Ichiban Buffet

Food was cold and stale, like their sushi and noodles. Yuck…

I went to this place when it opened and it was okay. I went back a few weeks ago and the food looked horrible. There are less people that go there now, and when you walk in you can smell how old the food is. Definitely would not recommend this place to anyone.

The only good thing here is the grill itself. But still not worth it to pay just for that. The rest of the food/​buffet is yikes. I went here on a Thursday 2pm. The food looked old. Like it was from days ago. Food is cold. Also is dirty. This is my third time coming here, and I won’t be coming back. I really was trying to give it s chance, but obviously they don’t seem too care. If food looks obviously old: nasty why can’t they just put a fresh tray. Also plates are kind off dirty.

Ive eaten here a few times. Today is my last time.
I was eating a teriyaki chicken and noticed something that looked like a bug baked in the fat portion of the chicken. This wasnt a small bug, it was about an inch long, and another inch if you add the antennas.
I called the waitress over to look at it. She immediately called over her supervisor, which happens to be the person working at the cashier location. When she saw the «baked in bug», her first response was to tell me that they received the chicken that way and they simply season and cook it. She was somewhat apologetic, and offered a new plate. That was it.
So the bottom line her response to the «baked in bug»
1) Blame it on someone else (supplier of the chicken)
2) Offer me a new plate. which I could of gotten myself since its a buffet
3) No attempt to clear off the remaining chicken at the buffet in case the other chicken is tainted.

I really tried to like this place but it was just horrible. The avocado on the sushi had turned brown from sitting out too long, the desserts tasted stale and for a Friday at 7 pm it was empty. Definitely won’t be returning!

I was pretty much starving when I arrived to this buffet so the food should have tasted better. I’m just going to list the few pros and cons that I observed and leave it at that. All I ate was the hibachi, some donuts and I tried the miso and crab cheese wontons (the later 2 were cold and maybe old).
Pros:
1. under $ 15.00 meal including hot tea.
2. Tea refilled often.
3. Timely clearing of plates.
4. Clean tables and environment.
5. Pop music playing.
6. Hibachi type station with fresh ingredients and you can watch your food being made.
7. No one rushing you out the door.
8. Lots of seafood options even though I didn’t try any of them.
Cons:
1. Food was cold (except for hibachi).
2. Came around 8 pm but the food seemed old/​not sure how long it was there.
3. No rice in rice cooker. (See #2)
4. Chocolate fountain with marshmallows seemed like a potentially unsanitary situation. (How long has that chocolate been in circulation).
5. Not offered any water.
It’s okay if you are picky and just smart about what you eat. Probably stick with the salad bar and hibachi only.

Food is okay, but a few other issues. All drinks are additional, even tea. The website shows a lunch price of $ 11.01, but on Sunday, it is dinner price all day. When we were there, the place was almost empty, but our empty dishes were not cleared promptly. We had four empty plates on our table before they were finally removed.
Also, the silverware you’re given is a fork and spoon, no knife. Although we paid the dinner price, there was no lobster available, but otherwise the other food items were plentiful. I will go back, but there is room for improvement.

While visiting the Chicago area we were starving so we decided to stop at Ichiban. We ended up stopping in during a work week lunch and we were happy with the quality of the food and the price. This buffet had a ton of options and the staff here was fairly polite. The only issue we had here was that at times some of the food needed to be restocked, but this was because it was a busy lunch. In the end we would totally come back in the future if in the area.

came here a few months ago on a saetrday and finally decided to write a review. came here with a friend because we heard there was lobsters!
the food selection was ok. however. some of the food is luke warm … and when the lobster comes out. the lines for it is nuts. only like the first 3 or 4 people gets it because they bring so little out at a time. after that you would have to wait another 20 – 30 min for another small tray of lobster.
also there was a few meat dishes. the meat was either very chewy or over cooked which made it dry.

