I love Issei noodle! I have been to the carlisle location a dozen times but this was my first time at the Lancaster location and it did not disappoint. The food was excellent! It feels very modern and energetic in the space up front. I'm excited to eventually try the hifi Izakaya in the other section of the restaurant. Service was good even if a little bit slow.

My colleagues have been raving about it for months so I knew I had to try it. Forgot to make reservations in advance on a Friday night. I would recommend this as the seating space is pretty small. For couples you could probably make do with the ramen bar in the back, or even a solo eater but not for my family of 5. We had to wait about 20-40 minutes for a table of five 30 minutes prior to their closing time. I do think they forgot about us seeing as when we were seated there were 3 empty tables, staff kept comin out and asking us if we were waiting for a table. They have a buzzer system but Im not sure if it was working. The ambience is great, modern but old style ramen shop at the same time. There is a bar in the back where the space looks much larger. Definitely a group drink hang out space. Food was delicious! We enjoyed everything from the starters to the ramen! They also have a seasonal menu for those who wanna try something for the season. Also appreciated that they had sake choices as well as other Japanese inspired cocktails. For the desserts they had an adorable little flan/pudding and mochi ice cream. We didn't have any leftovers and devoured everything! Highly recommend this place! If you do plan on coming on a busier night like Friday or the weekend, definitely make reservations.

We visited Issei for lunch during restaurant week in Lancaster and had their featured special. Ramen + Dessert. It was so good. Very authentic flavor. Enjoyed this so much! Highly recommend.

Updated review. New location is updated, clean and inviting. Food is as great as I remember. glad to get a chance to stop by and review it again. Looking forward the the expansion in the back!

Great ambiance, cute little spot. So far the service has been nice. It's right across the from the parking garage.

My favorite noodle joint has expanded and moved to a new, beautiful location on Orange Street -- just across the street from the Prince Street parking garage, still near Central Market. They've really turned the class up a notch with the new space -- even before you enter, the entry is inviting and I love the giant mural on the side of the building. There's lots of light from the wall of windows in front, long family-style tables and bar-height seating options along the windows, as well as counter seating that faces the kitchen. And the food is every bit as delicious as before. I went during their soft open, so the full menu wasn't available, but it was as satisfying as ever! Hubs and I both got the Spicy Tan-tan Ramen and fried pork gyoza. Our server was friendly and fast, keeping up with multiple tables in addition to our window seats. He was familiar with the menu and could speak well to all the options available. Can't wait to come back for the full menu AND to try the Korean BBQ that will be opening soon in the same space!

Ambiance/Atmosphere: The new facility on Orange Street that Issei has moved to is quite nice. You can park in the Prince Street garage and walk out, then immediately it's right there across the street. The change of location was an excellent idea for attracting business. The inside is smaller than the previous place which was longer and dimmer. It felt like there were less tables/seating area. The vibe of the restaurant is semi-loud but brighter, awakening and more modern rather than dark & cozy like the previous location. Facility was clean and open; no complaints here. I believe they are expanding to include Korean BBQ next door or in the back at some point. Service: All the staff that attended to our table were kind and friendly. Really love the owner, she's very easy to talk to! We always had someone come and make sure we were good on our drinks and food. Although it was busy, we had great service. Food: Being that they were only doing a soft opening limited menu there was only so much you could choose from. They are doing this for the entire month of March then I believe they plan to expand their menu. As a group of 6 we wanted to try what we could on our visit. We tried...for appetizers: pork gyoza, agedashi tofu, spicy edamame, katsu pork. For entrees we tried...three orders of Haru Warm Ramen (a brothless ramen dish), House Abura-Soba (also brothless noodle dish) and two orders of Yasai Miso Ramen. The appetizers were delicious, flavorful and nothing to complain about. We most likely would order those all again. As for the entrees, the Haru Warm Ramen was good, the House Abura-Soba was good but the Yasai Miso Ramen...it was just OK. I hate to say that because I do feel like the owners (one is the chef) does put hardwork and love into the food but the noodles reminded me of thick spaghetti noodles and the taste was...a little bland and diluted tasting. The previous Issei menu used to have a lot more options of food which included Don Buri bowls (LOVED those!) and I didn't see many rice dishes (expected since it's a soft opening). But after speaking to the owner, the focus of the food moving forward will be a mixture of Japanese, Filipino and Korean. Just be mindful of that when you decide to come here thats what the type of food will be. Price: the price was OK, nothing that different from what it was in the past. I would like to return here with my family again to try more things and add to my review in the future.