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Ebizo Japanese Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Japanese Restaurants Sushi Bars Japanese, Sushi Bars [Edit]
604 Broughton StVictoria, BC V8W 1C7
(250) 383-3234
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
19 reviews for Ebizo Japanese Restaurant
19 reviews in English
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Review from Steve D.
Toronto, ON
11/27/2011
My favorite sushi spot in Vic. Order the Ricky Roll. It's not on the menu.
The rolls are very reasonably priced, tatakis are all tasty and quality is always excellent. -
Review from Jenn M.
Victoria, BC
7/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
Horrible service, waitress didn't even lead us to our table, never smiled and was rude.
I got a spicy tuna roll and a dynamite roll. I was surprised how SMALL it was. Totally not worth my 10 dollars.
I would NEVER come back again. -
Review from Haruka Y.
5/14/2011
I grew up on sushi. Let me be specific - inari and futomaki and handpressed rice balls made by my father and his friends are deeply ingrained in my memories of summer. I don't care about the newest trends in sushi, I don't care about fancy decor, I don't really even care about a variety of choices. I want perfect sushi rice, perfect nori, and fresh fish (if I order fish). I want my inari perfectly stuffed with just the right amount of sweetness. I want the vegetables to be either fresh or perfectly pickled. I am picky, just maybe not the way a typical sushi lover is.
This restaurant fulfills everything I want, and expect. It just makes me so sad that it's 1500 miles from where I live now. The best sushi we had in Victoria (and we tried a lot) and quite possibly the best sushi I have had in my life. -
Review from Lopi M.
Victoria, BC
10/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Food was delicious, although portions were small (perhaps because it was the lunch menu). It was crazy busy but the service was still good. It would be 5 stars if the portions were larger.
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Review from Sovereigna J.
9/19/2011
I've had good sushi in Seattle, but was in Victoria with my mom and decided to go here since we were in the mood for sushi. We went right at 5 pm when it opened for dinner, and wow, the entire place filled up in like fifteen minutes. They're popular all right, and I'm happy that the business is doing well. There were two servers running around like crazy, and no one rushed us, but I didn't feel at ease. One of my orders came out wrong but I didn't say anything because we had to leave to catch the Clipper soon. I'm not a needy diner, but I like my server to pay attention to me, like ask me how everything is at least once. I still left a generous tip because it's unlikely the server has a say in how many servers are hired.
Some of the food was a little on the saltier side for me, but I tend to eat low-sodium foods (the salmon roe cone was like pure salt). The spicy tuna roll was very good, as was the dynamite roll (tempura prawn and avocado) and the bbq eel was really good. I just wish I hadn't felt like I was in a race or something. And because I'm not a food connoisseur, I rather go somewhere like Blue C Sushi in the states where I have more control over my dining experience. I think that's why I prefer self-serve establishments in general. -
Review from Eric K.
5/8/2010 1 Check-in Here
I came here today for a late afternoon snack and was very impressed. I just had green tea and the deluxe sushi sampler (tuna roll and eight other rolls).
The rolls they provided were all great. It included tuna, prawn, red snapper, and more. I was very, very impressed with the quality of the fish. I have tried sushi that was very bland, tough, or even watery tasting but Ebizo's sushi was none of those. I even found myself finishing the sushi without using any sauce it was so good.
I'll stick with four stars for now since I haven't tried any other sushi in Victoria and I was only there once for a snack. But I could see it moving up to five stars on my second visit. It came the closest to the sushi I had in Hong Kong.Listed in: Victoria May 2010
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Review from Jason L.
12/1/2010 3 Check-ins Here
First day of December!
Ran across the street for an "early" lunch around 11:30 and was pleasantly surprised to find the place close to empty. The three of us sat at the sushi bar and were promptly served.
PROS:
+ Green Tea: included with the meal and has great green tea flavor along with hints of roasted barley; delicious, or as the Japanese say, "oishi"!
+ Sashimi: fresh as can be, large portions, ridiculously low prices -- only $2 a slice for fatty tuna ("toro")!!