Something must have happened because the quality of the food at Ichiban Buffet has deteriorated over the past several months.
After each trip, I noticed the food has gotten worse and worse. On the most recent trip, the sashimi had a funky aftertaste to it which is usually a sure sign of raw fish that you shouldn’t be eating. The fried food dishes were all soggy and fillings in the dim sum were bland.
It’s not often that I update a review but this is a major change from the five star experience that I had when it first opened. I’ve noticed that business has been slow too so that may be the cause to the decline in quality. Even the lobster and prime rib weekend dinner options were disappointing. Sadly, everyone at the table was dissatisfied and some even felt gross afterwards.
Ichiban should consider changing their name because it’s definitely not number one. Three stars at best and I’m being generous.

This place is disgusting, even for buffet standards.
Food was poor at best and there was a rancid smell throughout the restaurant. As I was walking out, it seems like it was originating from where they had the soda fountains. Speaking of which, you don’t even get free soda. Nope. The décor was sad, as well as the music.
If you’re around the area, do yourself a favor and go to a different buffet. There are multiple around the area that are much better than this.

Ohh man. Why did we think coming here was a good idea???
UGH…
Should have stuck to our original plan… Portillo’s, we will never second guess you again!
Ok, so the proteins– most items were dried out and over-​cooked. I mean it’s beyond dead. The one thing that looked delicious from this place was the ginger halibut. It looked perfect… until i cut into it. The fish did not flake, in fact it clung together in a big wad as I stuck my fork in it. Turns out this was the one protein that was actually under-​cooked, and severely at that!
The sushi looked sad. Desserts, sad. My iced tea was watered down and had something gross hanging off the side of the cup. Gosh most everything here was sad…
Surprisingly though, some of the vegetable dishes were not bad! If you’re a vegetarian there are some options here. The chinese water cress and string beans and mushrooms were pretty good. But really, this is the only reason for the 2 star. It’s really one and a half star.
Yeah probably never coming back…

First it’s a buffet and most buffets that I have been to are all below average. I wanted to hit a restaurant, but just finished my tour of Park Ridge and was hungry and spotted this place off of Dempster. Mostly everything is dried out from the heat lamps, and they have a decent seafood selection. The only thing I really liked… was their Mexican street tacos.
Stay hungry my friends…

Food is bland. Felt like cardiac diet. Food selection same as Flaming Grill. My first and last. Should have stuck with something else. Regret!

I have been around the Asian buffet race more often than I’d like to admit, yet, here I am, admitting it to the internet world.
Ichiban Buffet is conveniently located around the corner from the XSport I frequent. Nothing rewards a hard, sweaty workout quite like an all-​you-​can-​eat Asian buffet.
The buffet is located in what used to be an Old Country Buffet — and the bones of the chain still show. Thanks to the use of halogen lights above the warming islands, the entire restaurant has a very cold, hospital-​like feel. A hospital with a create your own stir fry station.
The food selection is surprisingly robust. There are quite a few non-​Americanized Asian options including whole crabs, pig’s feet, dim sum, crayfish, and a heaping selection of sushi coupled with a few of your mall’s favorites (Chicken with broccoli, fried rice, hot and sour soup). The chef’s behind the sushi counter were furiously rolling new rolls, so though the actual quality of the fish might be iffy, at least you know the rolls weren’t sitting out for hours under the aforementioned halogen lights.
You also have an odd selection of ‘comfort food’ that most likely the suppliers of Old Country Buffet continued to deliver after that restaurant shuttered. Mac and Cheese, mashed potatoes, ribs, U-​slice-​it-​beef, etc.
The food was all fine, Asian buffets rarely transcend a description other that «fine», On a Sunday afternoon, the price was 12 dollars per adult (the price for children varied by age) not including a beverage. The clientele was very mixed, though the demographic skewed pretty high towards the older, Asian, post-​Church crowd. It was pleasantly busy meaning the food turned over pretty quickly with frequent fresh replenishments.
It also passed a crucial test, the post-​gorging health test. Several hours, and days, later, I felt ok, not a rumbly stomach in sight.

Saturday lunch is like $ 8.00. They put out decent seafood. Food overall is fresh and tasty.
If you’re an average dude that’s kinda hungry, you could do some serious damage here.

