Try the tasting menu, 98 pp and you get 4 courses... yes, each photo I attached is one course. So much food for the price point. It was spaced out well, we ate for 2 hours. Service was really attentive. Everything was so fresh and well crafted. Parking was easy to find in the area and I love the casual atmosphere. Downsides are that there was only one shared restroom and that the cocktails weren't the greatest. read more

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Outstanding experience. The decor is beautiful, flavors are delicious and the service amazing. I had high expectations for this place and it certainly delivered. Our server Rebecca was warm, kind and efficient. We ordered the ala carte menu thinking the Prix Fixe maybe a bit too much for us, however we should have ordered the Chefs set menu. Service was great. Our server coursed our menu selections and changed out flatware and plates after every course. The most loved dishes were the Parker House Rolls, Cacio Pepe Lo Mein, Tonkatsu, Soft Serve and the Yuzu Shave Ice. Fabulous meal. We will return. read more

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Really awesome food and cocktails and all staffare very polite and professional Thank you read more

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4.5/5 The food was incredible. Docking a star for the service, which I'll mention later. Let me get to the food!! My husband made a reservation here for my birthday, and we got the chef tasting menu, which we thought was fantastic! Looking through the reviews, it seems like the chef's tasting menu changes a lot so your experience could depend on the day, but we were so happy with our chef's tasting today. First wave: our favorites were the citrus salad, seaweed poke, & beef tartare hand roll. The citrus salad was extremely well balanced. The first notes are a pistachio notes and silky olive oil, then a seamless blend into a cheese, and then into a refreshing citrus. A piece of art!! The seaweed poke was also incredible. The seaweed was the right amount of salt, texture was incredible, and worked so well with the poke underneath. Felt like I was in the ocean. The beef tartare hand roll was so fun to make and all the ingredients tasted fresh. The only thing about it was it felt like too much seaweed for each bite so I'd recommend eating it with less seaweed. Second wave: baked chili oil oysters, cacio e Pepe pasta, house made bread rolls & butter. The oysters were insane. My favorite of the night- I've never had anything like that before! The bread was super fluffy and warm and the outside was almost crispy. Perfect. The cacio Pepe was alright to me. Third wave: pork cutlet, bone marrow, fried rice. The fried rice was soo good, has crispy garlic bits on top, and good amount of egg and beef. Felt so homey to eat it in this wave. It was the perfect base to eat with the bone marrow and the pork cutlet. The pork cutlet was well seasoned and the ranch was soo good. The pickles were a great touch, and served in such a pretty crystal glass. The bone marrow was good with the fried rice, but the dish itself felt just ok to me. Cocktails: Get the cherry Negroni and the msg martini. It was spirit forward, yet complex. Just my kinda cocktail! Dessert: the soft serve ice cream...... wild. The caramel has crunchy bits in it, and the soft serve was the perfect consistency. We couldn't stop eating it! Really truly would love to give this place 5 stars, but the service was a little disappointing. When we arrived we didn't have a great experience with the hostess. We were 10 minutes late to our reservation, and although my husband and I were apologetic, the hostess was short with us, stating, "Wow you guys are running quite late. Your reservation is only going to allow you 2 hours at the start time". It felt awkward to start the night with that comment as she escorted us to our table..... felt like I was a little kid in trouble at the principal's office. I totally agree we should've been on time, but I wish it was said in a nicer tone/word choice, given the caliber of this restaurant (also we did leave within the 2 hour window!). We tried to shrug it off.. but couldn't help with the bad note that lingered even after our celebratory birthday dinner. Our server was fine, but a bit cold and to the point with no frills. A little disappointing given how much we enjoyed the food and thought it was well worth the pricey cost. Overall, I would still come back to this place for a special occasion, and I would definitely recommend it to others (with the chef's tasting). read more

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Found this on infatuation and let's just say I no longer trust infatuation and am unfollowing them for giving this place a 9/10?? Food was mediocre and the price was insane. Sushi rice - 3/5 was most excited for this... but they just put all the ingredients in a cookie cutter and called it done. No flavor or elements of complexity for that price. Salmon sashimi - 3.5/5 cool flavors but was still bland. Fish was averagely fresh. Fried rice - 2/10 so bland but the veggies were a nice mix. Lo mein - 3.5/10 i liked it enough but it was still kinda eh. Just tasted buttery I suppose and had some toppings but nothing special. Oysters - I can't give this one a reliable rating tbh bc these were my first oysters ever. But I did like them, the sauce was delicious. However, I have nothing to compare it to, but I know $4.25/oyster is at the higher end, so I wouldn't be able to tell if that price is good for it or not. Hazelnut soft serve - 4/5 delicious toppings, but bi rite has superior soft serve and half the price! Just buy ur own magic shell and say f the hazelnuts Drinks were tasty I got a cocktail with lime and gin I believe? My roommate got a coffee martini and I like how they added whipped coffee in it. But again, for the price, wildly overpriced for what it was/how much you got. Honestly I'd only reorder the lo me in and oysters here, but other than that I would say it's a skip! read more

