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    Ichibuns

    3.7 (32 reviews)
    ModerateJapanese
    Open 12:00 pm - 2:00 am (Next day)

    Ichibuns Photos

    ICHIBUNS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Ichibuns

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    Cocktail fun
    Michelle B.

    Not to get too excited but I love this place!!! Relaxed, fun, reasonable prices and tasty food - in the middle of the west end is harder than you think. A perfect place for a small group of friends with comfy downstairs seating by the bar, surrounded by shiny games machines (of which we were told 3 actually were working ) dolls and pages of manga on the ceiling. They've got some kitsch cocktails on offer such as the 'Samori sword' which was extra sharp and 'Hong Kong colada' which came in shrink wrapped plastic cups with plenty of ice and fruit. Cocktails were £8 which wasn't bad at all and they had good selections with sake and yuzu. We had some starters to share while waiting for the one friend who's always late... Kale Chips, edemame and salmon bites. All really tasty on their own and decent enough portions. The salon bites were particularly yummy with a nice creamy dip. We mainly came here mainly for the veggie ramen. Again, more difficult to find then you think. There were 3 kinds, king crab, wagu and veggie. All of them were made using a vegetable broth... much to the bemusement of my mate. Apparently they use to use butter but how they don't so the veggie ramen (taking away the egg) is completely vegan!!! You get a really generous portion that comes in a paper bowl... saves on the washing up!! The table has soy, sarracha, mayo 5 spice and I think teriyakki sauce. If you ask they also have some chilli sauce which goes really nicely. I loved the broth which was really flavoursome without fish or meat stock. All the vegetables were cooked nicely and although I doubt it the noodles tasted fresh.. well at least better than your standard. Sadly there was no room for desert but I'm going to be back soon to check out on of their shakes and matcha profiteroles which I think sounds like my idea of heaven. Otherwise the staff were uber friendly and attentive without being annoying. The prices were really reasonable with starters around £2-6 and ramen £11 each (9 for the veggie) and yes, the toilets were heated, self cleaning and wonderful. I visited twice just for fun!! I think this is a great place with good variety for groups of friends and a fun place for couples. They also do take away .. you know... if you're in the area.

    Kelsey B.

    Such a fun, spunky spot. The restaurant has a colorful theme with a lot of art going on. The service was decent, though kind of hard to flag the waiter down. The food was good, but the ramen was too salty. THOSE MILKSHAKES THOUGH. Good lord so yummy. Also the bathrooms have the coolest toilets lol. Come here if you want a quick, cheap bite to eat with friends.

    Wacky decor
    Chantee F.

    If you are looking for a fun spot to have a drink then this is your place. It has the right factors for fun: wild Japanese decor (pachinko, manga, and part of a truck with radios downstairs) and cool drinks (cocktails served in a bubble tea style cup). The menu was a bit eclectic and needs some discipline to really hit the mark. Our large group got a mix of sushi (unmemorable rolls), burgers (large and in charge) and ramen (three original styles). There is an assortment of finger food like edamame and chicken bites. I had the wagyu beef ramen and shared a side of fries. The fries were crispy and tasty. The ramen was unique but not something I would order again. Wagyu beef which is braised does not belong in ramen. Noodles were overcooked. Broccoli was one of the toppings. Need I say more? Cocktails however were fun and tasty. I switched with my friend to enjoy their take on piña colada while she enjoyed my fruitier mix. Highlight for everyone was the bathroom. Clean and modern with a heated bidet. Oh yeah! I hope they work on their menu to make it all tapas style. Sliders would work well. With some refinement it has the potential to be great.

    DJ on
    Charles W.

    This place is a MAJOR wave. My family and I sat downstairs by the DJ. The music was upbeat and hip but not overpowering. The decor is a mix of retro urban pop, Japanese comic book, and Japanese beer. CRAZY BUT DOPE. I went out on a limb with the tempura teriyaki but it rocked. The crisp and flavor of the chicken magically stood against the broth. Apparently the wagyu beef udon is all the rage (according to my wife and brother-in-law). My old fashion/sweet came out perfect. The overall vibe here is just awesome, especially for mature groups who want to kick back and have a little fun.

    Katy Y.

    We were looking for a cool place for dinner in Chinatown and found Ichibuns. What cool place! The good was good and the decor was awesome. Well done!

    Oanh P.

    got the tempura teriyaki chicken udon and love it! just a note that this place is more for Japanese/ Asian food so ordered a burger would not be my recommendation! (Their bathroom looks so cool by the way!)

    Veggie tempura udon
    Julia P.

    Great experience! We had a group of 7 and were sat almost immediately during a peak lunch hour. I had the vegetable tempura udon which was adventurous for me, but I loved every bite! I added a poached egg which was well worth the extra cost. Every vegetable was perfect in the dish, I wish I had a place like this in my area. However friends who had sushi said it was pretty mediocre. An added bonus was the fun staff & the cool bathroom with heated seats and cleaning features!

    Wagyu ramen. couldn't stomach half of this
    Ching M.