Variety — 3
Taste — 3
Service/​cleanliness/​décor — 4
Value — 5
CHEAP. $ 13 after tax for dinner?! Every buffet I have ever been to is at least $ 17 pre-​tax for dinner. There are no lobster or crab legs (but yes sauteed blue (?) crabs), but those are a pain to eat anyway. I go for the variety of cheap Chinese food that I would have to pay $ 10 for a huge portion only to get sick of the flavor 1 – 2 bites in.
Highlights include their sushi and sashimi, which are surprisingly decent for such a cheap buffet. This is also the first buffet I’ve ever been to with phở. Not that it was good. It was like… below average, but good for them for trying!
Otherwise, it’s pretty typical buffet food. Nothing too special. Not much variety. Lots of fried stuff. Some hits, some misses, sesame chicken, hibachi grill, etc. But at least they’re all low commitment. Grab a bite’s worth and see if it’s worth a return trip. Nothing tasted horrible and food was kept hot.
Note that they close at 9:30pm on weekdays, but their sushi station started cleaning up at like 8:45pm. No doubt other stations start cleaning up early when the rush dies down.
So many buffets in Chicagoland has terrible reviews so I’ve been wary of trying them… glad Ichiban is at least decent for when the Chinese buffet craving hits!

It started with the stank of a dirty diaper and it was all downhill from there. Now, if you don’t see a crying baby with a diaper full of crap, one has to wonder where else this foul odor could emanate from? The buffet and if so, is that appetizing? This is great reason for one in your group to take a walk around to inspect dishes, get a feel of the place and then decide to invest, because folks the cost is an investment. This ain’t Super China buffet.
Like an OCB (Old Country Buffet) you must pay before you play or rather, dine. Based on appearances they should charge as much as a Super China buffet because they haven’t done much in the space that used to occupy OCB. But in offerings as others have written, there is a wide variety of dishes, dim sum, sushi and more. I would bet weekend afternoons are the best time to visit. The most attention is paid to quality, but who knows.
For a great birds eye view of what to expect, check out Phil S.‘s review. I got there at a time Phil mentions is not a particularly good time to go. It was probably about 8:30 pm on a Saturday night that we entered. They sat our group at a long table near the middle close to the ice cream & dessert bar. Another large group sat nearby as well as, a super funky ass smell which crowded the mostly empty area. We all agreed it smelled like a dirty diaper full of shit. At first, I wanted to assume it may have been the crying baby that angrily slept within the group nearest to us but upon visiting the fountain pop area we realized where the abominable smell was emanating from. It seemed to come and go like wind. Very curious we were. I’ve worked service industry before and never encountered such a smell from fountain machines.
Moving on. The entrees were alright and nothing too special about them. Regarding quality and caliber, it was about par to any Super China buffet. My group was most impressed with their sushi and carved meats. The carved meats included some sort of brisket and a rack of fall-​off-​the-​bone ribs. Both pretty good. There were many Chinese and «other» entrees which looked dated. I mean to say, you could tell that they had been sitting under those heat lamps for quite a long time. Some were dry, seafood rubbery and vegetables looking soggy. So textures and tastes had changed and not for the better. We would have loved a bowl or cup of soup, but there was hardly any. When I asked a passing kitchen associate about soup, she acted as if she didn’t understand my question. She also had a look of sarcasm as if to indicate renewing them would not happen. Within earshot was the buffet host and which came over and spoke with her, some forty minutes later, far beyond any reasonable amount of time the soups were refilled. Yay! for whomever visited after us.
The kids under 11 had a great time whereas the adults felt otherwise. The children ate some decent sushi and had seconds of ice cream. There was also some horseplay and tag, which went unchecked by us and their staff. The place was mostly empty and no one cared. The adults weren’t too impressed with anything and in retrospect a better meal could have been had at Portillo’s. Heck a chocolate cake shake would have sufficed.

