We had lunch there recently and started with the caterpillar maki which was quite good. I ordered nabeyaki udon soup and my wife ordered the katzu chicken. The nabeyaki looked like it had been made several days prior. The chicken which overwhelmed it was the texture of rubber; come to think of it, nearly everything in the soup was the same hopeless texture, absolutely inedible. Mushrooms were spit-out-awful and there were very few veggies. I knew better than to bother with the egg floating on top. The katzu chicken was clearly fried in ancient oil, echoing the complaint of an earlier reviewer, with a bitter nasty aftertaste. Noodles were absolutely tasteless. We asked for a container...to take the scraps home to our chickens. Because the server was efficient and pleasant, I decided not to ask for my money back. I would have been well within my rights to do so, without a peep, I'm guessing, from the kitchen. They know when they've screwed up and they did. All of which brings to mind Woody Allen's quote about life: such a large amount of misery and such small portions. read more

Five starts may be a bit misleading here - they lost a star because our $16 caterpillar roll was a disaster, basically a pile of sushi ingredients. However, they get +1 star for the fiddlehead tempura, which was unique and special. They also get 5 stars for the underlying sushi - the simple tuna maki was fresh and expertly crafted. read more

I've been coming here for the better part of 20 years, and It is always an amazing experience every single time. I absolutely love this place and it will always be my go-to place for anything Japanese cuisine. Even after the brothers parted ways and he opened a competing restaurant, I stayed here. The owners and employees are always super nice and atmosphere is perfect for either a first date, or a fancy outing. Highly recommended! This place has always been a part of my life and I hope to make it a part of my kids life someday! read more

Was blown away with how much flavor everything had. Super unexpected by the location. We stopped in for a late lunch before heading to the airport after a work week. We both had skipped breakfast and were extra hungry. Grabbed some apps and sushi. Had the fried potstickers (gyoza) crab Rangoon and sashimi appetizer. All phenomenal. Grabbed a Bangor roll California roll and a Mexican roll loved each roll. Service was great and food was great. Looking forward to coming back in a few weeks!!! read more

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Ridiculously good food. Their tempura was probably the best tempura I've had in a long time - crunchy yet very light, and somehow... still juicy. The tempura udon was what I had, along with some of their sushi. Can't remember what I tried for sushi, all I remember was that it was delicious. Cozy atmosphere, and could easily spend a great deal of time chatting and enjoying delicious food. Will definitely be back. read more

Excellent service and most outstanding quality of sushi - I had the salmon and it was just heavenly - a bit hole in wall feel but really clean and just a great experience. My daughter goes to school in the area and now every time I visit her will be stopping by to have dinner here. read more

Ichiban - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bangor, Maine

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Decent place in a sketchy neighborhood. Only one waiter for lunch yesterday and he was a bit short tempered. Soup was lukewarm and my spicy sushi was very hit and miss. Obviously no actual skill at the sushi bar. Cuts were rough and/or too thick. Rolls didn't have enough seaweed wrap or were misshaped. read more

We have been coming here for years and every visit has been a great experience. The sushi and rolls are ask beautifully layed out and delicious. Always friendly and courteous and happy to answer questions. Don't forget to try the Hamachi Kama! read more

Beautiful and relaxing restaurant. Excellent miso, sushi, and the gyoza was delicious. A Bangor treat! read more

Ichiban - Gyoza - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bangor, Maine

I'm being nice by giving 2 stars.... ordered pick up, sushi boat, salmon maki... and 2 different meat skewers. Sushi and sashimi was beyond gross. The salmon was so gross I had to spit it out. Salmon usually has fat lines on sashimi grade. NO there was none. I fed it to the dogs. Also with the rest of the boat. Beyond disappointed.... The chicken skewers were $7, for 4 chunks of meat, and 4 bell peppers. read more

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We had lunch here. It was one of the only sushi places open for lunch on a Sunday. The sushi was delicious and the service was amazing. We will definitely be back! read more

Ichiban - Volcano Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bangor, Maine

Small mom & pop shop for sushi. Great food and service! All the rolls & sashimi I had were really good. The scallops were my favorite and so was the cute roll that had a piece of octopus added on to make it look like a caterpillar. Would definitely come back for more sushi next time I'm back! read more

