IchiUmi
“They have a wide selection of fresh sushi, sashimi and options for hot pot.”
“Lots of variety from raw to cooked foods.”
“We also tried the shabu shabu, where we tried various different noodle varieties..”
IchiUmi
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
PROS:
There's a pretty wide variety of foods: salads, sushi, sashimi, cooked meats (teriyakis, tempuras, etc), soups, noodles (ramen, udon, etc), fruits, and desserts. Their selections for hot pot are also AYCE, and you can request for a hot pot broth to be prepared when the wait staff seats you. No one plate is hardly the same each round because they do everything pretty well.
CONS:
i feel like this place started out as a 5, and then something happened. It just seems like the quality of the food dips at least a little each time I come here. The sushi isn't presented as nicely. The cooked meats are either thinner or more fatty. Even the fruit isn't as fresh. Don't get me wrong; it's not horrible. I guess I'm just a little let down because it used to be freakin awesome.
Overall, IchiUmi is solid, but it just won't be the best ~$30 that you'll ever spend on sushi / Japanese food / buffet food. At the end of the day, it's a buffet. Also, it's there's no other place like it in that area; so it's not like there are better alternatives nearby.
My parents love this place for some reason so we come here every time I'm in town. Even though they have a lot of variety, I just don't think any of it is very high quality so I don't end up eating very much. My husband got really bad food poisoning here once so I am wary. I actually felt brave enough to try an oyster here over the weekend and was happy that I didn't get sick (I only had it because I watched the guy shucking them so they seemed relatively fresh). I also had the tonkotsu ramen (you have to order it) and the noodles were actually cooked al dente. Hot pot is also included which is great if you're looking for a healthier alternative to all the fried foods they offer. Their dessert selection is also smaller now and not as good as it used to be. They stopped having an actual person working in the dessert area so no more crepes (at least not when I was there for lunch on a Saturday) and the ice cream is pre-scooped and sitting in a freezer. Meh…
I've read the reviews for IchiUmi and as far as a sushi buffet goes, it's one of the better ones in the area. My 4 star rating is for lunch buffet. I haven't been here for dinner in a long time.
It's expensive for lunch, but if you are going to eat Japanese food and sushi, you usually will pay around same or more than $21.95 (at least I do) for similar quality sushi in the central Jersey area but it's AYCE!
You have to put things in perspective. It's a buffet not fine dining. For lunch, you'll get standard sushi, some sashimi, specialty rolls, veggie tempura, King crab, yakitori, salads, ramen, udon, fried rice, cooked seafood, raw seafood (clams/oysters) , gyoza, dumplings, even shabu shabu is included. It's cooking raw food in vegetable broth in hot pot -raw surf and turf, veggies, noodles, and seafood balls. Desserts include ice cream, cheesecake, cookies, fresh fruit, jello. They also provide a bevy of dipping sauces and condiments for your food.
I have to say that the staff is very friendly! They come often to check on you, refill your beverages and clear your plates. The restaurant itself is clean and modern looking. The staff apparently is able to keep up with the customers as far as making sure nothing ran out for too long, although we went on a slow day.
Many years ago I did come for dinner and they did have more variety (food and dessert) but i think is like over $30, so lunch is a better value of you want to get your sushi fix. Kids can eat at a reduced price depending on their height.
I don't know the next time I'll return. Maybe my experience will be different. I'll update my review accordingly.
Buffet style, but really nothing special here in terms of service, variety, or quality. I haven't gone to the one in Koreatown in a couple years, but I swear that one had more food that was fresher, hotter, and tasted better. This one was a poor imitation. I don't expect much in terms of waiting service — they only come to fill up your drinks and take away your plates. Sometimes they linger just long enough for you to say thank you, or give them a glance of acknowledgement, but other times they are on the move, grabbing your dirty empty plate as they pass on by. Fine by me, everyone has a job to do and they're doing it. Kudos. A large restaurant with smaller sections/areas for privacy or larger parties.
A lot of people were into the hot pot here, with a burner built in per table. As far as I know, the one in Koreatown doesn't have that in all their tables, so that's something interesting.
