Ichiban Japanese Steak & Seafood House — Restaurant in Winchester

Used to come here years ago, special occasions with the kids as the food was good, and the preparation fun to watch. Thought it would be a fun change up.

Has changed a lot! First thing that caught my eye were were big handwritten signs that say “18% gratuity will be applied for parties of 4 or more”. Hmm… since automatic gratuities are considered a service charge, not a tip, this always come off as a “slight-of-hand” way to subtlety charge more without just raising the prices on the menu. Most people assume this is an automatic tip…it is not…it is a service fee! Also, most decent restaurants might do this for large parties as it takes a lot more people to properly take care of a large party. 1st time I have ever seen this for parties of 4, and no, we didn’t get any better service. Big turn off.

Second thing that struck me as weird was the ambience. The interior is now a few hibachi style grills surrounded by normal restaurant tables. There were even patrons sitting at the hibachi grills not getting hibachi, just ordering off the menu. Also the dining room is also now a carry out delivery room, with a big cooler for drinks, and people walking back and forth with takeout bags that were being prepared and lined up in the same room where you are dining. Felt like being in somebody’s garage that they had converted to a cheap diner..which is also emphasized by the mismatched cheap diner silverware.

Ordered beer which we got, but no glasses. A bit tacky, until I reflected in the garage like ambience, so drinking straight out of bottles and cans fit right in. I did ask for a glass, they brought a beer mug…! Also no water offered, had to ask. My wife ordered a glass of wine, cheap quality, but high price…

The food I remember has changed quite a bit. What once was miso soup is now a clear broth soup with one slice of mushroom. Very flavorful, but more than likely, much cheaper to prepare. The fried rice is an extra, otherwise you get just a bowl of plain white rice. You also used to get fresh bean sprouts on the grill, now it is very greasy soba noodles. Fresh grilled vegetables are also part of the meal, but too much oil detracted from the flavor.

The chef and grill preparation were as they used to be, fun to watch and entertaining. Only thing was off was lots of oil was used in all the food preparation, and sauces were slathered on everything including the rice. Even the scallops were covered in a sauce. This again was odd, as fresh grilled scallops are great on their own, and you want that fresh grilled flavor. Not here, as they slather them in sauce. The hibachi steak was the only thing I enjoyed, and it was cooked perfectly.

Overall the food tasted generally as if it were fast food Chinese takeout, very greasy and tasted pretty much the same no matter what you were eating. It was greasy…I mean really, really greasy!

In the end (with the 18% automatic gratuity) it ran about $50 per person for the hibachi meal. Pricey, could have gone to a nicer restaurant with better atmosphere with better food for the same price.

Would I go there again…absolutely not!

Would I recommend…absolutely not! (If you want very greasy Chinese food, you can just go a few doors down and get it at a fraction of the price. If you do want true Japanese style hibachi experience, drive into the Dulles area and go to Benihanas. Might be a little pricier, but you will enjoy the experience and food...

DO NOT EAT HERE! My recent experience at this restaurant was dreadful, resulting in severe food poisoning that left me sick for 3 days. My husband and I decided to dine in for lunch on Saturday, March 23. I opted for the hibachi meal, specifically the chicken and shrimp, while my husband ordered the steak and scallops.

Shortly after returning home, I began feeling extremely nauseous. As the evening progressed, I was struck with violent vomiting episodes, accompanied by a high fever and chills that persisted throughout the night. By Sunday, I was completely drained of energy and battling nausea and dizziness, that left me unable to eat any food.

As if the vomiting and fever weren’t enough, Monday morning brought on a new wave of agony with severe diarrhea. I had to call in sick from work. Despite attempting to alleviate my symptoms with over-the-counter remedies, the situation only seemed to worsen.

In a desperate attempt to address the issue and see if others had fallen ill, my husband contacted the restaurant’s management Monday evening. Regrettably, we were met with shockingly poor customer service. Despite clearly expressing our distress and specifically requesting a refund for my meal (not his), our concerns were callously dismissed. Instead, they offered a mere 15% discount toward our next visit, an offer we found wholly inadequate and declined. We were instructed to call back on Tuesday to speak with another manager.

On Tuesday, March 26 around 5pm, I’m still not fully recovered, my husband made another call to the restaurant, only to be met with further disappointment. We were informed that I would need a medical report from the ER confirming my illness as food poisoning for them to even consider reimbursing the $30 cost of the meal. This demand was made despite me experiencing every single symptom of severe food poisoning. Furthermore, they stated that if I were to seek confirmation of food poisoning from the ER now, they would only refund the $30 meal and not cover any associated medical expenses.

This response was utterly unacceptable and added insult to injury. It’s disheartening to encounter such indifference and lack of accountability from a business, particularly in the face of a serious health issue. It's evident that proper food handling protocols were not followed. The restaurant’s refusal to take responsibility only intensifies the distress of the situation and leaves a lasting impression of their disregard for customer well-being. I DO...

Awful! Please avoid this place unless you want to spend $35 for a disgusting burnt meal. I ordered the signature shrimp, filet mignon and chicken hibachi. As soon as our cook started cooking, I could tell something was off. No entertainment except for an attempt of the onion volcano, which ended up in flames and charred. Then the actual meal cooking began. The cook left the overcooked, oil drenched vegetables under a plate while he attempted to cook the meats on a surface that was quickly building up burnt residue. He kept trying to scrape it off as he was moving the food around and I just sat back and watched as everything was getting burnt. I tried a few bites of the chicken and filet mignon and I couldn’t even chew them. So tough and overcooked, and the burnt taste, it was pretty bad. After he was done, he quickly left, no shrimp throwing, nothing fun, like I witnessed at the other table. Nothing. I noticed the other cook entertaining the other table and everyone was laughing, but that was not our case. It made me really upset because I was with my son and we have been to multiple Japanese steakhouses and he begged me to come to this one, since we were in Winchester shopping. And to top everything off, I did let the waitress know that the food was inedible so, she called her manager over. The manager did refund my meal, but charged me for my rice. I had to question her because I did not eat any of my rice because I could not eat any of this meal. She told me that I ordered a very expensive dinner and she already refunded me for that, so she needed to charge me for something! I had already paid the full bill for my son’s meal. Oh, and she told me that they always cook their hibachi to the point where the food is burnt. I have been to Mikado’s in Front Royal and multiple Sakura’s. I have never had food or an experience like this at any other Japanese steakhouse. This is the first time I have ever left a review on any place ever. That’s how upset...