Came here for dinner on a Thursday night with a reserve ration for 2. Was seated immediately. My boyfriend made a it for our anniversary and they had a card on the table with "happy anniversary" that was really nice. Drinks: 1/5 to be completely honest I did not like any of the cocktails we ordered. We got the Makrut Lime Fizz and the Apricot Vieux Carré and they both did not taste good... Food 2/5: we got the tasting menu and honestly the whole meal started off strong with the apps but after the apps everything just tasted like overpriced Chinese food. The tasting menu came with Chinese broccoli and chili oil which honestly tasted like something I can make myself, a whole baked sweet potato to share, a dumpling, 2 pieces of cha siu (ONLY 2 small pieces), and a whole of pretty bland fried rice. I did not expect it to be so underwhelming. And we shared a soft serve for dessert. For the price I don't think it was worth it given portion size and just food quality. Service 5/5: our server was rlly attentive but the food took so long to come out. Between our 2nd and 3rd course we probably waited 40 minutes. They also have a 6% mandate you have to pay on top of your bill just FYI. It was an ok experience but I wouldn't come back for the food tbh. read more

Ernest - The cha siu we shared, super small we each only got 2 pieces - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This place just keeps getting better. This was my second time here. The first time, I ordered a la carte. I was determined to do the tasting menu this time! Note: the menu seems to change seasonally, so what I got this time was slightly different from my first experience here. However, notable faves are still offered on the menu year round I believe. My faves: - Sushi rice with ikura and raw beef: Love love love this. You can DIY handrolls. I seriously can eat the whole portion on my own -Parker house rolls: The softest milk bread ever. Also the cultured butter is so savory and delish. My butter:bread ratio is larger than usual because it's that good! For the newer items that I really enjoyed: - Dungeness crab fried rice: I love crab and I love rice. However if you are not a ginger fan, this won't be for you. Luckily I love ginger so I don't mind the strong taste. - Sweet potato: I didn't realize it was possible for a sweet potato to give me the vibes of a protein entree but this did! It reminded me of Peking duck flavors. The so-so items: - pork neck char siu: personally I favored the Katsu from previous menu over this but that's my own take. Overall such a great experience. Service is excellent. Your drink will be constantly refilled and all the staff are educated on each course. Decor is pretty as usual. Now, if only I can go at a time where Brandon Rice is actually cooking in the kitchen...guess that's my excuse to go back for a third time! read more

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Ernest was one of my favorite dinners I've had in SF. The prices were reasonable, the service excellent, and the food every bit as delicious as I hoped. My only recommendation is to do something to spruce up the ambience of your outside seating a bit. The uni pasta was the best I've had. Neither too salty nor rich, it carried the flavor of sea urchin well without being to fishy. It is lighter than EMC's, feels like they use less butter, and the noodles are a great consistency. Corn dish was also wonderful. It was a more traditional preparation, but done really well and a great pairing to our main course, the beef skewer. It was delicious, though I'll have to say the mushrooms were my favorite part. They somehow grilled the mushrooms to somewhat pop in consistency. How?! We also got oysters, which were fantastic. So fresh, fruity almost, and fragrant. Highly recommend at least a couple of these to set the mood of dinner. Per everyone's recommendation, we got the shaved ice even though we were beyond stuffed. Didn't end up finishing it, but thoroughly enjoyed it. An absolute must-order on your trip here. Oh, and the cocktails were also lovely--highly recommended! read more

Ernest - Tiramisu patbingsu (shaved ice) - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

My wife took me to dinner at Ernest for my bday. We had been excited to try and were greeted warmly by a cute note at our table. The flow of dinner seemed slow at first and then almost rushed to turn the table. The food was tasty. We decided against the tasting menu and opted to try all the things we wanted. Because this was months ago I forget some of the items but my favorite bite was the grilled asparagus. They ended dinner with a sweet treat, ice cream sundae. read more

