Ichiban Buffet — Restaurant in Philadelphia

Ok, so I have ordered from here several time as my children love seafood. I order over the phone and always get someone pleasant and helpful. Always a very nice greeting and tone in their voice. I place an order and if I have a problem, the person on the other end always asks me if I would like my previous order or one of my other orders. WoW! So helpful...YES! I want the same thing I ordered last time but no fries...they take me through the different sauces and tell me about each one carefully and fast but not too fast where I don't remember. I go to pick up my food which is either ready or in the back almost ready...I pay when my FRESH! food comes out. The cashier is pleasant just like on the phone, the atmosphere in this place reminds me somewhat of the old seafood shanty and ye old ale house! Calm, beautiful ambiance. Soft lights not dark, not extra bright, smells great, there is a bar area and seating areas. You can literally get lost in here enjoying your meal. They have kids meals also. I have 4 of them who loves this place. Great people frequent this place, great food and great CUSTOMER SERVICE with a smile..and you know I "LOVE" great customer service. Pictures later. **UPDATE- They no longer accept take out. Big mistake on their part. I stopped ordering and will not go sit inside to eat with 3 small kids. Sorry! What a loss! It now has a new owner, and new name...it is a sit down all you can eat buffet. Only take out has to be weighed. Price is really expensive. Dinner for an adult runs about $22.00 and for a child 3 years old is about $15.00. Food is horrible now. Not too many options. Same food options from day to day. Not interested in this...

Honestly i was disappointed in the service from this location (Cottman ave). i brought my family here to celebrate my birthday & it was a nightmare.. First, our server was not attentive at all and tried so hard to get us to eat and get out. We had to go looking for our waitress a few times just to try to get a refill on drinks and to order a dessert. We dined for an hour and a half and she only stopped by us once to check if we needed anything. We had to look for a different server for help and he was not willing to get the drinks so he went to look for our server to come help us. im not one to complain about service. Especially if i know the servers are busy with a busy business. However, it was a friday afternoon and the place had a total of 3 tables with guest which is not busy at all. The whole time we were dining you could hear the staff talking it up laughing and having a good time instead of working on keeping their tables happy.. Other then that, The seafood boil was over cooked. The sauce was not flavorful. I have been to many seafood boils and this was one of the worst ones. Lastly, We tried getting dessert and they only had like 5 options and out of the options they only had a turtle cheesecake in stock. So we said why not lets try it. Ohhhh man worst decision ever!! that cheesecake was sooo cold and soo hard that it frose my teeth!!! i could barely bite into the cake. On a positive note, the place has great scenery! the tables booths have great space. a little too dark but over all a good atmosphere. I really had high hopes for this place. Its a shame that i will never be wasting my...

In Japanese, Ichiban means ‘number one.’ A name like that is not just branding—it is a declaration, a mission statement. At Ichiban Buffet in Philadelphia, the name does not exaggerate. It defines the reality. The quality here is not only consistent, it is commanding.

Walking into the buffet feels like entering a vast overworld—stations upon stations, each one a new region to explore. Sushi rolls lined up like soldiers awaiting deployment, steaming trays of hot dishes glowing like treasure chests, desserts waiting at the far edge like secret unlockables. It is not chaos, but orchestration, like a perfectly designed level map.

The food delivers exactly what the name promises. Fresh sushi that holds its texture, tender meats that don’t just fill you but reward you, and a rotation of flavors that keeps each visit feeling alive. Even the small details matter—the way rice is cooked, the way sauces complement instead of overwhelm. This is not mass-production without thought. It is abundance with intent.

The staff, too, embody the standard of Ichiban. Plates cleared quickly, drinks refilled without asking, a quiet vigilance that keeps the experience flowing. They are like background allies in Death Stranding—always present, never intrusive, ensuring the strand of hospitality never breaks.

Buffets often sacrifice quality for quantity. Here, both coexist. The name is not ironic, not inflated. It is truth. Ichiban. Number one.

Five stars. Because in the endless campaign of dining, Ichiban Buffet stands as a fully realized map—vast, rewarding, and worthy of exploration...