Review Ichiban Japanese Restaurant - Auckland Central

Ichiban ramen is located along a very secluded street in Auckland CBD. First time in this city and at night 90% of the shops are closed at 8pm on a Friday night. Ichiban opens 6 days a week (not 7 days). If you peep through the front window, it appears to be a very tiny restaurant with a U-shaped seating adjacent to the kitchen. We did not know nor did the staff offer us to sit inside (more for the regulars or for Japanese people). There’s a bar area and a large screen for karaoke. Have you ever noticed when your inside a Japanese restaurant, whether the staff are Japanese/Korean or Chinese? At Ichiban it’s run by Japanese so what you eat is guaranteed authentic Japanese food. The menu is very simple and only offer their signature dishes, mainly rice and ramen dishes. The dishes highly recommend to try in no particular order include: 1. Ichiban chaysu ramen 2. Teriyaki chicken don 3. Buta don 4. Ichiban curry 5. Pork dumplings 6. Jigoku seafood ramen 7. Jigoku chaysu ramen My favourite is the ichiban chaysu ramen which has a delicious spicy broth topped with pork slices, bean sprouts and corn. The dishes were served very quickly, well presented and tasty. Portion of the bowls are reasonable but could be slightly bigger or at least offer option for more noodles. Prices are quite expensive, average bowl costs $20 (is this the new norm?). For dinner we ordered 3 bowls of ramen, 1 teriyaki chicken don and 1 dumping the total was $99. Lunch menu is slightly cheaper.

Quaint little spot for a quick bowl of ramen. The spicy one is very spicy - went with level 3 and struggled so recommend going lower or opting for something else if you can’t handle spicy food.

This place used to be a hidden gem but appears to be cost cutting as pork chashu has been replaced with chicken breast slices across the menu. I ordered a tonkatsu chashu ramen $22 level 3 spice - much spicer than expected! Broth and noodles were delicious but I was disappointed with the chicken instead of pork. Standard portion size so on the expensive side.

Hidden Gem in Auckland city. We had the take out meals - jigoku ramen noodle, ichiban original curry with rice - chicken and Ajitama eggs and bamboo shoots. All are delicious and enough flavour. Very happy with this small Japanese restaurant. Highly recommended.

We ate at the lunch bar up front which is a little cramped. Soup was tasty but level 3 heat was a bit more than I needed! Egg was extra where I'm used to at least getting a half as standard. Noodles a bit thinner than most ramen I've had. Pork belly isn't in slices and it's more small bits.

Ramen's good. Their chashu on the ramen is chicken. I'll go back to eat at this restaurant.

Didn't expect to meet such authentic Japanese Ramen in the center of Auckland - both miso based and soy sauce based were very much like what I've had in Tokyo or Osaka, and they were spicier than expected. If you're not used to hot and spicy food, don't try anything higher than level 1.

Ramen, great. Loved the portion size and loved the rich broth I had. Mine was a bit spicy, in my opinion a very satisfying spice level. We got dumplings as well, not amazing just average, a bit expensive for 5 dumplings tho ($12 I think). Food is all in all good. But the smell was pretty bad there, walked in and there was this stench just lingering in the tiny store. Not ideal and had to open the windows on a cold winter night.

(Photo taken before level 4 August lockdown) Ramen was incredibly delicious! The portions given were amazing and the food was reasonably priced 🤤 Placed near Albert st, the interior was small but cozy and is a nice restaurant to get some peace and quiet away from the busy CBD. The staff were friendly and welcoming and the food did not take long at all ~ I hope that I can return soon 😋

Such a tiny restaurant, but that adds to the experience and feel of the place. You're right next to the kitchen and can see the meals being prepped. The food was good and made quickly.

Really friendly staff. Food selection is large, reminded me of Japan. The flavours in the ramen could have been a bit saltier as I found mine a little bland to eat. The super spicey ramen was really hot if you enjoy that :)

Yamm!! A little bit salty but taste good

Place is small, not many seats..... but the food came out quickly and was incredibly delicious :-)

I’ve been here 3 times, and always felt happy after finished the meal. Nice&kind staffs and also delicious food!❤️ I’ve tried Ramen, Curry and Taco wasabi. I brought my partner to buy dinner for him, and we ordered only one meal, and side dish. I’ve already had dinner so we ordered one single meal, but kindly, the staff gave us one more small side plate that I could share with him even I didn’t asked for. That’s very common sense! Highly recommend this place to try if you never try yet!!

