It had been a little over a year and I just needed to go back to what is still my favorite restaurant in San Francisco for my daughter's 21st birthday. Was happy to see that the only waiter I've ever had here was still working. When you haven't been here before or it has been a long time as it was in this case it is highly recommended you go with the Chef's prix fixe menu. The whole table must get the Prix Fixe and it is actually better to go with more people as you are served in a more family style mode and get to experience all the desserts. For example, I had only seen but never tasted their Shave Ice dessert, as I had always gone on a one on one date, and we were given two more "adult type" desserts but this time with 4 people we were given all of the desserts. First of all, when you do the chef's menu, you are likely to get anything, except for the main meat entree (prime rib for this menu) and the tater tot caviar which is something I highly recommend if you are a caviar lover. Blini are great but tater tots are just the right amount of playfulness for this menu. my only disappointment was to see that the Uni Lo Mein was gone from the menu and apparently hadn't been there in 9 months. Definitely so good that one time I gave an extra order to take home. I'll assume they might bring it back for the summer. The meal came in four waves: 1st Appetizer - Totten Oysters, Vegetable Crudite, Little Gems with puffed grains, cherry Blossom King Salmon, Mexican shrimp coctel and the marquee Ikura and Beef Tartare. 2nd Course - Grilled avocado with Trout roe, parker House Rolls, bbQ oysters, roasted cabbage, and marinated citrus with Chicharron, Main course: Tonkatsu, Fried Rice, homemade sausage served in lettuce cup wraps, and a potato pave served with apple butter, sour cream and porcini puree Dessert Course- Hibiscus Shave Ice, soft serve sundae, cookies and cream robed in Caramel sea salt Basque cheesecake All in all it would have been easier to list what we did NOT have on the menu. My 89 year old mother, who is a super critical Asian cook, was very pleased which was a relief as when she asked where we were going and heard about it being some Asian-fusion and farm to table type dishes, started to wrinkle her nose. My 21 year old daughter loved Brandon's Japanese Whiskey milk punch as well as the adventurousness of all the dishes for her birthday meal with dad. All in all just another successful meal at Ernest read more

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We made reservations a month in advance and were so excited to have a night out for my birthday dinner at Ernest. With a new little one-date nights are extra special these days; just imagine our enthusiasm! Ernest did not diss appoint, I'm certain they probably don't need another glowing review, still, I'll add my 2 cents: The staff made me feel so special for my birthday, even though the place was packed; they texted 15 minutes early to let us know our table was ready, provided a sweet little birthday card/note and the most decadent hazelnut chocolate sundae after dinner. Dinner was amazing: beautifully plated, intentionally conversation-worthy faire. So , tea on the highlights: -The crab buns blew us away -The seared tuna & foie plate was impeccable (too bad it was only on the menu for the night) -the pressed potatoes with truffle were so rich and sumptuous -The shrimp cocktail was such a large serving and absolutely delicious -I love making bread with a very similar recipe to theirs-we thought it was perfect -uni toast was bomb In our opinion we could've absolutely done without the tuna tartare- it did not have great visual presentation and was not well balanced (the rice seemed undone and the allium or matcha? powder was bitter) -The beef tartare was just ok The sauce in the oysters was salty and overpowering The caviar was perfect but did not pair well with salty tater tots All in all Ernest has way more hits than misses and that's why We will certainly be back! read more

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Unfortunately an L, for $200 the tasting menu is definitely not worth it. The food was pretty mediocre. A lot of restaurants seem to be following this trend of feeding you a bunch of sharp, sour pickled/fermented things, that was the flavor profile of 80% of the meal and I was not impressed. The rolls were ok, pretty salty. The katsu bare plating was lol it was okay nothing special. The uni toast at bansang is better, actually the whole experience at bansang is better (and much less expensive) as far as modern fusion Asian food goes. Service was p bad we weren't allowed to sit at the empty bar to wait for our table we had to just stand in an awkward area and then the when the waiter came he did his spiel of the menu and I TRIED to tell him that we we were ready and just wanted to do the tasting menu but he wouldn't let me get a word in and then abruptly left. The vibes were OFF and intense! I don't usually care much for service/ambiance but it was so meh and grey it didn't make you feel like you were having a special experience, just casual and not worth paying so much for. The best thing was the soft serve at the end read more

