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Sushi Ichiban Japanese Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
4014 MacLeod Trl SECalgary, AB T2G 2R7
(403) 243-1000
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
12 reviews for Sushi Ichiban Japanese Restaurant
12 reviews in English
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Review from Dan D.
3/6/2012 ROTD 3/29/2012
Five stars, Dan? Really?
You do realize that you're reviewing Sushi Ichiban, right?
-Yes, yes I do realize that. And I stand behind it.
I know when someone sees a five star review from me they may think "Oh, that idiot must think this is the best restaurant in the city," but I have reiterated time and time again that my ratings are based on an establishment's ability to live up to their potential, their customers' expectations and their success within their category.
In this regard, I believe Sushi Ichiban fires on all cylinders.
Is this the best sushi in the city? Of course not. But it is definitely good and for all-you-can-eat? The price is definitely right.
That being said, I do not think I will get AYCE sushi here very much anymore.
Dan, you do realize that you're reviewing SUSHI Ichiban, right?
-Yes, yes I do.
Did you have a bad experience?
-No, like I said the sushi is definitely good.
Than why would you no longer order all-you-can-eat sushi?
BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT SHABU-SHABU!
The hot pots are by FAR my favourite thing to get at Sushi Ichiban.
At $19 for all-you-can-eat veggies, noodles and thinly sliced beef, I would go out on a limb to say this is one of the best bangs for you buck in the city.
And the best thing about it? Because it is simply beef and veggies that you poach in broth at your own table, this is probably one of the healthiest AYCE meals you can experience. You will not feel that gross sickness easily encountered at a Chinese food buffet where you gorge yourself on a variety of fried foods and thickly sweet sauces.
The interior of the restaurant is comfortable and the staff is ever friendly and helpful (except for those times where they question and charge you for the leftover items from your all-you-can-eat sushi binge. I have seen SOME people -no names- actually go to lengths to sneak the leftovers in their pants and flush them down the toilet to avoid the extra charge for wasted sushi).
All in all, Sushi Ichiban is a great place and I love the hot pots so much that I will be back as long as they have it on the menu. -
Review from Kenny M.
So Sushi Ichiban is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand you have an all you can eat sushi/hot food which are ordered from sheets. On the other hand you have more specialty items like shabu shabu or sukiyaki hot pot. In my opinion its one of best places to come for either one of these hot pots! But the all you can eat sushi/hot food items is not the best (as you would expect!) So this review is more about the hot pots!
Very thinly sliced raw beef is brought out with a selection of fresh veggies and noodles.Then they bring a big boiling pot with a burner full of the broth of choice. I prefer the sukiyaki as it has more flavor. Along side all the meat and veggies they bring a special sauce to dip in and let me tell you its very delicious. Rice is complimentary you just have to ask them.
One thing I must mention. The last time I came here with my cousin the manager came and talked to us for a bit and explained that the special sauce they serve with the shabu shabu was only available at sushi ichiban. I am not sure how true that is , but according to him this is now the only place in the city you can find "japenese steak sauce" in calgary at the moment. The only other Japanese restaurant (that I know of) that has served this sauce was Tokyo garden but they stopped serving it sadly, it was actually a good dipping sauce for sushi.
So for under 20 dollars one can experience a delicious all you can eat hot pot which is actually quite delicious! Its as good as any other shabu shabu experience I have had at other restaurants and its by far the cheapest I have seen for hot pots!
Just be careful because it is very easy to over eat and get a heavy case of the meat sweats here! It can take you out in no time at all! Check it out! ( the hot pots especially!) Wink!Listed in: Places that can destroy you!
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Review from Gabe A.
4/22/2011 3 Check-ins Here
Our relationship with Sushi Ichiban has run the gamut from "must-visit sushi AYCE" to "let us never visit here again" to "OMG this hot pot is AAAAH let's come tomorrow, and again next weekend!" Kat had a disasterous run-in with a stray unagi during a sushi binge, and it was blacklisted for several years before the guys visited and insisted their sukiyaki hot pot was worth giving the restaurant another chance for. Since then, both Kat's and my most recent birthdays have been hosted here, feasting on the hot pots.
How it works is the waitress (invariably a woman) brings out a large kettle, and a tub of oil: turn it on and watch it boil! A giant tray of raw beef, an even bigger tray of raw veggies and noodles follow, and you basically throw it in and cook it yourself! The interaction and fun of the dining event make it worthwhile, because I for one don't find the food altogether THAT wonderful. I tend to have more fun cooking the beef as rare as possible than actually savoring the minor flavor that you get, though the end result of seven people cooking in hot oil can leave an awful mess. The inevitable dares to try to the broth after its cooled has yet to be taken up. Not a bad place, but I usually find it lacking. -
Review from Robert M.
3/17/2011
I've been to many sushi restaurants in Calgary, and also some in San Fran, Vancouver and Seattle and Sushi Ichiban is one of my favourites.