The best Japanese Ramen I ever had in my life apart from the ones I had in Japan. The moment when you enter this place, you will feel local Japanese vibe. Love their food and their friendly service!

This is what ramen should be. The place is small, only seating 10 people at best but the wait isn't long, and it is worth it.

Beautiful food! Made with love. Amazing customer service! And a great place to sit and eat. These guys have set the bar

Ordered jigoku ramen - I can taste the spice and i love spicy food (so this is good - not many places can achieve this), broth was tasty but a little bit too watery imo. Overall, good experience and will try other menu next time :)

Hidden gem in town ❤️

Came here last night for dinner - The atmosphere really gives out the authentic Japanese restaurant feel. Only thing missing out is the lanterns and curtains, hahaha!<br/><br/>I ordered the katsu pork don ($17) while my friend had the buta don ($16). Taste wise is 4/5, it was slightly salty at the end for both of us but everything was just perfect. (5/5 for portion) <br/><br/>Our entrée was a 8pc gyōza for $12. Really juicy and soft and just enough flavour. However the meat wasn't as compact compared to other places I've tried. <br/><br/>11/10 would visit again for their ramen! 😊<br/>

Delicious ramen, the flavour of the broth is nice and deep. Totally recommend this place over the others I have tried in Auckland CBD. The atmosphere feels like you are in a small ramen bar in Japan 😊

They have their own taste of Ramen! I like Jikoku ramen with fried rice:)

Just gets a 3 star from me as they have very limited vegetarian options. It’s also on the expensive side for a small low key Japanese eatery compared to some of the other Japanese places we regularly go to. I had the stir fry vegetables and while the sauce was tasty it wasn’t enough to make me come back again.

Came twice to this small Japanese gem now and I have to say it is a true treat, ramen came out fast (within 5 mins) although this was at 11 on a monday night so the two friendly staff weren't troubled with a lot of orders, only problem I have with this place is it doesn't have a fully vegetarian ramen option, and I just have to accept that I must order a bowl that has fish or meat stock, but it is truly worth the moral dilemma and I am sure their shachu is also great.

Nice little Gem in the city.. Just located minutes from the Sky Tower and Viaduct, I got their most popular dish (Ichiban Chashu Ramen) and it did not dissapoint! Nice cosy atmosphere.. A great place to come and eat if it is a cold day/night.. Will be coming back here soon..

I've been here several times for lunch. Always to have Ramen. <br/>The most recent visit was a week ago with a colleague of mine. I had the most popular Chashu Ramen. SO GOOD. Get's a solid 10/10 from me.I was a bit overconfident and went for 2 chili's (It'll make sense if you look at the menu). Next time, will go for 1 chili. They're not kidding around with their chili. My colleague got 3 chili's and was working hard!Delicious food, comes quickly, friendly staff, limited seats (maybe 10 max). It gets busy at midday - rightly so.

Had a lovely lunch here today. It is quite a small place with limited seats but because there is construction going on outside, I think that is limiting their traffic. Wonderful food and a splendid price. Also food comes out in less than 5 minutes! Highly recommend

My japanese friend recomended me to go this place long time ago, finally I got a chance to visit here by chance. It was quit time to have a late lunch which was perfect for us. The chef and the staff were kind, I and my friend were satisfied these two ramens. But the soup was quite saulty at the end, so I drank lots of water after finish the meal. ^^; I want to try there again!<br/><br/>I’ve been here 3 times, and always felt happy after finished the meal. Nice&kind staffs and also delicious food!❤️ I’ve tried Ramen, Curry and Taco wasabi. I brought my partner to buy dinner for him, and we ordered only one meal, and side dish. I’ve already had dinner so we ordered one single meal, but kindly, the staff gave us one more small side plate that I could share with him even I didn’t asked for. That’s very common sense! Highly recommend this place to try if you never try yet!!<br/>

Not a convenient position but lunch food is all right. Cozy little place to dine in. Ramen and Don taste just fine. Not quite special but it is satisfying at this price.

Small place on Albert street that brings back Tokyo memories. It's a popular place and it means you've got to wait just a tiny bit if you hit the rush hour. I ordered Chicken Yakisoba and it was delicious with lots of meat and vegetables. Would recommend this place for sure.

Went on Monday for a quick ramen fix. Generous and delicious portions with thick pork cutlets. Perfect food for winter for sure. Going again tonight because it was just too good.

Jigoku Ramen is always to go! Big portion and lots of pork in it. Always add Chashu on top! It is just melting in your mouth. Spicy level 3 has much thicker texture and love it but really hot.