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Hidden gem - EXCELLENT flavors, textures & creativity in dishes. Plated beautifully. Great vibes, on point music. Only disappointment was timing of our dishes. There were some longer than what seemed normal delays in between our courses. Kind of like, this shouldn't be taking so long feels ya know. But food itself, was outstanding. Wonderful service as well! read more

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If you plan to come here, I highly recommend booking a reservation around 3-4 weeks in advance if you want a weekend slot. On the weekday, if you plan to go the week of, you can get a spot at 5:00PM (right at opening) or around 9:00PM. Drinks wise: it's $15 per cocktail. We got the "let the kitchen cook for you". This is where the chief gives you a sampler of 11 different items (7 appetizers, 3 entrees, and 1 desert). This menu varies per day / chef. My favorite out of everything that we've gotten was the sushi rice. Overall, great experience and wonderful service. They change your dish and folks every time they bring a new item out. I recommend ordering the dishes separately as you'll get way more food and the prices is almost the same as going with the "let the kitchen cook for you" option. read more

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One of the best meals I've had in San Francisco recently. We sat at the bar (excellent service) and opted for the premium tasting menu, which was a steal at $139. Generous portions and a wide variety of dishes. Our favorites were the doughnuts with caviar, beef tartar with roe, the spring vegetables, and the fried rice. We were least excited by the shrimp cocktail (all sauce) and the hanger steak, which while perfectly good, was not interesting compared to the other dishes. Looking forward to returning. read more

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Getting a next-day reservation at Ernest is some type of luck!!! It's so difficult to get a table here, I'm so grateful and thankful that I did because the "let the chef cook for you" tasting menu was truly an experience of a lifetime. and so glad we came in the spring for the seasonal latest! THANK YOU CHEF AND TEAM ERNEST The space is industrial chic: Ernest is nestled in the Mission next to Tartine and San Ho Won. There's a lower and upper seating area and the restaurant is spacious, airy, and bright. I liked when they opened up the curtains around sunset to let more light in :-) Food lives up to the hype. This is a praised outpost for a reason! "I will never forget" savory dishes for me were the anchovies with milk bread croutons, sushi rice, salmon sashimi with tom kha sauce (YUM???), lo mein, chawanmushi, and fried rice. The tasting menu is a lot of food, so be warned -- but many of the dishes reheat well as leftovers. I had the fried rice the next day for lunch and it was the best office box lunch I've ever had. EVERY SINGLE DESSERT WAS INCREDIBLE. The biggest hit for our table were the dessert courses. The soft serve is like a gourmet ice cream Ferrero Rocher, and the texture + flavor combo for the shaved ice is seriously incomparable. Medium-rare basque cheesecake was also very very interesting For first-timers, definitely worth it to do the tasting to figure out what hits and doesn't hit for you. I think the next time we visit, we will do à la carte, skipping some of the stuff that didn't hit so much for us (chicken liver, mostly) Ernest is solidly at the top of my SF restaurant list after my visit, and I'd highly recommend to anyone interested in top-of-the-line cuisine. Just do come very hungry and expect to be fed !!! read more

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Had a pleasant dinner here with a group of 3. The restaurant is both minimalist and modern at the same time. The place is open and bright. Our reservation was at 5:45 PM and we were let in at 5:30 sharp, along with other groups. Everyone was greeted by servers that fell in a straight line wearing aprons and Dunks... Maybe 1 with LV trainers- I found that quirky and fun. We were sat down and were greeted by a server immediately. Right away, she asked if we wanted sparkling or tap and our water cups were always refilled - loved that! Our group opted for the $139 "Let the chef cook for you" option.... By the way, on the menu, you'd see 2 prices, a $99 and $139. The difference is that for the lower price, you don't get the Uni toast nor the Caviar. Some commentary on the food: Uni Toast - Perfect! Uni was fresh and succulent. With the butter toast, divine! Caviar - came with corn bread madeleines. Both are good separately, but I don't think it goes well together. XO Endive - Loved everything about this except for the XO sauce. I'm familiar and do like XO sauce, but something about this one didn't leave a good lingering taste Savoy Cabbage - Possibly my favorite in the entire service. Smoky, spicy and full of flavor. My gosh, I would love a tub of this... and I'm not a vegetable type of person too And here are the reasons I didn't give a 5/5. 1. A meat dish was placed in-front of us. My friends and I asked what kind of meat or what cut it was. The server says it's a NY steak. I looked at the dish and mentioned to my friends that it looked too dark and looked overcooked. I cut into it and it tasted a bit off. Immediately I told my friends that I'm not a fan and it reminded me of something - like a shawarma or something Mediterranean. My friend then tried it and she agreed that she understood what I meant and it tasted off. As another server checked on us, she jovially greeted us with, How are you enjoying the Lamb? My friend and I looked at each other and said, "Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Now it makes sense. (We both don't like Lamb) Kid you not, it seemed like it was a sitcom and we started laughing! Don't get me wrong, I know a-lot of people enjoy Lamb, but it's just not for me. It's just the fact that I was told that it was Beef, so my mind was conditioned and expecting it to be Beef while ending up tasting something totally different. 2. The fish dish. I swear that the server said it was Halibut, but as I look at the menu online now, It says it's Cod. Not a big deal, but I just wish we were informed correctly. Anyway, the fish was cooked to perfection and I would order it again.. whatever fish that was. Food: 4/5 Service 5/5 Ambiance 5/5 I recommend this place! read more

