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Mon-Fri. 12:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Mon-Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m.
Sat-Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m.
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One of my mainstays in Vegas. Definitely one of the best and authentic Japanese izakayas in Vegas, and would amount to a pretty decent one if situated in LA.
A review ragged on its green tea in a can (I love my asian drinks in cans, like UCC, grass jelly, barley red tea)... another review mentioned stiff ramen noodles (many people enjoy al dente ramen, you could ask for cup'o noodles if you want soft soggy ramen)... another complained about the fried rice?? Anyway, maybe authentic asian food in a pretty authentic overseas asian setting (dumpy American style strip mall with sticky tables) isn't their thing, then they won't like Ichiza.
Some recommendations are:
Ikayaki
Red Snapper Carpaccio - the lemon garnish is perfect
Tanmen Ramen - stir-fried ingredients gives it a full off the wok flavor, like Korean champon. Many other ramen places do a Miso-yasai ramen that is also stir-fried first also
Shabu Shabu salad - shabu style pork over mixed greens, roasted eggplants, seaweed, etc. with shabu style mixture of sesame and ponzu dressing
Tofu steak - I like stir-fried bean sprouts
Fried oysters - perfectly breaded to seal in the sweet oyster juices
Their lunch menu is limited to bento sets, donburi, ramen, and combos, which are good too.
Prices are very good, especially compared to hotel offerings at the Wynn or Palazzo.
I love this place. I wish there was an Ichiza in my neck of the woods (SAN JOSE!) They've got soo much to choose from it's hard to decide what you want to eat. The good part about being indecisive? Well, their dishes are small because this is a japanese tapa bar...Therefore,since you are with a group of people you can sample all the stuff you order. My favorite dishes are: yellowtail tartar, eggplant with shrimp, miso bass, grilled squid (ika), the ramen, and their honey toast with vanilla ice cream.
If you're ever in vegas and have access to a car you should definitely check out this place. It is a fun place to be and to top it off, you can drink and eat yummy food.
Stay away from the sushi rolls, and try things you normally wouldn't eat because you can get sushi most anywhere. :)
Stopped by this place after driving down Spring Mountain Rd...
This was the most crowded place in the building.. so stopped in... whoa was I surprised...
The menu was great, and you can tell by the additional menu written all over the walls, the food was going to be great!
Started by ordering a few usual japanese items (age tofu, broiled eel) and then moved to the menus on the wall... uni and salmon roll, etc.
Ordered so much food there wasnt room for desert, however if I could, the milk toast with ice cream on top looked great!
Everytime I go to Vegas, this place is on my list of places to go!
Great place to check out at least once if you are in Las Vegas.
Two tips:
- Check out the photos on Yelp if you can't decide what to get, there are over 100 items on the menu alone.
- Speaking of the menu, it seems to have spilled onto the walls... they offer more items then what is listed on the menu. Don't be shy to just walk around and check them all out.
Choices, choices, and more choices. That's the most difficult thing you have to face at Ichiza. There are sooooo many items from the menu and the specials that its super hard to decide what to order. I wanted to try all the items that caught my eye but I would of taken me all night and some more days after that. I was crying a little inside because I knew I couldn't eat most of the items I wanted to try.
We narrowed it down to the yellowtail tar tar, tuna sashimi, 2 bowls of ramen, grilled mackerel, and red snapper carpaccio . The food quality was excellent; the yellowtail tar tar and carpcaccio were my favorite. The yellowtail tar tar had a bunch of different textures in the dish and was a little spicy, just to my liking. The capraccio also delicious, it had the fish sashimi along with onions, mountain yam, and fish roe.
There were so many items I wanted to try, like the yakitori dishes, fried chicken pieces, to all the different special menu items. This is a great place to hang out with your friends to try a bunch of different items and enjoy a nice cold Kirin. The only blurb is the restaurant is small and you either have to get here early or make a reservation. I wish this restaurant is in the Bay Area so I can taste that decision making menu. I will be back!
Corn Butter. They're chips topped with kernels of corn and mayonnaise. If that doesn't make you want to try out this restaurant, I don't know what will. Oh wait, Honey Toast. A box of toast with the middle gutted out, drenched in honey and topped with ice cream. Now you will go here.