For about 3 years I've had a ramen spot in town that has been my favorite. My friend convinced me to try Ichiban and I'm sorry to my old ramen spot but Ichiban, you have taken the crown! This ramen will warm you up on the coldest of days! Level 3 Ichiban special ramen is the way to go!

For me this is the best ramen in the city! So flavourful and such a rich broth ! And if you don’t want to spend lots get the lunch menu! It’s a combo of ramen and a little taste of a curry plate!

Not the best place for ramen in Auckland but still worths the visit if you crave for something to eat at late night. Feel really like i am in Japan whenever I go to this shop. The staff are nice and friendly. Another plus is service is very fast, so you will never have to wait for your ramen bowl for too long if you dine here

I super love this place!! It is quite small but it will give you the "feels" of eating in an Authentic Japanese restaurant PLUS their ramen is soooo goooood! The staff are very friendly too. 😊

Amazing vibes, small restaurant with a big personality. Gave me Japan vibes even though I don't even know what Japan vibes are like lol. Ramen was great but a bit too salty for my liking. I actually went here for me and my gf's 6 month anniversary and wasn't expecting a lot but it turned out to be so geeeeeeewd. Definitely would go there again sometime!

Nice cozy restaurant<br/>Food was nice<br/>And the price is reasonable<br/>Best restaurant when you need supper at late night<br/>Happily being regular here<br/>

Favourite Japanese spot in town, have been to Japan a couple of times and they’ve done a great job of keeping their ramen and atmosphere authentic. Prices are very generous also!

Why is this place bookmarked as vegetarian friendly? It really isn’t. We tried the tofu, it smelt so fishy that I could not eat it. On the other hand, hubby had the Gyoza, which were very tasty. This place is okay late night food, but don’t go there if you want vegetarian options.

As far as I know, there are only two ramen shops in Auckland that makes you feel like you've gone to Japan as soon as you've stepped into it (partially due it's size, very reminiscent of Japanese Ramen stalls), this is a good thing, really good.<br/><br/>The Ramen here is very good, it comes in the basic flavours you'd expect to see as staples to any Ramen shop and they also offer a good selection of add ons to your ramen if you feel like the basic offering isn't enough.<br/><br/>Service here is also quite friendly, always greetings with a smile, all the food is handed to you over the counter by the chef, really has that authentic feeling.<br/><br/>There are only a couple of downsides to this place. 1) it's really small, lunch times are packed, but the turnover is also quite quick, so waiting might not be an extreme pain the neck if you're lucky. 2) I feel like the flavour has changed since I visited this place a while back, not sure if it's the change in ownership or something else, but the taste is ... different, and not in the way I like, but that's just a personal preference.<br/><br/>Regardless, seeing as how there are NOT many ramen shops in Auckland CBD, this is worth trying out if you love Ramen.

Came here for a late dinner with my friend and we both picked Stamina Ramen ($15)<br/>❤️: I usually eat the classic ramen (like a few pieces of chashu and then bamboo shoot and noodles) but this time stamina ramen is something different and it arises my interest. <br/>The ramen doesn’t have pieces of pork but mince pork and has a thick starchy sauce. I don’t know why but the starchy sauce makes the ramen extra hearty. Although the visual of the ramen wasn’t that appealing, it tasted quite nice. Soup was chicken flavoured and wasn’t too salty or oily. <br/>This ramen place is so small and the interior makes you feel like you are not in akl but a small local ramen place in japan.<br/>😑: the common problem of Japanese ramen is the lack of veggie and as I’m too broke, I didn’t add bamboo shoot into my ramen. There isn’t much space in the ramen place so you happen to sit super closely with other strangers (but everyone is coming to enjoy the ramen so that’s alright 😉)

Really loved this place a few years ago when it was just a lil place in the city. Used to be there almost 3 times a week but now there's just not much flavour in the broth it's all just too bland. I hope they can get back the flavours which were there 3 years ago.

ordered chicken katsu don and donkotsu chashu ramen. the food came out quickly. the ramen was delicious the soup wasn't salty and the chashu was soft. chicken katsu don was average and miso soup was bit salty. Asked for side plates but the staff couldn't understand what I was asking for so that was bit awks

Went here about a month ago with some friends. <br/>It was good Japanese food. Good options on the menu, to suit everyone. <br/>Flexible hours which is also great ⏰

I'm not much of a ramen type of girl, but I actually really enjoyed this. I find ramen quite salty for my liking but this was not too salty at all or perhaps I couldn't taste it because my mouth was on fire from the spiciness. Dumplings were decent. Chicken katsu curry was also good! Most japanese places we have been to usually serve soggy fried chicken which is disappointing especially when its suppose to be crispy. We were iffy about ordering this but it was surprisingly done well.

