We recently celebrated my twins' birthday at Ichibiri in Dana Point, and the entire dinner was fantastic. We started with the spicy tuna, which was delicious, and then had the filet and chicken teriyaki. Everything was cooked perfectly and full of flavor. Our teppan chef, Eduardo, was excellent and really made the experience special. The food, service, and atmosphere all made for such a memorable birthday dinner. We had a wonderful time and will definitely be back! read more

Ichibiri - VOLCANO!!!!!! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Dana Point, California

My family has been celebrating birthdays here's here for decades. We love the fresh food cooked right in front of us. read more

Our hibachi chef, table server, and food were excellent. Food quality was good, with huge portions. Most of us got the filet mignon and shrimp combo, and a few got the scallops. Everyone enjoyed their meal. This would have been a 5 star rating but the service at the front desk both with the host and the curly headed manager were terrible. We had 2 handicapped members in our party and another one that is hearing impaired. While our handicapped members were outside, they insisted that they would not seat our party until every single of one them was physically in the lobby, creating a huge cluster of people that almost knocked one of our elderly family members to the ground as a result. Then when our hearing impaired family member asked the employee what other things she needed, she told me that he was standing to close to her (so that he could hear her) and refused to speak with him. Then she told us as we took our seats that if we wanted to split up checks that we had to sit in a specific order according to checks, which was impossible with one member with crutches and the other with a walker, so we ended up keeping the seats and paying everything on one check. We are an easy going group that has never had an experience like this in a restaurant before. Due to that experience, I'm not sure that we would ever return. read more

I love having Ichibiri in the neighborhood! The food is great and the chefs put on a great show. The drink menu isn't extensive, but the corkage fee is low. It's great place for kids or families to have a great time. Service is great. read more

The staff was extremely welcoming and fantastic even though I showed up close to closing time for a to go order and a drink. They even reopened the bar to take care of me. Their commitment to the customer alone puts them above other Japanese Steakhouses in my opinion. read more

The quality of the food is much better than Riptide was. Glad we found this place after Riptide closed. The ambiance is not as fun but it was pleasant. Drinks were great and service was adequate. The filet Mignon was tender. The noodles were an unexpected bonus. read more

I wanted to take my wife and kids to a teppanyaki restaurant for a fun dinner, but I didn't feel like going to the usual spots in south OC. After a quick search through Yelp, I found Ichibiri in Dana Point. It's a casual restaurant in a nice shopping center. Their service was great; our waitress was friendly and attentive, and the chef put on a fun teppanyaki show. Our kids had lots of fun watching his tricks... which was the main reason we chose this type of dinner. The food was tasty and we left with full bellies, but we all agreed that we liked the food more at the other teppanyaki places. I'm sure we'll give Ichibiri another try in the future. It's definitely worth a try. read more

Salad and soup that came with hibachi were tasty. Never had noodles before at hibachi but love this addition here- the noodles were amazing! Fried rice and veggies were also excellent. Filet mignon was tender. The dipping sauces were delicious- one tasted gingery and one tasted like sesame. Chef was friendly and entertaining! Service was good. read more

Ichibiri - Sushi Bars Near Me - Dana Point, California

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Our first time there. The food was very good and full of flavor. I was though, very disappointed by our chef. After our meal was served, I looked to the table next to us and they were having much more fun than our table. Their chef was much more interactive and flipping shrimp into their mouths and creating a fun experience. Our chef did a few fun things with the eggs and the flaming onion, but that's about it. I was expecting more read more

Ichibiri has the best sushi ever and is highly under-rated. It's so fresh. The owner is Japanese and the sushi chef is as well. The best salmon sushi and spicy tuna - always fresh and delicious. They also have tepanyaki. Highly recommend - I have been going there for years and am amazed that more people are not onto how delicious it is. If you're going for ambiance - it's not but if you're going for the freshest most delicious sushi, go here!! read more

Such a great place! Taste food and real show! We was there three times and every time we left restaurant happy:) read more

I've been coming here since they had the location in San Clemente. Same amazing tastes and experience. Service was perfect and checked on us nonstop while the chef put on a show for the kids. If I don't get my Ichibiri meal at least a couple times a year, I would be upset. read more

Worst teppan meal ever. Fried rice needed to be fried. It was as bland and flavorless as white rice. Fried rice was apportioned to plates way before other food was grilled; should have been kept warm on grill and served with meat/seafood and vegetables at the same time. Each of foods was piled one on the other so that it was difficult to find the vegetables and other components separately. My plate looked like a hostess had scraped all her guests' leftovers onto one plate before disposing in the garbage. All employees are pleasant and cordial, but did not make up for the terrible food. read more

I can't ! I've become a local resident . I work in Laguna Beach 20+ years... there are 4 top notch Sushi bars in town... Yet Ichibiri steals the show! Taste-Presentation- Service 100% always the Best. Consistency and freshness always a must at an any sushi bar. Ichibiri delivers ! The vibe is high. Everyone has a smile and the staff makes you feel Welcome. See you here ! -H xo read more

