Ebisu Sushi in San Francisco
5.0 star rating on Yelp, 1/24/2012
The wait staff is nice, friendly, and attentive in a polite way — not hovering but there when you need them. They pace meals well, bringing one or two orders at a time, clearing plates constantly through the meal, and checking back to make sure everything is OK frequently. Someone is almost constantly coming through with water and tea refills as well. There can be a long wait for a table during peak hours on weekends, but it’s a very popular place, so that is to be expected. I usually go in early or on week nights and rarely have a wait.
The restaurant was remodeled a couple of years ago, and I like it a lot better now. It looks cleaner and more modern. That said, I miss the tatami room in the back, which was great for larger parties. It is a bit difficult to bring a group to Ebisu now. I find it is best suited for parties of 4 or smaller, and the dining configuration is even more cramped now that they’ve eliminated some of the seating space in the remodel.
On to the most important matter: the food. I’m easily put off by “fishy” smells or tastes. I’ve never found that to be a concern here. Fish is always very fresh, cuts are good. They have a wide selection of both more conventional dishes and Westernized specialty rolls. Some of the rolls are unique to Ebisu and quite inventive compared to other sushi places in this city. It is true that they have scaled down the menu after the remodel, but there are still enough choices to keep anyone happy. My “must order” list always seems to grow, far beyond what I can actually eat in one sitting. 
My standard order (why, yes, I’m a glutton):
1) 49ER ROLL – This is a must order. Ebisu has ruined me. Theirs is the best; if it’s on the menu at any other sushi restaurant, I order it, and then am disappointed when it’s not as good as Ebisu’s. If it’s not on the menu elsewhere, I’m crestfallen. It is now impossible to be satisfied with a sushi meal if there is no 49′er roll. Last weekend, one of my friends had to endure my attempt to peel slivers of lemon to put on my non-49er-roll at another establishment. The combination is really *that* good.
2) Sashimi – usually sake or hirame in my case, but I’ve yet to hear of anything that’s not good.
3) Kobe beef sashimi or nigiri, whatever is on the day’s special
4) UMESHISO maki roll – I feel as strongly about this as I do the 49er roll; not coincidentally, this is also one of the standards by which I judge sushi places. A bit unfair, unbalanced, and strange, I know, but hey, I am all of those things!
5) Ebisu Maki – I’d thought they’d dropped this from the menu, but it’s just been relocated under the non-specialty roll section. It’s a maki roll with salmon and a bunch of vegetables (like sprouts, cucumber, some root veggies, can’t recall exactly).
6) The a la carte skewers I’ve tried have been quite good and I usually order one or more after failing to convince myself that I’ve ordered quite enough already.
There are a lot of other wonderful things that I don’t order, because I am allergic to them, and consequently, my life is very sad. But my friends order them, rave over them, and I drool and wish I could eat them. For example:
- Potato Bug
- Dragon Roll
- Caterpillar
- Hamachi Sashimi, in particular, I’ve heard is very good
The portions for most items are pretty generous. Obviously sashimi and nigiri orders are not very large, but the specialty rolls are enormous. If I am being reasonable about the amount of food that is strictly necessary, I would be content with one specialty roll, one piece of sashimi and maybe a small maki roll (like umeshiso or avocado). I am not very reasonable though….
The only negative experience at Ebisu, is when the check comes, and I do a double take before remembering how much I ordered.
I have tried just ordering take-out to avoid this problem but it doesn’t really work since as soon as I look at the menu, I find myself rattling off half a dozen items.”
