07/07/09

Great experience for a first timer!

by ariesprinxs

My family and I went on 4th of July and we were happy to know that the wait time was less than 30mins! As soon as they sat us, our waiter (who was very friendly) was always on top of things, bringing us our appetizers and drinks promptly. He made the kids laugh as so did our cook. He was VERY entertaining and didnt take long with our food. Service was great, quality of food was awesome and price is just as other sushi places. Im sure we will definitely go again!!

• Pros: Excellent waitstaff and cooks!

03/09/09

Love Ichibon!

by lowrider04

I have been to this location two times and both were enjoyable experiences. The chef's were good, the food was good and the price was reasonable. Looking forward to going back again soon.

• Pros: Hibachi tables, aquariums, atmosphere
• Cons: small place, gets crowded fast

01/31/08

BURT OUT LOUSY RESTURAUNT

by jahenry

In my opinion I wouldn't spend my money at either of these resturaunts! The Kemah location is dirty, dingy, with bad service, and even ruder management! Everything is "extra" from the blaned fried rice with crunchy egg shells in it to the cheap low grade pre-frozen poorly rolled sushi and warm thinly sliced sashimi. The prices keep going up and the overall quality keeps going down. Although the location in Clear Lake doesn't have yellow smoked stained walls the only other difference is I got "SICK" at one and lucked out at the other. Masa Sushi out does this place by far!

08/01/07

Avoid Saturday or Friday Nights

by cruz190

I've been here countless of times over the past 2 years and on different days of the week. The service is somewhat "bipolar" depending on how busy the restaurant is. Eating out on weekdays is great, there's hardly a wait and service is appreciable while coming on a Friday Saturday usually means at least an hour wait, and sometimes lousy service. Last weekend I was told the wait would be 40 minutes which actually turned out to be an hour and a half. I spent half my time at the restaurant watching the hostesses and manager bicker at each other, and when I was seated service wasn't as quick as I had hoped for. What can you expect from a Friday Saturday? Although, I have to admit, compared to the other hibachi places in the Bay Area this place beats all of them, even on busy days. You just have to be lucky the next time you step into the restaurant.

04/07/07

Going Japanese

by wadester

My fiancee and I have been to Ichibon on several occasions now, and each time we have found the Hibachi dining experience to be both creative and delicious. Each chef has a slightly different presentation in how he cooks and entertains at your table, while each guest enjoys pre-dinner salads, sushi, and drinks of his or her choice. We both love the attention to detail in the food preparation, freshness, and cozy, authentic Japanese decor at this little Kemah area seaside restaurant. After a couple of visits, the waitresses and chefs started remembering our faces, and now great us each time we dine there.

There is more than enough variety of fresh sushi and hibachi dinner combinations to keep diners coming back throughout the year, and likely never trying the same dish twice (unless desired.) Ichibon is top-notch on the "Going Japanese" dinner scale!

• Pros: Consistently fresh, Entertaining waiters, Excellent Sushi, Cozy Atmosphere
• Cons: Limited parking, Nearby Kemah Boardwalk traffic, tables in close proximity

01/15/07

Well Worth the Drive!

by dramajen

Last Friday was our 8 year anniversary and my husband and I decided to go to Ichibon to celebrate. We live in Sugarland so it's way out of the way, but we've been dying to try this place since so many of our friends have gone and loved it. We usually go to the nearby Benihana here on Hwy 6, but the atmosphere and food is mediocre at best. We got there at around 7:30 PM and had to park in the section away from the parking lot cause the restaurant parking lot was full. We went inside and was promptly greeted by the hostess. A tall Asian lady appeared (my husband guessed that might be the owner by the way she was dressed and way she conducted herself) and said there would be a 45 minute to an hour wait. The whole time we were waiting, the hibachi area was filled with roars and ovations. Some customers were laughing so hard I thought they were choking on their food. We were promptly seated only after 25 minutes when we were told an hour. A pleasant surprise to say the least. Our waiter came out, introduced himself and took our orders promptly. My husband had the filet mignon and shrimp and I ordered the scallops and salmon. We were each served a dinner salad with a dressing that is to die for. Our chef showed up before we finished our salad and this is what all the raves are about. Our chef was FANTASTIC! We've eaten at many hibachi japanese restaurants, but most of the time the chefs just come out, do that onion volcano thing, cook the food and be done with it. Our chef gave us the whole deal and at one point or another managed to pick on each customer at the table. We were very entertained and the food was totally awesome. I couldn't believe how big my scallops were when he put them on the cooking table. One scallop was about the size of my palm! All the seafood tasted fresh and the fried rice is to die for. All in all, it was a wonderful trip out to Kemah and a very memorable one at that. We'll definitely be back when given the chance.

09/24/06

Great Sushi, But No Smoking Please

by texmex1

Ichibon has great sushi, however it is overpowered by all of the smokers puffing away in the restaurant.

If they put a better smoking policy in place (or ban it all together) I could see this place really taking off!

• Pros: Fresh Sushi and great staff
• Cons: Smokers allowed to smoke anywhere in the restaurant

03/04/06

Food and Laughter!

by cynmosley

I bring my family to Ichibon about once a week. I live right off of Nasa Rd 1 so it's our family's favorite dinner spot on the weekends. Restaurant can get extremely crowded on Saturday nights, but he wait is worth it. We always request Chepe, who's one of the funniest hibachi chefs and my kids always enjoy the food and entertainment. The sushi is always fresh and tasty and the atmosphere is very kid friendly. It's also a good place to host birthday parties as they bring you a special FRIED ICE CREAM and you get your picture taken. Higly recommend this place if anyone should happen to be visiting Kemah Boardwalk. Just a note, to guarantee seating, make your reservations a couple of days in advance. It's worth the effort.

• Pros: Excellent food, Great Chefs, Customer Service
• Cons: Hostess attitude

02/21/06

Japanese Food At It's Best!!

by ksmith99

Dropped by for dinner with a group of friends after visiting Kemah Boardwalk. The restaurant was packed, but Jim, the general manager sat us down quickly at the hibachi tables and was so helpful in describing the menu items and selections. I ordered the filet mignon and lobster and it was fantastic! Best hibachi cooking I've ever had! Wait staff was fabulous and one of my friends even got a free fried ice cream and his photo taken wearing a hilarious birthday hat! Will definitely return the next time I visit Kemah.

• Pros: Great value, Great service, Awesome food
• Cons: Crowded on weekends

05/07/05

Had a blast!

by cdawn2500

I went there for my bachlorette party. The chef kept us laughing as he cooked our food, cracking jokes and entertaining us with his obvious cooking talents. There was flaming fire, food tossed here, tossed there and thrown on your plate with no mess! It's a great place to go no matter who the company is! I took my family there and they loved it too!

• Pros: good atmosphere, comfortable, humorous
• Cons: hostess attitude