Ebisu Providence — Restaurant in Providence

Horror experience. Went with a party of 8. Only 2 tables had people. It wasn't busy. Service was slow and clumsy. Food was mostly lackluster. There was a very long hair in one soup. 4 items were forgotten from our order. 1 item was wrong. Those were just the problems I noticed. Maybe if you've never had Japanese food before this place seems nice. I've had Japanese izakaya before. This ain't it.

Positives. The Gyu Tan (beef tongue salad) and Hijiki (seaweed salad) were pretty good. Both are cold dishes, so maybe that says something. There's authentic Japanese beer and alcohol on the menu.

Service. The first thing to hit the table was my beer bottle, and that bottle wasn't cleaned off the table until the very end of the meal. At times we had to juggle plates when the waitress brought food because dirty dishes weren't ever picked up until they absolutely had to be. The place was not busy. The waitress needed several reminders to bring requested items. Food came out slowly to the point people were getting anxious, compounded by some appetizers being forgotten.

Food. The gyoza tasted of freezer burn and came in a weird sauce - maybe too much vinegar? It wouldn't surprise me if they used the packet in the freezer bag. The term "robotayaki" means skewers cooked over charcoal. My skewers were probably just broiled because they weren't charred and they didn't taste of charcoal - even if Providence doesn't allow indoor charcoal there are ways to accomplish the flavor. We only got 2 of the 4 skewers we ordered so I can only say the ones I tasted were very boring. The duck for the duck soup was criminally overcooked, and left outside of the bowl. Why would we order duck soup without the duck in the soup? The "soba" in the duck soup and the "soba" in the yakisoba both seem to be dollar-store ramen noodles. Soba noodles are made from buckwheat. Good, fresh soba noodles are thick and maybe even brown depending on how much of the buckwheat they use. The "yaki" in yakisoba (and robotoyaki) means barbecued. Yakisoba noodles should be fried in a sort of barbecue sauce. They should be deep orange or brown from the cooking. The "yakisoba" here is thin and white, and the dish is actually closer to American chow mein. Very plain flavor.

Ramen. I make better ramen at home. If you look closely at the pictures of the ramen, you'll see the presentation is very mediocre. Look at any international ramen place like Ramen Misoya and compare the presentation. Not even close. This difference in care can be tasted in the food.

Overall. Despite all their vast claims to an authentic menu, not a single hot dish on the table was up to par. This place tastes more like your average Chinese takeout than an authentic Japanese izakaya.

I really hope I just came on an off night. I want to like this place so much. But I'm absolutely never coming here again until I see...

Let me put you on if you haven’t been. Ebisu has the best ramen, best service, and best drinks. At this point, this place feels like an extension of my house it’s so cozy and inviting. Must get: Spicy chicken buns (pork is also good but these are the BEST) Garlic chili edamame Green tea Any ramen…30 hour, spicy katsu (comes with katsu on the side for dipping!), udon with tempura, spicy miso, or make your own— and you can name it and put it in the system to order again! Any entree plate and I especially recommend the sides of edamame croquettes, bacon kimchi fried rice, garlic shiso fried rice, the miso veggies, seaweed salad…I mean, you kind of can’t go wrong with any combo.

I can’t speak for the Shabu Shabu personally, but people always look happy when eating it!

Drinks are sweet, but strong! Zombie and lychee martini were our go-tos, until we go turned onto their sake.

Overall, lots to explore on the menu in addition to featured specials. Check it out and you’ll never stop coming back! Ebisu east providence is also good and has the addition of sushi...

Absolutely love this place!!! Their other location, not so much. This location never disappoints!! The service is always friendly and welcoming, the food is always amazing. The staff cares about their customers and love to see returning ones. If you had a server one time and get another the next time, the server you had before will stop by and say hello. By my third visit they had me and my boyfriends orders memorized I get the miso ramen, gyoza and passion fruit zombie. My boyfriend gets gyoza, spicy miso and a beer that I don’t remember the name of. Our chashu is always cooked well and the size of the pieces are good too. I’ve never had a complaint about this location. Kevin is an amazing employee! He’s always so happy and brightens the place up. I was sad to not have him as my server the last few times but I found out he’s still there, but is in the kitchen. He excels with whatever role they have him doing! I don’t know the name of the other two servers I’ve had (one female, one male) but they are amazing as well! 10/10 would...