There's a lot this place does arguably "wrong" as a restaurant. It's essentially a small house (clumsily) converted into a makeshift eatery. It isn't trendy. The signage on the front of the building is practically invisible from the road - blink and you'll certainly miss it. The plates and dishes often aren't uniform or the expected stark restaurant-white; they're varied in style and color, perhaps collected over the years. There's no squeeze-bottle or ring-mold plating. Food often appears scooped and served in casual divisions on the plate (think Japanese Thanksgiving). The decor is pretty hodge-podged together. The prices are definitely below market. There's next to no staff. There's no music. I love it. It's amazing. It's an unpretentious, no-frills, exceptionally cozy restaurant that serves what is essentially home-cooked Japanese food - not fine dining, but certainly not standard takeout fare. The sushi is consistently great, and the rest of the menu is more hit than miss. Often not blow-your-socks-off amazing, but typically very good with a kind of "just like mom made it" quality that is deeply comforting and rarely evoked by a restaurant. Beyond that, the owners are kind, the service is quick, and the place is clean. Really no place I'd rather find myself slurping soup on a dark, chilly evening. So long as you go in not expecting it to be something it isn't, you'll have a great time here and enjoy what feels like a home-cooked Japanese meal. read more

HEY GUYS! This is such a wonderful hidden gem in Indianapolis. If you want a good food and good service, you would definitely have a blast here! It may be a little bit off from the main road but it's really good! It's locally owned, authentic and reasonably pricing! read more

Ichiban Noodles - Japanese Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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This is a hidden gem I discovered through my foodie group. We came to Ichinban Noodles for lunch one Saturday, and it is definitely a hole in the wall place that you would not think is located in a house off of the side of the road. You definitely have to look and pay attention when finding the house because it is easy to miss off of Bash St. It is a small house that does not have a lot of seating, so you would definitely need to come right when they open to get a seat for lunch. The sushi is amazing from what my friends told me. I ordered the Yui Ramen which came with soup or salad. I chose the miso soup which was very good and perfect on a fall cold day. The Yui Ramen dish was incredible!! The flavors of the pork and noodles blended very well together. The texture of the noodles was perfect as well. The service is nice and I could tell that it is a family owned establishment. Ichiban Noodles is definitely one of the best sushi and ramen places in Indy that I have visited. No matter what you order from the menu, it is guaranteed to be phenomenal. You definitely need to treat yourself to some sushi or ramen here at Ichiban Noodles. It is fantastic!! read more

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Tempura is fire, green tea was great, and they serve wet towels before. Real lowkey spot too

Not the most up to date place but the food was great and the prices were good. The sushi is on the smaller side but the taste has freshness and quality. read more

Ichiban Noodles - Fried Rice with chicken - Japanese Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Have been going to Ichiban for over 20 years. They have the best chicken teriyaki bento box. It is a family owned restaurant and a little hole in the wall treasure. Would eat here everyday if I could. read more

Ichiban Noodles - Chicken Dinner - Japanese Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

The food and service is excellent..... Sushi the best in the bento box are excellent. We are regulars and I already have special personal bentobox made for me. read more

The ultimate hole in the wall... Even knowing where it is at, I have passed it by a couple of times, having to turn around and sneak up on it from the other side. Blink and you miss it. I have to say that I have never had their sushi, not a big fan of sushi in general. I come here for noodles and such. I that regards, this place is tops with a good selection of dishes, sweet friendly service and reasonable prices. read more

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Very small and I've passed it many times not realizing it was a restaurant. However it is GREAT!! Service is great, food is delicious and very quick! Gyoza are a must have! read more

Ichiban Noodles - Sushi & Katsudon - Japanese Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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In my opinion best sushi In town love the spicy scallop roll and the soft shell crab roll nice atmosphere older woman taking orders she's sweet nice small hidden gem! read more

Second time here. It's a little bit off of 82nd in Castleton, north on Bash road. Both times the food was very good. read more

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We really enjoy going here. You can't find a better bang for your buck. We had two main dishes, two appetizers, and two drinks, and it was only $35. The food was good, the service was good. The ambience is basic, don't let that throw you off because the food is well executed. Also, don't be thrown off if it looks like they are closed. They are open! read more

This place is a hidden GEM! But dont judge the restaurant by the outside! It is kinda hidden and doesn't get a lot of foot traffic but this is some of the best Asian I have had! They are very responsive and super nice! The inside can be dated but I came for the flavor of the food and they delivered! read more

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Absolutely loved the experience! The building is off of Bash Rd. The food came out very quickly, and was delicious! Extremely affordable too! I loved the tempura rolls & the shrimp dumplings. I can't wait to go back again for more read more

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The absolute best sushi in Indianapolis! The best service in Indianapolis! Absolutely amazing!!!