A small hidden germ tucked away in Albert street. We ordered tonkatsu ramen and the broth was awesome. Dont expect to have a good view due to construction. However the interior design is truly Japanese style. Friendly service. Small and cosy place to drop by whenever we crave for ramen.

Ordered Chashu Ramen and Jiagoku Ramen (Death level spicy.) Although the death ramen didnt burn my ass but definitely good flavour of spice and pork broth. Very delicious and very nice small compact environment making you feel you are eating in Japan. Pork very tender and just melts in your mouth. Good portion of noodles and vege. Overall superb and would recommend to all.<br/>

small place but with a cheerfull and happy atmosphere. And believe me...the food is to die for...all sorts ramens, dons and all the other normal dishes you can find in every corner of Japan. and you know what the best is? it's not expensive

I've been coming here for a number of times for lunch as it's close to my workplace. I like their ambiance, feels like you are in a low key yet cozy place in Japan. However as being an occasional diner, I could say that their food quality is inconsistent. There's a lady cook who does it really well & there's a guy who has burnt my chicken katsu order for a couple of times. I've heard that their Chicken Katsu Curry is quite popular so I've given it a try, but at $16 (in my opinion) it is overpriced (see photo). There's a better Japanese place nearby that had fantastic Katsu Curry @ $12.90 but sadly they've recently closed. I would still come to Ichiban though, only if I'm craving for ramen. Their Mabo Ramen is really good!

Came here on a cold Thursday night. As we went inside, we didn’t expect the place to be so small as it could only fit around 8-10 people, but it felt warm and cozy. There were only 1 waitress and a chef, the place was packed, and the food still came pretty fast. <br/><br/>We ordered a chicken yakisoba and the miso ramen. Surprisingly, these two dishes weren’t as salty as the ones I’ve had before, and the ramen just hit the spot on that cold night. The ramen was full of flavor and texture - the sweetness of the corn, the crunchiness from the bean sprout, and the freshness that lifted the flavor from the spring onions. <br/><br/>The Yakisoba was also very tasty but it was a little more salty than the ramen, especially the ginger which was very salty. The vegetables had a nice crunchy texture to them which went really well with the noodles. The noodles of the 2 dishes had a nice chewy texture as it wasn’t very hard or soft. <br/><br/>By paying a low price of $30 for the two dishes, it was a really nice comfort food dinner. A good place for cold weather.<br/><br/>Taste - 9.5/10<br/>Size - 8.5/10<br/>Price - 9/10<br/>Service - 8/10

Tasty Japanese ramen with good quantity. The soup is full of flavor, however sometime I feel not very comfortable after having all the soup. Maybe it is because MSG? Not sure. Also the lunch special curry beef/chicken on rice is cold and the taste is not that good.

Service was quick and the taste of ramen was good (actually it's not outstanding). You can enjoy Japanese comics there. But inside was cold in winter...

I love Japanese food and I've been to my fair share of Japanese restaurants, and I'd have to say this is my least favourite. We had the gyoza for entree, BBQ beef on rice, and beef curry. The gyoza was luke warm and did not taste good at all. The BBQ beef was fairly bland, but worse, very chewy. The beef curry was okay but pretty watery. <br/><br/>Overall it was a pretty disappointing experience and I won't be back.

I keep coming back to this spot. Everything they make is delicious, and if you dine in, you almost forget you're in downtown Auckland. The spicy pork noodle soup is my go-to.

Ordered miso ramen with extra egg and gyu don (beef on rice). Service was quick and food was hot. Portion sizes though... 🤔 Definitely on the small side for their price point. Flavors were okay but not outstanding.

Its almost 6 pm now Thursday afternoon after work i decided to stop here to satisfy my tummy ☺️ i order chicken katsu don as that menu is my all time Japanese food choice so ... its a high hope that this will be good. First impression of the place ... its a cool place, small Japanese dinners. If you like to watch netflix try to watch midnight dinner ... this place reminds me of that ☺️ collections of Japanese comic are there for you to have a peak when u eat if u keen. Their services was good. I enjoy it 1 man cook the food a lady was doing some preps and 1 friendly girl taking order and serve the food. Unfortunately thee food was not that great ... i need to rate them preety low for this. My chicken was half burnt, the taste of the ginger was weird and the miso soup was too salty and its not even hot or warm. Its a pitty ... because i thought that i will get me some great food here 😔

It was ok. Went for late night gyoza and katsu. The gyoza was fresh and really quite nice. My partner didn't really like his miso and chicken katsu. Not enough flavour, he kept chucking soy sauce and chilli oil on it. The staff were very friendly and service was good, food came out in an acceptable time frame. Would come back for the gyoza but only if in the area.

