Ichiban Sushi — Restaurant in Bakersfield

Wow. We called at 8:30 to ask what time they close. They said 9pm. We got there at 8:39pm. The sushi chef looked at us with a grim and very unwelcoming snarl, then shouted in Japanese back to the kitchen something to the effect of, "Crap! Stupid customers just walked in when we close in 20 minutes!" A sweet woman came hustling out of the kitchen telling us "We close at 9!" At that point, I noticed the sushi chef had already wrapped up and put away ALL of the fish that had been displayed.

I said all we really wanted was some soup (though, we would have ordered sushi had we felt welcome). She grabbed a menu and then I offered, "Would you prefer we order to go?" And she jumped at that, with pen and paper pad at the ready, "Yes! To go!"

So, we ordered soup and a California roll for my son - to go. My husband and I lost interest (and trust) and decided to forego ordering sushi.

All I can say is that the reception was VERY unfriendly, which is not very settling when you are planning to eat raw fish.

We LOVE going to Miyoshi and only went to Ichiban to give it a try. (I used to go here often with my daughter years ago, but prefer Miyoshi.) I am quite sure my husband and I will avoid Ichiban for now. I just figure that if they are that stressed about closing up 30 minutes before closing time that there may be other issues. Maybe it's just me, but if I'm going to go out and pay extra for food I'm not preparing in my own kitchen, I kind of want to feel welcome at the restaurant. Ya know?

But, on the positive side, my son has been raving about how good his food tastes since we got home. So, not a...

The service alone was so amazing I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. The waitress did her job well and didn’t waste time. She got us what we wanted, cleared the table as we ate to make room, and was the epitome of perfection for what I expect from wait staff.

The food was very good and came out quickly. I was very happy to discover the fish didn’t taste old or too salty. The eel was almost too “fishy,” but not quite, which is why I only gave 4 stars.

The miso soup was delicious and the vegetable rolls were crisp, flavorful, and weren’t oily. The whole table loved them.

The only real problem we encountered was a sticky table. The waitress was wiping down tables while wearing gloves, so it’s possible she couldn’t tell they were still dirty because of this. The menus were also sticking together. But despite this issue, everything else was fantastic and was likely a one-time issue.

8/10 would...

This used to be my spot until one day I was there one busy day. While enjoying the atmosphere and company I happened to catch a glimpse of something across my plate. And at that moment while sitting at the bar I had the sushi chef notice my reaction when I spotted a cockroach on top of my food not to mention under my plate.at that moment I was completely disappointed and disgusted rushed to the restroom to vomit . Not to mention when I brought it to the attention of the host she said that they had an issue earlier and supposedly they had been sprayed for it. Can you believe they expected me to pay the full amount. Knowing darn well I lost my food and the restroom. Let's just say I'm inviting people not to go there and eat and I will never be seen there...