+ Spicy pork ramen: good spicy flavor, chewy handmade ramen noodles; wish they had more sliced green onions though
CONS:
- The space is small and fills up fast by lunchtime on weekdays. Walked in during a busy lunch with just two people and they told us to try again next time with a reservation
- Although I enjoyed the ramen, I did notice that the broth didn't seem to have a rich enough miso base like I'm used to from all the ramen shops back in California
I'll have to be back to try more items on the menu as today was just a simple lunch. Definitely drop on by for a steaming hot bowl of ramen and a couple slices of sashimi to get you through mid-day! -
Review from Sean A.
Vancouver, BC
5/1/2011
Ebizo has to be my favorite Japanese restaurants. When I lived in Victoria I would try and make it there at least once a week. What makes it so good?
Well for starters the service is amazing, at times it becomes super busy but the staff are always very attentive and friendly.
The location is small but always has a really good vibe to it.
Now for the food, a great starter for me is always the prawn tempura. Its always perfectly cooked and battered. Crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the in. The tuna tataki is a must, perfectly seared and the sauce is incredible. Now for the sushi, I always get the spicy salmon avocado role and they must have one of the best spicy sauces I have ever had. The Ricky role is not on the menu but it is my fav role ever. Tempura prawn in the middle with salmon, tuna and avocado on the outside. If you are a fan of unagi than it's definitely a must as well, it always comes out the perfect temperature.
I definitely recommend this place to anyone visiting or living in Victoria. See for yourself! -
Review from Sara W.
Victoria, BC
6/24/2009
Ebizo is definitely one of the best sushi places in Victoria. Their tuna tataki is phenomenal and always leaves me wishing I had another order of it to follow up the first one, and the veggie tempura is excellent. Their rolls are top-notch (I usually end up ordering either tuna, smoked salmon and avocado, or eel), and I have no clue what Deb was talking about when she accused the spicy tuna roll of not being spicy, because I practically had flames coming out of my mouth by the time I was halfway through my second roll.
The service is usually pretty efficient (although a bit impersonal - I kind of get the impression that the servers are attempting to be almost invisible), genmaicha tea (green tea with pieces of toasted rice) is served right away, and the hot towels before the food arrives are a nice touch.
My two gripes with this place are:
1) The TV, always tuned into sports of some type, behind the sushi bar - I think this takes away from the authenticity of the experience and cheapens the place a bit. Save the TV for the sports bar, this is a sushi restaurant!
2) Some of the tables have those awkward bench seats where there's no way to get to the seat on the far side without climbing over the opposite bench. This isn't really an issue if you're wearing pants, but... just try swinging your legs gracefully over that bench seat wearing a tight pencil skirt and high heels while your male coworkers look on, and you'll start wishing for better seating options too. -
Review from Tyler B.
Victoria, BC
7/3/2009
Ebizo knows how to do sushi. I have been to many sushi joints in Victoria, and Ebizo is well worth the price (which is reasonable).
The restaurant is small and intimate, making the TV behind the bar seem larger than it should be. That is until you realize that it's playing baseball almost all the time and then it seems right at home in this Japanese restaurant. The staff seemed humble and let the food do the talking.
The tekka don bowl has generous amounts of tuna, perfectly prepared, which melt in your mouth. The rice is seasoned just enough.
Vegetable tempura was crisp, flavourful and not at all greasy. An excellent balance between the taste of the tempura batter and the large slices of vegetables.
We showed up with a relatively large group (7) with no notice, but the front staff quickly accomodated us and made us feel welcome.
Oh, and the spicy tuna? Spicy and fresh and the rice was NOT ice cold!
We will go back. -
Review from Eric B.
Victoria, BC
5/10/2010
While the servings are American size, the rest of the experience is mostly just ok. The chopped scallops were marginally chopped - just large chunks instead of small pieces but the tuna roll featured large amounts of tuna. The salmon shashimi felt like it was only JUST defrosted when it was served to us so it dulled the flavours a lot - it was probably good salmon but slightly frosty is disappointing.
The deep fried tofu, aka Agedashi Tofu, was good in texture and batter although that was mostly because the dipping sauce was heavy on the soy sauce when it should have been a lighter broth. The tempura soba features HEAPS and HEAPS of nicely fried tempura (including daikon) but the buckwheat noodles should have come with soba noodle sauce.
Nothing stands out except for the large servings and relatively large prices for what you get.
If I could find something better in Victoria I'd go but this might be the best that Victoria has. Actually I'd probably just skip Japanese food entirely. -
Review from Matt R.