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The most deaf friendly Japanese restaurant in the area hands down. Everything we ordered and it all was so good!!! It's becoming our favorite spot to go for authentic Japanese cuisine and phenomenal warmth! We went there twice. Always happy with everything and we always leave wonderful tip for the business that's deaf friendly! read more

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Took a chance on this little hole-in-the-wall and needless to say, I was thrilled with the service and the food. It was so fresh and flavorful and to my surprise, incredibly authentic. 10/10 I'll definitely go again! read more

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After craving sushi for months, Ichiban did not disappoint! The seaweed salad and miso soup were delicious, the nigiri fish cuts were beyond generous and all melted delightfully in the mouth. The spicy tuna maki roll was unlike any spicy tuna I've had before simply because they added what seemed to be a bit of tempura inside the roll, delicious! Will definitely be returning! read more

So in the Bangor/Brewer area there are a few Asian style cuisine restaurants worth writing about here in Yelp. Of all of them, Ichiban has fallen off of the radar and does not rank as tops of any of them. A few years back, Ichiban was the best for sushi and Asian cuisine but when Green Tea and Yoshi came into the mix, Ichiban needed a refocus effort but it has fallen short and is a stale place at best. I am very surprised that it has received so many good reviews here on Yelp. Here are the reason's why: Service is atrocious. We have been back to Ichiban's throughout the years and the time it takes to get something as simple as a beer or soda is unlike I have ever seen in any type of restaurant. We came to this establishment with 5 other people on a weeknight where it was not busy at all .. maybe two other tables. We all ordered sodas and a few people ordered a bottled beer. It took almost 25 minutes to get any of the drinks. Bottled beers and fountain drinks? Did they go back and milk the fountain drink cow to get them fresh? We ordered from the sushi menu to get a boat for the entire table and I think it almost took about 40 minutes ... we had not even ordered our main plates. To top all of this off (this is the case EVERY time I have frequented Ichiban) the waitstaff had no idea what was on the menu or how to describe them to us. Sometimes in the other establishments, there is a slight language barrier but the staff usually knows what to recommend or point us the right direction. I feel that the wait staff at Ichiban look at you like you have three heads before they can try to decipher what you are trying to say or ask for. The sushi chefs behind the bar does not interact with the customers like most successful asian/sushi restaurants around one of the big cities. I have to remember, this is Bangor and I used to use that as an excuse when it was the only popsicle stand in town ... now with competition, it is not a good excuse. The only reason that I did not give this one star is that compared to some of the other sushi restaurants in the area, Ichiban is moderately priced. Most of your items are cheaper than it's competitors. The other reason is that the dining area is dimly lit and has some more romantic ambiance and on a date, you can afford to wait a long time with good conversations (hopefully) unless you want to run the other way. If you want some fresh, good quality sushi go to Green Tea or Yoshi ... skip on the Ichiban. read more

I often drive here from the Ellsworth area to get takeout during the pandemic, even though I also like a place closer to me. I used to enjoy dining inside pre-pandemic as well; the service is dependable and the atmosphere is quiet and easy to have a conversation in. OK now onto the food: I love the sushi here. I used to live in New York so I am judging this by New York standards actually (I adjust standards for other cuisines, but I'm not willing to eat sub-par sushi). There are some really interesting rolls I've never had anywhere else (try the vegetarian ume shiso maki roll for a surprising sweet, sour, and tangy taste explosion!). Also, there are some unique appetizers thatlook rather labor-intensive. The hot food is also good. With their talented sushi chef, they are most definitely not phoning it in! read more

Great food. Ate there for the first time tonight. First time with Japanese cuisine. Prices are pretty good. Quality is great. The staff are very polite. I'm very allergic to shellfish and one staff member made it very clear to the chef/cook to NOT use any. Was a nice clean restart. I made my order a take out order, but sat there while it was being cooked. I will go back again. They do have a wide range of food. Cooked and sushi. I personally don't like sushi but they have been there for nearly 20 years. They started as a sushi restaurant. So they must be doing something right. read more