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Food: 3 Decor: 4 Service: 4 Came here with a group of 6 and opted for the omakase option, $97 pp. Had been wanting to come here for a while since I heard good things, but overall was a bit disappointed by the experience. Cold Creek Oyster Ponzu, Shiso 4 Each Pretty good. Cleaned well without sand. Bluefin Tuna Tartare Crispy Shallots, Yuzu Kosho, Jidori Egg 27 Pretty good. Tartare was fresh, and it was served with some nori. Clementine and mixed green salad Okay. Was a nice bit of greens to complement all the heavier dishes we had that night. Makrut Lime Fizz Gin & Cachaça, Sour Cream, Egg White, Soda Okay. I'm usually a fan of gin fizzes and thought this one was decent. Broccoli salad Pretty good. Thought it was another nice salad, and I like broccoli. Nice crunchy texture with the veg. Parker House Rolls House Cultured Butter & Its Milk 9 Pretty good. Solid parker house rolls, nice and hot from the kitchen. Bone-in ribeye Pretty good. Meat was cooked well, and the green chimichurri butter was a nice complement. Fried rice Pretty good. Decent and filling rice. Medium Rare Basque Cheesecake 13 Okay. Was rather fluffy compared to your traditional American cheesecakes, but the flavor was good. Probably my least favorite of the 3 desserts. Soft Serve Sundae 13 Pretty good. Good old sundae with chocolate poured over vanilla ice cream. Yuzu Dreamsicle Shave Ice 14 Okay. Came out as a huge portion and the yuzu was a nice palate cleanser. Service was great. We had an inside private table all to ourselves. read more

Ok. I couldn't stop thinking about the soft serve so I came back the week after for another meal. I got to the restaurant at 4:50pm on a Saturday and we were the second in line the line quickly formed after that. Basically by 5:00pm when they open all the walk in spaces were taken and by 5:15pm all the reservation spots were filled already. This time instead of doing the "let the kitchen cook for you" I ordered a la carte since the menu was still relatively similar to the week before. I just picked my favorite dishes I had. The sushi rice, house rolls, fried rice, tomatoes, tonkatsu, and of course the soft serve. Everything was just as good if not better than last time I went. The portions for a la carte are significantly larger than the let the kitchen cook for you version. If the menu stays similar I would probably still get a la carte but If i come and the menu is significantly different, I would probably do let the kitchen cook for you option as it lets you try things you normally wouldn't order such as the tomato's for me. I normally wouldn't order a tomato dish? It just doesn't sound that appealing to me, but these tomatoes are SO good. It would make me eat all my veggies. When I ordered the fried rice I expected it to taste like what I had the week before but the flavors and ingredients already changed. It was still really good and the flavors work well together. I can't wait to be back soon to see what new surprises they have in store! read more

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I feel like the food is 4/5 but given the pricing I expect more so it's more like a 3.5. We got the tasting menu but pescitarian, which they will do but they won't really accommodate vegetarian or vegan - for that you'll probably have to do a la carte. For $150+ per person (including tax tip and a drink or two) I would expect everything to be amazing and while most were pretty good there were a few that I felt were just ok or didn't like at all. I mentioned it was a birthday celebration on the reservation and they were very nice and had a happy birthday card set at the table and also brought out a candle with dessert. Overall it seemed like the food had slightly more of an Asian theme although it wasn't that cohesive. The flavour of the more Chinese-esque items did taste very good but also I didn't feel like they tasted any better than a good Chinese restaurant would tbh. I think their strength is more around raw(ish) seafood. The cooked main dishes were ok but overall not as good as the first course. The things that stood out: lime cocktail, oysters, scallops, Mexican shrimp cocktail, rolls, sundae Things that were good: vegetables, fried rice Things that were just ok: sweet potato (basically just a baked sweet potato), fish dip (a little weird with cranberry not something you could have a lot of) Things that were not good: the egg with crab - it tasted super weird because it was buttery but also very sour; couldn't even finish it. I think it's a nice place to celebrate if you're really a foodie but I feel like the price to food-goodness ratio is a little hard imho. read more

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Food was great, specifically the wagyu and the strawberry shaved ice. The service was good. Ambiance wise It was a bit loud to talk inside and quite cold. I ended up wearing my coat for a large chunk of time. read more

Ernest - Wagyu and Hamachi Kama - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

would be the emoji representing this meal! They've made the old Coffee Bar space look great, even eating outdoors we weren't too cold with the heater. Service was impeccable with timing of dishes not too quick but not too far apart. The food was awesome - we added on the corn to the "let the kitchen cook for you", overkill but awesome. The tartare was amazing, and the duck croquette was over the top good. The short rib snd fried rice were delicious, some of the best short rib I've ever had. The real show stopper was the Uni Carbonara, WOAH. Can't wait to come back again for future menu iterations read more