Small restaurant w plenty of parking just outside the front door. The ambience? None I ordered fried rice, which came with Souper salad. I had the soup. Super cold & inedible Fried rice was OK. Nothing special I won't be back. read more

Don't be fooled by the looks of this place. It may not look like it, but this little house just northeast of Castleton Mall is home to some of the most authentic Japanese food you'll find in Indianapolis. They specialize in Ramen, udon, & soba noodles but also have a decent selection of sushi and rice dishes. The hidden gems are on the appetizer menu. Agedashi Tofu, Ika Maruyaki (grilled whole squid), and shumai are some of the highlights. read more

Ichiban Noodles - Zora Soba (cold dipping noodles) & Oyakodon - Japanese Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Food is great but lately they are struggling to keep stuff around and place look like short handed most of the times. Last 2 orders to go didn't go right. Last week one thing ordered we're missing from the bag and today half of the order of rolls are broken. Both of the orders were for my kid. She was disappointed. Please Ichiban step up to the right standards. read more

Ichiban Noodles - Took order to go and half of the rolls are broken. - Japanese Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Great service, good value. This is Chinese family owned and operated Japanese joint that offers all things Japanese. The food was pretty nothing to write home about but the service was fantastic and the prices were very reasonable. I enjoyed sitting at the bar, and I enjoyed my 40 cent cup of tea, but really didn't enjoy my ramen or my sushi. Ramen: The Shoyu Ramen noodles were not ramen noodles, they were more like soft wide rice noodles. The broth tasted like it came from a can of chicken broth, mixed in with some soy sauce. The cutlet and a ton of pepper helped me get through this bowl, I was hungry and didn't want to waste my 8 bucks. The included salad helped me get full, so not too upset for $8, still way healthier than a fast food value meal. Sushi: I had a smoked salmon roll, I wanted something cooked. Sitting at the bar, I did not feel very comfortable ordering any fresh / uncooked sushi. Using the bathroom here made me a little skeptical of the overall cleanliness of the old structure. The Smoked Salmon roll came out pretty ugly and the wasabi was the really cheap variety squeezed out of a tube. Conclusion: Come here for something resembling Asian food in this neck of the woods for an attractive price. read more

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I went there for the first time and the food was amazing. I recommend the calamari as the appetizer! I plan to be back for sure!

Hidden gem award. This is another one of those locations you either were told about or you happen to walk in after driving that back road and saying wow that is going on my places to go. If you like soups, noodles, bento boxes or sushi well they have them all. Bento boxes and soups with noodles are usually out go to items and have always been great. read more

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Tucked away in a little free standing building on Bash Street, just off of 82nd Street lies this hidden gem. Perhaps 40 seats total, very quaint and unassuming. The sushi and sashimi are very fresh. All of the noodle dishes have delicious homemade flavors. You almost feel like you are in someone's home. We were welcomed by the sweetest woman, Nancy. The prices are so outrageously low compared to other places. This little place is well with a try. Open from 11-2 for lunch and 4:30-9 or 10 pm for dinner. You will not be disappointed. A well kept secret off the beaten path. We will return over and over again. read more

This is the best in Indianapolis. Quite possibly the best in the U.S. Great staff, amazing food, and one sushi chef who makes small tight rolls that explode with flavor. Two words: LOUIS ROLL. read more

I love this spot! It is super close to my work so I get it for lunch frequently. I usually always get the shrimp fried rice. It is sooo good and always taste super fresh! Today I also tried the gyoza and I LOVED it!! Also fresh and delicious. The staff are very nice and friendly. Definitely a hidden gem in the Castleton area! read more

Ichiban Noodles - Shrimp Fried Rice Gyoza - Japanese Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

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I've been dining here for many years, Louis and Nancy are a great team and have bento boxes that surpass any high end sushi establishment. Til this day, they are accommodating and the chicken and noodles are beyond amazing! I hope others understand this hidden gem is truly one of a kind and worth a visit. read more

Family owned & operated. Nigiri is very fresh and practically melts in your mouth. The "Rock and Roll" sushi roll is a tempura-coated mouthful of pleasant flavors. Spicy tuna roll is particularly fresh & tasty. A wonderful little Japanese restaurant. read more

Hidden gem! Everything is so delicious the Yaki ramen are like a giant chicken nugget in ramen and are my absolute favorite. Service is great. read more

I have been going here for 18+ years. The people who run it are amazing and the food is always so good!