    At first glance the place looks hip and fresh. Nice atmosphere and interior decor. The greeter was nice. They seated three of us downstairs at a tiny table suited for two. We requested a larger table because it as simply uncomfortable. After we relocated, a waitstaff asked us how we got there, as if we snuck into the restaurant. Wagyu ramen is terrible. The taste was akin to instant noodles. Not worth the 11 I paid for, on top of the mandatory service charge. The cup that my hot water came in was nice though.

    Mateusz L.

    Maybe my expectations were too high but over all, was quite disappointed. The interior design is great, nice decorations, but the chairs (if you get to be seated in the wooden ones) are uncomfortable and they are very low, so you can't put your coat on it or simply lean back. The food itself is good, however, for the price (which is rather expensive) - nothing special. £7.50 for a can(!) of sake and £11.50 for a burger a size of the bigger burger you get at Mc Donald's. They add a 12,5% service fee but the service is not high quality at all. You don't know who's a waiter and who's who, a different person seated us and a different person gave us the bill. And on top of that, you get it on a plastic/paper plate. Definitely not a posh place, you'll leave either hungry or/and with a slim wallet.

    DJ booth
    Care Y.

    The restaurant definitely has an interesting and photo-worthy setting with an old car front in the corner serving as the DJ booth, records and Japanese beer cans lining the walls and anime pages covering the ceiling. The food is also unique and innovative, some big hits (LOVED the Ichibun burger), others perhaps less so (the Wagyu Cheeseburger Harumaki tasted mostly like too salty cheeseburger in a wrap with nothing particularly exciting about it). Friendly staff, fun, touristy Chinatown locale.

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    8 years ago

    Tasty, inventive food. Very friendly and welcoming staff, including the manager. Also, the decor is very nice, little surprises everywhere.

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    8 years ago

    Ordered one bowl of ramen and it took 1 and a half hour. Really disappointed. Only have one start because it was msg free.

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    Ichibuns Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Ichibuns

    uit. Cocktails were £8 which wasn't bad at all and they had good selections with sake and y

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    Asta 3

    Asta 3

    4.8(6 reviews)
    2.4 miPetticoat Lane, Aldgate

    'Asta' (as I like to simply call it) - I have no idea of the '3' moniker, or indeed where the first…read moretwo went - is as genuine a Japanese canteen as you'll find in London. I was lucky enough to, along with a colleague, be taken here on several occasions for a quick lunch by a client (indicative of how welcoming the Japanese are!) By 'genuine' I mean no dumbed-down menus, no super-slick interiors to detract from potentially average food, and no gimmicks of any kind. The place is staffed and run by Japanese nationals as any self-respecting Japanese restaurant should be - and perhaps more importantly, frequented by them regularly, too. Service is smiling and attentive and no more that it needs to be. The food is inexpensive (~£6-8 for a bento, £7-11 for ramen, udon or donburi) and so tasty. On my most recent trip I had beef ramen with tan tan (sesame paste) soup base, and my brother had salmon teriyaki on brown rice. Both dishes had generous proportions of meat/fish, and the donburi came with a side salad and pickles. The unagi (eel) is also lovely, and the place does an extensive line in pick-your-soup base noodle bowl dishes where you have the option of shoyu, miso, and sesame as mentioned above, among others. I can't speak for the takeaway bento, but they looked pretty solid and of a decent quality. Drinks come in the familiar (Coke etc) and the more, um, 'traditional' - aloe vera juice, Pocari, cold bottled green and black teas and others. This place is rather hidden away on the fringes of the City, behind Aldgate station on the Petticoat Lane side. In many ways it's a great location as it's very much a local haunt, and in others a little frustrating as even if you're working in the City it can be a fair walk to get there and back! My advice would also be to get there early (between midday and half-past) to ensure a seat, as well as before some of the more popular items on the menu disappear. In brief summary, I couldn't really recommend this place enough if you're in the area. You'll get multi-kudos from any friends Nippon friends (or appreciators of their incredible cuisine) and have a lunch to beat the hell out of an uninspired sandwich / soft-drink combo whilst spending a similarly scant amount of your hard-earned cash. As your fellow diners would say: "itedakimas!"

    I wish I could give this place 10 stars because it is simply amazing. For lunch I got a chicken…read moreteriyaki be to box. Their rice is so delicious I could eat it alone without any other dish. The chicken was tender and flavourful and I really liked the fried potato thing that came with the side. Another great thing about Asta is that with bento boxes you can pick a variety of cold side dishes. I recommend the cucumbers and the rice noodles. Will be back!!