I've been here on numerous occasions, just recently re-visited it a week ago with some friends after work. We went on a busy Thursday night, but we were able to get a table quickly for the eight of us. Service was quick and prompt.
There are many options for what to order here. Most would consider that a downfall as restaurants should specialize in only a few items; not here. Not only are you given a menu, but there are more options to order as items are placed all over the walls and the bar. Since there was a large group of us, we tried numerous dishes; fire-roasted eggplant, various types of tofu, numerous sushi rolls, calamari, and the infamous corn butter and honey toast. The food was consistent, cheaply priced, and delicious. The only complaint I could make is the tofu we ordered was a bit soggy.
For those alcoholics, drinks are very affordable including bottles of wine that don't cost more than $15 (give or take).
This is one of my favorite restaurants in the Chinatown district of Vegas and would recommend it to most.
The food was absolutely delicious, service was good and everything was well priced and appealing.
Unfortunately, we were sat directly next to some extremely irritating teenagers and were unable to block out the sound of their conversation, but otherwise the experience was wonderful and we will be returning soon!
I've had lunch here and it was so-so. No nigiri, just rolls which aren't my thing. The iced green tea I ordered, came in a can! The shrimp tempura, came in a bowl of rice, with the shrimp already dipped in sauce so they were soggy.
I didn't eat it all.
Maybe I'll try dinner here and update later.
I love izakaya and this place didn't disappoint.
Let's see, we had about 10 items in total? The calamari was humongous, pan fried udon was great, my friend had the mackerel which he liked despite having to pick bones that he inevitably bitched about, I had a tofu wrap thing over bean sprouts that was great, yakitori/gizzard was awesome, etc. My only complaint was this sashimi thing with yam that was a little disappointing. It tasted kinda bland.
What else? Oh, their menu is enormous and they even have stuff plastered on the wall, which we wished we had seen originally! yeah, they don't give you a heads up which is strange. But overall, great food good atmosphere. And it opens late.
YELP did not disappoint w/ Ichiza... We had to make a trip to chinatown and i really wanted to try this place out based on the reviews. My parents, bf and I decided to come here for lunch. I was really NOT hungry b/c I had a HUGE breakfast but I really wanted to try this place out. I didn't actually order anything but I tried everyone's meals.. haha
My Mother got a combo of butterfish, salmon and substituted her rice and salad for tofu. She's allergic to almost EVERY thing and can't eat any rice or green salad. Everything was very good the tofu was so soft and fresh.
My bf got a combo of sashimi and beef patty w/ soba instead of rice. They put that slimy yam on top of the soba but it was still good. He told me everything was tasty and it was a good amount of food where he couldn't finish it all.
The star of lunch was my Dad's dish which was beef curry udon. I'm not lying, when i say that was the BEST japanese curry I've ever had. It was so tasty. My cousin who went there later told me it was the best curry she's had outside of Japan. Now that's saying something.
When we left we grabbed a card and made reservations for Dinner the next night.
***********************Dinner Review***********************************
Dinner was just as enjoyable and we ordered soo many dishes I really can't name them all. But the Uni Mochi was soo delicious and their Ramen was super tasty. What everyone says about the Honey Toast is true. It's pretty damn good. It seems like such a simple concept. My cousin and I are going to try to recreate it once we find the bread. There were 14 of us and we ended up ordering SOOO many different dishes. I don't recall anything being bad.
The price for dinner for that kind of meal was pretty reasonable. We ended up spending about $40/person w/ drinks. I can't wait to come back to vegas so I can try some more of the hundred of menu items.
My brother kept talking aobut this place and last night I finally was able to try it out. We ordered
-Red Snapper Carparcio
-Grilled Whole Squid
-Beef Toungue Stew
-Grilled Rice Balls
-Takoyaki
-Agedashi tofu
Overall i enjoyed the majority of the dishes cept the stew. The stew tasted too much like the steak dinner you get out of the freezer. The squid was nice and tender served with a bit of minced ginger which really brightened up the flavors. Red snapper carpaccio was served on lemon slices and toped with grated yam and salmon roe. Takoyaki did not disapoint cept i wished there was more green onions and less of that thick sauce they put on top.