👍🏻Ambience: cant complain, place does feel like a Japanese shop which usually I saw on TV, although space is not that wide and big.<br/>👍🏻 service: is also nice, didnt have much interaction with the staff.<br/>👍🏻 food: is good, me and my sister loved the beef curry and the noodles😊😁Irene Ebasco Edic

I like how they welcome you as you enter everytime.  Instantly makes a small restaurant seem a lot more appealing.  Food is a bit average but reasonably priced and sometimes they are out of what we want to order.

Unfortunately, I'm forced to give this place a big fat ZERO. <br/>It was 11.20 am and I wanted to go in for making an order. The staff was very rude and refused me in saying we open at 11.30 AM.<br/><br/>This is ridiculous since if all the staff are inside why keep me outside? It really makes no difference since I could order and wait there. They would get paid and I would eat. Both sides would be happy. <br/><br/>But NO. One of the woman insisted on the strictest interpretation of open times and refused to let me and another guy in. It is a recipe for losing customers and I must say I won't be back here due to this incident. <br/><br/>Judging from the menu and pictures, the food seemed very low quality and a poor justification given the prices.

Best Japanese noodles in town. Open late till 2am. Very goo place to meet friends and enjoy the night. Although the space is limited and you may need to sit outside.

My friends recommended this place so I went. I have to say I am a little disappointed when I first got there. The bar was really small, only kitchen counters available and one table for you to sit down and eat. Oh well, it's just like most Japanese ramen bar. The food were nice but nothing too outstanding. I ordered the super spicy ramen which I found it wasn't really spicy for me. Chicken curry was nice but nothing special about it.

For your late night ramen craving Ichiban it is. Late hours and the staff is genuinely friendly. Best ramen out of whole CBD. trust me on this one. Their gyoza is really authentic and their Ichiban chashu ramen is my favourite ramen. If you feel daring go for jigoku chasu ramen. You wont regret >:) Prices are really affordable for the dish you get. A little pet peeve I have about this place is hygiene SO i usually sit facing the road instead of the kitchen as sometimes ignorance is bliss. (sadly, thats how good the ramen is :/ )

Came here for lunch today. I thought I would give this place a try as on my way to Food Alley. I had one of the special $9.50 lunch meals. They ended up charging me $10 to takeaway (fair enough...I can kind of understand that). But the food I got was really small. The chicken was in large chunks which was quite cool but the small container was mainly filled with rice. My colleague even commented on how small it was. The taste was quite good but just not enough of it. The other food that I saw people eating (mainly ramen) looked a little more substantial. But with the sacred Food Alley so close. I won't be going back to Ichiban for a while.

I normally don't like to post any bad comment about a restaurant but Ichiban got to be one of the worst ramen place I ever been to. I ordered miso ramen, it was only 1/3 of the bowl and it's not like it was a large bowl. The ramen doesn't ever have chashu and minces plus they ran out of ramen egg too ( I doubt the egg will be authentic anyway ) and don't even mention the soup, it way too salty.<br/>Definitely not going back again!!<br/>

First time to try this with my partner. I ordered the Ichiban Miso Ramen and it was really good! A bit spicy which I like. Big serving too! I couldn't finish all of it. Very interested in coming back to try the rest of their menu. Authentic japanese cuisine. The place is quite small but luckily there were seats available when we arrived at about 10pm. Willing to recommend this to anyone in the city.

Used to have a quick dinner here while I was waiting for the bus to north shore. It is a small but lovely shop that you can see how staff prepare food for you. They have a big selection of food. Like chicken donburi and chef recommend ramen. Generous size and reasonable price.

Ichiban is a small ramen shop with bar seating around the shop. They close late which is good and the shop windows get all fogged up from the hot noodles. <br/><br/>There's a variety of choices apart from ramen such as salads rice dishes. <br/><br/>

Excellent lunch value at this tiny ramen outlet. A good range of classics priced at $9.50. I recommend the tonkatsu ramen set - extremely satisfying.

