Ichiban Japanese Sushi Bar — Restaurant in Creve Coeur

When I first walked into Ichiban Sushi Bar, I was immediately greeted by a homely, humble atmosphere. Japanese fans lined the ceiling while a single waitress bustled around the small dining room of 15 tables. After deliberating over the lengthy maki menu (and I mean deliberating!) and deciding on the mango shrimp tempura, the crazy roll, the rainbow roll, and the salmon avocado roll, I learned that the young waitress taking my order was the sushi chef’s daughter, while the other older waitress was the chef’s wife.

The traditional Japanese way of sushi preparation proved to be successful - the sushi I experienced was nothing short of the best sushi I had ever had. The thick slices of fish on the rainbow roll were mouthwateringly fresh, exposing hidden flavors as they melted in my mouth. The crab mixture was white and savory, rather than the dry stringy red “supermarket” style of crab found in other sushi restaurants like Wasabi. The rice was the perfect texture - not too hard but not gummy or soft. The mango shrimp tempura quickly became one of my favorite rolls, as the freshly fried shrimp blended perfectly with the sweet mango, which did not have the sour after-taste found in many frozen mango slices. The salmon avocado roll further proved the superiority of Ichiban’s fish. The thick slices of avocado seemed perfectly ripe as well, a rare occurrence at other sushi restaurants in Saint Louis (mainly Wasabi). I think the clear winner of the four rolls was the crazy roll. This roll was so stuffed that I had to take two bites to finish each piece. What’s even more crazy than the crazy roll itself? It had the ability to actually make me full from a sushi meal, which is something I never thought possible until Ichiban. So what did I learn from this experience? Your favorite sushi restaurant is making sushi wrong. This is how sushi is supposed to be: thick slices of fresh fish, fresh ingredients, and...

Went out for dinner tonight last minute on Valentine’s with our kiddo. Really wanted to like this place as we eat a lot of sushi and live nearby.

The waitress seemed new, so hopefully a lot of the issues we faced were due to her inexperience. First, I had to request a clean glass after a dirty one was brought with my pop. We had to request utensils, requested waters about four times, and the food took forever. Some of the food was good: basic sushi was fresh, the shrimp tempura was good. An expensive tuna steak was served so overcooked and dry as to be inedible. No ine checked on us for so long we no lo my we had time to try something else and requested the check. We asked for the fish to be removed from the check, it wasn’t. We asked again, and they removed it begrudgingly but added charges for the half cup of white rice and wilty soggy side salad that came with it. Probably wouldn’t be leaving this review if they hadn’t done that. Hope the six dollars was worth it.

I’ve worked food service and I know things happen and you can have an off night or something goes out wrong. This was not the way...

Great sushi. Fish is as fresh as you can get it! The beer is ice cold. And the miso is hot. Their service is very quick and attentive. A very humble atmosphere. Very traditional for a sushi restaurant so it makes you feel comfortable if you’re from out of town looking for a great sushi spot. The late open hours make it perfect for the traveler or a late night sushi craving. With many options in the area. Im glad i made this my choice. Sushi in a strip mall is always…. always, the best choice. Five Stars! Will...