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Hands down the best $99 you'll spend on a prefix menu. The food is non-stop, it's delicious and it's pretty easy to snag a reservation. I would 10/10 recommend this for a date night, ladies night, for every and all things! read more

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3.5/5 (rounding up because service was 5/5) My boyfriend and I did the tasting menu and we were expecting better. I got 2 cocktails - the daiquiri bolognese and lime fizz and both were delicious! The appetizers were the best out of the 3 courses. Our favorites were the Mexican shrimp and the beef tartare. The oysters were good but I wouldn't pay $4 each if we were to do a la carte. The second course was a sweet potato dish, stir fry broccoli with garlic and chili, and the Parker rolls. The Parker rolls were the best in this course. The broccoli was good but tasted like something I could make at home. The sweet potato dish was a miss for us. I'm not a fan of sweet and savory so this just didn't work for me. The third course was the pork neck tonkatsu and the fried rice which were both ok, nothing amazing. The pork neck sauce needed some sweetness to balance the salty sauce. In summary, there were some great dishes, some meh and a few misses. I've heard great things from friends about other dishes so I suggest doing a la carte and skipping the tasting menu. read more

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Came here for a birthday celebration and we ordered everything that sounded good to us. There was no holding back. - Beef tartare - this was our favorite appetizer. The meat was seasoned so well. - Uni toast - I'm a fan of uni and this was good. The uni didn't have an ocean smell or taste like some places. The toast doesn't really add much to the dish. I prefer to just eat the uni by itself. - Chicken liver mousse - I was expecting something similar to a pate. Now I know they're very different. I wouldn't order this again. I'm not a fan of the texture or taste. - A5 wagyu katsu sando - as expected the wagyu was delicious but the beef tartare is still my favorite. The sando was just really good meat with bread. Nothing really memorable or unique about this. - Lo mein - I don't remember if I like this or not but this dish still ranks higher than the chicken liver mousse. The liver mousse was very memorable as the least favorite dish. - Strawberry shortcake shaved ice - I remember thinking we'll have no problem finishing this after everything we ate because this is just ice but I was wrong. This was huge and after everything we ordered, we were stuffed by the time we finished dessert. This wasn't too sweet and I really like the shortcake pieces throughout the shaved ice. The strawberry syrup tasted fresh and not artificial. The cream on top added a subtle creaminess and complex texture to the dish that otherwise would've felt pretty boring to eat. read more

Came here for a holiday dinner and Anniversary. The service was excellent. The host was very personable, food came out quickly, and the staff was very attentive. We ordered multiple dishes. Our favorites are the Monterey squid with broccolini - very balanced and flavorful, the ribeye with nori (seaweed) butter - new take that gave complexity to this dish, and the French omelet with truffles - light and fragrant option. The Mexican shrimp Coxtel was also good and the portion is large for two people. Lastly we got soft serve for dessert a can miss item as they pour magic chocolate that hardens into a shell on the salted hazelnut ice cream. read more

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It's a good place to go. I stayed at the bar because it is usually crowded and the waiting list would be long. We ordered fried rice, tonkatsu and hazelnut sundae. I recommend. read more