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This was unique! However you likely could get better value prix fixe elsewhere in the city. Highly recommend picking items a la carte off the menu instead - not all the dishes in the set menu hit home for us. The best ones to order are the milk bread, garlic egg noodles, uni toast and dry aged steak. Environment was really loud and resembled Hard Rock Cafe with loud music, so if you are trying to have conversation can be a challenge. The drinks were incredibly good! read more

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3.5 stars for a mediocre experience. It was good, interesting, high value (for the tasting), aesthetic. Service was speedy and just the right amount of friendly. But the food itself was generally not impressive. I know the menu is seasonal so for what it's worth: Favorites were the squash blossom rice and the tartare rice with crunchy seaweed (personally prefer the one at State Bird by far). OK: Soft serve (visually appealing, flavor-wise OK), tuna dip thing (bleh), uni carbonara clam noodles (so disappointed I usually love this!), crudo (ok), parker rolls (prettier than they tasted), cocktails (they're pre-made in batch and imbalanced), and basically everything else (so memorable I can't think of another dish)/ 3.5 stars for mostly unmemorable food but a really cool experience. I might return to see how I missed the hype. read more

Ernest was an amazingly delicious and beautiful dining experience full of delightful twists on classic Asian staples. From a DIY sushi rice hand roll, to cheesy fried rice, to a full carrot cake recreated as shaved ice, I never wanted this meal to end! The cocktail menu was equally impressive and full of concoctions featuring my favorite liquor, gin! Ernest gets 5 stars for SAFAV: Service Ambiance Food Alcohol Value for Money read more

First dinner here yesterday night! The restaurant has two dining options: a prefixed menu (97$ per person) or a la carte menu! Even though with the prefixed menu you're eating almost 11 dishes (family style), we decided to go with the normal menu (we wanted be sure that the food was good before going with the prefixed menu)! We ordered the sushi rice, the tuna toast, the mortadella spring roll, the house rolls, the grilled yellowfin tuna and the pork belly and octopus. My favorites were the sushi rice and the yellowfin tuna because of the freshness of the fish and I liked how they combined the ingredients in these two plates! I also enjoyed to make the hand roll by myself! The tuna toast is also good, but because there is jamon iberico and I don't eat pork, I just tried on piece of uni and it was good! I didn't try the mortadella spring roll, but my husband enjoyed it (it looks simple, but it's not). The house rolls is also delicious...it reminds me a French bread, very buttery! I didn't try the pork belly and octopus because of the pork...it was my husband dish and he said it was ok but there was too much salad instead of the meat and fish! Overall the experience was very good and, because they change the menu very often (the waiter said every week the chef changes at least one/two plates), we'll come again to try more! The service was also good...there was enough time between the appetizer/snack and the main dishes! The ambience is cool, but loudly like every restaurant in town! read more

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Ernest was a pleasant surprise! My friends and I opted for the tasting menu, and we were definitely full by the end of the night. Our favorite dish was the broccolini and Monterey squid. This is a great place to celebrate a special occasion or if you want to have a nice dinner with someone special. Would definitely visit again! read more

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I've been wanting to try Ernest for over a year now and I'm so glad I finally did. I came with 3 people for a total party of 4 and we decided to let the kitchen cook for us. There was so much food that we had left overs, we probably tried 85% of the menu!! First course: cold apps The oysters with the Mexican cocktail, smoked fish dip, ikura/beef tartar, king salmon with chilled Tom kha, cucumbers with dill. This might've been my favorite course, everything was delicious. Every bite was an explosion of flavors and textures. Second course: warm apps! Chicken terrine pate, tomatoes and eggs, Parker rolls, clams w/ smoke trout roe pasta! The Parker rolls were hands down my favorite thing tonight and they're just fucking bread!! The pasta and chicken liver was a little salty but still very good, make sure to ask for extra bread/crackers to eat it with! Third course: entrees Chili dumplings, fried rice, pork neck tonkatsu, steamed cod. The fried rice was surprisingly good, I wasn't expect too much from this but it had very good flavors and I tasted the flame of the wok. My two favorite things here were the cod, it literally melted in my mouth and the tonkatsu!! Last course: dessert Burnt basque cheesecake, soft serve YOU NEED TO ORDER THE SOFT SERVE!!! I'm not a dessert person at all I'm all the way savory but this soft serve was amazing! Not too sweet with a strong hazelnut flavor and the most amazing crunch caramel and chocolate fudge drizzle. PLEASE GET IT. The cheese cake was aight lol. Overall 10/10 our server was so nice the food was amazing I would come back tomorrow if I could :) read more

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One of our modern favorites. Second time here and loved it again. We got the prix fixe (again) and I still think it's a great value for the price considering how much food you get. Not to mention that the food is delicious. Atmosphere is SF chic, and it was bustling even at 5pm on a Sunday night. That's when you know. read more