    Photos
    Asta 3
    Asta 3
    Asta 3 - Sesame-base (Tan Tan) and Beef Ramen with Brown Rice Salmon Teriyaki Bento

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    Sesame-base (Tan Tan) and Beef Ramen with Brown Rice Salmon Teriyaki Bento

    Asakusa - Salmon Head

    Asakusa

    4.1(101 reviews)
    1.6 miEuston, Camden Town
    ££

    This place is awesome. Walked in and felt like I was in another country, Japan. The layout,…read morepresentation, staff and most of the customers here are Japanese. Talk about authentic, this place is a gem. Just got out of a concert and needed food badly, found out this place opens late. Walked in at 10.40pm and they still took orders. Has a wide selection of sushi, sashimi and set meals. Meal sizes are just nice and the prices are decent. High quality meat, tastes lovely Lovely staff, quick service and lovely ambience. It's a nice place to chill, and have drinks. Enough seats for couples, groups and families. I wouldn't say it's kids friendly cause it feels like a place where adults come in to let go some steam after a long day (maybe it's because I'm here at almost 11pm). Also no space to park a stroller. I'm going to come back here to chill DF out lol

    We are so sad. This used to be a very reliable, authentic Japanese restaurant, but now has gone…read moredownhill. French Beans with Sesame Dressing had perfectly-cooked beans, but the dressing lacked depth of flavour and the portion was tiny. Ten Zaru Soba (cold buckwheat noodles with tempura) had tasteless, watery dip. The noodles were cooked nicely, but Tempura was very greasy. Sake Shioyaki - grilled salmon with salt - was very small and was just plonked on top of lettuce; presentation was awful. The rice portion was very mean, too. Very bad value for money.

    Photos
    Asakusa - Samna shio

    Samna shio

    Asakusa - Hot Pot Tofu

    Hot Pot Tofu

    Asakusa - Buta kakuni

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    Buta kakuni

    Nambu Tei - This masterpiece does not require explaining

    Nambu Tei

    4.3(33 reviews)
    1.4 miMarylebone
    ££

    As we look for places to eat amongst coworkers, we decided to go to a Japanese place. Not being…read morefamiliar with places to eat here in London, I looked to Yelp, and of course someone from our hotel recommended this place too. So I can say it wasn't bad at all, but it wasn't the beat Sushi I have had. I would go back for sure as the service was good, minus my coworkers chicken dish took forever to come out, as we kept having to check on it. The Uni was definitely not a bad batch as it had a sweetness and creamy texture that I would expect. Amaebi was not the larger shrimp with the fried heads, so not what I was expecting. As for the Natto Rolls, I could tell you that our young waitress made a surprising face, which made me laugh, as I could tell she was from Japan, as I was told not many Japanese even eat Natto. Of course I had to ask later and she is not a fan. Hahaha... I enjoyed it though. Enjoy.

    As another reviewer says, this is an undiscovered gem! Hidden away inside an arcade, it was filled…read moreon a weekday evening with mostly Japanese patrons. Plenty of wait staff who were quite attentive, including some who were preparing table side shabu shabu (cooking thinly sliced meat and veggies in a broth). They have a huge menu with an unusually wide selection of small dishes as well as the usual entrees. I ordered their ten piece nigiri (17 GBP), grilled miso black cod (12 GBP), and salmon belly age dashi (cooked lightly in a daikon soy based sauce) (7 GBP). All were excellent including with fresh not powdered wasabi root. Super affordable, high quality with great service -- what's not to like!

    Photos
    Nambu Tei - Nabe-yaki udon

    Nabe-yaki udon

    Nambu Tei
    Nambu Tei - Salmon donburi bowl, yellowtail nigiri and miso soup. YUM

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    Salmon donburi bowl, yellowtail nigiri and miso soup. YUM

    Shogun Restaurant

    Shogun Restaurant

    4.5(4 reviews)
    0.8 miMayfair
    ££££

    This upscale Japanese restaurant is located on the lower ground floor of the Millennium Hotel, just…read moreoff Grosvenor Square. It's lavish traditional Japanese decor that includes medieval battle tapestries and samurai armour sets the setting for some of the best authentic Japanese food in London. The choice on the menu is significant, offering many traditional Japanese dishes, as well as some variety with a unique angle. The choice and quality of sushi are among the best I've encountered. I also enjoyed their interesting beef burger, prepared with Japanese recipe but in the western manner. The staff are extremely welcoming and attentive and the overall atmosphere is comfortable and pleasant within this basement location. This kind of place will most likely attract you to come back again and again.

    A dungeon-like hidden gem. It looks like a back-alley takeaway on the outside (well, practically)…read more Don't be put off by it. Go inside. Descend the stairs. Inhale the incense. And prepare yourself for pure, simple, sushi delightfulness. Staff were incredibly friendly, explained the menu options, and food came at the right time, with the nicest presentation, and tasted delicious. My personal favourite was the sushi, although I was misled by the prawn tempura roll, thinking it was a hand roll. It was just maki. Oh well. Yum nonetheless!! Would not recommend it for a (rowdy or not) group for friends, as it's very very quiet, eclectically lit and patrons seem to want to keep it that way. (discussions were not escaping tables, with the notable exception of one older adventurous American gentleman who recently came back from Peru) This is the kind of restaurant you take someone you fancy, to whisper to her throughout dinner, and then surprise her (well, assuming she'd like to be surprised, and won't slap you in the face for being presumptuous!) with a room at the Millennium hotel upstairs afterwards. Oh yeah If you sit near the back, go have a peek at the shogun armour :)

    Photos
    Shogun Restaurant - This soup is delicious :)

    This soup is delicious :)

    Shogun Restaurant - Sake

    Sake

    Shogun Restaurant

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    Ichibuns - japanese - Updated May 2026

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