ENSO

This has been one of my favorite places to dine, despite the sophomoric names of some of their dishes, such as «Screaming Orgasm» for the seared tuna sashimi. They have a great bento box lunch that you can get on the weekends as well as during the work week. And their happy hour specials have always been really worth showing up for. But today, we saw Enzo’s dark side. We usually come in for lunch and order the sashimi bento box, with all salmon. Delicious. This time though — a Saturday, with only one other couple in the place — sushi chef Richard decided that it would cost $ 2 more for the all-​salmon option. Or, we could get it for the regular price ($ 17) and get 6 instead of 7 pieces. We said ok to the 6-​piece alternative, despite the fact that literally 2 days earlier we had ordered the exact same thing with no portion or price difference. When our bill came, we realized we’d been charged the extra $ 2, AND we’d gotten a piece less. When we asked, he just said, «No negotiating.» […meanwhile, on the menu, there’s a disclaimer noting that any all-​tuna substitutions will be charged extra because tuna costs more than other fish. So, our all-​salmon substitute was actually saving them money!] Moral of the story: Enzo gouges its customers. Go 2 blocks east on 19^th and try Jin Sushi. Food’s just as good and they’re way nicer.

My fave sushi spot in town. A small, cozy place perfect for a date night out. Be sure to start off with some tasty edamame before your sushi feast, a great way to start your meal without filling up. A nice variety of specialty sushi rolls along with traditional rolls such as yellowtail. Etc. you can’t go wrong with any of the delicious rolls and if you’re unsure of what to try, the staff are very knowledgeable on what you might like or sit counter side and ask for a recommendation from the sushi masters themselves. I love this place and always look forward to dropping by for a roll or 2.

The food was great. The service, meh. Water was filled, but we were never asked if everything was ok, if we needed anything else, etc.

I used to love this place the first few years it was in business — what the heck happened? Over the past 1.5−2 years or so I’ve noticed a major decline. The food is still good, I can’t complain about that honestly. And usually the kitchen is quick to make a meal, so again, I cant complain about that either. The problem is the service. The service is terrible and getting progressively worst. I can not remember the last I had a waiter who smiled, or was friendly, or seemed like they actually wanted to be there. Just about every single server there has a bland personality and acts as if they can’t be bothered. Even worse, one server told me he comped my drink, and then later asked me to leave my phone number with the check so we could «hook up later» — how unprofessional is that? And I would always dread getting that older lady, who I think might be a manager. She isn’t personable at all and is a bit overbearing.
And now I learned that they’re getting rid of their specialty drink menu, which was one of my main reasons for going there. No thanks. Jin Sushi is in the same area and has a much better menu with more variety. That will be my go to downtown sushi place from here on out.

Used for business party and the service was great. Ask for the private room and you will love it! The food/​sushi was well made and I would recommend it to others!

This place is delicious! Best sushi place in Bakersfield hands down. It’s a little on the pricy side but well worth every dollar.
Once you have Enso sushi no other sushi place will compare, at least here in Bakersfield.

I’ve been here several times and I’ve never been disappointed. The service is always quick and I love the atmosphere. The garlic edamame is incredible! The rolls are really well put together and never fall apart while I’m eating. I tend to stick with the red bull roll, the crazy ex girlfriend, and anything spicy. There’s so much variety. Definitely my go to spot for sushi.

To much mayonnaise in the orange sauce. Used to be so good. Hadn’t been in a while and this time was just not that good. Hopefully they just had a fluke because I used to love this place

Well, it seems they’ve improved. The tables are normal sized now, the sushi was delicious.
They had Zeus on tap for $ 6 a pint! I did think it was weird that the 805 was the same price. It’s like half the quality for $ 6 a pint is waaaayyy too much. $ 4 max for the rest of your tap selection.
The food was a bit pricey for the portions, but that’s kind of expected. Our tab for a teriyaki chicken, chicken fried rice, 2 rolls, 4 beers and a salad was $ 96.
The waitress was super friendly, she brought us out an extra plate that wasn’t ours. I’m not sure why I said anything. Coulda had some free sushi!