Family owned. Very fresh sushi and they have UNÍ! Family is very nice, staff very attentive. Sushi is expensive anyway but this is worth it as you never want "bad" Sushi. Good variety on menu. read more

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Severely disappointed by this place. It's right by our place, so we've gotten takeout several times. It's not the best Japanese food, but it was good for the price. However, we made the mistake of dining in. Like many others have said, the service is horrible. This was the first time we ever walked out of a restaurant before our food arrived. We ordered an appetizer and sushi and after 45 minutes of waiting nothing, even the appetizer, came out. Now, I can understand that they were busy, it was a Friday night, but the waitress avoided us like the plague. I'm sorry, but if your customer has waited over 30 minutes for their food, you should at the very least, come by and apologize that our food is a little late and see if we needed anything else. Even better, maybe provide a small bowl of miso soup (what's that, $1.50 for investing in a customer?) to hold us over. For 45 minutes, she didn't even look our way. I've waited long plenty of times for food, but never had I had a waitress so inept. We ended up going to Green Tea and the service was noticeably 100 times more better. Not only that, but the appetizer came out 5 minutes after ordering and the main course 10 minutes after that! I'm sad I won't be going to Ichiban anymore because it's so close, but the service was too appalling to return. It's Yoshi and Green Tea for us. read more

Horrible service call in orders tell u 30 minutes they mean 90. Dine in they only have one staff for all the tables. Hire a couple more people might keep a few long term customers. Rather goto shaws get sushi there at least dont have to wait 90 minutes for 3 rolls. read more

Ok yeah this is a few hours away from Boston. But originally being from the Bangor area, and knowing the not so stellar restauarants that are there I just needed to add this one. My best friend graduated from UMO a couple of weeks ago and we went to a celebratory dinner at Ichiban. Anyone love SUSHI?? I do, I do!!! My best friend, myself, and her fiancee, ordered a huge platter of sushi to split between us, while the other people ordered california rolls and noodles. So not adventurous. We got some of the usual with spiciness, and caviar, and some with whole baby crabs. Yum yum. How does my friend put it oh yes "Chelle Likey Likey". The most interesting part of the meal was the green tea fried ice cream. Oh soooooooooooo yummy and delecetable, it took all six of us to eat it though. The staff was friendly and even though it was a prom night, they were able to seat us without too much difficulty, and were really helpful in making choices for dinner. We left there extremely happy and extremely full. The next time I get home, I'm dragging my friends out there again! read more

Ate there in January 2020 and had a wonderful meal. Great service. Friendly staff. Great food! Then today, 5/8/20, I called to set up a special dinner to be delivered for a special occasion. It was perfect. The timing was precise. The food was delicious and the staff incredibly helpful setting it all up. Truly "ichiban!" read more

Get the halloween roll! Get it. Do it. Now! I live in arizona, and you may think I don't know my way around a sushi menu because of that. But we Arizonans eat plenty o sushi...and pay way too much for it, too. The fare here was fresh and tasty. I got a full belly for less than I'd pay at happy hour in Scottsdale. The most surprising and tasty roll was, again, the halloween roll. read more

Went here the other night with a big group for dinner. I still think Green Tea in Bangor has better tasting sushi, however the prices at Ichiban can't be beat. For a full size special roll at Ichiban you pay about $9 where at Green Tea you would pay about $12. -I tried the salmon skin roll- not very crunchy or salty. Was dissapointed in it. -The Kamakazi roll on the specialty menu was YUM! However the tobiko on top was a bit much and would prolly order it without it next time. -I then asked them to do a spicy crunchy salmon roll. Which was alright. -My friend had the soft shell crab and she said it was ok as well as the eel. -Also my rolls were falling apart when I picked them up with my chopsticks : ( I have heard from my Japanese friends that this is the most authentic sushi place but it isn't a place that I would go to all the time. If I have a quick craving the prices alone are enough to bring me in. The decor is very sterile, all tables and chairs, not too many pics on the walls and the lighting is slightly dim. They do have a sushi bar and you can sit and watch them prepare it right there but it is right in front of the door so prepare for it to be a loud and (in the winter) cold setting. I do have to say this though, the fish seemed to be very fresh and not questionable. Service can be hit or miss with communication. Some waiters speak great English, others don't. But they all seem to be very courteous. Our waitress handled our group of 10 well and did split checks for all of us and kept on top of our table. read more

