Ichiban – Albuquerque, New Mexico

In an episode of Friends, Joey Tribbiani starred in a commercial released only in Japan for Ichiban men’s lipstick. His friend Chandler’s response upon viewing the commercial: “he really is a chameleon.” In Japanese, the word “ichiban” means “number one” or “the best” and can be used either as a superlative (as in the highest of quality or the very best choice) or to denote precedence or numerical order. The fictional Chinese-American detective Charlie Chan, for example, called his eldest son “number one son.”

Whether meaning to denote the highest quality or precedence (ranking) among other restaurants, any dining establishment calling itself “number one” is making a pretty audacious claim.  That may be especially true if that claim is made about a sushi restaurant. Even in a landlocked market like Albuquerque where fresh seafood isn’t walked off the dock and onto a restaurant’s kitchen, there are enough “passable” or better sushi restaurants that it is disputable as to which is really number one.

After several visits to Ichiban Japanese Restaurant since its launch in the millennium year (2000), it became increasingly clear that the “number one” designation is business name.  In our experience Ichiban has suffered from inconsistency over the years. Founded by the owners of the former A-1 Oriental Market, it was quite good for several years.  The inconsistency and diminished quality came when Ichiban changed hands.  It left us wondering if Ichiban’s “number one” designation has to do with the steep bill of fare patrons receive at the end of the meal. It seemed obvious the restaurant owners realize their proximity to Corrales and to Intel. The sushi is priced somewhat above average for Albuquerque which wouldn’t warrant a mention if the quality of the sushi justified the extra cost (it’s as pricy as some sushi I’ve had on the west coast).

Our hopes were rekindled that Ichiban would regain some of its lustre when we learned that in February, 2026, Ichiban’s operations would be managed by its parent organization, ONE8.  Though corporate ownership often means losing the personal and local touch we love, the new owners promise an “even stronger focus on improving your dining experience.”  One of our genial servers confirmed that–like many (if not most) of Albuquerque’s sushi restaurants–Ichiban is not owned by scions of the Land of the Rising Son.  It is owned by Koreans who share similar raw fish culinary traditions.

Peruse the menu and you’ll discern that Korean items share space in almost equal proportion with Japanese items.  Such Korean entrees as bibimbap, bulgogi, buldok and galbi share menu space with bento, sashimi, tempura and tonkatsu.  That’s before you even peruse the sushi menu which features a boatload of:

• nigiri (sushi made from a hand-pressed, bite-sized mound of vinegared rice topped with a slice of raw or cooked seafood, such as fish or shrimp),
• maki (vinegared rice and fillings (seafood, vegetables, or fruits) wrapped in nori seaweed, then rolled with a bamboo mat (makisu) and sliced into bite-size pieces),
• sashimi (thinly sliced, fresh, raw fish or meat, served on its own without rice), chirashi (seasoned sushi rice topped with a colorful “scatter” of various ingredients, which can include sashimi, cooked seafood, vegetables, and garnishes like roe or nori) and
• donburi (a large bowl of steamed rice topped with various ingredients like meat, fish, vegetables, or eggs, simmered in a savory sauce.)

Situated on the Northwest corner of the Corrales Shopping Center, Ichiban experiences its share of shopping center visitors ferrying diners to its doors. Ichiban is like a shelter from the din of the outside world. The huge dining room allows for privacy and intimacy through the strategic placement of light blond wooden screens. The sushi bar is one of the largest in the city. A seat near that bar provides unfettered views to the fresh fish offerings of the day and to highly skilled chefs deftly wielding their razor-sharp knives and making precision cuts that make your sushi meal esthetically pleasing and ostensibly, delicious.

NOTE:  Prior to my April, 2026 return to Ichiban, my last visit was in September, 2014.  That’s a twelve-year gap in which significant changes occurred.  As such, I’m pretty much wiping out most of my previous review.

3 April 2026: A steaming bowl of miso soup is complimentary.   It’s served piping hot and unlike previous experiences at Ichiban, was not watery or served lukewarm.  Instead, it had a delicious proportion of miso paste and green onions.  The miso soup has regained its previous glory as among the very best miso soup in the city. It will warm your tummy in anticipation of other specialties of the house.  It’s solely because of that anticipation that I didn’t ask for a second bowl.

Few sushi restaurants in Albuquerque serve a “wasabi” quite as tear-inducing as Ichiban where just a dab will do you. If you like your eyes and nose running during a meal, apply Ichiban’s wasabi liberally to a dish of soy sauce. Sure, its nasal-passage clearing effects are short-lived, but it’s strong enough to mask the flavors of the seafood which after all is what sushi is really all about.  By the way,  “real” wasabi is more herbal and earthy than what American sushi restaurants serve. Typically the “wasabi” at American sushi restaurants is a mixture of horseradish, mustard and green food coloring.  If you’ve ever had Japanese wasabi, you’ll likley prefer it as it allows you to focus on the seafood.

