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Ichibantei

3.9 (372 reviews)
Open • 11:00 am - 3:00 AM (Next day)
Updated over 3 months ago

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ICHIBANTEI ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - Ichibantei

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Good earl grey panna cotta
Rita L.

Writing a review for my experience last night. I stopped by since I knew a couple of friends were there having dinner and a few friends and I wanted to check out the spot. We had some drinks and appetizer and dessert and to our surprise when we got the bill we saw a 25% tip added automatically. My group was told that we were not going to be billed under the same bill as my friends party since they had a lot more people, and we sat in a different table next to them. We were also there after having dinner so knew it was just gonna be a drink for fun, and we got there a lot later. I thought that was kind of sketchy they did that and surprised to see the charges. I didn't know sitting next to my friends meant we were automatically charged as a larger group and to be forced to pay that tip felt off, it would have been helpful if they told us and i would've totally sat at a different section if i knew about it walking in. (the other groups host had a dinner event I was not a part of) We were also okay getting a separate table with our group of 4 and we was just gonna go say hi to our friends, it's so weird this is how they're doing business and expected us to pay more for the tip. Surprising because I would have just said, I want to sit at a different section and not have to be charged extra. Honestly, I just hate not having the option to choose what we want to tip and that it felt forced. Otherwise friendly staff, good earl grey panna cotta and passion fruit cocktail, but that tip situation threw my experience off. Didn't know what else to say besides feeling like we've overpaid. Ooh also the bathroom was gross. The first one closer to the reception lady walking in is a little bit cleaner. The second one by the staircase is really disgusting and smells disgusting. I don't know how they're cleaning this restroom... it's so dark and just... yuck! The whole vibe of this place is really dark. Not my type of place to go. Won't be back again for sure.

lunch special menu
Joann S.

The service was pretty good and the ambience was also really nice. The lighting was dim and they had a movie playing in the background (Harry Potter). I liked what I ordered, which was the steak and rice. I preferred the takoyaki over the shio takoyaki, but they were both a little softer than the ones I was used to.

Gyudon kizami-wasabi
Anna K.

The restaurant has been relocated. The new spot is much more luxury and modern with black wall. Screen playing is cool but could play better things. Our waiter was really friendly :) Ordered Gyu-Don. Was really tasty! They open until 3am. Will come back for another meals!

Ashley C.

I'm obsessed with this place. I used to live in Japan and everything tasted authentic like a regular Tokyo izakaya. I went with my friend and the temptation to order everything on the menu was strong. On a Friday night they were packed so I recommend reservations. The vibe is really cool too great date spot!

Adi V.

Ambiance was good, something unique with the screen playing, 7/10. Service was good, as expected nothing over the top, 5/10. Food was decent, I'm vegetarian so there weren't many options and they said they couldn't sub meat for vegetables on some dishes. Also didn't get my miso soup until after the food was finished, 5/10. (The others liked their food though!)

Megana V.

the food was alright but the portions were large and the vibe inside was sort of incredible. they had a huge project playing ghibli movies the entire time so it felt cool and kitschy lol

Rina D.

Cool concept, dark and theater like ambiance, but everything was very salty ): For appetizers, we got yuzu shishito peppers and it was SO salty, we could barely eat it.. The agedashi tofu was probably our favorite as its texture and flavoring was very good. The karaage was kind of unique as the chicken was very thick and stiff.. not the typical type of chicken(?) you would get for karaage. I got the chicken katsu and once again, the chicken was not tender and it was very stiff and thick! It was once again like a different part of the chicken than the typical chicken katsu that you would get. The sauce was also pretty soy sauce(?)/salt heavy and I did not end up finishing my meal.. Service was okay! Staff seemed pretty tired/not enthusiastic as she talked to us and took our orders.

Jason M.

My brother and I found ourselves at Ichibantei for a late dinner after a nearby concert. He took lead with picking the place as I had made arrangements for the concert; since he had been here before with good things to say, it seemed like the ideal spot to try - so off we went. Ichibantei sits on 3rd Ave and 13th Street. Walking in, I was really surprised by the size; the space is huge with a large hall/waiting area towards the front which gives way to a decently-sized dining room that also houses a bar. I noticed some stairs as we were making our way to our table - not sure if that led to another level but regardless, there's a lot of space here. The decor is modern with low lighting and a dark color scheme paired against colorful art hanging on the walls. The mellow music playing completed the feel. The menu is mainly Japanese, with a good selection of apps, rice bowls, curries, and entrees. We decided to start with a few apps - namely, the shio takoyaki, Ichibantei fries, and gyoza. I enjoyed all three - the gyoza were my favorite as they were crispy with a lot of flavor. I'm not really into takoyaki but these were topped with a tasty sauce; the fries were good too - steak style and seasoned well. For my main I got the chicken katsu curry - this was really good. The chicken was fried well without being too greasy and the curry was flavorful. I must say, portions were very generous - both with the apps and the entrees. They're open late so I can totally see this being an after hours spot when hunger calls. Service was good, we were seated promptly despite being early for our reservation and food came out at a good pace. Overall, I had a great experience at Ichibantei - food and aesthetics were a yes and I wouldn't hesitate to return for another meal.

Pork Katsu Curry
Samantha W.

