Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse — Restaurant in Evanston

10 stars on everything⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ My husband and I are always over the road in a semi truck. We parked next door at the Pilot truck stop and walked over. To say it was worth the walk is a massive understatement. It was a pleasant place to enter, VERY clean, and the decorations and decor are just fabulous!! Beautiful crystal drop chandelier that changes colors and the rest of the furniture was modern and clean. We both ordered off the Hibachi dinner part of the menu. My husband got the Salmon and Steak and I got the Chicken and Steak, and then we got a side of shrimp 🦐 to split! I also ordered a side of noodles. The salad and soup they bring out before the food was delicious, fresh crisp lettuce and the soup had plenty of onions and mushrooms in it, as well as being a healthy portion. They brought the side of shrimp next and it was unlike any either of us have had before. It had a really good ginger glaze sauce of some sort and came with a sauce that is the equivalent of "the yellow sauce" that similar hibachi grills provide with meals. It was so good, everything in our meal from the steak to rice was good in it! Our food came quickly after and it was fantastic. The picture says it all! It tasted even better than it looks and it looks fantastic! His salmon was literally out of this world! Had some type of a almost a honey flavor crisp shell on one side but not sweet, it was perfect and just amazing!! Our steak was great, chicken was juicy and cooked tasty, the rice was very tasty and fresh, and the vegetables were fresh and cooked perfectly and trimmed well! No weird peices, no hard peices! Perfect!!!! They brought more sauce with the meal as well which was needed. Remember that side of noodles I ordered.....well they were great!!! but it was a HUGE bowl 🤣🤣🤣 I think it was $4-$5 but it was a dinner size serving of just noodles🤣. As far as prices it is VERY reasonable!!! Both our dinners were $25 each, mind might've been $24 but close. Oh and we both got an additional 2 peices of shrimp with our meal!! They were fresh and tasty big round noodles! We loved our experience and will definitely be back if we are ever able to stop...

Wonderful date night! The hibachi show was amazing and service was very good. They we're very accommodating to our needs and requests. Our chef made sure we and the other guests had a great time. He tailored his show to the table - from bringing a shy little birthday boy out of his shell to letting myself and one other guest drink a stream of sake out of a squeeze bottle. I would recommend this place for a fun night out, a special occasion, or a unique first date. Technically, I've had better hibachi food elsewhere - I noticed very minor items had been executed better in other places. For instance, the salad had no cucumbers, the hibachi vegetables seemed to have been cut and stored a day or two before and not that day. I mean, pretty petty stuff. (Especially considering the prices were so reasonable!) However, with ZERO disrespect, this was a rather small town and other places I have gone have been larger cities. And, honestly, that made me like it there even more. My day was made better by this little surprise of a restaurant. Lastly, they had the best advertising money can't buy: we walked in and got a table because we could smell the delicious food from outside. Give this place a try and you won't be...

Many places you go to for a meal, you'll get decent food, hopefully decent service, and walk out feeling like you've had dinner.

But not at Ichiban. Oh, no. This wasn't just a meal or just a stop 700 miles into a 5,000 mile road trip. It was an experience, and I mean it was a fantastic one!

We were a family of 7 in just at sunset on 8 August. The staff made us feel very welcome, and once we all knew what we wanted, the experience began. Our cook, I believe his name was Danny, put on a wonderful hibachi show that our kids will not soon forget, and was a real gem of a person. The location was great, the food was amazing, the service was impeccable, and we very much want to make this place a traditional stop at least once every summer when we pass through.

Do be prepared to pay a bit more than you would at your local diner. It's not cheap. But then again, you get what you pay for...and Ichiban is worth every penny.

Oh, and as I am someone who believes tipping should always be voluntary and never compulsory or expected, I say please DO tip these guys. They absolutely deserve it. I'd be surprised if they ever don't measure up.

Top notch hibachi dining experience...we will be...