Ichiban 四川

Enjoyed lunch with my wife and infant on a Thursday. The restaurant only had a few occupied tables so we had fast service. The staff was welcoming and friendly and helped with suggestions since there are so many options. The menu has a large section for more authentic Chinese food, as well as, a section for more Americanized dishes. We had a nice and relaxed dine-in experience. We’d happily come back in to enjoy more quality Chinese dishes compared to lower quality takeout Chinese restaurants.

My favorite Asian restaurant in Madison! Fantastic Sichuan cuisine. The ingredients are great quality and as a health-concious eater, I appreciate how unsalty their food tastes. The portions are generous and the food always comes out quickly. The prices are super reasonable- even during the tough economy right now. The service is never very good but the food is so good, I always come back.

Pictured below are the Meat Dumplings, Shrimp Lo Mein, Twiced Baked Pork dish, Coconut Walnut Shrimp, and the Seafood Soup Noodle (my favorite).

Take out is also a great option. They give you the samd portions as in person and the tupperware they use is worth saving!

I ordered chicken mai fun and it was excellent. It was obvious the ingredients were freshly made and I got a lot of food for the price. I ordered through their website which is a bit difficult to do (I couldn’t figure out how to delete something I added to my cart) but that may have also been my problem. But my order was ready when I scheduled it and pickup was easy. Definitely will be back!

Very nice people here, bit of a language barrier but they get our order correct and are very friendly. We haven't sampled the majority of foods, but the ones we get are always good. They have some of the best tofu (lightly fried/cooked triangles - tastes like chicken with the consistency of fried egg) with vegetables over rice. My daughter gets this consistently and always raves over how good it is. My husband gets seafood with squid, shrimp, etc., and has never had a bad dish. Everyone in the house is happy when we order takeout from here.

I've gotten takeout from here many times. Their Sichuan food is excellent. The boiled beef and three pepper chicken are my favorite items, but everything I have tried has been good. Never eaten inside, so I can't comment on service, but the staff has always been friendly when I am picking up my order.

We ate lunch and ordered sauted eggplants, green beans, fish and lamb. All the items tasted amazing. I like tasting asian recipes and loved the items there. The food there was very much Asian, not blended with American or other cuisines. It was a restaurant I would go again to taste the other items.

This is one of the few Szechuan style restaurants that everyone who comes to study or work in Madison should try at least once. Huge portions and countless dishes. Look at the picture of the two dishes I ordered and you will see how much meat they give you. From shareable plates to chinese-american classics, this restaurant has it all. Vegetable dishes are fine, but the meat dishes are bold in both flavor and presentation. This is one of the few spots in Madison which has stayed consistent throughout the years. If you don’t know what to order, order one of the dishes with a menu picture, a lot of the pictures are popular dishes and you cannot go wrong. They also always have featured dishes written on the chalkboard which are great choices if you are looking to try something new. The bathrooms are not the cleanest, but fine if you want to just wash your hands. Free street parking and always open.

We ordered the spicy and sour sliced potatoes and pickled cabbage fish soup. Both are awesome. In addition, we have tried similar sliced potatoes at different places, like California or Minnesota. This one here is the best one among all. A must try for those who like potatoes 🥔

I tried the Hot & Crispy Chicken. Those crispy bits are fantastic. I thought eating the crispy lil bits from Popeyes chicken was something, be sure to try this! Lots and Lots of hot red peppers in the mix but its only a little spicy if your not chewing on the peppers. 🌶

My families favorite place for Chinese food in Madison. My sister-in-law from Shanghai even approves of it which is high praise indeed.

Skip the section in the menu that says “Chinese American” and try something more authentic. I'm pretty sure that is actually really good as well but you can get that at other Chinese restaurants in Madison.

My family loves the scallion pancakes, tendon in chili oil, spicy green beans, crispy & spicy fish, mapo tofu, cumin lamb and or beef, braised pork belly, hot pot... Honestly everything we've ordered here has been fantastic.

Tip: If you go with eight or more people, ask for the round table in the back with a lazy susan on it. Then order a bunch of different things and share it family style. Such a fun way to eat and you get to try different things.

Had food delivered. Ichiban food is wonderful. However Eat Street driver should be fired. I live 5 minutes from restaurant took her 25 minutes to arrive. Fried food cold. Driver arrived talking on phone, talked on the phone walking up to my house, left driving while talking on phone. She did not even bother to take an extra step to knock on my door. Love Ichiban, done with Eat Street!

This is definitely our go-to spot in Madison for great food! The service is pleasant and the good comes out hot, delicious and fast!
I definitely recommend trying something new each time you visit!

The food is always constant and delicious. Food is packed full of flavor and fresh every time.

We always order double cooked pork and spicy fried fish.

One of my favorite lunch place! The General Tso's, Cumin Lamb, green beans, scallion pancakes, and dumplings never disappoint!

Good food that comes out fast and hot. Real Sichuan - not Chinese American. Try the spicy crispy chicken, the pan fried dumplings, and the spicy green beans. We also love the spicy sliced fish and tofu. There’s is often a whole steamed fish with glass noodles that is very good. Thai iced tea is refreshing. They’re able to accommodate large parties quite easily, so it’s a great place to take a crowd.

Our favorite Chinese restaurant! The spicy crispy chicken is my absolute favorite. Fried rice, green beans, and scallion pancakes are also on our go-to list.

Loved our meal, especially the spicy fried fish! Will def be back next time we're in town.

Ichiban is the best Sichuan food I've had in Madison, Chicago, or Singapore. I recommend:
-Spicy Boiled Sliced Beef or Fish
-Spicy & Crispy Chicken or Fish
-Spicy Beef Tendon
-Eggplant w. Chili Garlic Sauce
-Mei Fun with Shrimp or Chicken

It's worth noting their American Chinese food dishes are excellent also.

Great food. Definitely have some options that are more authentic than what your average American might be expecting. I eat here at least once a week.

This is a great Chinese food place. The menu in this place is endless, and it has a lot of options for vegetarians. Plus, the menu has an intro story of the place.
Highly recommend!