I love this place! I always go during happy hour. You buy 2 sushi rolls and get the 3^rd for free and half priced appetizers. I would give this place 5 stars but their customer service isn’t the greatest. There’s one waitress in particular who always take her sweet time to attend us. She seems so unorganized at times and isn’t as friendly as some of the other waiters. And she’s always there! But I do love the sushi there so I always come back! Lol

Love, love, love! I was first introduced to Enso by a friend about a week ago and I have already been back. Always a good sign!
The Crazy Dream roll is to die for. It has crab inside and salmon on top and its either baked or fried, I forgot. And the bibimbap is amazing. I didn’t think I’d find any in Bakersfield and not only did I find it but I found some pretty freaking good bibimbap. The sauce is spicy enough and when you mix everything together it’s divine.
Reasonably priced food. It’s a small place with a cute little bar where you can watch the sushi chef prepare some of the rolls. The lighting is soft and flattering too ;)

So good ! Came on a busy night so it was a little loud. But perfect place for a date night for something out of the ordinary. Will def come back! The monkey brains were superb!

Garlic edamame was THE BEST.
We did their happy hour and got three rolls, plus an appetizer and it was on the higher end of things, but delicious. The green tea was great but pricey ($ 4). ³⁄₃ rolls were «thumbs up» from us, which is rare in Bakersfield for us.
The waitress we had was super nice and attentive, the sushi chef seemed a bit rude. I was going to tip her, but she told me they all split the tips at the end of the day. Which sucked because she deserved a good $ 10-​$ 15 tip to herself.

The sushi is just okay. Not bad at all but not the greatest. You think it would taste better than other sushi places especially since it’s a little more pricy than others. The reason I’m giving one star is because of my waiter. I won’t give his name but he wrote in an extra few dollars on the tip. Good thing I check my bank statement. I wasn’t really upset for the extra few dollars but for the fact that he is stealing from customers. I’m not telling anyone to not go here if you enjoy the food. Just if you tip on your credit card, check your statement and make sure you’re not being robbed. I even called the restaurant about it and they said they don’t have a manager and hopefully someone will call me back about. Been a long time and no call. I’m not going to call back since they don’t care.

Price is right, love there happy hour it’s the best helps us try new things, love how many options they have for appetizers they can improve by getting a bigger Asian desert menu! Will always return for more food! Customer service is great bathroom and tables are whistle clean!

I didn’t realize I hadn’t left a review for Enso yet and I’ve been here so many times!
This place is great for lunch as they have special pricing for Bento Boxes and Bowls. Their presentation is always top notch and the service is usually fantastic!
You can definitely come and have a lunch meal and be back to work within the hour. Well, I can. It’s, of course, relative to where you work but the quality of food for the price is great.
Their salad dressing is very tasty and like none I’ve had before. Their rolls are always good and I hear their sushi is ALWAYS fresh and tasty. I haven’t had to complain yet!
The ambiance is great and the décor is simple. It’s always cold in here so bring a sweater lol but I’ve always had a great experience at Enso’s.
They apparently have an underground lounge that I haven’t seen yet but it sounds like the place to be! They also offer some happy hour deals so come on in and enjoy some yummy food! Plus, not everything is sushi. They also have chicken and beef! ;)

Food was presented well and tasted alright. Wife and I had an interesting night of stomach problems that we never get when eating sushi. Not going there again.
Bento on Oak St is much better, cheaper and more friendly.

This place was like no other… my buddy says he drives all the way up here from L.A. just for their sushi here. Well… it lived up to the hype most definitely. I tried the sexy crunch roll and oh my goodness it was amazing in every way. Their house salad that comes with pineapple dressing is unbelievable tasty also. I’m so sad this place is SO FAR from me since I live out in the O.C. I will be back soon!

The food was served quickly. We had a problem with the order the waitress brought two extra rolls that we did not order.
the miso soup was ok. the bill was 210 for 6. The sushi was fresh. It was placed in a plain fashion not with the artisitc style of Midori in Tehach. The sashimi salad was 1/​h as good as love sushi, do not order this plate, at 12 – 13 $ and the sushi was not the tuna belly rather just plain diced tuna. Very little tuna. The green were not crisp and the dressing did not have enough horseradish to give the mayonaise dressing a kick. I will need to be

This review is aimed at those peeps who don’t really like sushi, but may be willing to try it, but will stick to chicken nonetheless. So I’ve been to ENSO several times for lunch. I love the Tempura Bento which comes with shrimp (one shrimp) and vegetable tempura, w choice of teriyaki chicken, beef or salmon. I always get chicken. The pineapple dressing they pour over the salad is yummy! This dish also includes white rice & choice of California or spicy roll. I forgot to mention the miso soup served before the lunch arrives. It’s a big lunch! It’s my favorite! If you want a smaller chicken lunch, I suggest the Chicken Teryaki Bowl.
Nice atmosphere. Waitresses need to smile more and show a little more enthusiasm working there. Other than that, one of my fave places!