ICHI 88

Very good food, however, extremely frustrating to make a reservation. I typically go to this restaurant with a large group, and there have been times where I call 10 times with no answer. I have never experienced a restaurant that just never answers their phone. Extremely frustrating.

Very few customer in the lunch time. The price is surprisingly low in this area. They have good portion and the standard taste as a Japanese restaurant. If they can get better seafood, they can be very competitive. Looking forward to back again to see their progress.

So incredibly fresh, such incredible food — why would people go to crappy sushi places a block away when they can come here?
On top of all else, best miso soup I’ve ever had

Been to so many Japanese Restaurant, but this Restaurant is amazing. A real Japanese chef (fuji-​san), meet him in person, made me tonight Omakaze sushi & sashimi that blow my mind and my stomach. Very fresh and tasty. The wasabi is different and tastier than other wasabi. Overall experience for the foods: 5 star for the taste.

«Sushi me»
Again with the ever-​changing landscape of the E village! But, this is one that I will take. It is interesting that another sushi restaurant replaced a former sushi restaurant (Oyama). Unlike Oyama, Ichi, does not have the 50% sushi rolls and entrees, flies, and weird smell. BUT, Ichi’s sushi is waaayyyyy fresher than Oyama’s. I hope that this restaurant can stick around because I was very surprised to see that I was the only person in the restaurant at 8pm on a Sunday. Perhaps, it gets more traffic later in the night.
You can get a three course dinner for about 18 bucks, which is a pretty good deal for sushi. Oh the restaurant’s miso soup is to die for because it is made with an extra protein besides tofu.
Next time I am in the St Marks area and I need so rice to soak up my booze, this will be my spot.

When we came at around 8:00 pm, the restaurant was almost completely empty. There was only one other table with people. So as such, the service was incredibly fast. The prices were reasonable, but the food was mediocre.
We ordered a combo for 2 and asked to substitute their regular salad for a seaweed salad, which was flat out denied. Couldn’t even substitute it if we paid more money. Left a sour taste for the rest of the evening.

One of my favorite Authentic Japanese Restaurant in NYC!!!
I always go there at dinner time and order Sashimi Bento Box.
Sashimi taste amazing and fresh! it is great value for money. (you get soup or salad, appetizers, sashimi and a roll of your choice for just $ 15)
Very clean, quiet and relaxing. Service always very attentive and warm.
I have nothing to complain about them. Servers are always so friendly and so sweet.
I always had good time at here. Ichi 88 is lovely in every way!
I saw now they have Udon noodle soup combination special on the menu
which is comes with salad and one California roll.
(… Don’t know why their California roll is taste delicious more than another
Japanese Restaurant…)
I will definitely come back here with my Japanese friends again soon!
Japanese people know what real Japanese food is and…
Yes! Ichi 88 is Authentic Japanese Restaurant.

Came in on a Friday at around 6 with a friend and the place was literally empty. We were the only table in there. I’m all about quiet atmospheres but I wouldn’t have minded if there were at least a few other diners there.
It’s happy hour until 7 and you can get $ 3 beers and $ 5 wines. Even when it’s not happy hour, the drinks are only $ 1-​$ 2 more.
To start, I wanted to get a kani salad but I didn’t see it anywhere on the menu. I’m sure they could have made it if I asked but I was a little surprised that it was missing. So instead, we ordered the agedashi tofu. The tofu itself was good but the sauce it came in didn’t taste that great. On the other hand, my friend really liked it. She even ordered a second one.
For my entrée, I ordered the sushi dinner, which came with 7 pieces of sushi and a tuna roll. It was $ 15, which I think is a really good deal for the city. It’s not exactly the best sushi I’ve ever had but I wasn’t expecting that. It’s good enough the satisfy your sushi craving.
I probably won’t be back since this place is a little out of the way for me but if you’re in the area and you’ve got a hankering for some raw fish, Ichi 88 is not too shabby!

Ichi makes some really quality sushi. Some of the best I have had in NYC.
Even considering the fact that they forgot my takeout order and had to make everything in five minutes, I will absolutely be coming back here.
I had one of the dinner specials with three different rolls and a miso soup. Plenty of food and all really really good.
The place itself is lowkey with a decent selection of sake and a bar with a tv that was playing a pre-​season football game.

