Bella, the robot server at Ichiro Sushi & Ramen, glides through the Duluth restaurant. (Photos by Melinda Lavine)

A cat-eared robot buzzed around Ichiro Sushi & Ramen. “Bella” sported white digital whiskers up top, and in its fur-less belly sat plates of fried rice and sushi.

After a series of silent maneuvers, Bella stopped at a table of two, where Cody Tesser served fellow humans their orders from the robot’s racks.

Cody Tesser of Duluth removes plates from Bella, the robot server at Ichiro Sushi & Ramen on Miller Hill in Duluth.

Bella communicates with tech in the ceiling, which follows mapped coordinates entered by wait staff. “There’s little paths she follows,” Tesser explained.

While Bella’s a draw for some, most guests said the restaurant’s food and ambience keep them coming back.

Diverse fare

Ichiro offers a mix of Agedashi tofu with bonito flakes; Tonkotsu ramen with Chashu (Japanese braised pork belly); crispy chicken Karaage; tuna tataki and fried squid.

There’s also bubble tea options from papaya, coconut, honey dew and taro. The latter’s like an Asian sweet potato, said Vicky Lin, who opened Ichiro in the 53 Business Center, 1702 Miller Trunk Highway, Suite 107, in October 2023. The location was previously the Blue Rock Grill.

Diners stop into Ichiro Sushi & Ramen for lunch.

While Lin and her husband, Sam Lin, have been in the restaurant business from Minnesota to New York for more than 20 years, Ichiro is the first with her in the lead as sole owner.

And her vision was clear. Lin wanted to create a comfortable bistro-style and family-friendly dining experience with staff she has worked with for years.

Vicky Lin, owner of Ichiro Sushi & Ramen in Duluth, visits with guests during the lunch hour in August.

It’s an intention demonstrated in the restaurant name, she said. “Ichiro” (pronounced ee-she-ro) refers to the first-born son.

“In (Japanese) culture, that means he has responsibility for taking care of small-kid siblings, he has more responsibility for the family. So, we would like to be running as a family – with love,” she said.

‘Sushi back on the hill’

The Lins were behind Cloud 9 in Canal Park, until they sold it in 2023, and Osaka Sushi Hibachi Steakhouse, which closed in 2021.

It was a rough time for diners accustomed to a diversity of fare.

“I’m excited to have sushi back on the hill,” said Heather Nistler.

The Ichiro Roll comes with spicy salmon, spicy tuna, avocado, and is topped witih salmon, tuna, crunch, tobiko, scallion and three sauces. It’s one of the popular items at Ichiro Sushi & Ramen in Duluth.

During a lunch hour in August, Nistler chatted with Lin in between bites of her usual salmon avocado and tuna avocado rolls.

Nistler travels to Duluth from McGregor weekly, and at least two or three times a month she visits Ichiro. “For somebody like me, who is limited by allergies, they are super accommodating, and I can enjoy really awesome sushi,” she continued.

Leslie Reed followed a friend’s recommendation to try Ichiro after visiting her daughter, who attends the University of Minnesota Duluth. The Coleraine woman ordered shrimp-fried rice and a California roll to go, which hostess Hannah Hyjek of Hermantown packaged in a reusable bag.

Diners fill the dining room at Ichiro Sushi & Ramen in Duluth.

“We don’t have options like this in Grand Rapids, that’s what I’m close to,” Reed said.

Natalia Rocha and her family have lived in Hermantown for four years, and Rocha and her husband have made Ichiro their date-night go-to.

“When we come in, it’s full of people, and we want it to be vibrant,” Rocha said.

Ichiro Sushi & Ramen opened up in the former Blue Rock Grill in October 2023 in Duluth.