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Came here for a "casual" weeknight dinner. Meaning, we had to run an errand nearby, learned that they had walk-ins, and got there pretty much right when they opened to get a seat at the bar. At first I wanted to do their chef's choice, but when I asked what they thought would be on it, they said "not any of the expensive stuff"... which is everything I had come here to try, haha. Got the uni toast, caviar, chicken liver, sushi rice, early girl tomatoes, and (obviously) the ice cream sundae. My favorite was the early girl tomatoes - was happy to get some in before the end of the season. Whatever seasoning blend they used with it, was magical. Also, the cocktails here are pretty good. Was really digging the Makrut Lime Fizz. Ended up being like $250 for 2 people for our "casual dinner", but ayyyy treat yo self. read more

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We got a last minute reservation and did a light dinner quite late, plus a sundae and cocktails. The sundae absolutely cannot be missed. The cocktails were delicious - get the one with egg white omg! Highly recommend the pate, as well, really unexpected and exciting flavors I've never had in the city. Cant wait to come back with more time and more friends! read more

Ernest - Ernest Sundae with crispy valrona chocolate coating - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

Standout food and service. The desserts just incredible - especially the shaved ice. Cool vibe too!!

Made a reservation for Ernest about 3 weeks ahead of time and was able to get a reservation for 2 on a Sunday night at 5pm. Reservations go quickly so I definitely recommend booking asap and checking regularly. We visited to celebrate a birthday, and when we were seated, their was a cute hand written card wishing happy birthday. You can order a La carte or do a pre fixe menu. The pre fixe menu includes about 90% of the total food menu which for $97, was a good deal in our opinion, especially if you're looking to try many of the dishes. The food comes in 3 waves plus dessert, with each wave consisting of multiple items. - MSG martini - King Salmon - Summerstone Oyster - Mexican Shrimp Coctel - Sushi Rice - Cucumber & Avocado - Lo Mein - Heirloom Tomatoes - Parker House Rolls - Aged Beef Dumplings - Koshihikari Fried Rice - Pork Neck Tonkatsu Overall, the entire experience and food quality was great and we were incredibly stuffed at the end. However, nothing absolutely wow'd us. The first wave of raw items were all awesome, probably our favorite of the 3 waves. We were also fans of the lo mein, cucumber & avocado, heirloom tomatoes, and pork tonkatsu. There was only one item we didn't like, which was the aged beef dumplings; we found that the dough was quite thick and the dish was actually a bit bland. Overall though, still a great spot for dinner. There's a few items on the menu we didn't get in our pre fixe so we're already thinking about giving it another shot to try some of those items read more

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My friends convinced me to give Ernest another chance after the average experience last time. Glad we did because the food was superb and much better than last time. Dalgona Martini: Definitely more bitter than your usual espresso martini but liked the frothiness of the dalgona and the rich bitterness. 4.5/5 Liver Mousse and Date Pop Tart: Personally not a fan of the dates. They added a little too much sweetness and tartness. Would have preferred if it was just the puff pastry and the liver mousse. Liver mousse was really smooth, basically like pate. 4/5 Potato Pave w Truffle: First time having a pave and was a little confused. Thought they would plate it with the horizontal layers on the plate so it would be easy to break into but that wasn't the case. A little too much of the creamy sauce for my taste. You can actually taste the truffles in this dish so that was a plus. Potatoes were average. I was expected pave to be a little crispier by it was only crispy on the outside. 4/5 Nashville Pork Tonakatsu: My lease favorite dish that we got this time around. A little on the dryer side and for nashville style coating, it was not spicy at all. Chive oil ranch was good but couldn't save the tonkatsu. 3.5/5 Duck Breast: The star of the show! I definitely recommend you get this. Was so good that we got another one after finishing. Duck was cooked to perfection (medium rare). Skin could have been a little crispier but probably absorbed the sauce from the salad. Salad was kind of like a thai papaya salad inspired dish. Great tart and slight spicy kick to it. Bean sprouts added texture and a slight crunch. Duck confit (i'm assuming) was added to the salad as well once you toss it. 5/5 BBQ oysters: Surprised to see cooked oysters on the menu but they did a good job. Smoky bbq flavor wasn't too overpowering and just perfect. Definitely add the lemon as the citrus helps balance the smoky bbq flavor. 4.5/5 Overall, happy with coming back to Ernest and giving them that second shot. Could be that last time we went they were just establishing their kitchen/menu. Would recommend and duck breast is a must have! read more