I come to this ramen bar to have one ramen only - Jigoku ramen "danger" which I found out from my japanese friend, means Hell ramen. I can't seem to find this type of ramen anywhere else. There is 5 different "spicy" levels and when you choose the highest level, they definitely make it spicy! Which is what i always look forward to. <br/><br/>I like my noodles springy and still slight chewy but their noodles were too well done. Don't get me wrong, it was still yum and depends on personal preference i guess. The broth is tasty (and spicy) and when I ordered the Jigoku Chasu Ramen, there were 3 big pieces of yummy Chasu which I thought was quite worth it. <br/><br/>This place is not licensed so no beer, but they do have a 0% alcohol Asahi beer which was interesting.  <br/><br/>Overall, nice place for a quick noodle fix :)

It's a very small restaurant with only one waiting staff and one chef. They have lunch special from Mon to Fri, all choices are $9.5. We ordered Tonkotsu ramen combo (noodle soup with curry on rice) and Gyudon lunch set. The noodles were alright, I liek the curry very much. However each of them only got one piece of meat in it, quite disappointing. The Gyudon on rice was nice too. It's worth mentioning that recently they have promotion, if you go and like their FB page you can get 3 gyozas for free.

This is the best Japanese ramen restaurant in the City or in Auckland. This tiny restaurant is opened kitchen so you get to watch how your food is being made. I love how authentic they are and how friendly the service is. I also tried their rice dishes and they all taste very good. I Highly recommend this place, but if are a table person, it might be little difficult for you.

I love this restaurant! Quick service, good food and affordable prices! Also, it is opened until late! Ramen and Tonkatsu are my favorites!

Best Japanese ramen in Auckland that I've had! Best Japanese ramen in Auckland that I've had! Best Japanese ramen in Auckland that I've had!

Best as always!! Big lover of their miso ramen and lunch special just AMAZING! It'd be the best thing happened in your whole day if you could pop in anytime to have hot lunch there! Gals are the best! Great service! Keep it up!

Skunky and low key in downtown Auckland normally doesn't draw too much attention - but when it does you bet it's for a good reason. Ichiban serves some of the best ramen in town - their broths are spot on, so flavoursome but distinct between the different styles and not overpowering. You can tell it's fresh because it's usually scaldingly hot - beware!The char-siu or whatever meat you choose is cooked and flavoured to perfection; the only grime I've got is the quality of the noodle - any ramen bar that serves noodles that feel handmade deserves to be celebrated, and unfortunately on this occasion the bowl was let down by the noodle quality. A small spot on a masterpiece canvas however, as Ichiban is serious contender for the title of the best bowl of ramen in Auckland.

One of the best ramen places in Auckland! <br/>This store is small and cosy. It only has 7-10 seats available and has a lot of Japanese celebrities' signatures on the wall (means they are pretty popular in Real Japanese Community). As I love spicy food i always have jigoku ramen (hell ramen) and it is so delicious that I have to visit the store once in a week or so. My tip to have ramen is, order gyoza and fried rice along with ramen! So yum! The staff are friendly as well.

Our favourite place for japanese ramen! Such a lovely cosy little place with a real Japanese vibe. Makes you feel like you are in the busy city of Tokyo. I am half Japanese and can definitely say this place offers the taste closest to real Japanese cuisines! <br/>The service is always so friendly too. Def recommend but be warn, there is very limited seatings so not a go to for big family dinners or meetings.

I'm half japanese so I know what real ramen tastes like, and I think ichiban comes closest to the real thing out of all the ramen restaurants I've tried in Auckland. My favourite is the ichiban miso ramen, delicious! The only thing I guess is I wish the portion is a bit bigger. I love coziness of the place and really authentic. I love going here as a treat. Reasonable price too. Highly recommended.

Came to Ichiban for a late night dish on a Friday night. The place is small but you definitely can pack about 8 people in their comfortably. The staff are really friendly and the food comes out quick!<br/><br/>We ordered two bowls of Ramen, both medium. The flavours were fresh and the meat was good if not a little fatty. <br/><br/>If you are after a quick and filling feed is definitely recommend this place. It's not flash by any means but the food is tasty and the location is pretty great if you're in town.<br/><br/>They also do gyoza and fried noodle dishes along with an extensive list of choices of ramen. Yum!