But the food itself seemed old, lackluster, dry. Overall, unappealing. I had to really find something to put on my plate that looked appetizing. Chicken wings were so tiny, and hard to bite into because they were overheated or maybe old leftovers that were reheated. It had no meat and, I swear, it was the size of my thumb! Cesar salad was limp, soggy, overdressed and browning. And yes, why would I get that at a sushi buffet? Because everything else was meh.
Gyoza/dumplings were so hard, the edges were crusted and hard to chew. As in, it would crack against, and stick to, your teeth. That's not fresh at all. That's reheating old food, once again. My dad didn't even finish what he took on his plate, and trust me, that guy eats really crap food sometimes.
Salmon Sashimi was pretty good and fresh, sliced thinly, over rice. I noticed the guy would only make a few at a time, maybe 5-6 pieces and he certainly took his time making more. I understand that they don't want any waste, but that really limits what people can get, because if one or two people take everything, no one else gets to have any. Just seem stingy and cheap, to portion it out that way. There was a fair amount of people eating for lunch, and the lunch hour wasn't nearly over. I noticed a lot of plates of food didn't have enough for everyone to try, and they didn't always refill it quickly enough.
Desserts were typical at these restaurants. Cheesecake had a hardened crust, and the filling had no flavor. Maybe something generic and frozen. I did really enjoy the tiramisu cubes. Super flavorful and that small bite was wonderful. I could pop those like crazy! They also had a small clear glass fridge where they portion out scoops of ice cream in small, curved mini bowls that were smaller than my palm. Adorable, and it felt like a little colorful tasting menu of cold treats with their various flavors of green tea, mango, etc.
I'm not sure if dinner is better quality or heartier, fresher portions, but lunch was already $19 + per person, so with tip and tax, close to $50.
Attached to Menlo Park mall, plenty of parking, and you could hang out afterwards, see a movie, do some shopping, or hit up Barnes Noble/Starbucks for coffee.
I've been coming to IchiUmi for several years now and it's definitely a family favorite. The quality of food is very good, especially for an all-you-can-eat buffet. There's also a lot of variety. You can probably find anything you could possibly want at a seafood buffet–oysters, clams, lots of different types of fish, crab legs, mussels, shrimp, etc. Lots of hot food and dessert options too! There is also an option for hot pot if you want. I should also add that the display of the food is pretty fancy as well. I'm surprised by all the negative reviews of this place. Yes, it's more expensive than other Japanese seafood buffets, but I do think you're getting your money's worth.
Taste | 4.5
Atmosphere | 4
Presentation | 4
Service | 3
OVERALL | 4
Looking to stuff your face with an unlimited supply of mediocre sushi? Really, you are? Well, OK then, this is the place.
I came here recently for a disappointing dinner. I sampled many of the sushi offerings, and found them below average. Rice was essentially unseasoned, and the rolls contained only tiny pieces of fish – they were mostly veg and rice. Many of the 'hot' food items were lukewarm, and looked like they had been sitting out too long. Edible, but unimpressive.
Many of the other diners seemed to be opting for the make-your-own soup thing. Maybe that's a better way to go.
On the night of my visit, the place was more empty than full. That's probably not good for turnover of the buffet items. I've been here previously a few times for lunch, and it seemed busier and a bit better on those occasions. So if you insist on coming here, at least come when it's full.
Dinner was $37 per person after tax & tip. At that price point, you can do better.
Freshly schucked oysters and lots of variety. What's not to like. Has hot pot included too. The food is tasty. A little on the pricey side but otherwise good place to go.
It's a buffet, so going in you already know that you're not paying for quality, but quantity. The quality was exactly what you expect, average at best. The uni in particular though was the standout, but for all the wrong reasons. It was easily the worst uni I've ever had in my life, period. The dark color should have been enough for me to not to go anywhere near it, but my uni obsession got the better of me and I had to try at least one. It tasted extremely bitter with some notes of rancidness. I had to spit it out. Everything else that I tried was very mediocre. The biggest problem though was that unpopular items were left out for what seemed to be unreasonable lengths of time (starting to turn dry or change colors). And many of the popular items were not replenished in a timely manner just sitting there empty for long periods of time. So most of the time, you're picking from a buffet of leftovers.
The only positive was that service was attentive.