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Reservation is so hard to get. I snagged a 5pm Wednesday Resy for 2. But we were a party of 3. I emailed Ernest and they were able to accommodate us. There is $50 per person cancellation. We got lost looking for the entrance. It's right on corner Florida and Mariposa thru a black gate entrance. Open kitchen with main seating on second floor. There is a private room on the side. Not sure if you can reserved that. We decide on chef menu $97 and we added kaluga caviar $57 & Santa Barbara uni toast $25 to share. We were so full. Everything was delicious. Service was amazing. The cocktails was so good. read more

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I feel bad about leaving negative reviews. However I can't give this place any more than 1 star when considering the whole experience. I don't even remember having to leave a restaurant just because the experience was just so bad and the server made me feel so uncomfortable. First of all I don't really like when they ask you to put all the order at once. You can only order tasting menu and if you don't, you need to keep it flexible. What if you order too many dishes. What if you decide you want more food half way. The waiter emphasized that the chef doesn't like it when you don't put all the order at once and if you do, you might experience very long wait time between orders!!! The waiter was very intimidating and didn't come out nice at all! I was also surprised with the fact that the menu was very different from what we saw on Yelp. None of the dishes that I was excited about (Carbonara and grilled avocado) were in their new menu and I was kinda disappointed. Another interesting thing that happened was that, two people in our group were looking for Vegan dishes. They are not on a strict Vegan diet but just prefer to eat Vegan. When we asked the waiter if there are any options in the menu or whether the chef can make any dishes vegan more friendly, he pointed out to two dishes in the menu were both were not vegan (Persian Cucumber and Fried Rice). One had egg in it and the other one had yogurt. My point here is that, in a restaurant like this in San Francisco, the waiter should at least know what is Vegan and what is not. Regarding the food, nothing was that impressive to me. The heirloom tomato dish was just okay. The Persian cucumber was pretty basic and extremely over priced. I had the watermelon paper plane drink and most of my glass was ice and after a few min you couldn't even taste the drink. Overall the experience was way below the average. I felt very uneasy and intimidated by the way that the waiter treated us. We ended up just ordering some small dishes, have our drink and leave. Their reputation and rating on Yelp might be better reflecting of the tasting menu but ours was very bad. I was very excited about this place but I will not go back! read more

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LOVE the desserts: basque cheesecake, kakigori, and sundae. I'd come here just for those. Dinner service was lovely--fried rice, really fresh in-season produce, the flakiest green onion pancakes I'd ever had. Great cocktails/mocktails too. Had an early dinner (~5pm in the summer), so the light was just perfect in that space. Open kitchen, two-story open loft vibes. Easy street parking. All of it was a fantastic experience. read more

Dined here a couple weeks ago and was so impressed by the food. Japanese influence in the flavors were perfect. We did the tasting menu and I'm so glad we did. Every course had something really special. My favorite was how they just live bomb you in the beginning with all the fun and creative seafood dishes. read more

Ernest - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

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one of my favorite higher end restaurants that was worth the money (got tasting menu). soft serve dessert was INSANE. and all the seafood was my favorite (the apps portion) bc so so fresh. steak was good too the rest were fine as nothing outstanding but nice little twist! lovely presentation. read more

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We came here to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday and it was one of my favorite meals I've ever had! They even left a "Happy Birthday" card on the table for us when we sat down. Instead of letting the kitchen cook for us since we were so full, we ordered a bunch of the dishes to try. Uni Toast ($29): The most perfect bite of uni and crispy toast. Even though it's small, it is packed with fresh uni. Crab Rangoon Dip ($17): This ended up being one of my favorite items we ordered. The peach in the dip gave it the perfect sweetness and paired perfectly with the wonton chips. Oysters ($4 each): We ordered Pinkerton oysters, which were really good with Ernest's vinegar and hot sauce. Sushi Rice ($21): One of the best dishes we ordered. You roll up the nori with the ikura, raw beef, and rice, and it tastes amazing. Japanese Sea Bream ($23): Definitely fresh, but I wish it had more flavor. The drops of plum flavor are really small and I could barely taste the chimichurri. I would pass on this next time. Parker House Rolls ($9): The softest rolls I've ever had. It was like eating fluffy heaven. My sister is obsessed with these and wishes she could have a whole ring to herself. Koshikari Fried Rice ($19): I love how they change the menu to have this dish always have seasonal vegetables. You could also really taste the wok flavor! Lo Mein ($25): We got the sea urchin carbonara version of the lo mein and it was super creamy. I was most excited for this dish, but I thought the flavor was just okay and it was pretty salty. Veal Sweetbreads ($21): My first time having sweetbread, which is the thymus or pancreas. It was drenched with sauce, which made it taste like buffalo sauce. It was also very small and the texture takes some time to get used to. I'd pass on this next time. Heirloom Tomatoes ($18): This was pretty good, but nothing too special. Soft Serve Sundae ($13): When this soft serve comes out, they drizzle the chocolate on right in front of you for the hard chocolate shell! The vanilla flavor is strong and the ice cream is creamy -- I definitely recommend getting this. read more