Not another Chinese/​Japanese/​Asian buffet! Well, this one is a little bit different and the price is right. Located where the OCB used to be in this strip mall across for LGH, the space was a natural fit for this buffet.
Here’s a quick rundown on things you need to know about eating here:
They have lobster but they toss it in some sort of sauce that doesn’t make it very friendly for dipping in clarified butter. They also don’t like to stock it so you have to tell someone to bring more out or they’ll just let it sit with 2 mangled pieces in the pan. Watch out for old pieces, some can be downright nasty.
The have phở! Yep, they make small bowls for you at the stir fry bar but beware that the broth tastes pretty crappy. Use lots of sriracha to mask the fishy taste.
The prime rib is decent but the translucent boxed mashed potatoes are horrible. Worse than OCB.
If you go late (in our case between 8:30 — 9:30 pm) expect to see a lot of empty platters. They say they close at 11 pm but they are super stingy about putting out any new food after the dinner rush is gone. I had to constantly ask and then harass the employees/​manager to bring out more food. At one point I had to threaten not to pay for not receiving the same food that others before me had.
The phở bar was mysteriously closed down early (before 9pm) by the stir fry chef. His answer was an annoyed «no mo.» To which I replied, «Yes, more. I paid full price which means you give me phở.» He made me a bowl, very reluctantly.
Avoid the clam chowder. It’s a nasty, pasty, powdery tasting mix that is easily worse than any canned version.
Aside from the shady tactics they use to save money, which most buffets try to pull off as well, this place has some decent offerings for the low price of $ 12 for dinner. Lobster? Phở? Prime rib? Not very likely at a similar place.

Time for a through review of the place :)
Prime Rib, get it.
Ok here’s the rest.
For their grand opening they are serving Lobster. If you see it, get it, it runs out really fast.
Service: It’s ok, they didn’t give my dad his senior discount because we forgot to ask about it and they would not refund us the different. Kinda bogus. The people came by once in a while to take dishes etc away, never had a pile up which is nice.
Décor
It’s a former old country buffet, so it looks a lot like that.
Food
I will not be posting about shellfish related things today, sadly I am on restriction from shell fish for 6 months :(it looked good too!
Sushi– Overall the stuff I had was pretty good actually! A lot of fancier rolls and nigiri (the one with the rice and fish on top). Some are spicy, and some are fried. For a buffet, the sushi quality was pretty good!
Fried Fish — bleh tasteless
Egg Roll — nice fry on the outside! Then disappointing under seasoned mush inside.
Stuffed Baked Potato — erm I thought it was twice baked but it’s not… It’s got ham and mayo inside with cheese. The filling was decent, too much mayo though, but the potato inside was mushy, the cheese melted on top was tasty and the outside of the potato was burnt :(
Prime Rib — ya this is the star of the place! You can get mid rare or medium or medium well based on when you show up and where you cut. The middle tends to be mid-​rare, outside tends to be more cooked. I had two big slices of this (you cut your own) and it was excellent flavor and tenderness! This is worth the 12 bucks alone!
Shui Mai (japanese style, has fish and shrimp inside, kinda mushy outside but if you like the japanese version vs the chinese version, it’s good) Ya i didn’t realize it had shrimp…
Korean BBQ Ribs — good flavor, a bit over cooked but tastes good! some had like no meat some had a lot.
Hibachi — the grill was pretty good, the guy can cook. I did not try the chicken or beef (i had prime rib!) but it looks like it is cooked well done. Maybe you can ask otherwise. But they need to get him a better knife, he uses this dinky thing for peeling fruit to cut the meat up…
Phở — the broth is a bit fishy tasting, the noodles are a bit thicker than normal. My brother, the Phở fan, had like 4 – 6 bowls of this stuff.
Jang Jang — thicker noodles, the sauce is a bit stronger and less sweet than I remember it in a legit place. Not bad though.
Crab Rangoon — very american style, so much cream cheese! but great fry and actually yummy.
Spinach — pretty sure this is chinese spinach, it was yummy, had some garlic in it.
Ice Cream — nothing super but it was good ice cream, the strawberry was really creamy and tasty, so was the vanilla. Not super great stuff, but good :)
Bottom Line: If you like Prime Rib, get it here, very affordable and good!