Say no more… It’s under Japanese management! That means it must be legit!
Okay, all jokes aside, please try this place out as it has great value, and great food.
Once I walk in, I immediate am under the impression that this is a nice local sushi joint with great interior decorating. The menus were also nicely made and had high quality paper.
A couple of minutes of browsing the menu, I notice Omakase ($ 35 and up). Of course, I have only seen omakase’s that cheap in Brooklyn and for about only 8 – 10 pieces. I thought, what the hell, lets get it. To my surprise, I get 12 pieces of great sushi for 35 dollars. That is cheaper than all the omakases in manhattan! Look out, Tanoshi, look out Katsuei, there’s a new king on the continent.
For an appetizer, I had negi toro roll (MP, but was charged 10) (I actually wanted to end with this but I actually started with it. Not their fault though), 5 pieces of pork gyoza ($ 6), and shrimp and veggie tempura ($ 8). All of these were great, but I would have liked the gyoza to be more fried and crispy. The negi toro was exceptional.
As for the omakase itself, it was divided into three courses of 4 pieces each. These pieces weren’t traditional edomae style, but were of a modern omakase more similar to Sushi of gari’s style (Maybe not as innovative as sushi of gari, but it was close). I have to say, I typically prefer the edomae style better, but these were still quite a treat.
These were the pieces in order:
–Toro with daikon radish — Delicious! Great taste and great combination
–Amaebi with yuzu sauce — I liked this too, great citrusy flavor.
–Fluke with shiso and jelly — Good, but I usually hate shiso with a passion, so not my favorite.
–Tai with jalapeño — great tasting and the jalapeño was not hot at all.
–Amberjack with scallions — Delicious.
–Scallop with tobiko — Also delicious.
–Horse Mackerel with scallions and a layer of chive? — Not as fishy as most mackerel I’ve tried. It was good, and the chive may have been pickled? Perhaps it was some sort of soy paper?
–Some sort of fried fish — This was HOT temperature wise, so let this cool down before eating. It was lightly fried and had great flavor.
–Tuna with apricot? with some sauce — Not really a fan of whatever they put in, may not have been apricot, but I spent years chewing this until it was no longer crunchy. It did not help that this piece was huge to begin with.
–Salmon with fried tomato slice — Great burst of umami and a great combination
–Uni — kind of disappointing since it was small and dry. Needed a bit of chef’s soy sauce
–Eel with some weird balls on top — This was some good eel.
Coming from a person who does not really enjoy modern style nigiri as much as edomae nigiri, I have to say that I was very impressed with most of these. Unfortunately, a couple of the pieces were just too innovative for me (Daikon on toro is fine with me but apricot on sushi is starting to get weird) The fish was pretty much all fresh and I still can’t wrap my head around what a great deal it is. I will definitely be back to this place and I am looking forward to ask them to try to make it more traditional for my tastes and see if I can turn this review into 5 stars.

I was looking for a sushi place in the area and this was the first restaurant that appeared on Unilocal — although now I think it’s called Ichi 88 instead of Honshu Ichi.
Anyway, I just wanted hand rolls and maybe a couple pieces of sushi BUT I saw an omakase option for $ 35 and up. At that price, I expected maybe 5 or 6 pieces and a roll so I decided to try it out. The waitress informed me that it was going to be 12 (!!!) pieces and I was so ready for it.
I initially expected a mix of the regular stuff, which wasn’t going to be bad for the price. But I was surprised at the freshness and quality of the pieces. The amazing chef brought the pieces by threes so everything was still fresh and served at the right temperature. He garnishes his sushi Gari style, and every flavor hit the spot. He even brushes his own soy sauce on some of the pieces. My favorites were the uni, salmon topped with tomato, onion, and lemon, fluke with shiso and ponzu jelly (!!!), and the crunchy eel with avocado. He finished it off with an anago tempura hand roll and two additional pieces.
The sushi chef even brought out a little cup of sparkling sake as my «dessert». Man, I should give him some sake for creating such a wonderful meal!
Total for everything (excluding a glass of wine): $ 40. You cannot find that anywhere in the city! I think I’ve found my new favorite sushi place.