It's been a couple years since and driving by I had to stop for a bite at my favorite stomping ground. Same owner and wife are still there! The wife remembers me and greets me with that awesome warm smile that she always does!! If you want attentive service and a cozy little place to eat very affordable sushi this is it!!! read more

Amazing, authentic Japanese food in an unsuspecting location. Can't recommend highly enough! DELICIOUS, and the owners were so kind. Will absolutely be back. read more

Ichiban Noodles - Seafood Udon - Japanese Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

This place was delish! I found this restaurant very affordable for all the food you get and the employees were really kind. They did not miss a single portion of our order and we got a lot! I would definitely recommend this place! It was a fun, authentic experience. read more

My bad. "In Yelp We Trust?" I apologize to all the people that gave Ichiban a low star review. I should have trusted you, but I go into reviews like an Olympic judge: drop the high and lowest scores and average the rest. If you end up here, just order Miso Soup and edamame and leave. Avoid the sushi, I don't know why I tried it but I was in the mood. It's kinda sad when you eat Ramen and think, "this dish needs salt." If you're in Castleton, keep driving north to Wild Ginger or Bento Cafe for flavor. read more

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Man. This is one I really wanted to like, really. It's close to my office and really seems like it could be a diamond in the rough. It looked like overall the reviews were very good, but one in particular did caution me away from the sushi because I really love sushi and didn't want to be disappointed. (Bad sushi can be more than just bad taste/look too so I'm extra careful.) So I went with the tendon bowl which was rice with tempura shrimp and vegetables. I had iced tea to drink. I started with the miso soup which came with my meal. It was decent, but it seriously lacked seasoning. Still, I was appreciative of it on a cold day (and it was cold inside). The tempura on my shrimp and veggies in my main dish was soggy. All of it. The vegetables were overcooked also covered in soggy tempura. I couldn't figure out why since there wasn't a sauce poured over it or anything. My guess is that the oil wasn't hot enough. It was close to their opening time, and I am thinking that the food absorbed the oil and didn't really get that nice crispiness that tempura usually has. The sauce at the bottom of the bowl with the rice was good and had a nice sweetness to it. My tea was weird. It had a strange taste/smell, but I think that's the ice or water it was made from. It had a smell like hard water. The tea was very weak too so it couldn't overcome that aroma. My companion seemed to really enjoy her noodle bowl, but I can't see myself returning here. read more

Ichiban Noodles - Tendon tempura shrimp & vegetable bowl. - Japanese Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Best Udon in Indy... Hey, it's a converted house. It was kind of warm in there...especially when you are getting noodle soup...and it's a balmy 78 degrees inside. Didn't matter...WOW! The udon were PERFECTION. The broth needed a little soy sauce and spice mix (on the table) to kick it up....but it came together wonderfully. It's getting cooler...can't WAIT to go back there and try the other 11 things I wanted. read more

Quaint little location and atmosphere with real authentic food and friendly service! We will be back!! read more

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Great hidden gem in Castleton! Wanted to eat at another noodle place for lunch but they hadn't opened yet so my friend and fellow Yelper decided to try out this place. I've driven past Ichiban a hundred of times, always curious how the food was. I ended up getting the Shoyu Udon (recommended by the server) - crispy pork, spinach in soup stock. It was perfect for a cool fall day. Your meal comes with soup or a salad - I got the salad since I was already eating soup. The udon was enormous - but I definitely ate the whole thing. i love the thick noodles, which were cooked perfectly, and the stock itself was so flavorful and rich. The pork was so so, about 5 pieces, but I enjoyed the meal as a whole. We were the only ones in the restaurant but it picked up as a lunch crowd trickled in. They only had one server, so we didn't see much of him throughout our meal. One of my biggest peeves is when servers put everything on one bill without asking how it should be split, which happened today. We had to wait around an extra 10 minutes before we could get our bill settled. All in all, the food was good (or at least mine was), but service could be a bit better. read more

Ichiban Noodles - Shoyu Udon - Japanese Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Went here with some coworkers the other day for lunch. It's extremely close to work and I pass it every day. It seemed sketchy so I ever stopped in. Anywho, we decided to go and try a few things. I got the rams in broth, my coworkers had other things. I will say it's reasonably priced and the employees are really nice. It also gets pretty packed around lunch time so that is great for them. I'm sure they have some good food items but my experience was very disappointing. My noodles were completely over cooked, almost mush, and the broth basically had no flavor at all. Everything looked white and flat. I has to add soooo much chili pepper just to give it some flavor. Idk, could have just been an off day but compared to Ramen Ray, this was just not flavorful. Maybe next time Illyrian something else read more