Overall a nice little spot just minutes off the vegas strip to grab some drinks and food. It is open late for those late night food cravings too. Service was spotty but they were busy so it was ok.
Ichiza is a great little spot in the heart of Chinatown. The service and food are amazing. Everything is fresh and delicious. Had serveral sushi rolls and the fried chicken... Topping it all off with their honey toast (amazing) and stuffed crepe (great). Sake and tea all night long make this place a top recommendation for anyone that wants a nice local spot.
Great place ! I've spent many nights here drinking those BIG bottles of Kurosawa sake with friends. Call ahead if you have a big group . We always try to get one of the back tables where you take your shoes off. Frequent customers get a card for a % off their bill. Some of the best items are on the wall. I always get the Uni w/ponzi sauce...yum ! They have the best crab fried rice ! Many dishes for the adventurous , so look around the walls. Always get honey toast for dessert ... it's simple, but unique.
Overall ~ will come back again
Food, ambiance, price and service is good!
Food server was a little busy with other guests however she managed to refill my water. =)
Food is delicious!
Ambiance is relaxed, friendly and very oriental (which I really love!).
For a party of 7, our check came out to be $119.00 ~ very reasonable.
Desert fish.
I have a few personal rules/ guidelines when it comes to where I eat sushi. For instance. 1. There's no such thing as a good sushi buffet. It's an oxymoron. 2. The further you are from the ocean the worse the sushi gets. Is sushi even available in Kansas? 3. When sushi is not the specialty of the place you're eating at, the sushi is going to be shit. 4. If the sushi restaurant smells like a fish market when you walk in, walk right out. The list goes on and on...
The moral of this opening paragraph is simple. Know what to expect and lower your expectations accordingly. And if you happen to find yourself in the middle of a hot, hot desert, don't expect much. For the most part, my rules/ guidelines have steered me well over the years. That said, eating sushi in Las Vegas did not seem like a smart decision, especially from a joint located on the second story of a strip mall.
Well, needless to say, I was wrong. Dead wrong. And I'm happy that I was.
There were 8 in our group. A group of appreciative sake/ Japanese beer drinkers and for the most part, lovers of good, fresh sushi. You know what I mean. The kind of sushi that melts on your tongue. Sushi so flavorful and so delectable that religious adjectives are the only ones that come to mind. And coming from Los Angeles, where great sushi restaurants dot the city, it's easy to become spoiled.
Well, let me say, Ichiza was all that and a bag of edamame.
The ambiance is comforting and from what I remember, kind of woody. It is more authentic Japanese Izakaya (See tavern) than a run of the mill sushi restaurant. Just think Japanese gastro pub. Service was quick, friendly and attentive.
The menu was large and had a variety of tasty offerings. In addition, there were specials and season offerings that dotted the wall behind the sushi chefs. Something for everyone.
Now, the sushi. Phenomenal. I ordered some cut rolls and sashimi. All of if, every last bite, was really, really good. Especially the sashimi. Fresh. Fresh. Fresh. The goodness didn't stop with the sushi as the libations we ordered were just as good. The house un-filtered sake was refreshing and complemented the meal perfectly. To put it simply, it was one great, gastric experience after another.
I don't think it's a coincidence that Ichiza gets such high ratings both on yelp and the interwebs. What else can I say? I'm a fan of this place.
Maybe Ichiza is good stuff for Vegas, but it wasn't good for me. I know I've been spoiled by the Izakayas here in Orange County and LA.
I looked over all the pics and reviews on Yelp before going and ordered a handful of items suggested.
Here's what we had:
Marinated Fried Chicken
Miso Butterfish
Wasabi Tempura Green Beans
Yellowtail Tar tar
Octopus Sashimi
DIY Handrolls w/Spicy Tuna & Crabmeat
The portions are small as expected. The food here really wasn't that good.
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes! Yes!
Heavenly! I love this place and could go on about the food but there are over 200 that have beaten me to it. Words of advice
-try to get there early or see what you can do about a reservation. It's a small restaurant and it is packed.
-Looks like it's a dive but just step over the bums and hold yoru nose in the elevator and it'll be fine.
-bring friends and order all sorts of crazy stuff. You will not be disappointed.
-save room for dessert
-ok for late parties because they stay open till 4 am.