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Excellent food and service. The waitress was kind enough to warn us that the amount of food in the tasting menu would either motivate or scare us. We weren't starving so opted for a la carte... and we still had leftovers! Even the group of 4 men next to us couldn't finish the tasting menu. We had the bluefin tuna, sushi rice, maitake tempura, koshihikari rice and squid dishes. Everything was really good. I think my favs were the koshihikari and squid. Warning the squid dish is a little spicy with the peppers. So good though. The basque cheesecake was also really good. Like a cross between cheesecake and panna cotta. At some point I'd like to come back and try the tasting menu, perhaps after a going for a long run. read more

We went to Ernest, headed by Michelin-starred chef Brandon Rice, for a friend's birthday and were so glad we went with the $99 tasting menu. While the service was so-so, the tasting menu was a good value for the portions and wide variety of Asian fusion dishes. Everything was served family style, with my favorites being the maitake mushroom tempura, beef tartare, koshihikari fried rice, and the steak. Even though we were stuffed by the end of the meal, we had to make room for the popular shaved ice and the ice cream sundae with praline, salted caramel and chocolate! I had been looking forward to trying their famous medium rare Basque cheesecake but it was a little too melty and not sweet. read more

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Indulging in the most flavorful dishes at Ernest in San Francisco! Each bite was a burst of delicious flavors that left us wanting more. This is a must-visit spot in SF! We ordered: - Uni spoon 前菜點了uni spoon，對海膽完全沒有抵抗力，這個北海道海膽很新鮮，沒什麼腥味，當開胃菜非常滿足。 - Beef tartare with ikura 這道應該是他們很有名的招牌菜，生牛肉很嫩，配上醃漬過的鮭魚卵，下面鋪著粒粒分明軟硬剛好的壽司飯，用海苔包著吃，非常喜歡，真的是必點絕對不能錯過。 - Aged beef & bone marrow dumplings - 21 day dry-aged ribeye - The Ernest Sundae Instagram @aintgotnothingbutbodyfat read more

Earnestly, I really wanted to love Ernest. My husband made reservations here for dinner while we were on a work trip in SF. We were so excited to try this place, especially because it was our "one fancy dinner out" this whole week. We decided to go with the "Let the Kitchen Cook For You" option (their prix fixe menu) for $95 per person. First of all, our waiter displayed a lack of knowledge re: prix fixe menu items when we asked him what would be included. Second, when we were informed that one of the items would be oysters as an appetizer, we asked our waiter if we'd be able to switch it out for a different item as my husband and I both do not eat oysters. Unfortunately, his only response to that was "well we can't switch it out for anything else but we can just leave out the oysters." I was taken aback and disappointed for 1) his lack of basic hospitality + service and 2) the fact that we would still be paying the same price without one of the menu items (doesn't really seem fair?) My husband and I really wanted to try the prix fixe menu however, so I pleaded with our waiter to check one more time with the chef to see if they'd be able to swap anything out for the oysters. He finally came back and said they would be able to. I was thankful, despite the rocky start, and hopeful for the rest of the dinner. Unfortunately, the food was a constant hit or miss, but mostly misses. I'll start off with the good: the Mexican shrimp coctel and the Bluefin Tuna Tostada were delicious. The Grilled Pork Neck was delicious. I have to say one of (few) best things we ate was the Parker House Rolls (or roll since it's just one piece per person basically) with butter. Now, the bad: The little neck clam was okay - a bit too much on the sauce and a bit too fishy. The sushi rice with raw beef and toasted nori were absolutely unimpressive and bland. The Heirloom Tomatoes with miso and Thai basil tasted exactly as described -- but at the end of the day they're just tomatoes so nothing "wow" there. The spring peas with sansho and black sesame were just OK. The fried rice was good (because you can't really go wrong with fried rice), but it wasn't any more novel or better than the fried rice I make at home. The fried clams were gag-inducing and I just couldn't finish it (or eat more than one bite of it because of the mushy texture and the fishyness of the taste). We ordered two drinks (the daiquiri and the milk punch -- $15 each for what seemed like about 5oz. each that tasted like juice. Not Worth It. Even NYC can do better than that. Overall, the service was meh -- for a dinner that cost $300 for two people, you'd think you'd get better hospitality/service and and a great menu selection. If there's anything that would be memorable about this place it would be how disappointed we were. Otherwise, everything else is going to be quite forgettable. A place we would not come back to nor recommend, unless you like overpriced yet underdelivering restaurants. This was my earnest take. read more