Someone else mentioned something about how they were surprised that this place has received good reviews. I feel the same way. I have eaten a lot of Japanese food. And for Japanese fare, this place is below average. It did the trick, barely, to satisfy my maki craving when it was the only gig in town. But now that there are others, this falls to the lower side of the small list of Japanese joints in the greater Bangor area. read more

It really is a seemingly endless menu.... SOOOO many rolls! I really like Ichiban. I mean, I've had top notch sushi all around the world.... Ichiban isn't quite up to that (see review of Miyake in Portland), but it's very good and reasonably priced. I've never had a bad meal there. This time I got some miso (delish), a spicy tuna salad (SO worth the 9$, it was amazing with it's avocado and fried onion bowl), and a salmon avocado roll and rainbow tobiko. Fresh, tasty, and well presented. The people who work there are friendly, but were really stressed out while I was there? Maybe a rough night? Maybe a larger than expected Sunday night crowd? I paid no mind, it happens! I'll be back when I'm up in the Bangor area again! read more

I used to like this place a lot more before I moved to Seattle. Good Sushi place. As far as vegetarian options you can get a sunset (yam tempura), california roll (avocado and cucumber, ask for it without the crab), or plain cucumber or avocado rolls. I'm pretty sure the miso and the udon is fish broth. I tried the stir fry vegetables plate and it's mostly stir fry onions, not recommended. Most recently we had a bunch of trouble communicating to the waitress that we wanted the vegetable tempura as an appetizer. They only have the shrimp tempura on the appetizer menu, but both on the dinner menu. I'm not sure how many ways we tried to say "vegetable tempura before the sushi" but we eventually got it across after wasting a couple plates of shrimp tempura and lots of pointing at menus and language barriers. I do have fond memories of drinking here and eating sushi at the bar when I was a young lad, but that was before I was vegetarian and friends were just feeding me sushi and saki bombs. I really have no idea what I was eating but it was a fun time. read more

Ichiban is undoubtedly some of the best sushi available in the Bangor area. It's not cheap compared to Bangor area restaurants, but it is also better than many Bangor area restaurants. The non-sushi entrees are very good, the sushi is typically excellent and fresh, and the decor is excellent for a date, being kind of dim and moody. The desserts, fried ice-cream, fried cheese-cake, and others, are always excellent. The one bad thing about Ichiban? Post-order wait times for food can be horrible, especially on Sundays. I have waiting two hours for dinner. Granted, they gave four of us $15 worth of food to make up for it. That being said, they are typically decent with wait times. read more

So. Many. Makis! I love the choices on this menu. It's like it was created for me! Almost everything I have tried here is delicious. My favorites: Dragon, Crazy, Kamikaze, Love, and Mexican makis! My boyfriend loves their bento boxes, and their beef tataki is a must. For dessert - fried green tea ice cream! Soooo good. I don't think of their interior as cold and lifeless at all. The dining room is sleek and bold, with romantic lighting, and the colorful sushi in front of you is all the art you need. The sushi bar is clean and the sushi chefs are really nice. Their waitstaff is sweet, and I have never had a problem with a language barrier. read more

I'm from out of town and always make a trip to this place. The interior is well maintained and all of the staff are friendly. Service is always expeditious and presentation of meals are excellent. The prices are also very reasonable and affordable. The quality and taste of the sushi is often great and fresh. read more