The best off-strip Japanese restaurant we've been to in Vegas, but that's really not saying much.
Food: The food is not that consistent, but I like that they seem to always be trying new recipes. They have specials that aren't on the menu plastered all over their walls. Again, it's hit or miss.
-Spicy Tuna Roll: Usually really good. Perfect amount of tuna, roe and cucumber. But the last time we went, it was super salty and spicy.
-California Roll: You really can't go wrong with California rolls, can you?
-Grilled Mackerel: Simply grilled with a bit of salt and a squeeze of lemon. Yum!
-Shrimp Fried Rice: Flavorful. It would have been better if they didn't shower the dish with salt and pepper though.
-Oyster Mushroom wrapped in Chicken Skin Skewer: One of their experimental dishes that we ordered off the wall. Sounded promising, but was disappointing. Texture was too rubbery.
Wait: This is a really popular place so there is always a wait. You should definitely call to put your name on the list as you are headed to the restaurant.
Service: They are always really busy so the servers aren't very attentive, but the food comes pretty quickly.
Atmosphere: Gets really loud here on weekends. A great place for groups if you call ahead and get a table. Not as great for couples.
All the good reviews and photos on Yelp made this place look real good. HOWEVER. If you're usually spoiled by the culinary offerings in SF, NYC, etc, this place will disappoint you. Located in a dumpy strip mall, the dumpy restaurant was a popular spot. We made a reservation so we got seated immediately.
The table top was sticky. The kind of stickyness that happens with cheaply made tables with shitty varnish jobs and subpar wipe downs. Ick. The seats had cheap fabric upholstery... mottled and stained by a thousand asses. Disgusting. Maybe this place is just a dive with great food.
Not.
The seaweed salad was a regular leafy salad with a side of seaweed. The Ramen DX with pork broth was mediocre. The ramen noodles were stiff. Broth was forgettable.The chicken meatball skewers were also so-so. The only item that was a good value was the spicy tuna roll. Generous portion and tasty. Special menu items are listed on the wall but in a disorganized fashion so it takes a while to scan the offerings.
Ugh. Okay to pass on this place. Seriously.
I came here due to glowing Yelp recommendations. My lips were glowing with oiliness after leaving this place, and my wallet was probably shining with delight from having not gone to N9ne steakhouse instead, but food here was definitely not up to expectations.
We dropped somewhere between 80-100 for three people on many of the items previously mentioned and shown in pictures. Everything was light and oily (not in a bad way), but we didn't experience any flavor or texture kick. Every dish tastes like it can be prepared from home with some MSG stock drizzled over a central meat or veggie.
I did like the look of the place (food pictures everywhere) and the kind and patient service. For anyone with a limited number of meals in Vegas though, I would definitely skip this one.
$56 Ichiza dollars can get you:
1 teba skewer (chicken wing) - 2 stars
2 shishito skewers - 2 stars
kara age - 3 stars
sauteed gizzard & garlic stems - 3 stars
pork shumai - 1 star
miso ramen - 4 stars
pork fried rice - 4 stars
kimchee - 3 stars
oshinko - 2 stars
pitcher of Kirin - 5 stars
Expect an enormous amount of mediocre food at reasonable prices.
Selection: 4 stars
Ambience: 4 stars
Value: 5 stars
Food: 3 stars
Food is delicious. There's a bunch to choose from the menu. Only thing is, you get so caught up choosing all kinds of food on the menu, when the bill comes you're shocked. Some items can get pretty pricey.
Ate at Ichiza. Not too fond of their ramen. All of their ramen had bamboo that overpowered the soup.
Where is the airconditioning? Gosh, if I had a restaurant that served ramen, I'd be darn sure that the airconditioning was on at all times for the comfort of the customers.
I also found the restaurant a little small. Too cramped for my taste.
Not all the menu items were in the menu. It was difficult to read their little signs at the kitchen and on the wall.
I Love You Ichiza
After watching The Beatles LOVE at The Mirage, our group headed over to Ichiza after reading rave reviews on Yelp prior to this trip. This place did not disappoint! I'm thinking...finally (extra stressed), GOOD, affordable and unpretentious Japanese food in Las Vegas.