3.5 stars
we were looking for a new sushi place in EV after the fall of our beloved Sushi Park. we came here on a week night before dinner rush, were quickly greeted and seated at a comfy booth. the place is very spacious and clean. after browsing through the menu, we decided on a few things to try:
–fried calamari: they came out looking like onion rings, but make no mistake, underneath that crispy panko coating is thick-​cut, tender calamari. they serve it with two sauces, a sweet and tart sauce that’s usually served with pork katsu and a thinner sesame (i think?!) sauce.
–sunrise roll: great flavor
–eel avocado: too much eel sauce, it was bit a overpowering, but the eel and avocado were fresh and plentiful.
–spider roll: comes with layer of cucumber on the outside of the roll, the flavors somehow didn’t mesh well together. soft-​shell crab was really nicely fried tho.
–boston roll: bf thought it was ok
overall, it’s great quality in terms of freshness, but somehow lacking in flavor or boldness that we miss so much about Sushi Park (RIP!).

Quiet Deliciousness in Rowdy East Village
Food:
Overall the food is standard of what you expect to receive at a normal Japanese restaurant, even a little above it. The fish is fresh and glistens in the light.
Since I was in the middle of a ramen (ramen comparison) kick, I decided to try their miso ramen. While it isn’t on par with the ramen only establishments, it was balanced and didn’t overpower my pallet with salt of vegetable flavors. Like all ramen, it is on the heavy side.
The side of shrimp tempura (with the ramen) for $ 2 for 2 well sized shrimp is an excellent deal. The tempura flakes look as though they are hanging on by a thread, but they are stuck like glue and have the crispiness of a fresh potato chip.
The Manhattan roll is pretty good, but for the life of me I cannot recall what is on top of the roll. It looks like crab, but I am uncertain. Inside is avocado and shrimp tempura (I think). I seem to be excellent at giving information in this review…
Drinks:
Want a 22oz beer? Only $ 8. Want sake? It gets server is a nice chilled container (similar to a carafe?). Very refreshing and good value for the price. The options aren’t overly plentiful, but what they do have are solid and reputable (except maybe the Coors Lite).
Service:
Don’t recall much about the service, but that means they weren’t outstanding, but they weren’t terrible. This means the service was friendly. My apologies for the lack of any detailed information here.
Ambiance:
The restaurant looks like it wants to be more of a party atmosphere (check out the cool looking bar), but it has a toned down atmosphere compared to other restaurants in the East Village. I do not know if this is planned, or they aren’t attracting the attention of the party going, pre-​gaming crowd of the area. Personally, I enjoy the quieter environment when I am eating at a restaurant. You will find a cluster of smaller/​moderate sized groups enjoying themselves with some sake-​bombs, but that typically lasts less than a minute.
My group and I were originally planning on eating at another restaurant, but since the wait time was 2 hours, we decided to find a restaurant with little to no wait time.
Overall: 3.75
The food is pretty good and rather filling.
The prices are about the standard for NYC, a little lower for some of the dishes.
Presentation of the dishes is done wonderfully, especially for the love boat.
From what I recall (mix of forgetting and drinking), the service is standard.
Waiting on a 2 hour line at the noodle bar across the street, put down your name and have a great meal at Honshu Ichi making you forget about the other restaurant.
When you see the love boat… boat pass your table you are going to probably order one for yourself.

I accidentally found this place when the line outside of momofuku’s was stupid long… And I’m actually glad it was. This was a great find! We ordered the salmon and yellowtail lunch specials… The miso soup was above average taste than what I’m used to having… there were actually more tofu bits in the soup than the fingers on your hands could count (score!) And I’m not sure if we caught the restaurant on a good order week or what, but it was probably one of the best salmon and yellowtail I’ve had in America for the price of 10 dollars a plate.
Unfortunately, I also ordered their spicy miso ramen with an addition of roast duck. The duck was superb, and frankly about the only thing notable about the ramen.
We were literally the only people there, which was a little depressing. This place deserves a crowd to be honest. Service was great, albeit there was a random different waiter helping us each time, always checking in. At one point, I swear even the chef had come to clear some plates up. Hey, can’t complain!
Overall, amazing salmon and yellowtail! If I were to ignore the ramen dish mentally, I’d give them a five star rating.

#Great deal if you happen to come between 3−4pm, because it will be when #Happy Hour and #Lunch Specials overlap… even on #weekends
Got the #Tempura Shrimp #Bento Box $ 9. Everything was good on it, except the #Salad. #Their Orange Ginger Dressing was way too sweet. It was #weird.
Came back again during 3−4pm and got the #Sashimi Lunch $ 10. Pretty decent. I think the #Bento Box was #better
Most importantly $ 4 large #hot sake during #Happy Hour.
I know the waiters speak #Cantonese. And I know some people are picky about that. I don’t know what the #sushi chefs are, but I don’t care. I think it’s okay to have a Chinese person make your sushi, because I’m not racist. It would be like saying Ivan is not allowed to make Ramen because he’s white.

