Ita Bashi - Richmond Upon Thames

For Christmas, I ordered a full take-away sushi lunch for my family, which was pricey but of excellent quality. However, over the past two years, there have been noticeable changes at Itabashi, and not for the better. The charming Japanese waiter has been replaced by a revolving door of teenage staff members who are friendly but inexperienced. They frequently forget orders and drinks, requiring constant reminders from diners. The owner is no longer hands-on in preparing sushi, and the portion sizes have shrunk. The pork in the Ramen has become minuscule, making the dish more suitable for vegetarians. Despite the menu remaining unchanged, the focus seems to have shifted away from quality and attention to detail. Itabashi has lost its charm and has become just a mediocre restaurant, which is disappointing given its location in upscale Teddington.

Staying nearby, our son loves Sushi so booked a table. Helpful staff and pleasant surroundings. The food was top notch no wonder the restaurant was busy. I have to say the grilled eel was my favourite, well we were in London! Will visit again next time we are down.

Ordered for delivery three tempura dishes and some ramen noodles. Tempura was a disappointment: “prawn” in particular was soggy and tasteless; vegetables similar; squid not bad but accompanied by a nasty sauce. Noodles not bad. Tempura may be better in the restaurant (because fresh) but not sure about quality of ingredients.

I've ordered lots of times from Itabashi over the past several years. Unfortunately they recently they changed their delivery policies. After spending a while with the family selecting our order I went to place the order, they explained I was (now) outside of their delivery area and needed to pay an extra £2.50 ... which was fine so proceeded. They then took payment but then told me they had no delivery driver, so rejected the order. However they'd taken the money!! and I might have to wait several days for a refund!! ... terrible way to implement a system ... owner was less than apologetic when I called him to explain the error in their process ... Result ... lost customer ... that's no way to do business

If you like Japanese food, this restaurant is excellent and without the heavy cost of many others offering such cuisine.