Ichibantei
“From the storefront, it looks like a bar, but there are many authentic offerings from Kurobata Tonkatasu to Chicken Nanban.”
“It's quite small, they play lots of reggae music, and overall very chill atmosphere.”
“They used to call themselves Japanese Soul food so definitely try their fried chicken along with their solid ramen.”
Ichibantei
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Absolutely wonderful! Came here around midnight on a Saturday night after getting in from DC– great that they're open so late! The ramen & karaage combo was delicious and piping hot when it came out. For $17, it was quite a large amount of food, which I appreciated after having not eaten for 12 hours. The seating is kind of bar-style, with hooks underneath the table for your jackets/bags. They play interesting reggae/Caribbean music in the background and the service was very nice and fast. Definitely making this place one of my go-tos in NY.
I ordered katsu don takeout from this place as I was craving Japanese comfort food, but the other place I wanted food from does not do takeout, so I decided to try this place because it was close by. The restaurant has this cool hip hop vibe to it. They own the wall space next to the restaurant, and there's a huge mural with their name on it, so it's not that hard to spot the place. The restaurant has a couple of large wooden tables with stools that would be good for large groups or otherwise communal seating. The place struck me as authentically Japanese, and the employees were really nice, but the katsu don was just meh. I saw that the other fried chicken dishes were more popular, but I'd had enough fried chicken for one week, so I went with pork. Hopefully, the chicken is much better than the pork. I definitely want to come back to try the chicken when I have a craving for it.
Japanese Soul Food that makes you feel good!
This small restaurant has a friendly vibe that plays reggae music in a Japanese themed restaurant which is definitely a first for me. There usually is not a wait for a table but during dinner time it does fill up fast.
The entire restaurant is all shared seating that has 3 large tables and on L shape bar against the wall and facing the street. This is a little different set up then what it previously was because of a recent renovation.
The entrees here are a great deal as they come with chicken dish, miso soup and salad for around $12 which is a great deal for the amount of food you get. I have tried many of them but my favorites are the Garlic chicken and the Chichenchup (its like a BBQ Ketchup taste). The chicken for these are very moist and extremely flavorful and not overpowered by the sauce. The salad comes with a ginger dressing which is very good and the soup is ok.
I have been here twice already and will be back again
In short:
– Great Place to get dinner quick
– Friendly wait staff
– Good amount of food for the price
– Happy Hour $5 mugs of beer
This place was really fun. Came with a group of 4 on a Friday around 930 and had no problem getting a seat at one of their three communal tables. I ordered a mug of Sapporo which was only 5 dollars and too appetizers to share with my boyfriend.
The first appetizer we had was a raw octopus in wasabi which was spicy and gooey in a good way. The second thing we ate was the fried eggplant in dashi soup. Loved it. The eggplant just melted in your mouth. Our friends both got chicken dishes that looked amazing.
Service was very friendly and inviting. The decor was also inviting with all the reggae albums on the wall.
I didn't use the bathroom but I heard the mural inside was really awesome!
I love this spot. It has a chill Japanese hipster vibe reminiscent of one of the random spots you could find in Tokyo. The chicken nanban is phenomenal and the beers are served very cold and cheap.
For my first time at Ichibantei, my experience was pretty impressive. The seating arrangement was unique, since this spot is made up of only high communal tables and chairs. This place goes all-out on its decor: a visible Jamaican flag, two walls plastered with posters and album covers of reggae artists, a large screen T.V., and a burgundy red flag with the Ichibantei logo on the ceiling. There's a lot here that catches your visual interest. And of course, there's reggae music playing. All of this leads to a funky, casual vibe that I enjoyed a lot. I felt pretty comfortable dining solo here.
I want to give a huge shout-out to my server: he was extremely attentive and kind, and very speedy with his service too. I appreciated how often he refilled my water glass, it almost seemed as if he knew to come during the exact moment I started running low on it. When I asked him for a dish recommendation from the menu / what was popular, he took the time to point those things out to me. I was also impressed by how quickly the food (I got the Chicken Nanban) came out.
The food was great overall: I'm glad that the dark-meat chicken was tender, boneless, and flavorful. The dressing on the salad was great, too, but I wish I would have eaten romaine lettuce instead of the iceberg lettuce that this salad has. That's because mixed greens / romaine lettuce has more nutrients, but the iceberg lettuce (which is lighter in color and more textured), from what I hear, has zero nutrients and calories, so it just fills up space. I ended my meal by eating the soup and rice, which felt refreshing and was a great way to wrap up my eating.
Another recommendation that I have for the staff members here is: be aware of what's playing on your T.V. screen. The end of my evening at Ichibantei wasn't as positive as I wanted it to be, because the T.V. was playing the news channel, which featured some pretty depressing coverage. I would've liked to see a basketball / soccer / baseball game, or something more positive on the screen.
If you are liking for a ramen spot that's not like the others, come to Ichibantei.
A little removed from Little Tokyo (a.k.a. St. Marks), Ichibantei's appeal lies in its hole-in-a-wall feel and small but unique menu that changes according to the season. I've come here twice: once in the summer and the last time about three weeks ago. During the summer, Ichibantei offered a series of cold ramen; since the weather has gotten colder, they're now offering soup ramen. Both times, I wasn't overly impressed by their ramen. I tried their standard ramen the last time around and it was very garlicy and too salty for my taste. But I give them props for their cheap beer ($3 for a pint, $5 for a giant mug) and their fried chicken. I don't know why the chicken is so good…maybe it's the white sauce (because white sauce is always good for some reason). It's the only reason I'm not rating Ichibantei a "Meh, I've had better." Perhaps if I try the rest of their menu and like it beyond the chicken, I will update my rating.
Friends brought me to this cool little spot and I really loved the vibe. Once you go in, there are a good amount of seats, and what's pretty cool is that they play reggae music. There was only one man serving us, so it wasn't the fastest service. I tried the Chicken Nanban which is chicken with sweet & sour sauce and their homemade tartar sauce. The entree also comes with a bowl of miso soup (really good but was a bit too salty) and a salad (very fresh and the dressing was pretty good). The nanban itself was not bad, but for me it lacked a bit flavor and the chicken was a bit soggy. I think this place definitely has potential though. Maybe their ramen is better? I actually came here wanting to try their ramen, but they said they sold out the ramen and I came here at 8:15 PM?..so I will be back again to give it one more try!