Great little place for a quick and healthy meal... authentic and no-frills with great prices to match.  Having had a large lunch on Christmas Day we had walked it off along the waterfront and had a swim and were feeling a little in need of something come around 6.30pm... found this gem open (not much was!) and popped in.  Both of us enjoyed our meals - I had the teriyaki chicken which was yummy and not too huge, and husband had beef donburi  (I think).  Service was fast and friendly, and the place which is not huge was full.  Always a good sign when you are they only European in an ethnic eatery!  I think it was around $30 with cold drinks.... big thumbs up from us.

I ordered a chicken fried noodles and expected it taste just like other Japanese restaurant but I was wrong!!! Their sauce is different and it's a bit spicy!!! would definitely come back and order the same dish. The place is small tho.

Compact/Little Japanese Place for Quick Bites. Went to this place on Halloween for dinner with Reshma.  Though the place was too tiny for us to eat, we opted to sit next to the window having the view of Albert Street in front of us. We ordered Gyoza for entree which was crispy. Then we ordered Chicken Yakisoba and Seafood Cha-Han as Main Course, which was Tasty on tongue but a bit alarming to our eyes, as we could notice baby octopus in the Cha-Han.  Moreover, the sauce was a bit too salty and sour as well. Overall, good Japanese food and Would recommend it for those who reckon on having Japanese Food in the CBD.

I love eating here when I get drunk. Their raamen and fried rice is fantastic! It's so delicious!<br/><br/>Unfortunately, it got a low grade for food hygiene before...if they can fix this I would rate it highly!<br/><br/> Service: 5/5<br/> Wait time: 4/5<br/> Environment: 2/5<br/> Food Quality: 4/5<br/> Food Quantity: 4/5<br/> Price range: $10+ pp

I went to Ichiban restaurant on last week with two of my friends. The staff greeted us so warmly. I was so impressed. I have heard before that Japanese people are on the top in Hospitality. At the Ichiban restaurant, I felt that it is exactly the same. We ordered noodles and a spicy chicken curry. We were served it within a few minutes. We were really impressed. Because, we had to wait only for a short duration. Wow !!! The meal was so delicious. Personally I love bit spicy. It was a perfect meal. And the price is too cheap. I haven't felt this kind of a warm hospitality before in Auckland. I can nominate Ichiban Japanese Restaurant for anyone who likes to have a delicious Japanese meal for a cheap price.

I notice every day they have sushi (including chicken sushi) on a table for sale. This should be refrigerated so I looked for their Council rating and it is a D. They have the sign hidden so very hard to find and they obviously have no idea about food safety. The Council should be checking this place more often.

Very very very extremely bad attitude from the owner. I will never come back to here any more!!!!<br/><br/>I introduced and recommended this place to 2 of my friends after years I'm a regular in Ichiban. So we dined in tonight and because place so busy so we couldn't sit together. 1 of my friends ordered spicy ramen and the other one ordered pork ramen. The waitress gave the pork ramen to my friend who ordered spicy ramen without confirming with her what noodle he gave her. Since this is the first time my friend ate in Ichiban, she didn't know if that noodle was not what she ordered so she ate it. My other friend who originally ordered that pork noodle got the spicy one, but she can't eat spicy and we told the waitress that he gave the noodle to the wrong person. The waitress and the owner didn't feel guilty and not once apologised to my friend but the owner said it's my friend's fault who ate her noodle. After being a regular for years, I can't believe they have this extremely bad attitude towards their customer. <br/><br/>I am very disappointed and I feel embarrassed to have introduced this place to my friends. To the Ichiban owner, you need to change your attitude to your customer and improve your bad attitude. You loss your regular customer and I will never never never recommend your restaurant to anyone ever again! I am disgusted with your attitude!!! We will never come back again.<br/><br/>Beware guys! This place has a very bad attitude from the owner and the waitress. Re-think again if you want to come and eat here. Still have lots of Japanese restaurants in Auckland which have better attitude than Ichiban. Not worth it to come here and be treated like that.

Save yourself 15 bucks and pour some hot water over instant noodles. <br/>Ichiban is really that bad. The broth was insipid, and a rather important part of what ramen is all about, that shit should be slow cooking boiling away for days. No one there wanted to make eye contact, you could tell they knew it was sup-par and they were embarrassed, unless they don't want to serve the good stuff to gaijin and bring out the better stock for the enclave crowd.<br/><br/>Maybe they're going under due to financial pressure.<br/><br/>Any-hoo don't do it!

