Ichiban Japanese Restaurant, Ames IA

We got the spicy tonkatsu and it was very bland. I'm not sure if they left something out of the dish, but it had no flavor and wasn't very spicy; the dish just was not good overall. The sushi roll we got was good. Overall, it was a disappointment.

Cute little shop in a nice location. Lighting was very nice.

We ordered ramen and several rolls. The "Sweet Heart Roll" was really great in particular. The sushi was good and I would go back just for sushi. The ramen was not good. I ordered "steak ramen" and was served a bowl of what was clearly dry block noodles in what tasted like an instant soup base. The steak was small in serving, cooked to death, and tough. The ramen eggs were fair and a good helping of sliced mushroom topped off of the bowl. It was edible, but I wasn't happy with it. My wife had the spicy tonkatsu ramen, and her report was similar; very spicy, but little flavor. The fried cutlet was fresh and crisp, however. We could have probably asked to have it taken back, but we're not the type to cause trouble or complain.

Service at the start of our dinner was sluggish and inattentive. The shop wasn't particularly busy, but we waited a long time to get out orders taken. The staff was chatting in the kitchen, which being right next to our table, we could hear every word and didn't want to be rude or interrupt. At some point, I think the shift switched and a different server was helping us. He was very involved and the service did a 180 the second half of our visit.

Would I return? Yes, for sushi. I also would return on a weekday again. How things went on a Wednesday, I would be concerned for how slow it could feel on a Saturday night. The location and feel of the room is great, so I have hope the next time will be better. Would be great to call it a regular spot for us if things improved some.

Probably the worst Asian food I’ve had. Hair in the water cup. Kitchen cook was picking his teeth with his fingers and then proceeded to continue cooking. The beef chunks in the bento box were also so chewy I could not eat them and had to spit them out into a napkin. The “salad” was almost bare shredded iceberg lettuce. I couldn’t even tell what kind of dressing was on it, if any. My boyfriend also got the chicken teriyaki bento box and we should’ve heeded the warning of the other reviews… absolutely flavorless. Will NOT be back.

This place use to be our favorite Japanese place in Ames, but it's gone downhill hard. Originally it was a really clean, cute place with good food. The original manager was really cool as well and I liked chatting with him. The new server or maybe manager is really rude and has a bad attitude. The place seems to have been allowed to become run down and now decor is broken and the restaurant feels grungy.

My food was gross, our hot food was cold and my teriyaki was flavorless goop with too much cornstarch. The tonkatsu was cold and dry, and the salad usually has a really nice dressing and ramen bits in it for crunch but was just plain lettuce with a watery dressing.

Also, we ordered take out and waited quite a while for food. People came in and sat down while we were waiting and got their food before us.

I have been here a few times now and I am really rooting for this place. I really like the regular tonkatsu broth (it's so rich) but the spicy one somehow isn't? I thought that it would be the same just with some added spice, which I normally like, but somehow the spicy tonkatsu broth just ended up tasting watery. I have liked most everything I have tried from here but this broth didn't work for me. The chashu pork I also noticed is a little bit tough around the edges, I'm sure that's up to preference but I tend to lean more for "melt in your mouth" pork belly. I will definitely be back again to give it another try.

Oh man is this place good! The Dragon Roll was spectacular! Plus the Seaweed salad was amazing and you get a good amount of it!

My friend got the teriyaki chicken and she absolutely loved it!

Such a cute place, will definitely be coming back.

The food was okay, but the service was very rude and seemed offended just for the fact that we were eating there for some reason. Waited over an hour watching others who came in after us get served before us. My order got messed up and the staff were being argumentative to me about it to the point that another wait staff had to come over to the table, which was embarrassing. I also saw the wait staff openly gossiping about my table, which other patrons were also noticing. Very unprofessional atmosphere.

The boxes used in place of the bento tray made the meal not as great. Steak is much drier. Rice absorbed the flavor of everything and the presentation wasn’t nearly as pleasant. Was offered a refund and staff/owner are very friendly!

Need a system to check people in like opentable, especially since it’s a small lobby. Godzilla roll looked like dog food

The place is great, It's affordable and the food is so good! I've had a lot of stuff on the menu and nothing has disappointed me yet. The steak bento box is fantastic and all the ramen is full of flavor and portions are good for price. Beer selection is good also!

We were visiting from out of state and wanted something cool in town. A small place but we were able to get a table right away. Our server was great. Funny and helpful with a great attitude. We all were in a silly mood that night and everyone in my party was just having a blast. She went right along with us. Appetizers: PORK gyoza and shrimp tempura, fresh, hot, and tasty. Entrees: Ichiban ramen was flavorful. Those who got sushi in our party loved it. Definitely give it a try if you're in Ames, Iowa.

Very low amount for portion of miso soup, order take out many times before and never have received this. Good way to rip people off considering there’s two sips of soup in this. Extremely disappointed in portion size.

Teriyaki chicken had no flavor. Salad was better. Interestingly it had crushed ramen pieces in it. Shrimp was ok as well.

Such a wonderful restaurant! I had the steak ramen, it was delicious! My other family members had various sushi, which they said was awesome and looked beautiful. I would recommend this highly!

We ordered Veggie Spicy Miso Ramen and Cucumber, Avocado & Cream Cheese Sushi Roll. Both the dishes were very tasty. The ambiance is also good. Also, located in a very convenient place.

Substandard and inauthentic. Ramen below average - ordered what we thought was "tonkotsu", but realized menu said "tonkatsu". Very strange. Bento box was OK, but gyoza was terrible and didn't come with gyoza sauce. Sushi seems OK, but speciality rolls get expensive very quickly. It's unlikely we'd return here.

If you're kind of picky but want to try Japanese- Ichiban is the place to go! Their salmon bento box is a great opener into the world of Asian flavors, and if you go with friends you can try something off their plate! I recommend a million times over!

Great spot! Delicious teppanyaki bento box. White salmon nigiri was good too. Very nice folks here.

Clean, fast service, and accessible. Definitely coming back here.

Looking for authentic Japanese food? Look no further than Ichiban. Bringing the delicious bowls of ramen, delicate nigiri, and superb Japanese beer right into the heart of campustown, Ichiban is a must for anyone looking to experience Japanese cuisine the right way.