At 1449 University Ave in Hillcrest, Ichiban has run an all-Japanese kitchen since 1981 and carries a San Diego County health inspection score of 96. The sushi counter has served same-day-sourced fish since 1981, making Ichiban one of Hillcrest's longest-running Japanese kitchens on a University Ave strip shared with Starlite's mid-century cocktail program on India St. The menu covers classic nigiri, hand rolls, udon, soba, and bento boxes, all prepared with same-day-sourced fish behind a traditional sushi counter. Bento boxes combine nigiri, tempura, rice, and salad into a single-tray format built for weekday lunch traffic, giving the University Ave corridor a grab-and-go Japanese option alongside bakeries like Babycakes Hillcrest. The kitchen's most precise preparation is the sashimi platter, which requires same-day sourcing and exacting knife technique across multiple varieties of raw fish cut to uniform thickness.