Ichiban Izakaya — Restaurant in Saint Petersburg

So I've always enjoyed eating at the Ichiban chain so I was pleasantly surprised to see that they were close in an area I was visiting. The Tampa location on Fowler was amazing! I got the Yaki Soba, I believe it was, and it was fantastic. A delightful mix of vegetables and thin noodles cooked to perfection in a savory sauce. So when I visited the St. Petersburg location several weeks later I was excited to have the same dish for lunch again. Well let me tell you, it was nowhere close to being as good. The noodles were a different noodle that was very overcooked and soggy (like overcooked Ramen yuck!) And there was egg thrown in which I did not expect or would have opted out. The shrimp seemed like it was cooked separately and thrown in last minute, and there were seeds sprinkled about in it. It was like I had a completely different dish and the only thing I ordered different was the shrimp instead of chicken. I tried eating it anyway because I was so hungry, but after a few bites I just couldn't do it. I will say that the staff was very friendly! They do Take-out only at this location in St. Pete so I didn't realize any of this until getting home. They were also being inspected at the time I walked in so I guess I will chalk it up to the chef being nervous. I attached 2 pics to show the difference in quality. The dish on the white plate in the second pic was from the Tampa location, which was...

Long overdue review.. I've been coming here since 2014. Ichiban is a diamond in the rough. It's a small little spot on the end of a shopping center, you wouldn't expect it to be as amazing as it is. I've had multiple things from here- everything has always been wonderful. The Rickyson roll is my favorite and I can't get enough. I've never once had a roll that wasn't fresh, I've never once gotten ill from eating here, I've only ever left satisfied and wanting more. The quality and portion sizes are perfect in comparison to the price. The staff over the years have always been pleasant and recognize me now, which makes me feel like I'm a part of the family. The interior of the place is very mellow and quaint, wouldn't hurt to have a little renovation one day, but it's not a big deal. I'm patiently waiting for the day they open dine-in again, where I can sit down and feel at home. You don't know if you like it until you try it, so I hope that if you're debating coming here you'll give it a chance, and maybe fall in love...

I went here with a large group for a nice birthday celebration, about eight of us all together.

Before I get into it, my ONLY complaint, is not being told sushi would take an hour earlier on in the night. We had been waiting for our last two friends to show up before we ordered, and we waited for them about 20-30 minutes. Only when we were done ordering did they tell us how long the sushi would take to make. I am NOT upset the sushi took so long, only that they didn't tell us at the beginning of the night.

Not sure if it was because of our party specifically, or of it's always that way, so I won't let it affect the star rating.

Now, my husband and I got four sushi rolls and a seaweed salad. I give the taste, texture, and presentation a good recommendation! Our group also got about 7 more rolls of sushi. No complaints!

The atmosphere was so comfortable and relaxing. Our waitress was extremely polite. Overall a really...