Ichi Ni

Had a wonderful date night here today! Celia was so friendly and kind, giving truly exceptional service with a smile. Food was delicious and we ended up ordering more dishes and drinks as everything was so good. Cocktails were on point with a bit of something for everyone. Will definitely be back very soon!

Went in for dinner with my husband; we have always wanted to try this Japanese restaurant along the beach and THANKGOD we did not go for a special occasion.
We were presented with the menus with limited gluten free options.
The GFO is the chef just taking off an ingredient and adding more sauce. After voicing my concerns of having some sort of replacement on the Donburi “pickle” that wasn’t gluten free they presented this small ramekin of pickles. We ordered two Donburi and why was there one ramekin?
Honestly couldn’t be bothered voicing my concerns again.
Around Melbourne you can find a Donburi with the protein rice and even some four leaf salad, but the one I was presented with was similar to a frozen meal from the supermarket. Rice was chalky and I felt forced to eat it because it was $28.
Moving along to the “spicy cauliflower” which was unseasoned, meaning No salt. As a chef you salt fried food as it is pulled from the fryer. This unseasoned flavour left the after taste of oil, oil, oil.
Hey don’t get me wrong I love fried food but come on when you pay for $18 fried cauliflower you expect it to be immaculate.
Guys all I can say is if your planning on coming here don’t plan a special occasion or first date. Honestly just leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Service from waiters were good, and atmosphere was nice, but that’s not the reason someone goes to a restaurant. They go because they are HUNGRY and want to be Satisfied.
Sorry team please work on the future menu.

Was with a large group, we had the $75 a head banquet. The food was amazing and the service was top notch. Bit on the pricey side but definitely worth it. Highly recommended.

Far too long after getting drinks before the food arrived! Staff very inattentive. Good food however not much of it for the banquet price. Disappointing as it’s been better before.

Momo is dry and tasteless. California roll, beef tataki, ebi mayo is flat and overpriced. Won’t be here anymore.

Superior quality Japanese cuisine and the service was the best and most personal I have ever experienced. Look forward to returning to Melbourne for another delightful dining experience.

Worst customer service I've ever received!

A waiter brought out an extra dish to our table that we hadn't ordered, so we told them that it was a mistake and SENT IT BACK to the kitchen.

When I received the bill, I saw we had been charged for the extra dish and told them it was a mistake. Then a young blonde waitress came up to us and questioned us repeatedly asking if we ate it. I said no, we didn't eat it and explained the situation. She admitted it was her mistake then continued asking if we ate it in the most condescending tone!

It was rude and insulting - I'll never be going back.

What: Xmas lunch
Spend; $300
2 people

We have enjoyed Christmas lunches here for 3 years and great lunches at other times as well.superb location great atmosphere.

This year (2022) is our last Xmas lunch here @ Ichi Ni, St Kilda.
Realising it’s Xmas, it’s a busy day I get that also, the waitstaff were great and attentive, no issues here.
The lack of care for the prepared food and lack of presentation pointed to an over stressed kitchen. The good experience we have had here is gone as most of the dishes we ordered lacked the finesse. (So sad to experience this) We loved this about ichi ni, always busy but not losing sight of the food. This is no longer the case.for example,
• Zucchini tempura
The zucchini slices were very big (why?) and therefor soft/soggy which made the tempura an afterthought.
• Soft shell crab tempura.
Soft shell crabs were burned during frying process
• Edamame beans:
one big stash (way too much) of salt on top of the edamame, gross
• Ebi Mayo
Always the highlight of our lunch now the saddest dish. Tails stills on the prawn and the mayonaise slathered on top (it used to be beautifully coated, without tails.

Back ground music
This year during Xmas lunch the music in Ichi Ni was comparable to sitting in a food court in just any shopping mall
Ed Sheeran / or similar pop music for the entire session.
What a bummer. Music used to be so on point @ ichi ni.

Ichi Ni is now Ichi No.

I love this place, been here couple of times now and the service and the food have been exceptional!
Food just melts in your mouth, the flavours are amazing and everything came out very fast.

Lamb cutlets are a must try!