Ichiban - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bangor, Maine

Ichiban underwent some management changes several months back so if you haven't been there in a while you may notice some changes on their menu or the way in which certain dishes are prepared. Ichiban serves excellent sashimi and sushi. If you want some fresh sashimi, you can't go wrong: Everything is presented with meticulous attention to detail, whether eating in or for take-out and quite delicious. I eat there at least once a month and everything is always absolutely fresh, which is crucial when it comes to sushi and sashimi. My favorites are the salmon sashimi and the shrimp tempura rolls. If you do order take out, be warned: They may tell you it will take 20 minutes but you will typically need to wait at least 30 to 40 to pick up your order so call well in advance and don't rush over or you will wind up sitting and waiting for quite a while. Also, as one other reviewer pointed out, this is a japanese family run operation and several of the employees don't speak the best English so ordering, whether in person or on the telephone, can be somewhat of a challenge at times. Your best bet is to use the actual japanese terms on the menu as they will recognize those most easily. For example saying "Sake don" instead of ordering salmon sashimi over a bed of rice. If you are looking for a place to go but some people in your party don't enjoy sushi, there are a few alternate selections on the menu, but the Green Tea restaurant offers a vastly superior selection of non sushi/sashimi dishes with a full menu of chinese food in additional to the traditional japanese. So if a member of your party really doesn't like raw fish, you are probably better off going to Green Tea. read more

Best sushi in Bangor, or possibly in all of Maine. Sit at the sushi bar, chat with Walter, and order their more creative maki-you will not regret it. read more

I disagree with one reviewer who said they thought Green Tea had better atmosphere and better decor. Green Tea has decent sushi, the decor is tacky, while Ichiban is simple yet classy. Ichiban has some of the best sushi I have ever had. I love their spicy tuna rolls, excellent. Would have given 5 stars, but that title belongs to Sushi Zushi in San Antonio, TX. P.S. The fried green tea ice cream is ammmmazing. My husband and I will stop in for just that sometimes. read more

Never had a bad meal here. Sushi and maki are great. Sometimes a bit slow on service but otherwise very good

This Japanese Restaurant has been around for quite a while in Bangor. There are new ones popping up and I try each one but I always end up back here. This restaurant is quieter than some of the others so it is easy to carry on a business conversation. They are helpful if you don't know anything about Japanese food and they have lots more than raw fish. read more

Ichiban - Squid salad and Fire Roll - Sushi Bars Near Me - Bangor, Maine

Typically love Ichiban and their food however this 2 star rating is coming after 3 bad take out experiences where orders have been lost, it has taken twice as long as expected and items have been missing from my order. I love the food here so I'm willing to deal with the BS that comes along with a busy sushi place on the weekends but tonight was the last time I'll be coming here. I can easily give my business to Yoshi or Green Tea. Beware of at least an hour wait for take out on a Friday or Saturday night. They say 30 minutes buts it's not even close. read more

The WORST service EVER! This was our first visit tonight and will be our last. The server wasn't helpful with the menu, and offered no description/clarification of the dozens and dozens of sushi options. Our main course came out 15min before our sushi and we sat and waited for utensils(my 7yr old prefers to use a fork) for several minutes before I had to flag down the server. The sushi arrived and it was NOTHING like the description in the menu or by the server. I didn't eat it and waited another 20 minutes for the server to return to mention it to him. He was visibly irritated and stormed off when I said "Do you think you could just remove it from the bill, please?" I then heard him say to the owner that I was "demanding" that it be taken off the bill and that I "keep demanding" it. Not only was this a blatant exaggeration but he was talking loud enough for the entire dining area hear. He tended to several other tables before finally returning to my table with the check and the "verdict". The item was removed from the check(it took a lot of self restraint not to call him out on his kitchen theatrics).It's disappointing because had the server been more helpful with the menu, more apologetic and gracious for the inconvenience and a tad more professional, it would've been easier to overlook the lackluster service and long wait time. Despite the experience, I still tipped the 20% but that'll be the last nickel I give to that establishment. read more

first time to ichiban, we did call and setup a table for 8 people because it was a Saturday night. It was a rough visit from a service viewpoint. The waitress seemed a little out of sorts. It took a while to get drinks and the cocktail "bowl" was forgotten about all together and did finally come out (3 people had water). Food took a long time to come out like almost a hour and two of the sushi rolls werent ordered. We asked for checks when food come out because we had event to go to which we were worried we would be late to. We ended up having to go stand at the door and check out without our checks because the waitress didnt come back with checks in 30 mins. We had to tell the lady at the cash register what we had to eat so we could pay. We were for over 2hrs. Food was good but took forever and waitress wasnt good. read more

halloween roll and sunset maki rolls are my go-to. this place is affordable, quick (i've only gotten take-out), and the staff is very friendly. read more