Lord bless the hostess working weekend nights, she has the patience of a saint. After romping around the city, we stopped in for some take-​out for late night Netflix. Unfortunately, there was a group of 14 s**t-faced NYU undergrads that wouldn’t leave the hostess long enough to take our order. There was a miscommunication in our order (they forgot one of our rolls) but that may have been dude to Chad McBrosky continuously asking the hostess to deliver mints to a particular table after his departure.
We got a roll that had both salmon and tuna, and a roll that had panko bread crumbs all over it. Overall, not too bad but not too good either, quality enough for binge-​watching Netflix series.

Post-​Christmas Day 2014 enables a long deserved break. After searching via Unilocal for quality good eats in East Village, I had my heart set for another restaurant which was disappointingly closed. Ergo with my return walk to forgo lunch, I passed this Japanese restaurant as party of one which appeared ghost town empty on a early Friday afternoon… WHY? I was doubtful, but hey I was hungry!
I opt for my usual second default of Japanese cuisine: Ramen and steamed pork Gyoza. The Goyza was very stale and not fresh as the dumpling skin was harden. My Tonkotsu Ramen $ 8.95 was okay as it was nothing to awaken my spirits. The bill for party of one totaled with tax to an average $ 14.65, but it was rather insufficient to eat my fill as two hours later hunger pangs formed again. Staff appeared very melancholy to serve customers as there were two middle aged Cantonese speaking servers who were watching a football game. They waited on two tables (myself and a party of three) who both appeared very robotic without smiling, no excitement, lifeless, no emotions, no liveliness with very apathetic dead souls. Surely, not my cup of tea. Overall, no I would not return. A business card is available, but surely, it is not going into my collection.
The overhead music is lock-​in to the 1980s era despite the 2014 year draws to an end. Atmosphere is very clean and modern Japanese look. The facility contains one Dyson Airblade dryer.

Lots of rolls and the special rolls are 2 for $ 15.95. Almost a choice overload since they put so many combinations of about the same 5 – 6 ingredients. The food isn’t bad, but it’s nothing special. The prices are good for this area, and our server was nice. They even gave us separate checks for a large party. The chefs also put a cute tree or other design on the plate. The sake is also priced fairly. The Hakushika junmai gingo was only $ 7 for a 180ml bottle. Don’t get the rolls with mango unless you are craving something sweet.
A nice casual restaurant for some rolls and sake.

After spending an embarrassingly long time researching sushi places in the east village, I ended up here mostly because they were the only place that could make a reservation for my group of 7. Now I’m quite glad that [competing restaurant name omitted] was filled up, because we had a great dinner at Honshu Ichi!
To start: definitely a good place for groups. They were able to make a reservation for 7 on pretty short notice — just 2 hours in advance. We were given a big table in the back where we had plenty of space (and no, not because the place was empty — it was pretty busy!). There was another big group back there too that seemed to have a good time (judging by the number of sake bombs).
On to the food and drank. They had a nice selection of sakes; mine was $ 7 for the small size, which I thought was kind of a lot! They then surprised us with two servings of edamame on the house, which was really awesome. One notable appetizer (I didn’t get, but someone at the table did) is the shishito pepper tempura– I thought it was cool to have some more unusual tempura options. For rolls, too, I was impressed by the interesting options. I got two rolls, the Vegetable Maki and the «M.A.C» (Mango, Avocado, Cucumber), and both were solid– and reasonably priced, too! The presentation was very nice too: the plates came out with nice designs made with the sauces.
The service was good, but a little slow. Everyone was quite friendly and personable. I didn’t really mind the slowness mostly because the unexpected free edamame kept me quite content.
Overall a great experience, I would definitely come back!

They have so many great options for sushi, rolls, dinners, apps and salads… Everything we tried was excellent except the soft shell crab was a bit of a let-​down. The crab had lots of breading, more like tempura and the main body wasn’t even served… With that being said, everything else was to our standards and above. They serve a healthy portion of seaweed salad and the sushi rolls we picked were tasty with lots of fish.
Highlight was king crab roll!
They display their dishes most appealing to the eye. The ambiance has soft blue lighting and not loud at all. It would be nice to have more explanations on the menu items though.