You see, I'm not the type of gal who likes to dine in fancy, upscale and overpriced restaurants (maybe once in a blue moon), so I was really happy that Ichiza offered the quality of an upscale place (speaking in terms of the food) at such an affordable price and casual atmosphere.
Service was quick. We casually walked in and were seated right away. Our waitress always checked up on us and was more than happy to offer little tidbits of information on the menu and specials hanging all over the wall. The ambiance is very authentic. I felt like I stepped into a restaurant in Japan.
We ordered the following:
1.) Beef tongue skewers
2.) Fried Baby Octopus
3.) Three Ramen DX
4.) Udon Noodle Soup
5.) Spider Roll
6.) Miso Butterfish
7.) Fried Calamari Rings
8.) Fried Quail Eggs
9.) Three Lemon Shochu
Phew, that's a lot (granted, we were extremely hungry), but this accommodated a group of four very well. Time to break down the taste and flavor!
I was actually a little hesitant to eat this because I've never had beef tongue before. After taking the first bite, I was hooked. It was chewy, juicy and packed with a lot of flavor for something so relatively thin. The fried baby octopus was crunchy on the outside, but chewy on the inside. It tasted lightly salted and was accompanied with lemon juice. Yum. Then, there's the miso butterfish. Ohhh myyy goshhh. Screw halibut, I'm going for butterfish now! It had the same consistency as a halibut for a fraction of the cost! So buttery and delicious. Mmmm. The last meal I ordered was the ramen dx, which I'm guessing means deluxe, though, I'm not sure. This bowl was huge and comparable to Shinsengumi's Hakata ramen. But, I think I enjoyed this ramen more. They offered more toppings and bigger pork slices (with the fat attached, yum). It's not extremely salty either which is nice.
Everything else, my group ordered, but from the looks of it, they seem to have enjoyed their meals very much. =)
For a group of four people, our bill came to a little over $100. Pretty good I must say. I'm definitely returning.
Japanese Tapas ALL the way!!!!
My gf's friend brought us here for dinner the first night of our 4 Day Vegas ALL Night Drunkin' Partyin' Trip. He's a regular at Ichiza so we gave him the liberty to order...
He ordered at about 10-12 dishes including the following:
*Fried Chicken with Mayo dipping sauce: YUMMY!!!! The chicken was fried in a light tempura batter and was moist and tender.
*Grilled Calamari: The calamari was huge and tender. You can really taste the bbq flavor!
*Uni: OMG Effen GOOD!!!! The uni was in a lemon rind with some ponzu sauce and it was so buttery and smooth!
*Wrapped Tofu: The tofu was wrapped in this weird type of bean curd wrapper. The tofu was silky in texture and had a smooth finish.
*Hamachi and Salmon Sashimi: FRESH, FRESH, FRESH! The slices were MASSIVE and the fish was buttery smooth! :P
*Yellowtail collar bone: YUMMY!!!! The fish was fresh and cooked to perfection--moist and tender!
*Beef and chicken satay: I loved the beef satay. It was grilled perfectly, seasoned well, and had a bite to it!
*Chicken gizzard: It was ok, I wish the gizzards was a bit bigger as opposed to being chopped into smaller pieces which made it hard to enjoy the taste and texture.
* HONEY TOAST: Holy Smokes....half of a bread carved out, then honey marinating the base of the bread square, then topped off with Vanilla ice cream! You must have a sweet tooth to enjoy this sweet treat! YUMMY!!!!
* Etc, Etc, Etc (my memory is bit foggy after all the late nights of drinking)
Of course, we had to wash down our meal with two large pitchers of Kirin! :D
B/C you can't find any decent Asian food on the strip, I can't wait to come back on out next Vegas adventure!
An awesome Izakaya in Vegas! I might as well move here now.
The must order list:
-Cha soba
-Shishamo (grilled, not fried)!!!
-Uni Mochi!!!
-grilled rice ball
-honey toast!!!
-agedashi tofu
The good list:
-salmon belly
-grilled squid
The skip it list:
-giant chicken skewers (not seasoned at all)
-egg drop soup (too peppery, I was told)
And the best part: All this food for $15 per person. Love it! :)
*see pics*
SoOOoo...this place pretty much sucked.
Came by Thursday at midnight....