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This restaurant has become one of my new favorites. I feel like it lives up to the hype. It's so fresh and modern and it really embodies a San Francisco restaurant. We were very satisfied with our meal from the presentation to all the flavors. The restaurant is modern industrial, well kept. Server was nice and friendly and made some recommendations as well. Started off with kaluga caviar (with tater tots and créme fraîche), & Parker house rolls (with house cultured butter & it's milk). Entrees were lo mein (sea urchin "carbonara", olivier's bacon) and aged duck breast with smoked date, cabbage, orange. For dessert we got the medium rare basque cheesecake I already want to go back. This is definitely a nice date night restaurant. read more

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4/5 food 4/5 service 5/5 ambiance and decor We tried the scallop sashimi, sushi rice, chicken liver, autumn chopped salad, fried rice, Monterey bay squid, sea urchin pierogis, carrot cake shaved ice and sundae ice cream. The standouts for me were the scallops, sushi rice, Monterey bay squid, and pierogis. The salad tasted like a basic Costco pre packaged salad. The ingredients didn't seem innovative or particularly special. Fried rice is not worth the money. Carrot cake shaved ice tastes bland in comparison to the sundae. The sundae was bomb though. Gin fizz was so good. It's a dangerous drink. read more

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I've been a long time fan of Ernest's and love the good and ambience in general, but had a challenging experience with a recent large group reservation. We booked for 8 one week ahead (thankful for the availability) and from Yelp reviews I realized it would be the private room, which was great. We were able to add 2 more to 10 and were told given the last minute reservation there would be no room fee or minimum spend. However, the day before the reservation date (literally 24 hours), we were suddenly told that it was mandatory to preorder bottles of wine, which confused me because others have dined in a group at Ernest without this restriction previously. We were also told we could not order wine by the glass, only cocktails, and that for pre-orders we were allowed to pick one red and one white. I asked for an updated wine list and was not given one. It was challenging to get 10 people's opinions with such short notice, then several wines we picked were not available, and the manager James kept pushing a Gruner on us - maybe excess inventory? It was an unpleasant experience to exchange 10 emails within 24 hours (some at midnight) on this restrictive policy that was not stated upfront and nowhere on the website. In the end, we ended up ordering mostly cocktails and barely had any wine...! What a waste of time. read more

As a fine dining restaurant, I had high expectations for the food. Visually each plate looks great but taste of all the dishes I tried were lacking umami and was just "ok" hence the 3 stars. Our party of 3 decided to get specific dishes vs the "let the kitchen cook for you". We ended up not finishing a couple things since we were full. Asked the waitress to pack up our leftovers. When we left the restaurant, we realized that she did not give us our leftovers. At that point we weren't too far from the restaurant but the food wasn't worth eating again to go back and get our leftovers. read more

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Small seats. Good service. Unique dishes. Dumplings a must and rolls. Wagyu tartar with roe is a delightful treat. Wouldn't rush back. High prices. Lovely experience while it lasted. read more

Ernest - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

We tried the chef's tasting back in July and didn't get to leave a review! We had a 5pm dinner and was there for about 2 hours. It was a great experience and super fun to try everything. Highlights - The ikura beef tartare, the house bun, the salmon with the green goddess sauce, the tonkatsu, the sundae, AND the lime fizz !! read more

