner came by and I nicely asked if we could get new rolls or a refund. He immediately said no and got offended. He asked me if I was even Japanese and then laughed at me. Then he said that I was being rude, even though I just simply explained to him what was wrong with the sushi. And told me that the customer is never right and that I need to get the F*** out. He then started to call me an asshole following more inappropriate swear words. I felt violated and extremely disrespected. He was yelling and swearing so much that I thought he was going to put his hands on me. My friend and I got up and left and he followed us out the door screaming names and swears at us. Do not go here! read more

Sushi Ichiban has delicious, fresh sushi for an unbeatable price! I always get one of the 2 or 3 roll sushi specials that come with an egg roll which are $7 for 2 rolls or $9 for 3 rolls for lunch and then $1 more at dinner time. They have the popular sushi rolls you would get in your average Japanese restaurant but a few special rolls as well. It has a sort of fast food feel to it because you order at the counter but the taste is better than any of the other sit down sushi restaurants on campus. I get the take out quite often and they are VERY quick and always do a good job of packing enough condiments. I will definitely be eating here several times a week during the school semester - it has become one of my favorite campus restaurants since it's opening. read more

I'm usually a kofusion girl but my friends and I decided to try this on a whim based on a recommendation from another friend and I'm so glad we did ! We came for lunch and I got 2 rolls for $8.48 which ended being $9.29 with tax but still, I got 11 pieces for $9, which is cheaper than what I would spend at most sushi places. I got a shrimp tempura roll and a Philadelphia roll. The Philadelphia roll was good and the shrimp tempura roll was AMAZING. I would definitely come back here again, although I know the 2 roll combo is more expensive at dinner time so I'd probably come for lunch if I really wanted a great deal. All in all, I'm really glad I checked this place out, my friends and I left very full and satisfied ! read more

Sushi Ichiban - 2 for $8.48 lunch combo, a shrimp tempura roll and a Philadelphia roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

It's pretty cheap (we paid about $25 for 2 orders veggie tempura, 2 avocado, 1 cucumber, 1 sweet potato, and 1 vegetable roll and were totally stuffed when we were through), but it looks like their specials seem to be where the best deal is at; quality is so-so, nothing to write home about. The place would definitely benefit from some minor renovation...it has this almost kind of like "Panda Express" feel to it. I dunno, not a fan of that aspect considering it's a one-of-one as far as I know. It is what it is, but it could be nicer, hip-er even, with not a lot of effort. P.S. This is where I made my discovery that (since they are super stingy with the sweet sauce) mixing Sriracha with soy sauce is a pretty dang delicious dipping sauce for tempura. I did appreciate that they had a big bottle of hot sauce on every table. read more

I was really disappointed with my meal today. I didn't have great expectations after reading the reviews, but I figured it would at least satisfy my craving for sushi. Instead, I was thrown off the minute I opened the bag. Instead of sushi soy sauce, it was just plain, cheap soy sauce, which is never a good omen. If you're going to name your restaurant "Sushi... -anything-" it's probably a good idea to actually provide the right condiments. The quality of the rolls were really poor. They were sloppy, falling apart, and some were sliced paper thin, while others were so large I couldn't even eat them without making a huge mess. The smoked salmon tasted like it had been soaked in liquid smoke instead of actually smoked. It was sour, fishy, and really terrible. The roll that was supposed to have tobikio on it had maybe 3 eggs per piece, which was terribly upsetting because it was the whole reason I'd decided on the roll. The only thing I enjoyed was the mini egg roll I received. It was hot, crispy, and quite honestly, really delicious. Maybe their regular menu is better, but I will definitely not be ordering sushi from here again. read more

Great sushi with great prices. They have so many meal deals for lunch and dinner, and even their non-sushi things like udon noodles are great. As a vegetarian, it's hard for me to find things sometimes, but this place was great. They also don't wait on you constantly once you have your meal, which I appreciated. read more