I felt bad for choosing this place over somewhere closer to our hotel.
Some stuff we had...
-DISGUSTING pork belly with kimchi-it tasted like bad chinese food and way too sweet! drenched in liquid sauce probably from the super frozen pork belly...this was soOOO NASTY!
-GROSS uni mochi-the uni was melted-didn't look anything like the pic...and I ate it..yuck!
-udon-edible
-tako+wasbi-edible
-salmon+roe salad-edible
-Grilled beef tongue on skewers-decent
They didn't have live scallop and it seemed like alot of the interesting dishes were all "sold out".
This is what I get for trying Izakaya in Las Vegas...when I can get the best of the best in LA/Torrance/Glendale.
Las Vegas is for Hotel Restaurant dining...stick with Steak or some French...
Bleh...what a waste of my hard earned money....
I p90x so I can pig out on stuff like this...
This place is absolutely amazing. I came here about 2 weeks ago after a long vegas drive from LA and this place really hit the spot. Its a medium sized joint with 2 big table areas for large groups. The 2 big tables are carpet stools/stand things so ppl take off their shoes. I heard about this place on Yelp and had to stop by. We made a reservation for 10pm and the place was pretty packed around that time. So reservations are definitely recommended for late night eating.
Now on to the food. The food and drinks are decently priced compared to other vegas eateries off strip. So obviously we're in vegas...so we ordered a few pitchers of beer and guzzled that down. Honestly...when you're in vegas and thirsty...all beer pretty much tastes good. So no complaints there.
I ordered the Mapo tofu which i didnt expect much from but this was actually one of the better versions that I've had. It was a good brown gravy with a nice spicy kick to it and I didnt feel jipped on the lack of meat either. Meat was plenty. My friend ordered the Jalepeno fried rice and that probably was one of the best fried rice dishes I've ever had. I love spicy food and that thing awesome. Rice was moist, beef was easy to chew and the jalepeno's really just brought everything together. Definitely something to order! A couple of us got a chicken and egg bowl which was ok but a disappointment compared to the other 2 dishes.
The biggest surprise of the night...HONEY F-IN TOAST. I kid you not...I could've sat there all weekend eating this thing over and over again. Its such a simple concept...honey, toast, and ice cream...but they must've put crack in there cause I was addicted. We had 2 orders of this thing even though we were already stuffed from the beers and entrees.
I think this place is totally awesome and I might just have to add it to my places to must stop by when visiting vegas...
Sure I've been into Vegas multiple times over the past year, but this was my 1st time to the "Chinatown" area of Las Vegas. And wow, was I surprised at how many different, diverse Asian businesses there are! From Kbbq to pho to sushi + beyond, all of the choices just makes Vegas even more appealing in my eyes, haha! We decided on Ichiza, an Izakaya-style Japanese restaurant, this time at my friend's recommendation, + it was yummy! When we arrived around midnight to this 2nd floor place in an unsuspecting strip mall, there was a 30 min wait to be seated in the little restaurant. With a seating capacity of 60 ppl, it was packed, but my friend said it was worth the wait.
They have a set menu of over 100 items plus an abundant amount of hand-written notes on the wall with additional menu items of all different sorts. This is definitely not your typical Japanese restaurant, but judging by the employees working there + the crowd eating there, it seems to be pretty legit. It's not one of those places that would ever need to advertise or spiffy up w/ new decor if you know what I mean since it's all good how it is. Most of the items on the menu are about $5 or under for a small skewer or piece of that item, which means you have the opportunity to dabble + sample a great variety of their unique dishes. In total we ordered 9 items for the 3 of us plus the oh-so-popular Honey Toast for dessert. (See my photos!)
Pretty much everything tasted good + I was surprised considering a lot of this was pretty new to me. Like who even knew that something like mochi wrapped in bacon even existed?! Some dishes like the spinach + enoki dish were on the oily side, but they were worth trying for sure. I definitely want to come back here another time to try out a few more of the billion unique items on the walls.
Word of caution, though, that it does all add up pretty fast. Our total was over $60 in the end, which isn't all that bad considering we're in Vegas... but still. I hadn't drank enough at that point to shrug it off + not take notice.