Love everything about it.

Thank you

Brilliant Japanese selections, full authentic flavours, great setting and atmosphere topped off with great service and Sake recommendations (thanks Curtis).

Our server Minnie, was very good even tho it was her 4th day (?) there.the food came in waves which is was good as if we had had it all at once it would have been simply overwhelming.only thing that stops this being a five star review is that it is quite pricey but the quality is impressive!

The restaurant we booked had their AC not working.
We came to Ichi Ni and I can't even express how happy we were to have done that.
The food is amazing, great service and a great vibe!
Will come in once more.

Was rejected from entering the restaurant by this young white man at the reception he asked if we had a booking and we said no he left to what we assumed was checking table availablities to come back and reject us due to our ‘dress code’ while also pointing at my friends chest as the reason why. We were horrified as this restaurant was so lovely when we were last here years ago. So sad to see another melbourne gem fade…

Great Japanese food! Special thanks to Anthony who was attentive and went out of his way to make sure that we had a good experience!

Served us raw chicken. We didn’t realise until we were halfway through eating it. When we asked to see management, management had just gone on a lunch break and staff wouldn’t let us know when they would return.

We had already settled our $500+ bill but decided to stay back for a few more drinks.

They then sent a staff member who had no customer service experience to deal with the matter. The entire time he appeared to be shaking & on the brink of crying. He apologised on behalf of the venue and took the Raw Chicken off the bill, as if that settles it? He tried to leave it at that, but to be fair, that’s not good enough. Staff member eventually took a couple of drinks off the remaining bill, and then proceeded to tell us to be grateful they gave us a couple of free drinks because they will “get in trouble for have given away free drinks”.

Asked for management again, still “on a break and I can’t tell you what time they’re coming back”. Really? A joke.

One of our friends was nearly hospitalised because of how sick they got after consuming the raw chicken.

Used to come here every week and have spent thousands at this venue, never stepping foot inside their venues again and have told all our friends who frequent this venue to stop also.

Management shouldn’t even be in the the hospitality industry if they can’t even face a customer.

I have never been to a venue where management have been such cowards.

Absolutely loved my experience here. Excellent tasting food, great atmosphere and friendly staff. One of the best Japanese restaurants in Melbourne!

One of the most delicious Japanese in Melbourne

We were a big group, there was no problem in accommodating us and we had great attention and service. The food was beyond delicious, every little portion was perfectly seasoned and the flavours were so well balanced.

We had they set menu for $75 per person and it was more than enough to feel satisfied. I would definitely recommend to this place to anyone.

Terrible customer service.
Outdoor area is almost empty and they tried to give you the smallest table out of all. Walked in and walked out immediately. You won’t get customer paying for this type of service.

Food was mediocre at best, but presented very nicely.

Service however was extremely poor, we had a reservation and moved tables but were told we could only sit in the sun as there was no tables left even though there were multiple empty tables and no one sat in these even after our one hour dining session.

The worst was when we were approached by a waitress and accussed of not ordering a specific item while eating said item when in fact we did. Rude of the staff for assuming we would eat something we didn't order. No apology either. We spent $180 to be treated rudely, I won't be coming back here.

The atmosphere at ichi ni is authentic and entertaining.the food is a great experience, as you can see in many photos.however, the service is poor from the get go, and you can tell many of the waiters are new.we accidentally spilt a drink on our table, and it took four waiters to find a solution, and two minutes for them to take notice.the crowd was also relatively small as well.however, our personal table waiter was attentive and friendly.a very mixed experience, both positive and could use improvement.we ordered:
scallops (cooked 5 ways)
4/5
each scallop was a new palate, and very delicious.the flavours were mostly smoky and sweet.the presentation was beautiful.sake nigiri (normal salmon)
3/5
it was very ordinary, and was not worth the price.it didn’t bring a new taste to the palate nor was it ‘refreshing’.

ichi ni plate (sashimi 12pc)
3.5/5
again, not up to par with the price.still, refreshing and great when paired with the table soy sauce.tori donburi
4.2/5
excellent sauce.the chicken is well prepared and tender.pairs well with the rice!