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Came here for date night and chose the $97/person "let the kitchen cook for you" and it was a GREAT experience! (minimum: 2 people) We made dinner reservations and came a little early so they sat us temporarily at the bar where we got some drinks (highly recommend the Makrut Lime Fizz, low alc content and tasted like a key lime pie- it was basically liquid dessert.) The night started off strong with drinks & the appetizers. The kitchen puts the items on plates to share, so the individual servings are combined. The top hits for me were the oysters, Parker house rolls, and the French omelette. Here was a run down of what we got: 1) Oysters (2 per person) 2) Mexican Shrimp Coctel 3) Bluefin Tuna Tartare 4) Parker House Rolls 5) Sushi Rice 6) French Omelette (my favorite!!!) 7) Dungeness Crab Fried Rice (a bit bland and underwhelming, wouldn't recommend if you were ordering individual entrees) 8) BBQ Oysters (1 per person) 9) Pork Neck Char Siu 10) Hazelnut Soft Serve Sundae with a hard chocolate shell It was the perfect bit of almost everything off of their menu, and I would definitely recommend this place for an elevated date night! read more

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Ernest offers a unique dining experience with their thoughtful dishes and interesting take on fine dining. Their approach with the "chef's choice" will leave you incredibly satisfied and full without suffering food regret since about 90% of the menu is presented. While the exterior of the restaurant is bland and uninteresting in every way, the interior has a certain type of subtle elegance to it. Lined with shelves of golden waving cats, the decor is simple yet utilizes a fair amount of natural lighting. The bar is beautifully lined with its light LED lights and perfectly organized liquor bottles. The restaurant interior is so aesthetically pleasing yet simple. I highly recommend opting for the chef to cook your entrees. The family style meal is so filling and satisfying. The experience is fun and exciting seeing what dishes come out. The menu changes frequently however, when we dined in, our food experience was nothing short of amazing. We came here for my birthday so a hand written card was left on our table which was fully appreciated. Course 1 featured fresh oysters, fish roe and salmon hand rolls, shrimp ceviche with saltine crackers, and salmon sashimi served in a coconut curry sauce. Each item was cold with very much different flavor profiles. Everything was so light, refreshing and fully flavorful. Course 2 highlighted the Parker rolls, clam lo mein, and nectarine corn with truffle shavings. The warm freshly baked Parker rolls were the BEST dish in my opinion. The bread was fluffy, milky, and paired with the salted creamy butter was *chef's kiss*. The lo mein noodles were cooked al dente which isn't my preferred choice but my husband really enjoyed it. The corn dish literally featured all of my favorite things in one bowl so how could I NOT love it? The heaviness of the truffle counter balanced the fresh sweetness of the corn and nectarine. I enjoyed every single bite. Course 3 was a bit difficult for me to enjoy because I was so full from the first two courses. The pork cutlet topped with a greek sauce was delicious. The batter was crispy, nicely seasoned. The fried rice was incredibly aromatic and tasty. I enjoyed the touch of okra. The seabass with ginger soy sauce was the least exciting dish. Fish was meaty and soft but it wasn't anything I would waste stomach real estate on. Dessert was their vanilla soft serve with hazelnut and chocolate shell poured on top. I had no trouble making room for dessert as this was a winner all around. Service was impeccable- likely the best service I've had anywhere. The meal wasn't long and largely spaced out like a lot of fine dining experiences. The food came out fresh and hot in a very timely manner. Our server was a warm, sweet Korean young lady. She was professional yet personable. After each dish arrived, the server would give us a description and gave us tips on how to enjoy the food best. Make a reservation in advance because they do fill up pretty fast. The restaurant is two leveled but there's not too many tables. Our experience was very enjoyable and we loved being surprised with unique flavor profiles. Easy to say this was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. I would highly recommend trying this place at least once. $100 per person and you come out so incredibly full- so worth it especially for fine dining! read more