The service was pretty quick in the beginning, but then it started to die down later in the wee hours as the line out the door dwindled. I'm sure the waitresses were all getting pretty tired at that point since Ichiza seems to be a late night hotspot, but it shouldn't have to take frantic waving to get refills on water. Parking is a decent-sized lot in front of the strip mall + getting here was no problem from The Strip.
You know a Japanese restaurant is great when:
1. You see Japanese guys with "cool" hair cuts piling into the place
2. The writing on the wall with new dishes has post-it notes saying "sold out"
3. Your waitress is definitely fluent in Japanese and is always smiling
I think my favorite part of our visit was the table of 4 girls from Los Angeles who were tasting everything on the menu who found this restaurant on Yelp.
If you come here prepare to be adventurous. Not an American style sushi place. Great fresh food, delicious sashimi.
Date Rating: 8
Pick up Scale: 2
Strong Suggestion: Try something normal and something a little out there. Great flavors.
It deserves 5 stars not becoz of its authenticity in Japanese food, but how comfortable its dishes taste like when you are tired of all the overpriced European classic food on the strip. I was wondering in this place why people would prefer to spend $400 for a couple's dinner if you can eat for $8 each at places like this? Is it really 25X more delicious?
We ordered only 2 dishes, but were completely satisfied by both of them. Pork cutlet bowl is probably the most tasty and flavorful fried pork I have ever had, although the rice beneath the egg layer was kind of soggy. Beef udon had this sweet flavor, making it very interesting to taste.
Bottom line: If you have a car in Vegas and want sth to warm up ur stomach after a crazy night, Ichiza is definitely worth the 4 miles of driving.
I go here every time I come to Vegas (which is a lot). The menu is ingenious; I always make it a point to try something new each time. And where do they find all these gorgeous Japanese girls in the middle of the dessert?? But, I digress... Here are a few of favorites:
- Spicy fried chicken: Japanese fried chicken is the best. Couple that with a Tabasco based dressing and I'm in heaven.
- Red snapper carpaccio: My friend says that's impossible since carpaccio is Italian for thinly sliced beef. I say its madly delicious.
- Takoyaki: Sometimes they're soggy, sometimes they're great. You really cant beat the octopus to batter ratio they have; they don't skimp!
- Seafood quesadilla: Suggestion from our server. Two crispy tortillias sandwiched around thinly spread sushi rice covered with salmon, tuna, squid, and white fish sashimi surrounded by daikon sprouts and topped off with Cupie mayo. MMM MMM MMM!
When all else fails, flirt with the waitress and ask for recommendations. I'm a girl, but dang those waitresses be cute!
If you've ever had your mind blown to bits and pieces by a restaurant experience, then you will know how I felt by going to Ichiza. I was in Vegas for a wonderful weekend with a group of friends, and honestly, this was the best part of my whole group's trip. We drank merrily, soaked up the lively atmosphere, and stuffed our poor tummies with the most delicious of authentic Japanese food. What a complete treasure, and I am so jealous that I don't have anything like this in Dallas. My friends were weary at first, because they were wondering what I was dragging them into. But I love doing my research before going to a town, just to see where all the locals eat. I frequent Vegas at least 2 times a year, and although I've eaten at the most famous and luxurious restaurants, I really wanted to get off the strip for an authentic and (cheap) meal. Jackpot.
Everything was delicious, from the tofu, to the fish, to the honey bread! The sushi was wonderfully fresh, and the flavors of every dish we got were amazing. We will definitely be returning. The atmosphere, which might seem suspect since it's in a strip mall, is so charming and quaint. The service is friendly, and the atmosphere is alive. It's like everyone in the restaurant is so happy to be there, enjoying their little kept secret.
I suggest trying a little bit of everything off the menu. You will not be disappointed. But order that honey bread early, bc it does take a bit of time.
HONEY TOAAAAAAST!!!!
Best dessert ever.
Word.
Another late night in Vegas and hunger calls... straight to Yelp for recommendations! Ichiza is located in the Chinatown/Spring Mountain Road area in Vegas, just a short 10 minute drive from the Strip, and IMO better food. We got here around midnight Saturday night with a grumbling tummy. The place was crowded and lively. We ordered:
Tofu salad w/ tuna sashimi - standard, not bad
tsukune & kushi tan - decent
steamed pork dumplings - actually siomai but very good. juicy and flavorful
deep fried garlic - first time seeing this, served with miso paste, very yummy.
crab fried rice - decent
agadashi tofu - decent
I would definitely come back next time we're in Vegas... good food, lively atmosphere and good value.