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Saw uni carbonara/lo mein was listed on their menu so of course we had to check them out. Reservations isn't too hard to get if you don't mind eating at 9pm, but for the 5pm time slot, you do have to plan a bit ahead of time. We had the 9pm reservation and parking was plenty down the street. Here's what we ordered and some quick thoughts about them: Uni toast - you only get 1 piece and it's quite small for the price Parker House Rolls - super soft and warm, tasted great with the butter Sushi Rice - wish there was just a bit more raw beef to help balance out the ikura flavor Lo Mein - decent portions and creamy uni taste, but can get a bit heavy after a couple bites Pork Neck Tonkatsu - huge portions, really like the tomatoes and dill sauce to help lighten up the taste and make it more refreshing Soft Serve Sundae - creamy ice cream, chocolate shell, and caramelized hazelnut. The combination reminded me of a ferrero rocher Strawberry Shortcake Shave Ice - this was huge as well and it had a nice balance of sweet and tartness. There was some cake crumble on top that also added a nice change of texture Overall, I wasn't necessarily blown away from any of these dishes, but I did like the main dishes more than the starters. Everything was still very tasty and I fully enjoyed my meal. I think I'll come back with a group so I can try more of the other dishes as well. read more

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I was so undecided on what to get when coming here but had more of an idea when the waiter did a breakdown of the menu. Decided that we were going to order a la carte and get the things we wanted to try. Smoked Fish Dip (3.5/5): I liked the potato chips to dip with! I was eating them alone. The dip itself is very dill flavored and not too fishy but not my favorite. Lo Mein with Manila Clam (3/5): The texture of the lo mein noodle was very al dente and was a bit too salty with the roe. For the price point it was a bit steep and I felt as if the dish could be more elevated! Cucumber & Avocado (5/5): This had melon in it which provided a whole other flavor to the dish. The melon wasn't listed on the menu so it really took us by surprise, but I ended up liking it. The cucumbers were so crunchy and this was good to cut through the saltier dishes. Sushi Rice (3.5/5): The idea of everything sounded better in my head, but the sushi rice was a bit on the vinegary side. I feel as if the beef tartare didn't really do much in the dish, but wrapping it in seaweed was fun. Fried Rice (3.5/5): I actually really enjoyed the smoky flavor of the rice, however, the fried egg was the only protein. I love that they sprinkle in a lot of thai basil. They wrote a little hbd note and brought me a soft serve for my birthday which I really appreciated! I wasn't planning on getting any desserts but they made me feel special! The service and staff bumps my rating to a 4, but the food was honestly stuff I've tasted before. read more

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A reluctant 3.5ish. the food is probably a 4-4.5 but given the hype and price, we expected more notes: - there are two ways to enjoy: (1) a tasting menu that lets you enjoy smaller portions of 75% of the menu for $97/pp, or: (2) a la carte. we eyeballed the numbers and it worked out to be the same price if we just ordered half of the menu, and then we'd get to choose what we wanted - the menu changes by month - make reservations on resy a month in advance - they're best at apps, desserts, and bread - dog-friendly when there is outdoor seating food: - king salmon -- hit - uni toast -- miss - oysters -- hit - beef tartare (sushi rice) -- miss - aged beef dumplings -- miss - Parker rolls -- def a hit - tonkatsu -- miss - sundae -- def a hit drinks: - msg martini -- miss - alpine colada -- hit read more

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Where do I begin? I love the food, the ambiance, and everything about Ernest. We've been here multiple times celebrating birthdays and special occasions. Then, it just started to become a stable that we would frequent even on a regular weeknight. Their service and attention to detail always blow me away. For me, it's the little notecard on the table before you arrived (if you mention in your resy that you're celebrating a certain occasion), or the way the servers greet you and tell you what they love about the dish, or the thoughtfulness of plating each dish so you have the best experience possible. It really is the little things. The food was amazing. We always opt for the tasting menu so we can try a little bit of everything that's popular during that season's menu. Their Parker House roll is to die for. It is always worth saving room at the end for their ice cream, or what I called their "Ferrero Rocher" sundae. I would come here just for that. It's the tastiest, decadent, sweet and savory, soft serve I have ever had. I just love that the menu is fun and exciting, yet has a familiar taste that can't go wrong (think Nashville hot chicken, but with katsu pork!; or creamy carbonara, but with even richer uni!) I love it. It gets a little loud as they turn up the background music, so you almost have to speak loudly to hear someone across from you. read more

Ernest - Soft serve sundae (SO delicious) - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