Had a pork katsu curry dish, the pork tested OFF. Took the dish back to them - the 3 ladies stood there not knowing what to do. After mumbling some words to each other for a few minutes while looking away from us, they said "We can't cook the dish for you again. We have always served it this way". <br/><br/>When we said "It didn't taste like this the last time we were here". They said they don't know why. One of them even looked annoyed. <br/><br/>We asked if we could change it for a different dish. They said "No, it will cost us extra".<br/>We ended up paying for the dish (full price) even after we returned the whole dish back to them. <br/><br/>Very disappointed with their attitude. Unlikely to go back there again.

The best ramen in Auckland! I love this place and have been there many times. It's tiny and has a good atmosphere.<br/>

Little Tokyo:) good good good:)

One suggestion, on the way in look at the Auckland City Council Food Grade rating on the left hand wall (at the back, sort of hidden). Since August 2008 its been an E grade. <br/><br/>I use to eat there regularly - until August 08, that was.

YUMMIEST PLACE IN TOWN!!<br/>i've always go there for my ramen and they never failed me :) me and my friends loves the place, so japan like and friendly service.. oh.. i saw some euros left the place coz they waited too long; but hey, good things ARE worth waiting for :) definitely thumbs up!

I used to work at this restaurant nd I think this place does good job. It's hard to make Japanese food wit some limited ingredients in NZ but very good reproduce.

Very phony place<br/>for the beef curry dish, served with one dice of beef only.....stunned.

Based in lower Albert Street, Ichiban may be a restaurant that could be given a miss at first glance. But don't let the small restaurant fool you, winner of Metro's Best of Auckland awards ('Best late-night takeaway bar' category), Ichiban serves some of the finest Japanese cuisine you'll ever have.<br/><br/>There is also a Karaoke bar next door (part of the restaurant) which probably offers more space, but I've always preferred takeaways which are cooked on order, served on generously large takeaway container, and always cooked to perfection.<br/><br/>Highly recommended for Asian food lovers and Asian newbies alike.

I give ichiban a 5.0 rate! May be that is the best ramen in auckland! But the Gyoza is just so so and the fried noodles is greasy......ramen soup is the best choice!

Excellent Japanese ramen was served in very quick time. The vege ramen was great ,the broth was spicy and made to perfection . Would recommend to anyone who wanted to have a hot bowl of noodle soup on a cold winter night.

Ichiban is a tiny Japanese restaurant in the heart of the city, reminiscent of the little ramen shops you see in movies. Catering for not more than 10 people or so at a time with the bench-style seating (don't expect to be able to face your companions, unless you get the one table by the door), it has a charming atmosphere, including having some of the menu items on wooden slats above the window to the kitchen area.<br/><br/>The specialty on offer is ramen, 15 to 20 types of it, from the Ichiban miso ramen to their deliciious curry ramen. However, if you are after something else, you will also find various donburi, gyoza and yakisoba on the menu.<br/><br/>Everything looks fresh and homemade. We turned up once at the tail end of lunch time, before they took a "break" before the dinner service, and it looked like they were preparing bones for broths. It's not unusual to see raw meat sitting out in plastic tubs, and I was a bit worried about potential hygiene issues, but before we had finished eating our ramen, the containers had already been used up in cooking other people's meals.<br/><br/>We have only tried a few varieties of ramen, but all have been good. Just be careful with the jigoku ramen, because when they say hot, they really mean hot! The vegetable yakisoba we tried was a bit boring in comparison.<br/><br/>Overall, an excellent choice for lunch or dinner, but don't try to come with a whole group of friends!

I consider Ichiban to be the best Japanese Ramen shop in the whole of Auckland. <br/><br/>The food is magnificent, i ate there many times and the taste is consistent always great. I especially like the Teryaki Ramen which extra chili and a Japanese Beer, splendid! <br/><br/>The atmosphere is very nice, and if you can read Japanese you can grab one of the many Japanese Manga books on the shelve and enjoy your self, sitting next to the window @ 5pm on Friday, overlooking the bus stop and pedestrians rushing to catch the bus, while you are relaxing with, Ramen, Beer and a book to read.<br/><br/>The service at Ichiban is amazing the guys there are very friendly, although you can wait for about 15 mins for you order but its worth the wait. The good part is it opens till 2-3 Am on Friday and Saturday, if you were out for a late drink thats the place to eat at before going home!<br/><br/>The prices are very reasonable nothing over priced with a variety of dishes not just Ramen. They serve, a lot, from dumplings to seaweed, to Dunbori and the likes. <br/><br/>The only downside is that the shop can take around 11-12 at a time with very limited seating. <br/><br/>Just pop in and truly enjoy Ichiban, you will not be disappointed.