I remember setting foot inside Ichiban Noodles 8 years ago and I thought the interior had more character with the jade green booths. Although, I never had the chance back then to try this "wonderful" little sushi place everyone deems it to be since our dinner party ditched us. Despite of the plain white walls with a few tables, it seemed to be pretty busy during lunch today. Even though it's the first few days of spring, they were saving on heat bills because I had goosebumps up my arms and my toes were freezing. It must be their tactic into making me order some kind of hot soupy noodle. Good marketing strategy since I changed my mind and got tempura udon. My boyfriend ordered seafood ramen. We also got salmon, eel & cucumber, and spicy tuna rolls as an app to share. First came our house salad with a unique spicy ginger dressing. I have to admit, please omit the weird tortilla chip in there. If you need crunch, I'd prefer a cucumber chip. Next came our tray of sushi neatly presented. Let's just say the taste wasn't as good as it's looks. The rice must've been too wet, so it was a bit slimy and cold. I had to have my boyfriend finish it up. The udon noodles weren't any better - overcooked and soggy. Broth didn't taste like miso nor did I have a dipping sauce on the side for my tempura shrimp & veggies. His ramen noodles didn't look enticing either - they looked like lo mein noodles... Despite of the poor quality of food, service was good. I'm sorry Ichiban. I really wanted to like you like everyone else adores you. I'm just not digging Chinese, more Japanese please. Sayonara, Ichiban - our love affair just happened to be a fling. read more

Ichiban Noodles - Tuna avocado, salmon, eel & cucumber rolls - Japanese Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

Looking for a new sushi experience close to home we decided to take a yelp suggestion and try Ichiban. First reaction -- What an odd little place! (other reviewers were totally spot on about the appearance) We went at 6pm on a Saturday... the tables in the 'main' area (like 5 tables) were full, so they told us they had to 'make room' for us at a table where they had been rolling silverware. We ended up at a large random table in the back (and there were just 2 of us!) with makeshift plywood walls painted yellow. Hmmm... The young, sweet waitress brought us a steaming hot towel to start. Nice touch. (Service with this young lady was great, by the way). We decided to order 4 types of rolls and split them: asparagus roll, shrimp tempura roll, Louis roll, and the Bob roll. When the plate of sushi arrived, we noticed a few things. First, the pieces were not at all uniform in size nor shape, and they were much smaller than what we are used to (were about the size of a quarter and not thick at all). The rice on the outside of the roll was WAY over-worked and smashed together which was interesting because the rolls did not hold together when you attempted to pick them up! Fell right apart. The asparagus roll and shrimp tempura roll tasted pretty darn good. They were a mess to look at, but as my husband noted --"the taste is there...they just don't look pretty". (4/5) The Louis roll was interesting...came topped with a mixture that was almost sweet. Interesting. (2.5/5) The Bob roll is one of our favorites at Sakura and I am sorry to say it was done a great injustice here. The smoked salmon was SO fatty that it was slimy in my mouth. Ewwwww. When the roll fell apart (as they all did), we noticed there was still skin on the salmon as well. I had one piece and was DONE. Ordered the 'homemade' Mango ice cream. The waitress was not sure if they had it, but returned to say "we just got a shipment of it in last night so we have it". Ummm...if it is homemade...? Never mind. Skip to the part where this was THE BEST part of my meal. Seriously good. (5/5) 6 rolls, 2 iced teas, 1 ice cream was exactly $50 before tip. Yes, $50. And we didn't even get any 'specialty' rolls. Of note, we get the exact same number/type of rolls *and* plum wine at Sakura --and get filled completely up -- for less than $35. Looks like we will be making the drive in the future. Disclaimer--we LOVE joints, diners, dives, mom and pop places, family run, and random gems... but for some reason, I just was NOT feeling this place. I really really really wanted to like this place. Sad face. The table next to us knew the waitress by name and said they had been coming there for 11 years. Maybe I missed something?? read more

Wow! Thanks to the reviewers who led us here. It was amazing. We had sushi (super fresh, absolutely perfect), tempura (great batter, but strangely bland sauce), soft shell crab (omg!), and seaweed salad (always a fave, but here it seemed a step above the usual boxed stuff). The staff were very friendly and attentive, and the owner was the one making the sushi. Sadly, we didn't get to try the noodles, but we will definitely be coming back! As others mentioned, it's sort of a nondescript hut. When you stop and wonder whether you could possibly be there -- that's when you know you're there. read more

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