Ela! Greek Taverna - Dartmouth

As for the atmosphere, it’s a bit of a mixed bag. The intended ambiance is quite pleasant, featuring lovely candles and attractive decor. However, there are two significant drawbacks for me. Firstly, the chairs are heavy, and the tables have four corner legs, making it challenging to tuck the chairs underneath. The spacing for legs and thighs can be quite limited, which can make for an uncomfortably intimate experience if seated next to someone who isn't family, and it's not ideal for anyone of larger stature. The second, and more significant issue for me, is the noise level. The acoustics are poor, and it can become quite loud when the restaurant is busy. Additionally, the chairs contribute to the noise when they scrape against the floor. Lastly, their website mentions that they serve brunch, but that is not the case—they don’t offer it and never have. As for kid-friendliness, I wouldn’t recommend this place if you have more than one well-behaved child. I’m a mother of two well-behaved kids myself, but I wouldn't take them here due to the intense noise, which would likely be overwhelming for all of us and make for a stressful experience rather than a relaxing one.

We were seated quickly, which was a good start. However, when another server approached after we had taken a moment with the menus, she asked if we wanted anything other than water, to which we responded no. She then immediately turned her back and walked away without checking if we were ready to order. We were surprised but thought she would return soon. Instead, she came back several minutes later, making brief eye contact with us before turning away to assist another table with dessert. The whole interaction felt rushed and dismissive, especially considering the restaurant was mostly empty at the time. We ended up waiting over 30 minutes for our meals, and we were really considering leaving when our food finally arrived. Unfortunately, the quality just didn’t justify the price. The calamari was overcooked and rubbery, the lemon potatoes tasted as if they had simply been boiled in vegetable stock, and while the Greek salad was acceptable, it’s hard to mess that up. The pork skewer was bland and lacked seasoning. Aside from the Greek salad, neither of us had ever tasted such bland and uninviting Greek food before. When we finished our meals, no one checked on us, so I had to go up to request the bill while the staff just stood around. Overall, we experienced poor service, mediocre food quality at inflated prices, and a long wait time. As a result, my sister and I have decided we will never return to Ela! and I would strongly advise others to steer clear as well.

Visiting Ela’s is the first thing we do after arriving at YHZ! This restaurant has an amazing staff and wonderful Mediterranean food. Our local family has been visiting this location for years. Cannot say enough good things! Started with the Mediterranean Trio and Risotto Balls. Had the Chicken Souvlaki with Greek Salad and Lemon Grilled potatoes. My goodness. This is reason enough to visit again and again!

The lady who took care of us was just wonderful!! So funny too! The food was absolutely amazing for me!! My friend's lamb was delicious but seemed like it was lacking in amount for 22.00!! The haddock i had was soooooo good!! That's the only real problem. The baklava and cinnamon coffee cake was delicious!!!

I am normally such a fan of Ella, I come often for evenings out and work lunches. This evening is the first time that I have been so disappointed in the food here. The service was really good as always, professional and polite. Our meal quality was disappointing this evening, our appetizer was tough (calamari) and our main meal, the lettuce was gritty and seamed but washed, although they assured us it was, and time of year etc it was in edible. So the conditions don’t excuse that we had poor Greek Salads (which was our main course)As a fan of this restaurant, I was very disappointed this evening Which we shared our feedback with our server who accepted graciously.