Ebisu Sushi is not your typical sushi restaurant. It is not stuffy, unwelcoming, or awash in fluorescent lighting. Owned by two Zen Buddhists, the restaurant’s atmosphere is dimly lit over black and red tones and the speakers are always bumping dope electronic dub music. The space in the front of the restaurant is lined with leather booths and the walls are adorned with wire-wrapped sculptures and bold Japanese symbol paintings.

In the back there is a slightly hidden yet expansive lounge adorned with a leather cave-like setting containing a full bar and DJ booth. Normally it’s quite out of the ordinary to sit at a sushi bar and watch your rolls flawlessly constructed by a Mexican dude and a tatted up Caucasian guy with a backwards hat, but these two characters make the most unique and exquisite sushi rolls in town.

A matchless Akadashi Miso and mushroom soup is the perfect way to begin a meal at Ebisu, followed by a perfectly tossed garlic edamame. If you want something new, I recommend the Yamagobo appetizer, which is pickled burdock root topped with sesame seeds and bonito shavings. Yamagobo is great with a Sapporo: salty, fishy goodness.

Although the appetizers are remarkable, the real Ebisu specialties can be found in their sashimi, chef’s selections, and sushi roll menu. Nothing beats the Hawaiian roll: spice-seared tuna, avocado, spicy snow crab, cucumber, spicy mayo, all topped with ponzu, or the Baked Scallop Dynamite roll: salmon & avocado topped with scallops, krab, chives, & shiitake mushrooms in a creamy dynamite and sweet eel sauce.

If you are a vegetarian, you are in luck! At Ebisu, there are actual vegetarian options that are savory and satisfying for the price, unlike other sushi restaurants that roll up a couple raw veggies in some rice and slap on a $6.00 surcharge. The most delicious of the veggie rolls is definitely the Enigma roll: tempura fried broccoli, green beans, carrot, and shiitake mushroom with a hint of curry.

The next time you are asking yourself where you can eat after 10 pm, please keep this gem in mind instead of succumbing to the ubiquitous 24-hour taco shop.

It took only one visit to Ebisu to win me over. If you are looking for cheap, fast, and crazy, go to Sushi Deli. If you are looking for a personal, chill, high-quality sushi experience that will make your tastebuds swoon, check out Ebisu.

Ebisu sushi is located in Hillcrest on 3765 Sixth Ave and is open from 5 pm-12 am Tuesday–Saturday, 5 pm-11 pm Sunday, and closed Mondays. Their happy hour specials are late night during the week from 10pm-12 am.

http://www.ebisusushisd.com/