We ordered a few things items but I especially enjoyed a sushi with unagi on a fried tempura thing on top of sushi, pork tataki, and the kimchi fried rice.
The honey toast was made up of really simple ingredients... honey, hawaiian bread, butter, and vanilla ice cream..... but it was a really satisfying treat at the end of our meal.
I think almost everyone there had some sort of a tattoo which was compiled of either a fish, chinese symbol, cherry blossom, or all three. FISH TATTOOS.... AWESOME!
I've been to Vegas so many times, that after the nth time, I realized that I really didn't know it beyond the Strip. My local friends would make fun of me, so to remedy that, I'd ask them to take me to their favorite places.
I am in LOVE with this place. The menu was on my table, on the walls behind me, and hanging all over the top of the bar. You have to walk around to see what they have. It's a bit overwhelming. But you totally have to hit this amazing grill/sushi place that is a local favorite. The menu consists largely of small cooked food dishes...grilled fish, skewered items, rolls and marinated sashimi dishes. This is true comfort food...makes me feel all warm and fuzzy...and I always want to go back to hang with my friends and get all happy :)
The last time I was there, I had that honey toast thing. OMG...it was this block of Taiwan toast, filled with honey on the inside and toasted to yummy perfection. They topped it with vanilla ice cream and I wanted to eat the whole thing. But I'm thinking...bad, it was late, too many carbs.
So that's the other thing, this place is open so late, that it's perfect for the Vegas lifestyle.... and those of us who are from out of town and get caught up in it.
Believe the hype.
I've been going to Ichiza for over 6 years, and for a damn good reason. It is a very popular, often packed Japanese Ikazaya restaurant. The joint is pretty small, as it can only fit no more than about 30-35 people at once. They presumably have close to 200 different options for food, and I have tried just about everyone of them. The enviornment is great, as its almost 50% of the reason why Ichiza is so great. Everyone simply comes to here to enjoy the great food, let loose, drink and have fun. Theres nothing more I can really say about this place except some the dishes I recommend you try at least once.
- Grilled beef tongue (Kushi-Tan)
- Grilled garlic, deep fried whole garlic
- yellowtail tar tar
- red snapper carpaccio
- bacon wrapped mochi
- beef tataki
- wasabi tempura stringbeans
- skewered pork with shiso leaf
- tako wasabi
- fried oysters
- and of course, the infamous honey toast.
We've tried egg + chicken + mushroom rice bowl and the Eel sushi (california roll toped with tuna + tempura style stir fried onions).
The atmosphere is original and I can tell that the place is own by Japanese people.
It was a very very good alternative to any place tourists (like we were) usually stopped by along the Strip.
This place is truly a different dining experience. I guess that is why there are so many reviews. I usually consider myself adventures with food, but this was totally different. Thank goodness for yelpers! If it wasn't for the other reviews, we wouldn't have known what to order.
Ichiza is located in a tiny strip mall with crappy parking. It's upstairs, so if you didn't know to look for this place, you would never think to stop here for food. Especially because there are about 3 other similar food places in the same strip mall. This restaurant is tiny! It has a few stools at the counter and then some low tables to sit on the floor and then a few regular tables at the front. There is a menu and then there are food selections around on the walls that are written in Japanese with some English descriptions.
So we based our order on recommendations from fellow yelpers and they were right on. I played it safe and had the beef bowl. It was really good with a decent portion size. We finished with the honey toast and I gotta say, that alone was worth the trip. It's this dessert that looks like they baked a loaf of bread and cut it in half. Then they cut a square out of the center so the outer crust is separated from the inner soft bread. Then they pour honey inside and top it with vanilla ice cream. WOW!
I highly recommend trying Ichiza!
Las Vegas, NV
Category: Sushi Bars
Las Vegas, NV
Category: Japanese
Las Vegas, NV
Category: Japanese
Las Vegas, NV
Category: Japanese
Las Vegas, NV
Category: Japanese
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