Dinner review. Third visit. Ala carte. Raw Bar: 4 Each Useless Oyster, Effingham Co., Useless Inlet, BC Samish Pearl Oyster, Penn Cove Co., Samish Bay, WA Sweetwater Oyster, Hog Island Co., Tomales Bay, CA Kaluga Caviar Tater Tots, Crème Fraîche 57 (Highlight) Uni Toast Jamón Serrano, Quail Egg 25 Sushi Rice Ikura, Raw Beef, Toasted Nori 23 A5 WAGYU +20 Snacks: Parker House Rolls House Cultured Butter & Its Milk 9 Crab Rangoon Dip Cranberry Sweet & Sour 18 Chicken Liver Terrine Apple Butter, Naan 19 Meat & Seafood: (Best) Sea Urchin Pierogis Kabocha Squash, Cabbage, Brown Butter 35 (Highlight) Aged Beef Dumplings Lobster Béarnaise 23 Overall, "as good as it gets." read more

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Probably one of my favorite meals i've had in SF. Hands down. We booked through Resy about a month in advance, since reservations go pretty fast! The 4 of us got a 8pm slot, and we probably left the restaurant around 10:30 after a great meal. All 4 of us did the $97 pre fixe menu, and overall I think it was totally worth the price. I've had other set menus for even higher prices but had way less food! You get a good taste of many things from the whole menu, and it changes day to day. The food came in 4 rounds, summarized below: Appetizers From this round, the oysters (so fresh and umami), citrus burrata salad (super unique flavor), and beef tartare were my favorites. Everything was delicious this round! You also get whole crab which some people aren't used to eating, but just get in there with your hands and they give you warm towels after. The waiters were really nice to point out that there was still meat left inside, being very mindful of food waste. Entrees pt 1 This round was the least exciting imo, as the lo mein and fried prawns didn't wow me. But the coraline chicories and parker rolls were delicious! Entrees pt 2 This round was soooo good. The pork tonkatsu didn't look out of the ordinary, but the flavor was insane. The more you chewed the better it tasted, along with the homemade ranch/pickles. My friends really liked the oxtail fried rice and potato pave. Dessert The classic soft serve! Super lovely flavor and chocolate shell. Basque cheesecake was tasty too. We were all thoroughly stuffed after the meal, and we felt no rush from the staff to leave at all! The service was really good at recognizing when we were done with a course, and made sure every bit of food was eaten with no waste. They change your plates and utensils every time. The ambiance was super cozy and lively as it was packed in there! All in all it came out to about $125-130 with tax and tip per person. I'd definitely come back again to bring other people. This was highly recommended to me and I totally get it now! read more

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Went here for my birthday with 4 other people on a Wednesday night and it was fabulous. They left a cute birthday card for me on the table upon arrival :-) We pretty much ordered almosttt everything on the menu and everything was beyond amazing. I must admit... the oysters were so delicious it felt like the perfect nut in my mouth. Also, don't sleep on the onion rings!! Definitely will be coming back again and again! read more

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Stellar food and service with a subtle Asian twist. I really recommend it! We did a special tasting menu for $125/pp because we had a larger group, and it was SO MUCH FOOD. It was honestly an insanely good value for the price, but I would've happily paid 25% less and consumed 50% less food. The drinks were also really refreshing and well-done. Some of my favorites: -Fried rice was a standout -All of the seafood starters - the dip, ikura+beef+rice, carpaccio, literally everything -Pork jowl katsu -Soft serve with chocolate magic shell The only think I did not like were the dumplings (oddly bitter) - everything else was fantastic. read more

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Ernest was a amazing experience! Literally everything was spot on. Service fantastic. The food was awesome. It was 4 of us 2 couples. We ordered everything except the uni ( no one ate uni) all the apps were delicious especially the caviar dish. The hamachi was so good all the veggie plates were like what! I think my least favorite was the hamachi Kama entree and don't get me wrong it was cooked amazing but it's like a buffalo sauce super fried with house made ranch.to me buffalo sauce has a home on chicken and if they were serving hot wings with the crunch that they put out holysh!t. Still really good but the pork belly and steak were more my thing. The drinks were crafted fantastic and the restaurant it self feels like it is casual like jeans and a jacket or fancy date night. I say job well done ERNEST. I'd definitely return to order the whole menu again read more

This place really blew me away! The food was all incredible and featured innovative takes on a fusion of Asian cuisines. We ordered a good chunk of the menu and honestly loved everything we had! They also had delicious options for mocktails that were complex and not too sweet. Our server's energy was a bit flat, but other than that it was such a great experience and I can't wait to return. read more

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