The Good: -The sushi itself is pretty good, not fantastic, but good. The rolls are a little sloppy, but not too bad. -The prices are fantastic, and definitely good for a college student. The Bad: -The miso soup is just not good. The tofu chunks are enormous (around 1"x1"), and the broth has very little flavor. -The service is meh, no waiter service, unless you get All You Can Eat. read more

Great place for sushi with amazing prices. The sushi is made to order and the ingredients are super fresh! Combo meals come with a delicious spring roll. I ordered a vegetarian roll that came with veggies as well as tofu inside, the consistency was perfect. It is often rare to find a decent veggie sushi roll, but the chefs at Sushi Ichiban know what they are doing. Only problem I encountered is that there is a $7 minimum if you are paying with credit card. This is not an issue of you are getting a combo roll. Highly recommend, will definitely go again! read more

The fish on the sushi gave my friend food poisoning. Worse part is the manager is literally watching you from the Cameras in the back. The worst part is that if you order more of the same sushi they reduce the fish portion and increase the rice amount. I ONLY TASTED STICKY RISE!!! read more

Service was good. Rolls were okay. I had a cali roll, hubby had an avocado roll and my brother had a salmon roll. They all looked okay, a bit sloppy. Taste was okay. Love that there is soy sauce and sriracha on each table. I asked for a side of spicy mayo for my roll, it was good. The specials here are really good. We came for a snack around lunchtime. 3 rolls, for 10 dollars. It made a great snack. read more

Main thing to get here is the lunch special 3 rolls, you get to select three rolls from the regular sushi menu which gives back good value and hits the spot for some decent sushi. Obviously it's not on the same level as Sakanaya but it works :) read more

Sushi Ichiban - Sushi Bars Near Me - Champaign, Illinois

Price is nice I was able to get 6 pieces of a salmon roll for $4 (plus about .38cents tax). The rolls weren't huge (like mini logs they were about an inch and a half in length and the size of about a quarter in width/on circular ends) but they satisfied my sushi-urge/craving (they served as a light snack). So far all I have tried is the salmon rolls and they were delish! And I will be coming back for more! Also really nice staff, as well :) read more

See all

Not bad, especially for lunch specials. I ordered the chicken teriyaki lunch special for under $8 and it lasted me for several meals. The chicken teriyaki itself was decent, noodles were not the best but edible, and a salad is a salad. In sum, passable food with a big portion that earns its low price. read more

If you are looking for high quality sushi, the kind that makes your palate sing and your cheeks soften with tenderness, this is not your sushi place. Nor is it a sushi restaurant with great variety of rolls. The quality is decent enough, the rolls large, and the meal filling. We ordered 6 different types of rolls (a lot of food -- we were not able to finish), all roughly $5-6 each, and all tasted about the same. Many of the rolls come stuffed with cream cheese. The main flavor difference between them was whether a fried ingredient was also included. Vegetables, too, added a little variation -- the asparagus offered texture. Many of the rolls promise "crab," but the cashier told me that the rolls include imitation crab meat. The seaweed salad had a tasty sesame oil dressing. It made a nice contrast as a side. Two of us shared one portion (priced around $6). The free fried eggroll, a small complementary item, that came with our rolls was not very good. It was room temperature and oily. The restaurant is clean, but extremely plain and spare. read more

I've been here a few times now for the unlimited sushi deal. It's pretty easy to get your money's worth. However, like most places on campus, the sushi just isn't that good. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad. There's only one roll I've had here which I didn't like, and that's not because it was poorly made or anything; I just didn't like the flavor (the Texas Scorpion, in case you're wondering). I tend to prefer fancy rolls, but most of the specialty rolls here are pretty similar, and I'd prefer some variety. I always get a ton of yellowtail when I go, though. It's pretty tasty. read more

:/ It's alright. No servers, you must order and come back to the counter to pick up your meal but staff is friendly and courteous. Establishment is clean. Water is self serve in styrofoam cups from plastic pitchers near soda fountain machines. Spicy & Hot Beef Noodle Soup: Broth was tasty and spicy as advertised. Ingredients didn't have any of the broth tastiness. Beef was a little chewy/rubbery. Veggies and noodles were fine. Miso Soup: About the size of a can of Campbell's soup. read more