The food is no doubt good and this is reflected in the prices paid for each dish however some were a bit overpriced but I guess it is what is expected for a fine-dining Japanese restaurant. I highly suggest ordering the mixed tempura and twice cooked pork. Delicious! I was a bit disappointed with the welcoming as they saw us walk in and directed us to nowhere until we looked a bit lost which is when we were seated. Apart from that, the staff were very friendly and helpful with the menu throughout the night. What I didn’t expect is the glasses used to serve still wine..not entirely appropriate for the otherwise classy establishment. All in all, we had an enjoyable time here and would recommend if you’re feeling a little bit fancy.

I’ve been to a few Japanese restaurants as I have travelled a lot. First of all I’ve looked at the top 50 places to eat in Auckland and Ebisu is one of them. The prices look like normal in a fine dining restaurant. After looking at the menu online, I thought to give it a go so I decided to order the seared scallops, the tempura oysters, the mixed sashimi and the Wagyu (Medium Rare).

The waitress gave me 2 options for the oysters, I told her to pick one for me. (she just told me that they were from different region instead what I was looking for was the taste and did not inform me of whether there was a price difference) The oysters came and she told me they were from the South Island. It was alright but the waitress did now bother to ask whether it was enjoyable!!!

The seared scallops and mixed sashimi came as quick as possible, it looked like as if they wanted to finish their job. Service was pretty much poor compared to all the other four to five dinning restaurants here.

Lastly the Wagyu came and it was not medium rare at all, it was so close to well done that it was chewy and fatty. Really really disappointed especially with the price you’re paying for! To make our dinning experience worst there were files flying around table. Again waitress did not seem to care if we had enjoy our dining experience. Very unhappy!

My advice is to please check out other restaurants as you don’t want to leave a place still feeling hungry and ruin your expectations.

Went with work for Christmas party. The food is so tasty and it has great fit out as you would you expect for a top end restaurant. I am just happy that work paid for it as it is quite pricey for what you get. But in saying that the food is pretty good and worth it for a special occasion.

I took my partner here for their birthday and it was a good choice. Great friendly service and always delicious food. The birthday cake was put onto plates really nicely presented and they wrote happy birthday in chocolate on my partners plate. Small but nice touch. Would definitely recommend.

Three visits to Ebisu and I am constantly impressed. First of all, the service is fantastic – we are always well looked after, the waiters attentive, well presented and knowledgable of the food and drink. Secondly, the food is just beautiful. Sashimi is incredibly fresh, and I absolutely fell in love with the cabbage salad, to the point where I have tried to replicate it at home (no luck!).

Food exquiste and the waiter was amazing his knowlege of the food and wine list was the best we had encountered as we have travelled to many countries.Will definitely return and has been highly recommended to all we meet

The decor and ambiance are very low-key, urban grey feel.
Had lunch there with a friend to catch up.

What struck me first was that the staff were not Japanese, so was a little taken aback when I first arrived, but they have excellent manners and good service.

Chefs in kitchen are Japanese, made me laugh a little by their way of reassuring customers visibly by having a open slot so we can see the chefs working.

Took up the set lunch. Presentation of the food impeccable. Sashimi entree was quite fresh.

I ordered green tea for my drink. Very nice green tea, bitter enough for my taste as it comes in my very own small jug. Only minus was that they did not offer to refill the jug.

Everyone raves about the soft shell crab… with good reason. It is quite savory. Other than that… the usual Japanese fare isn’t very memorable. Acceptable would be the key word.

Dessert I tried was the apple cinnamon donut dipped in chocolate sauce and ice cream. Shared with friend. Good idea, since I could feel it clogging up my arteries! But it tasted very nice indeed.

I think this is a place where one goes once in a while for the service, atmosphere and presentation of food. As for the food taste itself, it is okay. Not something spectacular, but not bad either. There are other set bento menu lunches with better prices, better quality and variety.

Went to Ebisu last night with a group of 12 and were told we would have to wait an hour for a table which was fine. Two and half hours later (!!) and with half the restaurant empty we were finally seated. Some people had to leave soon after seating and were told their sushi would be ready in 5-10 minutes…their dishes arrived after everyone else got their meals. If it wasn’t for the fact we were there for our friends birthday there would have been more of a fuss made with the poor service, however it is unlikely we will be back.

The free bar snacks sold me on this place; OMG – Wasabi Tempura Nori?!?! Amazing! Asked for 2 helpings which was met with no hesitation (I know I was pushing my luck) so bless the awesome waiter!

Meal: Dinner
Food: We all shared the soft shell crab, and the large mixed sashimi for starters – the sashimi was so fresh (tuna, salmon, snapper)! Then we had a duck main served with pear which was delicious. Also had the pork belly which I normally love but this particular serving was way too rich for me. Even though it was very tasty, I could only stomach one piece. Meal sizes were ok – Japanese servings are small anyhow, but I left feeling like I’d had enough.
Service: Fantastic. Ebisu doesn’t take bookings for small tables, so we walked in at peak hour (7:30pm on a Saturday) and were told we had an hour wait to be seated, but if we wanted to go somewhere else in Britomart for a drink first they would call me when the table was ready – which they did within the hour. During our meal, we had 2 waiters doting on us. Great service.
Cost: $180 for 3 people including drinks which I didn’t think was too bad at all considering the calibre of the place. Did I mention Ali Williams was sitting at the next table?
Stand out features: They took my coat when I walked in, which was nice Plus they didn’t shy away from decent servings of the mayonnaise NOM!
Will I go back? Most definitely.

With a low-key entrance and minimalistic décor Ebisu is all class. The Ebisu no Osashimi, a modern sashimi platter was certainly the highlight of the evening for me. And the yuzu brulee was comfortingly creamy with zesty citrus overtones although it came in miniature proportions. Service was swift. Not cheap but worth it. Read full review at http://notanotherquart…

Fantastic food & excellent service but due to all the hard surfaces is quite noisy.

Delicious soft shell crab.. lovely hot sake and a pleasantly buzzing atmosphere!

Nom nom nom.
I’ve been to most Japanese restaurants and I rate this one one of Auckland’s best. Good for a date or a fancy occasion; not everyday Japanese.
Great atmosphere and the food is delicious. Try the a selection of “small platters” between a few of you, they’re not that small at all!

Went last night, outstanding food from beginning to end, the only slightly off dish was the soft shell crab, it was a little greasy. Sahsimi was fantastic as was the tofu dish. Not too pricy, and good staff.

Ended up here with friends one night. We were at a charity event fund raising for cancer kids so had a set menu. Lack of choice was no bad thing. Had soft shelled crab for the first time. Divine! Service was excellent, all of the staff took great care of us. The selection of food was delicious. Looking forward to going back.

Went to Ebisu on Saturday night, loved it. Its a large area that was almost full by 7pm – great service and fantastic food. Loved the scotch fillet with 3 sauces.
There is a DJ in the corner for the music, which i really enjoyed – totally added to the atmosphere – especially since it wasn’t too loud to stop conversation.