Mainly for the AYCE sushi but also because the service is always the same when I go - it's fast, friendly and the food is always delicious. I find the location pretty close to wherever I'm at and I've never had to wait for a table. I like that there are some smaller booths (I normally go with one other friend) but they also have larger booths and can actually remove some walls for large groups (I've been there with my ultimate frisbee team of 20 guys).
The price is great, the food is tasty and the service is always spot on. I would recommend this place to anyone! -
Review from chewy b.
Calgary, AB
11/20/2009
Apparently the big draw for this resturant is the AYCE. When we first pulled up their sign for AYCE was bigger than the sign for the resturant.
The buffet is $23 for Mon- Thurs and $26 for the weekend. Here's the kicker. It's half price for children 3-9 years old. Do you know how much a 3 year old eats? like almost nothing. That's a rip off.
The food was mediocre to ok but what really turned me off was the personal hygiene of the chefs. The chefs are at the back of the resturant and you can see them from the tables if you are facing them. One chef was rubbing and picking his nose while reading a magazine and the other was actually picking his teeth with a toothpick. This is done between orders. Don't go there. If I could give a zero stars I would based on that alone. -
Review from C T.
Calgary, AB
8/14/2009
Poor customer service at this restaurant.
This so-called Japanese restaurant is run by Chinese-speaking sushi chefs. They make fun of people who cannot speak Chinese.
Beware! -
Review from Starsia E.
Calgary, AB
4/11/2011
I am always treated with the utmost respect every time I go here. They smile and make suggestion based on my favorite types of items. I always appreciate places that remember who you are and do what they can to make your meal the best they can. The all you can eat food is average to slightly above and the menu items are good quality for the price. Portions are a good size and service is as I mentioned great for me. Overall a worthwhile stop if you are craving Japanese.
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Review from Ljubica T.
Calgary, AB
5/7/2010
If you want to stuff your face with decent all-you-can-eat sushi, go here. The pieces are fresh, sized well and service is decent. If you want to order specialty dishes or individual pieces, please go elsewhere.
We've dined here twice so far and the first time, we had all you can eat sushi. It was alright. The second time we went (last week, Friday evening), we asked for a menu and the experience was... forgettable.
What I will never forget, however, is the dirty booth they gave us. This is a booth where you are supposed to take your shoes off before you enter and sit down, but there was food all over the floor so we had to keep our shoes on. It was disgusting. There was also rice all over the seating area. The walls were also dirty inside the booth. Looked like they hadn't been scrubbed for at least 5 years.
We ordered Salmon & Tuna Don bowls, and they were tiny compared to what you would get elsewhere. The rice was too vinegary, and it was drowning in fish eggs. Too much for my taste.
I ordered tuna and salmon pieces. They kept falling off their little beds of rice, which was annoying.
Service was slow. They are so busy with All You Can Eat Customers that menu-ordering customers are left behind in the rush.
Also, there were groups of noisy teenagers. I did not like this. -
Review from Mary Lynn T.
Calgary, AB
2/16/2010
Sushi Ichiban is my favorite sushi restaurant in all of Calgary. An AYCE for only $23 during the week is awesome. The food is awesome and the miso soup is delicious. Try the spicy tuna for sure and always finish with the jello for dessert.
Its a great casual restaurant and the staff is very friendly. Say hi to Henry next time you are there! -
Review from Koz T.
Calgary, AB
10/31/2010 2 Check-ins Here
This place was much better before it changed owners. The price is more or less the same but the cleanliness and quality are going away with each visit...time to find a new place.
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Review from Kevin J.
Calgary, AB
5/25/2009
Sushi Ichiban is hands down, the best AYCE sushi restaurant in the city of Calgary. Like most Sushi restaurants they offer a regular menu with great dishes like the "Takoyaki" and others. However, if you're hungry and willing to pay some serious cash, then AYCE menu is your savior. They have all kinds of sushi on their AYCE, especially the more expensive "Ikura" sushi. The price is fair when dealing with AYCE restaurants. The great thing about Sushi Ichiban is that the restaurant is large and can accommodate large groups of people. Sushi Ichiban is definitely an AYCE menu that everyone who is a Sushi Enthusiast must try.
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Review from Nicolas P.
Saskatoon, SK
6/5/2009
I love Sushi Ichiban! There All-You-Can-Eat is the best in the city, and they serve the coldest (and in my opinion best) Tuna sushi in Calgary. As a fan of it, I have been going there for almost 8 years for my weekly "sushi fix". The fish is fresh, the rice tastes right. As far as negatives go: the rice balls under the sushi are occasionally too large, and once or twice I've had BBQ Eel (Unagi) that was not fresh. Now back to the positives: the cooked food, such as tempura and katsu is wonderful and really makes the experience all the better. They recently changed their spring rolls to a small, cabbage-only affair, but sometimes you can ask for the "big ones" and they'll bring the good stuff. These shiitake mushroom filled spring rolls are a delight to the palate and are one of the reasons I've stood by Sushi Ichiban over the past 8 years.
All in all they are the best value in the city, and the only way to get your fix for under $30