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My favorite teppanyaki spot! My family loves to celebrate birthdays here. There is something for everyone. If you have dietary restrictions the food options are very good. Usually when i go to teppanyaki there is way too much food for me to finish so it was nice that they had the option to share a meal for an extra free. It was the perfect amount of food to share between two people. The waiter was very attentive and we were very happy with the service :) read more

Ichibiri - fried rice and veggies - Sushi Bars Near Me - Dana Point, California

The food quality has gone totally down hill, the service was TERRIBLE, the servers were so pushy and rushed us. The shrimp was so fishy, the chef cooked very fast. Our bill was $500 and they treated us like crap. My niece made a little cake for my sister for her birthday and we asked for little plates and she said they have a "bring your own dessert" fee. Insanity! read more

It took 15 minutes to get a drink orders. They left our soup and salad bowls at the table and wouldn't clear them for 30 minutes. I had to go to the bar to refill my ice tea. It was 40 minutes before they took our food order. It took the an hour and 40 minutes to serve and then for us to finish our food. The bus boys were watching FIFA and not taking care of the tables, very frustrating. Half the tables were empty and I realize why after eating there. read more

We made a reservation, were sat immediately and enjoyed the chef, the service and the food. A bit pricey but better than that other place that has teppan. read more

Best hibachi place in Oc! Been coming here for 20 years and yes still so good! Came recently and enjoyed our Tappan experience! Which is the only way to dine here! Staff very friendly and seated us right away. We made reservations on a Tuesday at 6pm. If you want to sit at the teppan seating I HIGHLY recommend always making a reservation. I always start with the crunchy roll and share it with husband . Then I order the two item combo, and got halibut and teriyaki chicken. So good! Husband got filet and lemon chicken and also very good! The combo comes with a salad, soup, fried rice (made fresh right there!), shrimp, veggies and noodles! It's a lot of food and for sure will have leftovers! The experience of the "show" is always so fun! Our chef was fun, and made our dinner so yummy. read more

Ichibiri - Crunchy roll! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Dana Point, California

This place is probably the best hibachi in OC! Amazing food! Best service! Everything was top notch

Really enjoyed the service and the food! Prices were great, as well. I think we had a very good hibachi server who was interactive and very friendly. I had the fillet, early bird, and it was cooked perfectly. Their fried rice was sooo flavorful. Definitely exceeded my expectations and will absolutely come back! read more

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Decided to dine in and Isaac was the chef, he was AMAZING. It was his first time and the food was cooked to perfection. 5/5. It was actually medium rare how i wanted, it always comes out med-well to fully cooked whether I dine in or take out. We were very satisfied and was talking about writing HIM a 5 star review as we ate. The issue was the service. We came at 9pm, which is still a full hour before closing, and planned to eat quickly and take most of it to-go like we usually do. However, some of the other staff seemed annoyed that we sat down at that time. At 9:30, my boyfriend asked for boxes for our leftovers, ordered another glass Sapporo and a vanilla fried ice cream to-go. That's when the server suddenly announced "last call" in a way that made it very clear they were trying to get us out. She came back with regular vanilla ice cream by mistake then said fried ice cream wasn't possible and that sapparo wasn't possible either. This was all before 9:35pm. Please inform your customers of last call and give them a chance to put orders in before closing the kitchen. It just felt like they didn't want to WORK. Change your hours to 9:30. Simple. If someone came in to check up on us, this would've been avoided. and it's not like we ordered more to eat, it was a dessert TOGO so we could leave 15 mins before closing time. We would've tipped very generously but left feeling unwelcomed and very uncomfortable. Isaac deserves 5 stars. Everything else = 0 stars. read more

This has been our special occasion spot for years. The food is always delicious, the service is wonderful, and the chefs always put on a great show. It can feel a bit crowded at times but given how good everything else is I certainly don't mind. read more

I took four guests to Ichibiri in Dana Point CA. We all agreed it was the worst Japanese teppan restaurant we have experienced in the USA. We are well traveled and were shocked . The meat quality and seasoning were as bland as the salad dressing . We did enjoy the broth with mushrooms. The rice and noodles were bland and lacked fresh veggies! The fried rice lacked enough eggs, veggies and seasonings! The party next to us left their salads untouched and prepared leftovers at the table . The chicken was dry and tasteless as the meat !! We all were absolutely disgusted with the lack of quality of any kind . read more

Work friends took me here as a late bday celebration. I enjoyed my time with friends but def wasn't impressed with the food. Didn't even eat a quarter of my food. Think glorified Panda Express. Never coming back. read more

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I have been to Ichibiri in San Clemente for many many years, until it closed down. Assuming it will be similar, we went here for dinner on 5/8/25 to celebrate my birthday with 5 of my friends, made a reservation ahead of time. Our waitress (don't know her name) wasn't friendly, maybe she needs training, while taking the dinner orders stayed impatient and unpleasant and her body language said it all (somebody needs to train her that's all, maybe training from Benihana personnel?). Our chef Isaac was friendly and nice and the food that he cooked was good( could use a little bit more energy). Ambiance was decent. Well, we will give it a couple of years before we come back again, see if the service has changed. read more