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I went to Ernest for my birthday and let me say that it was AMAZING. BUT FIRST, let me say that my first impression of the restaurant was not a very good one. I ended up being like 5 minutes late because the restaurant is in a very confusing location. Even though the address says Bryant, that leads to the back where all the residents of the building come out of. The entrance is actually on Mariposa and Florida (I had to ask someone). Anyway so I get there like 5 minutes late because I couldn't find the restaurant and the server keeps making these comments about how he doesn't know if I have time and must order quickly since I am late. Woah dude, if 5 minutes is going to throw your whole schedule out of whack maybe you guys should leave more time between seatings huh? ANYWAY, I was pretty annoyed by the server but once the meal got started I was blown away. We did the let the chef cook for us and they gave us smaller portions of so many things on the menu. It was amazing since it was like we got to try everything! Some of the food was a bit hit or miss but mostly everything was tasty and just the sheer variety was great. I especially liked the beef tartare, uni pasta (this was the BEST), tomato dish, Parker rolls, vegetable fried rice, and the sundae at the end. The uni pasta was so addicting and had the perfect flavors. The vegetables (especially the tomatoes) were so so so fresh The food was influenced by many cultures, giving it a true California flair. The menu had a few mocktails too which I really appreciated as a non drinker! The chef's menu didn't have the usual super expensive ingredients that you have been seeing at high end restaurants - the wagyu, caviar, and truffles. Nor did the restaurant like the super high end white glove treatment. But for $90 per person you got more than your money's worth just in fresh amazing ingredients and talented cooking. I also liked the restaurants causal vibe and really thought this would have been the absolute perfect experience if the server hadn't been all up in my grill right when I sat down. I full expect Ernest to get a Michelin star! read more

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Ok, I really did love this place. Worth the hype for sure, and the service was top notch. We got seated in the private room which felt extra special, and our group of 6 did the tasting menu. First course (seafood spread) was super impressive, and we all really liked everything. Second course, I was disappointed by the cacio e pepe lo mein, but I'm pretty sure it's because it came out totally cold (even reheated, my leftovers were better because they were hot). The standout main was the fried rice, and I was bummed I was so full by the time it came! The whole sole was very impressive to look at, but just meh in flavor. I'd skip this if ordering a la carte. Desserts were all showstoppers, honestly one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had, and the yuzu shave ice was amazing. My gripe: we had a bunch of food leftover. It was a huge amount of food, even for 6 people. And I went to the refrigerator today super excited to revisit the fried rice I was too full for. But alas, a bunch of our leftovers never made it into the one bag they gave us. Not just the fried rice, but the smoked fish dip is also missing (things I'm 100% sure we had extra of). I feel owed an order of the fried rice. Truly so so disappointing. I guess this means I get to eat cheesecake for lunch? *Sigh* read more

We went to Ernest last night for our holiday dinner. The food was delicious with a good variety. Service was efficient and ambiance was nice. They played christmas music and not too loud. I will definitely go back. read more

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We loved the decoration, open kitchen and overall ambience at Ernest, sad that the (average) food and ridiculous drinks were so expensive though. Our waiter almost immediately pressured us into ordering more food even though we already ordered several dishes... Glad we didn't listen to him, the portions were large enough and our check was already $150+ (for 2 people). The food was well presented but a bit disappointing, especially at this price point -- desserts were the best part of the meal. As we were getting into our meal things got weirder, especially with the sommelier who kept drinking wine and tasting bottles that were already opened TL;DR -- A great place for Instagramers but too pricey for what it is read more

Ernest - A $15 cocktail... ridiculously small, more ice than actual drink - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

Most places that are hyped up end up being ok, surprisingly this place was absolutely worth all the hype! Every dish was delicious!! We ordered the bread, spring veggies, fried rice, steak, fish, cheesecake, cocktails and after dinner coffee. Every item was well prepared and absolutely delish!! I hate going to the city but I will for this place!! read more

Ernest - Medium well cheesecake (ikr?! What do you mean medium well? Lol!) so good - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

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First time I tried the food here. !Menu changes from time to time. Tried a couple of food and good experience but some food items in the menu is a bit mediocre. I had an anchovies with some spring veggies and it was very good! Hon hamachi al pastor tacos are ok and nothing special about it. Porcini mushroom is also good! Chawanmushi with peas is ok.Grilled avocado is something different but lack of flavor. Dessert is really good and you can never go wrong! The soft serve ice cream was taken into a different level and bursting with flavors. read more

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I've never been so full from a course meal! It's COMPLETELY worth the price and more. The interior is beautiful and the staff always checks on you. Each of the dish has big enough portions and boy oh boy.. the bread??? I'd die for the bread it's crazy how addictive it is. And the soft serve is the one of the best dessert/ice cream I've had in my life. You need to get it and it'll get you out of depression for a while I swear. read more

Ernest - Soft serve and basque cheesecake - New American Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Went to Ernest for the first time last weekend and was absolutely amazed by how good the food was! My friends and I did the tasting menu ("let the kitchen cook for you") - it was a great decision. We had a party of 5 and pretty much got to try everything on the menu! My highlights were: 1. Sushi Rice (Ikura, Raw Beef): it reminded me of making my own hand roll - the ingredients were super fresh! 2. Uni Toast: how could anyone not love uni on yummy, buttery bread, so good 3. Crab Rangoon Dip: this dip was absolutely amazing, super creamy, yet tart at the same time 4. Matcha Tiramisu Shave Ice: my absolute favorite! the cream on top was sooo good and reminded me of the salted cheese foam in boba I would definitely come here again! I especially liked their raw bar and snacks - everything was really fresh. Parking on Mariposa was also easy to find (on a friday night too)! read more

