Ichiban Restaurant & Sushi — Restaurant in Maui

It has been 5 years since we last ate at this great local Japanese restaurant in the heart of Kahului and was so happy that it still is there and hasn't changed a bit.

They have a board menu that will is appealing to any mood whether you want something heavy or light. Everything is very good and affordable. The portions are generous as well, so you defiantly won't leave hungry.

My personal favorite is their Oyaku Donburi. A lot of Japanese places don't do this right and use dry tough chicken and very little sauce to moisten up the rice. At Ichiban, you get a generous bowl with tasty chicken and onions well cooked into the egg along with a good amount of broth to moisten up the rice to make for a very good comfort food type of dish.

Unfortunately, they were out of the salmon skin salad which we had before and so enjoyed. We had ordered it as an appetizer and liked it very much.

If you want something soupy, the Sukiyaki is a hearty yet brothy dish with lots of healthy veggies, tofu, and lean beef. It does come with a side of rice if you need something fill you up more, but there is a lot going on in this dish, so it really isn't necessary. If you feel like noodle soup, try the Nabeyaki Udon. It is loaded as well, but the broth is on the sweeter side of savory, so something to consider depending on your taste buds.

There I a happy hour menu if you make it before 7pm. Try the Fried Ahi Roll. It is very good. The outside is crispy and the inside soft. Very tasty and a great starter that is perfect to pair up with beer.

The service there is very friendly. From time of order to being served is very quick, but there is no feeling of being rushed.

I can't wait till our next trip to Maui to enjoy this great place again. I do highly recommend it to all. Couples or families, this is a perfect place for anyone that like...

ATMOSPHERE: Despite other eateries in this mall that are well known to be dirty and nasty, this place is a lot cleaner. A renovation was completed a few years ago which removed the elevated section of seats in the middle of the restaurant. There's a small sushi bar and counter seating towards the back, with the rest being flexible table seating that can accommodate parties of all sizes.

MENU: It's a mix of local, American, and Japanese apps & entrees, breakfast items, sandwiches, udon, saimin, sushi, steaks, stir fry, hot pots, don bowls.

FOOD: Nabeyaki Udon Not listed on the menu but is still available to order. Loaded with chicken chunks, poached egg, bamboo, gobo, won bok, mushrooms, broccoli, onions, and a big piece of shrimp tempura on top. The noodles were perfectly chewy. The broth was a bit too sweet for me, but a slow swish of shoyu made it all better.

Saimin This is a very bare bones version compared to what you can find elsewhere. The broth was good and savory with no sweetness, the noodles were a bit overcooked. It was topped with green onions, won bok, fish cake, Spam, and oddly dehydrated onions which were coated in onion powder. I'm sure it enhanced the broth flavor but was very pungent on the pallet. The portion size was on the small side. Pass.

RESERVATIONS: They're not really needed as turnover is quick and there are lots of seats.

SERVICE: Everyone was friendly and professional and food service was fast.

OVERALL: Extensive menu, very good nabeyaki udon, forgettable saimin,...

The low point of our Maui vacation.

Convinced my wife to go here based on a YouTube dude’s flattering recommendation. Turns-out he’s not trustworthy – don’t know if he gets paid or free stuff for the reviews, but another cautionary tale about the reliability of online info.

Ordered two dishes – the daily special of seasoned raw fish on rice for a pricey $19 and another fried noodle beef dish that was a bit cheaper.

Do not visit the washrooms. Let’s get that out of the way.

For starters we received miso soup which had an underlying taste like commercial dishwasher detergent. Put that aside.

The smallish portion of the fish dish contained low-grade fish with sliced onions and dull seasoning. We ate it because we were starving, but the rice underneath was really the only enjoyable part.

The fried noodle beef dish was a new low. It had a pungent smell of raw beef meat, if that makes sense. The meat was chewy and the overall flavor and texture so off it was inedible. Being polite Canadians we asked to take the entire dish to go, then put it in the trash at the Shell gas station a few blocks away.

I don’t know what the locals are eating there or what prices they’re paying - there were 4 or 5 other tables in over lunch - but I’d rather lose a leg in a shark attack off Makena beach than set foot in...