We had been searching far and wide for katsu curry, and we came upon Ichibantei. I gotta say, a little underwhelmed by the experience. The restaurant itself is gorgeous. I really like the dimly lit interior and high ceilings. The intimate vibes are very cozy. The drinks were good, nothing special about them. My boyfriend got the rum and ginger and thought it was too tart. It needed something to balance it out. The katsu itself was pretty good! The breading was crispy, and the meat was juicy enough and had some great fatty parts. The curry was a bit disappointing though. It was kind of grainy and a bit thin. It also had a slight sour aftertaste that I didn't love. I've definitely had better curry, and at a much lower price point. For $26, I was expecting to be wowed, and I just wasn't.

Mervi T.

Delicious food and amazing vibes!! They have a movie projected on the wall & servers were quick and attentive

Chicken nanban
Peggy C.

I checked out Ichibantei because I wanted to see how the chicken nanban compared to my home-cooked experience in Japan. The chicken did not disappoint. It was juicy and flavorful and had a unique tartar sauce that pulled the dish together with the rice. I did enjoy it. My husband's curry was just OK, but was a good portion. The salted edamame appetizer was not very good. It seemed microwaved and certainly overcooked. The service was decent, but in no way justified the suggest 25%-35% tip on the card reader. This place is much more of a bar than a restaurant, and it has a grimy feel to match. Nightmare Before Christmas playing on the big screen around Halloween time, FYI.

kurobata pork ginger. Teishoku (me thinks)
Ruwan J.

Ichibantei used to be a cozy Japanese soul / comfort food spot in the East Village off of First Avenue. in 2023, it moved into a much larger building where it is still resides currently...still in the East Village on Third Avenue. came here on a busy Saturday night (before the big snowstorm) to pick up a takeout dinner. ordered a "Katsu Curry Rice" platter, but it was actually "Karaage Curry Rice"--but i sorta knew this because the app i ordered through had a pic, so i knew i was getting fried chicken chunks (karaage) versus a fried Panko-breaded sliced chicken cutlet (Katsu). assume it's just a error or glitch. anyway, either way i was getting fried chicken pieces, an ample amount of Japanese rice, curry sauce, and pickled radish as a takeout order. the current larger Ichibantei space is sleek, modern, and feels very Japanese pop culture with a touch of NYC versus the previous Ichibantei space which is was way more intimate and casual. Ichibantei's entranceway has seating to wait; there is hostess station to check in for your reservation or to pick up orders, and beyond that is the large main dining low-lit room + bar (you can eat at the bar). on one of the dining room walls, they screen movies throughout the day and night. "Bambi" was playing when i was there that night. there are more floors with seating options, but i didn't check them out. anyway, the restaurant was slammed as they had a full house and what seemed like a never-ending stream of delivery people picking up orders. so my order was about ~25-30 minutes late, but it wasn't a big deal because I was in no rush to head back in the abyss of a freezing winter night. when ready, my order was packed neatly. got home quickly as i was hungry and the food smelled great even through the bag. the food? very good. everything was very warm, so my food didn't sit too long. the karaage was crispy potato-starch-coated fried-chicken-thigh chunks on the outside, but juicy and flavorful on the inside. so good. the Japanese rice was right amount of soft, sticky chewiness to complement the karaage and curry sauce. the curry sauce is thick-ish, seasoned-well with layers of savory umami-ness, nice and aromatic but not spicy, but more mild with sweet notes. combined all together, it makes for satisfying comfort food calories. Ichibantei is open for both lunch, dinner, and stays open late--serving up tasty Japanese soul food for hungry spirits.

Beef Curry Udon, Niku Udon
Michelle Y.

Super spacious very cool movie-theater(???) themed restaurant with japanese rice/udon dishes. udon was so good, noodles were cooked well and niku broth was so flavorful (we were a fan of the raw beef). I was also just a fan of the vibes in general, and the servers were nice as well.

Chicken Katsu

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Last night's dinner was well worth the 1hr 15min wait! I stumbled upon Raku from my Yelp search of…read morenearby places and seeing the fantastic 4.6 star rating, I thought let's give it a try! This is my first time enjoying udon noodle soup in NYC so let's see what it has to offer and it did not disappoint! We sat at the large communal table in the back - VERY loud talking so would recommend a booth or the seating in front of the restaurant if you prefer a quieter dinner. My coworker ordered the Chikara (mochi with chicken hot udon) with a side of veggie tempura, this was recommended by our server. I ordered the Niku + spicy oil (most popular udon with beef short ribs and honeycomb tripe) with side order of shrimp tempura and sansai vegetables. Food came out quickly within 10 mins and was piping hot served in fun pots! This amount of food was more than enough for 2! I wanted to order gyoza but next time! Broth was savory, beef and tripe were both very tender, tempura was lightly battered and fried. The vegetables had a nice pickling, nice crispy. My coworker really enjoyed her mochi. I even tried a sip of her broth and it was so flavorful! Chicken was soft and juicy. This was my favorite dinner during our stay in NYC thus far, I can't wait to come back! Dinner ended up being $88 in total after tax which I think is a great deal. Highly recommend Raku for those wanting to try Japanese noodles, either hot or cold!

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Ichibantei - japanese - Updated October 2026

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