7/6/2009
Great cheap and authentic sushi at this place. I will be back for sure.
Prices were awesome..... The Sunomo was some of the best I've had. They use real Crab, the serving is huge, and it's only $3.50.
Had some fresh oysters that were great too....
Fish was fresh and we had no complaints about any of the food.
The TV seems very out of place behind the sushi bar as others have mentioned.
We will make a stop at this place every time we're in Victoria.. -
Review from Deb K.
2/19/2009
I have never met legitimate sushi I didn't like, until we visited this place. Don't get me wrong, it's not as bad as grocery store sushi, but almost. Even some of our nigiri pieces were clearly prepared ahead of time and refrigerated. This is the same issue I have with grocery stores who sell sushi--the rice is not supposed to be ice cold! And don't even get me started about the spicy tuna roll...they need to rename it the mayonnaise roll! No spice and lots of icky white mayo.
We were trying to decide between going to Ebizo and Azuma for sushi and decided to go here after a couple of locals said it was the best. Next time we'll go elsewhere! -
Review from Jennifer H.
Victoria, BC
9/19/2009 1 photo
In a town full of sushi joints Ebizo certainly stands out. Come with an appetite because what I am going to suggest will fill you up. It turns out there is a covert secret menu at work here, so read my review carefully. Miso soup with clams. Nope, it's not on the menu, but for an extra buck you can turn an ordinary miso favorite into something different. If you're not sure what you want from the roll menu, ask for the Riki Roll. It is a tempura prawn roll topped with avocado, salmon, tuna... An extra large delight for under a ten spot. Regrettably, neither I, nor my table mates ordered the tempura prawns and vegetable, but after seeing it go to another table I wish I had. It's the best I've ever seen, and if it's anything like our meal I'm sure it's taste ranked up there. More than the secret menu was enjoyed tonight and may I suggest the Spider roll and the Unakyu (BBQ eel) roll, truly delish.
My last suggestion for Ebizo is make a reservation, the place filled up pretty quickly. -
Review from A E.
Victoria, BC
1/18/2010
Slightly small portions for the price. Salmon Nigiri $2 Hamachi Nigiri $2.50, cones about $4. Staff pleasant, Sake delicious. Sundays open from 5pm.
It is a cozy simple restaurant with less than 10 tables and the sushi bar in the corner. Everything is made fresh, the rice is moist and not too cold and the menu is interesting. I ate a shitake mushroom cone which was delicious. When I was there it was quiet and the lights were dimmed (as they should be in a restaurant) and the service was medium quick. The (mens) bathroom is clean and well stocked with toilet paper.
Recommend over Azuma. -
Review from Rick P.
Lethbridge, AB
7/23/2010 1 photo
1st of all, sorry for poor picture, but I was really dissapointed at the presentation of my meal. I ordered prawn tempura for a starter and was given some over fried tastless sticks that had a tail. My rain ow roll came later and was basically colorless. My god, this is suppose to be Victorias premier sushi house now ??? Who out there has had a rainbow roll with no avacado or fish eggs for color ??? Is so you must have ate here. Bland. Bland. Bland. And this from a guy 600 miles from the coast. Really, there is better presentation in Calgary I gave them 1 last chance and ordered the tuna shasimi and it was generous. The food is fresh and tasty but, I don't think the sushi chef I had could roll a pair of socks !!!! for better sushi try koto
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Review from Ashleigh W.
Victoria, BC
11/10/2009
Absolutely the best sushi in Victoria. Everything is super fresh, the service is fantastic, and the place is always packed. Reservations are a must!
The tempura is particularly notable - light, crispy and delicious! Also wonderful is the miso soup - always delightful.
As a regular patron, I've found the service fantastic - and that they even remember the exact orders for regulars.
Just wonderful and a must visit when in Victoria! -
Review from Andrew W.
Victoria, BC
5/2/2009
Don't take Deb's review seriously. I don't know if she's thinking of the wrong place, but I assure you this is absolutely not the case. Ebizo is top notch - the best sushi in Victoria, in my opinion. We go here at least a couple of times a week and have yet to have a bad meal.
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Review from Jill H.
5/31/2010
If you're looking for great sushi, this was a place I'd recommend. The fish was fresh and superb, the service was good and the place was packed... Yes, the ambience with the TV might not be the best, but the sushi is so good you don't really mind.