Came here to celebrate my niece's birthday with the family. We had a great chef. He was funny, cooked delicious food, and entertained us all. The restaurant serves both sushi and teppanyaki. We really enjoyed our dinner. Love the menu items. I ordered the steak and scallop combo. Parking was easy to find. The inside of the restaurant could be updated, but we didn't mind the rustic ambiance. Service was great and the people who work here were very nice. read more

Great Chef and good food quality. But please don't be stingy with the butter! More butter is better! The large amount of vegetable oil for cooking the rice, meat and veggies is enough that I will not return. I realize times are tough and butter is more costly but seed oils and their taste is no substitute. read more

Japanese Teppan cooking. Fun times. Salty, oily and not the best quality but fun for all. Check out Early bird menu as they give you too much food here! read more

Ichibiri - Teppan cooking ....This is tofu, rice , veggies and noodles on the early bird menu! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Dana Point, California

This place is always a favorite spot for my family. We had Louis tonight as our chef and he was awesome. We were celebrating a birthday and he came out with a guitar and sang to us. Made it a great night for all of us! read more

Ichibiri - Sushi Bars Near Me - Dana Point, California

Food was good and servers were good too. Chef they gave us was very bland. I think cause we came in with kids they didn't think of us as priority. But chef just never said a word nor was interacting with us at all. Just a very odd experience read more

The staff was awesome, our chef was great, the food is okay. I was with a party of 5 and I usually can't get enough of the mustard sauce at teppanyaki but all of us thought it was terrible here. The filet mignon was good, noodles were bland. Overall it was just okay. read more

Heard so much hype about this place. It was just typical hibachi food imo but the service was phenomenal! We come back all the time when in town. read more

Ichibiri - Sushi Bars Near Me - Dana Point, California

Just celebrated a birthday dinner here tonight with my family and the whole experience was top notch. Service was good, our chef was funny and interactive, and everyone's food was amazing. Unfortunately wasn't able to get any good pictures because we couldn't resist eating as the chef was cooking read more

Very attentive service. I loved the inside decor. We ordered various items and they were all really good. My vegetables were slightly over cooked, but still tasted good. All of our dishes were plated beautifully. I will definitely come back. read more

Ichibiri - Love the decorations - Sushi Bars Near Me - Dana Point, California

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I had a disappointing experience at this sushi restaurant. The service was very slow, with the quality of the food being just okay. The staff wasn't very friendly, and the dishes weren't very clean. I ordered six rolls; one came out after 20 minutes, and the rest took about 40 minutes. It was a Sunday around 5:45 pm, and there were about 20 guests, so it wasn't that busy. Had to come back and add this: Literally the worst service I've ever experienced in my life Never again lol Bye read more

Ichibiri - Dirty dishes - Sushi Bars Near Me - Dana Point, California

Do not go! I wish I could give this place zero stars. We came in hoping for a nice dinner to celebrate my 11-year-old son's birthday, but what we got was one of the worst dining experiences ever. From the moment we walked in, the service was beyond rude. Our server literally threw the menus onto the table where we were commanded to sit. When I politely asked if we could sit on the other side, she mumbled something under her breath and acted like I had just ruined her day. She didn't even give us a minute to breathe, let alone look at the menu. Every two minutes, she kept coming back, pushing us to order. When we finally asked for more time, she stormed off with an actual hate face--I kid you not. By that point, the whole mood of our dinner was ruined, but we decided to go ahead and order a whole bunch of sushi along with our teppanyaki. BIG mistake. This place is not a sushi restaurant, and it shows. The sushi was downright awful, probably the worst we've ever had. And the teppanyaki? Tasteless. It felt like they bought the absolute cheapest ingredients they could find and just threw them onto the grill without a second thought. The whole meal was a disaster. To top it all off, I went to the host and demanded to speak to a manager. The host disappeared and never came back. After waiting 15 minutes, I finally gave up and went back to my seat. Apparently, customer service is just nonexistent here. If you're thinking about eating here--DON'T. The food is bad, the service is even worse, and they clearly don't care about their customers. They need to seriously check themselves before serving people. Absolutely do not recommend! read more

Savor authentic Japanese cuisine at its finest, with vibrant ambiance, impeccable service, and expertly prepared sushi. Perfect for friends, family, date nights, or impressing clients. Highly recommended for a fun, memorable dining experience at the cooking table. read more

I have been there twice now. The chicken is soooooooo CHEWY and rubbery. I do not know where they get their meat from, but is is extremely tough, low quality, and gum textured. This is the lowest quality meat I've ever eaten at a restaurant. read more

Sad, grew up going here in Dana as a kid. As did many of the people who grew up down here. They have fallen off. As a family of four with a reservation they sat us in the back forgot to serve the main soup and salad and then when they are full of people at other tables they have a trainee do the cooking who doesn't engage or communicate. Rushed through. Don't take your kids for birthday dinner sadly. Waste of time and money. read more