Portland
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Ichidai Restaurant
humble owner who cares. ten years ago while traveling for work i was posted in portland . for the love of sushi i tried many that they do have in oregon and found in yes an off beat area "ichidai". traveling past a few times on powell to work and back i made a mental note to stop, at that time they were still open for lunch and i had the time to go in. being greeted with a great smile was whome i came to know as aki the owner, when asked what i would like i simply asked lets start with what's good. to this day i don't remember ever having to order but another beer or saki to complement the awesome freshness and care that is taken at this fine restuarant, do go there.…
Mayo sushi. I was disappointed after being recommended to Ichidai by a friend. My rolls were more mayo than fish, which was disgusting as well as disappointing. At least it was cheap? If you want sushi in Southeast, go to Saburo's for cheap sushi, and Sushi Mazi on 22nd and Division for really good fish and rolls.…
A Reigning Champ.
I wrote a review about this place in 2005 under the username, "jad49". Five years later, Ichidai remains the sushi restaurant I deem best in Portland.
I have never been disappointed by any one of their variety of sushi rolls. The restaurant has a very authentic feel to it with a relaxed and inviting atmosphere. Although Ichidai is classy and has great ambience, I do not consider it to be the most romantic. The atmosphere is more family-friendly and an ideal place for professional meetings. Their miso soup is hard to beat. The taste of the miso they use is delicious with the addition of just a little bit of green onions and small tofu cubes, it is the perfect little bowl of heaven that you can't leave the restaurant without getting. I have yet to find another sushi place in Oregon that has better tasting miso soup. Their sashimi and nigiri are always fresh. The sushi rolls are well-made and has great texture that just melts in your mouth. The experienced chefs use a perfect balance of all the ingredients. The spicy salmon Oregon roll is to die for. Aside from the superb sushi, is a selection of mouth-watering bento dishes.
Ichidai has been around for a long time now and the fact that they continually get good business while being in a somewhat hard to spot location is evident that their food is good enough to keep people coming back for more!…
Best Value.
Ichidai is a lot of fun. My GF and I go here when we want to kick back and relax while we eat sushi. We stuff our faces with decent sushi for a good price. We never worry about how much we are
ordering here, we eat a lot, and we've never spent more than $60... and that includes beer and sake. I think it's the best value for your money among PDX sushi houses.
The service can come off as rude and inattentive, but they're quite responsive if you ask for something and they always have enough people working to accommodate.
-Nathaniel Carey…
What a find!!. My husband lived in Misawa, Japan for about 8 years, and when we visited Ichidai based on reviews, he almost cried when he tasted the food. I am a Japanese food amateur, but we both loved everything. They have a full sushi menu, but we stuck to the entrees. My husband ordered kara-age ramen (best ramen we've found in the portland metro area!) and I ordered beef sukiyaki. It was to die for!! We also had green tea, and Sapporo beer. Everything was so authentic. You know it's a good sign when the wait staff, decorations, and customers are Japanese. We were the only caucasians in the whole place! =) Fairly inexpensive, we were stuffed, and took home leftovers. We plan to be regulars, and try the mochi and adzuki ice cream next time. It is a little hard to find, because it's located in an office building (my husband informs me that is pretty authentic as well, haha) on SE Powell. It could be tricky finding parking, but we arrived early, and had no problem. A totally worthwhile experience!…