3 April 2026:  With so many options from which to choose, I was hard-pressed to limit myself.  Being Good Friday, I should have been fasting as Catholics are compelled to do….and I can’t use the excuse that I thought Catholic doctrine mandated “no feasting” on Good Friday.  At the very least, I could abstain from eating meat.  There was certainly no meat on the small “love boat.”  The menu indicates this boat serves one to two people…or one hungry Gil.  The love boat is brimming with the chef’s choice of ten nigiri and two rolls with three sashimi pieces.  Kudos to the chef on his nigiri choices: yellow tail, salmon, shrimp and albacore.  I wasn’t as enthusiastic about the maki rolls: California roll (the “Sushi 101” of maki) and salmon roll.  The three pieces of sashim were thinly slices, perfectly pink salmon.  This is a love boat you’ll love!

4 April 2026:  Though tempura is widely associated with Japan, it actually originated in Portugal.   In the 16th century, Portuguese Jesuit missionaries to Japan brought with them the Western-style cooking method of coating foods with flour and then frying them. Thus began the history of tempura in Japan.  In the Americas, it’s rare to find a Japanese restaurant that doesn’t serve tempura.  Ichiban offers a tempura dinner plate, but most diners (according to our server) prefer the appetizer version of tempura vegetables with two shrimp.  It’s served with a rather bland soy-based sauce.  Alas, the tempura coated vegetables are on the raw side–not even al-dente, but crunchy.  We much prefer the seafood tempura.

4 April 2026:  When we frequented Ichiban back when it first launched, one of our favorite designer rolls was the Super Crunch Roll (shrimp tempura, crab, cucumber, shrimp, avocado with honey wasabi mayo and unagi sauce).  The aforementioned ingredients aren’t what we remembered from previous visits.  We remembered much more crunchiness courtesy of a grander tempura influence.  Mind you, this is still a very good maki roll.  It’s somewhat on the sweet side courtesy of unagi sauce and honey wasabi.  Only my Kim would declare the honey wasabi as “too spicy.”

4 April 2026:  One day removed from my return visit to Ichiban, my Kim had a hankering for beef bulgogi.  Like General Douglas McArthur, we returned together to sate her fix.  Bulgogi translates to “fire meat,” but most Americans call it “Korean barbecue.”  Bulgogi features thinly sliced beef (Ichiban uses ribeye) marinated in a sweet and savory sauce. It’s typically grilled or stir-fried with such vegetables as onions, mushrooms and broccoli. The marinade usually consists of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic, and grated Korean pear, which tenderizes the meat.  The superlative most befitting Ichiban’s bulgogi is “good.”  For my tastes, it was almost dessert sweet.  Other Korean restaurants prepare a superior version.

4 April 2026:  The bulgogi is served with vegetables and kimchi upon request.  At Korean restaurants, “vegetables” almost always mean fermented vegetables. Vegetables form the foundation of banchan (side dishes) and kimchi, emphasizing fresh, seasonal, and often fermented ingredients.  Imagine my consternation when a bowlful of boiled carrots and broccoli were delivered to our table.  This may be acceptable at American restaurants purporting to serve a vegetable side, but not at a Korean-Japanese restaurant.  Serving these vegetables is inexcusable!  It’s the reason we won’t return for a (maybe long) while.  Aargh!  When we want real Korean vegetables we’ll visit Kyong at K-Style Korean.

4 April 2026: Think of chirashizushi (chirashi) as sushi in a bowl. It’s a bed of sushi rice (vinegared) topped with a variety of sashimi and other ingredients such as cucumber, carrots, seaweed, lemon slices and of course, wasabi and ginger. It’s like a deconstructed sushi roll, perfect for those  of us who want to enjoy all the flavors of sushi in a more casual format (and for those of us who hate when the rice on a maki roll falls apart).  At Ichiban, shirashi is constructed with many of my favorite sashimi: yellow tail, tuna, salmon, albacore, shrimp and crab.  The shirashi plate is beautiful to ogle with an array of colors and textures as inviting as a rainbow.  Unlike maki rolls, you’re more likely to be judicious in the use of wasabi and soy sauce.  You’ll want to enjoy every inherently tasty morsel of the tender, multihued seafood feast.

If my April, 2026 experience is any indication, Albuquerque diners may increasingly consider Ichiban their number one dining destination when they crave sushi and Korean food.

Ichiban
10701 Coors, N.W.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
(505) 899-0095
Web Site
LATEST VISIT: 4 April 2026
# OF VISITS: 16
RATING: Good – good food, decent service, and a clean environment; provides a satisfactory, dependable, and standard experience
COST: $$$ – $$$$
BEST BET: Miso Soup, Small Love Boat, Shirashi,