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I chose to let the kitchen cook for us and added the wine pairing. I left so full and think it was very much worth it to taste many dishes in smaller portions. Loved the smoked whitefish with chips, uni lo mein and the Parker house rolls. I wasn't a huge fan of the Beef tartare with Ikura. Good but not my thing. The soft service with the chocolate magic shell blew me away. It's so rich yet refreshing at the same time. I would come back to Ernest just for this soft serve. Please open up a soft serve window! It's a large serving too... I still asked for the strawberry shortcake shave ice even though I couldn't possibly eat any more. It wasn't too sweet and it was very pretty. read more

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Wow! Made my top 5 restaurant in SF list! Flawless experience from start to finish. My friends and I were eyeing every dish that went by our table. We pretty much ordered everything on the menu but had to stop eating cause we really want to save room for the famous soft serve dessert! Favorite items was the caviar with cornbread and uni toast! Tonkatsu was huge and can be shareable with someone. Soft serve was dreamy! Loved it soooo much! We can't wait to come back here for the "let the chef cook for you" experience. Parking was not terrible on a Sunday night. Ambiance was nice clean modern. Not super fancy. So we arrived in casual chic and athlesuire wear :) Highly recommend this place for date night our just catching up with a foodie friend. read more

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I finally got to try out Ernest! Booked in advanced and was able to snag a spot! Had to wait about 5-10 minutes before actually getting seated. I did my research so I knew what I wanted. The menu changes all the time so some of the items were not there that night. - sushi rice: 5/5 very good and fresh! Flavors were perfect! - king salmon: 3/5 very tasty but I bit into something rock hard - Parker house rolls: 4/5 initially thought nothing special but the flavor really grew on me and I enjoyed it - pork neck tonkatsu: 5/5 it was my backup item but I really liked it! Very unique and couldn't stop eating it! - medium rare basque cheesecake: 2/5 it was not medium rare! Everything was spilling out and it was really burnt (which threw the flavor off) I had other items in mind but it wasn't in the menu so I left disappointed! It took a while to get reservations! read more

More accurately a 4.5, but ratcheting up instead of down given the strength of the offerings across the menu. We ordered the $99 tasting menu, which at four substantial courses, was a good value. The meal begins with a diverse spread of appetizers ranging from Spanish tuna (sort of like a crudo) to shrimp cocktail to chicharones with onion dip. All of the apps were delicious on their own, and paired together made for an interesting start. The tuna was especially unique, served above some type of crispy flatbread. Awesome. They then brought out some veggies, which were refreshing and appropriately light in anticipation of the main. Highlight here in my opinion were the artichokes. The main course follows, which was a giant pork chop, a Bavette steak, and a fried rice type dish. The pork chop was by far the highlight of the meal. It was, as I mentioned, large, and deliciously tender with this aggressively smoky flavor that permeated each bite. I'm not normally a pork fan but this dish had such an effect on me that will be experimenting more with pork chops and loins in the future. The steak, on the other hand, was disappointing. It was slathered in a ton of bland, forgettable sauce that basically ruined what seemed like a nice cut of meat. The rice was good, but that's about all I can remember of it. While this place wouldn't necessarily be on the tip of my tongue if a visitor asks where they have to dine in SF, it's definitely worth a visit. read more

Wow! This place definitely deserves 5 stars and more. We came here for an early dinner (5:45) on a Thursday night before the holidays and the place was busy, although the bar area was relatively empty. We went with the a la carte menu, although I think next time I would try the tasting menu as it seemed like there were items on it that weren't available on the regular menu. I started with the lime fizz, which was a deliciously boozy drink- if you're into sweeter cocktails, this is the one for you. We shared the sushi rice and the mordatella egg rolls, both of which were delicious. Really like the idea of a deconstructed sushi using beef tartar with salmon roe- I thought it was a great fusion idea. The roasted carrots were also good, although the dish is cold if temperature matters to your dining experience. The aged duck breast was my favorite dish of the night- beautifully cooked, tender on the inside and crispy on the outside with a nutty sauce. Definitely one of the better ducks we've had in the city. Finally we finished with a medium rare basque cheesecake, which was perfectly salty and creamy. Overall I would highly recommend trying ernest- there wasn't a miss the entire meal and we can't wait to go back and try their other menu items! read more

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