Ebisu — Restaurant in Waitematā

Have been here a few times now. The most recent time was for Auckland restaurant month. The food was very good and well presented, but not amazing. The meal was designed to be shared but we had a group of 7 which made things a bit awkward, and at times we felt like we were sharing food for a group of 6 (e.g. a few courses came out in either 2 or 3 dishes, so occasionally one person got a bit short changed). Ebisu were also unable to cater to one of our groups dietary requirements, so she had to miss out on a course. The highlight of the meal was definitely the dessert which thankfully came out as individuals serves. I would recommend ordering a la carte instead of the set menus.

That particular night Ebisu also seemed to be short on a number of their wine options... After we were told our first few choices were not available, some of te girls gave up and ordered non alcoholic drinks.

The service was a bit hit and miss I.e. Sporadic and at times unhelpful and overbearing, at other times completely absent (became an effort to flag down waiters or get drink top ups). However I did appreciate that it was a full house on a week night... Not sure it that explained the strange temperature situation though which swung from uncomfortably warm to rather chilly (made me wish I hadn't given my coat to the waiter to out away!).

All and all, some redeeming features (food presentation and ambience)... But service could be brushed up, wine in stock, and portion sizes for odd numbered...

I had an extremely disappointing experience at this restaurant on Valentine’s Day. I booked a premium tasting menu in advance, and neither the website nor the confirmation call mentioned that only a Valentine’s set menu would be available. Upon arrival, we were informed that our booking details were not honored because the staff was “unaware” of the set menu policy—an unacceptable excuse for such a special occasion. Had they communicated this beforehand, I would have chosen another restaurant.

To make matters worse, the restaurant was severely overbooked. We arrived on time at 8:45 PM but didn’t get a table until 9:15 PM, and the first course arrived at 10:15 PM. It was clear they prioritized maximizing reservations over providing a smooth dining experience. The manager, Adam, was completely unprofessional, showing no concern for their mistake or any attempt to make amends.

On a positive note, the Asian lady serving us was excellent—friendly, attentive, and professional. The food itself was of good quality, but the overall experience was ruined by mismanagement and poor communication.

For a high-end restaurant, I expected much better organization and customer service. Unfortunately, the way they handled reservations, long wait times, and their dismissive attitude toward complaints made this a memorable evening for all the wrong reasons. I would not return or recommend this place, especially for...

Had a party of 16 there last night to celebrate a friend's 30th. We did the set menu because we have such a large group. The overall service was terrible, the drinks took so long to come even though some of us order the same drinks but came 10-15mins apart. The food was salty, oven roast salmon was powdery and the fish wanst fresh, the angus steak was chewy, had lots of fat tendon in the middle. The salad was very sad looking with just green leafs and 5 pieces of avocado. Rice was either too soggy or dry and the only thing that was decent was the duck and the grilled beans and brocoli. When desert came it was the saddest thing ive ever seen, we litterally got 1 scoop of sorbet in a bowl and thats it. When i made the booking i mentioned it was for a 30th and when dessert come if they could do something special for the birthday girl and yet we got nothing. I dont think they even noted it down which was quite disappointing. When we went to pay not even a simple how was your meal did u enjoy your food? Just a how do u want to pay. Its quite sad how the standard of customer service and food has dropped here, we expected so much as the food was good before. For the price we paid which was over $2k we couldve of gone else where and get better food and service. Definitely wont be back here again and wouldnt recommend you to any of our friends thats for sure. What a way to ruin a 30th...