Lela’s Cafe

Ah, Lela’s! Ladies lunch done right, in the Railroad District of Ashland. Chicken salad sandwiches that have Herself begging for more; excellent paninis and pizzas and salads. The soups are vast tureens of brothy and creamy goodness.
At night, Lela’s gets serious about serious food. The culinary gloves are off, and the chef pulls out all the stops to make this one of the hidden gems of Ashland.

After a long day of travel from Seattle to Ashland, we were looking for a light dinner. We were lucky to find Lela’s on Unilocal and we were glad. We ordered the Roasted Beet Salad (my beet-​hating husband even loved it) and we shared the Margarita Pizza. Deelish! Wine list included ½ bottles — we ordered a 2004 Renwood Old Vine Zin and were so glad we found this little hidden gem.

We’ve been big fans of Lela’s for several years and were looking forward to our annual visit. However, it seemed different this year. First, we missed the wonderful roasted garlic and brie appetizer. But overall, the food was inconsistent. My caprese was disappointing with boring tomatoes (in August!) and tired greens with the mozzarella and basil. My pasta primavera was vastly more pasta than vegetable and rather dry, though still flavorful. The caesar was a big hit at our table, as was the salmon special entrée. The waiter was pleasant but clearly new and inadequately trained. Among other missteps, he told us the salmon dish was both vegetarian and vegan. I think we will give Lela’s another try before we abandon it, but now it is a possibility, rather than an automatic destination.

Our first time to Lela’s and we were very please. The service was great but not overbearing and all of the dishes were excellent.

Lela’s was recommended to us for a lunch visit by some locals we know. We were finishing our visit to Ashland, and wanted a nice lunch to fortify us for our trip home. It is off the main commercial drag, in what is called the Railroad District on A street. It is charming «café» style with mismatched real dining room furniture (looks like chairs came from my grandma’s). Most attractive. There was a comprehensive menu for lunch, including many wines, beers, teas, and spritzers. I had the most marvelous vegetarian panino: Grilled mushrooms, fontina cheese, spinach, red onion, and aioli. It was just superb. It was served with a cup of the soup special, a pureed red pepper/​tomato soup that was wonderful. Because of the soup, I was unable to finish the sandwich, but both were terrific. (I could have had a salad with the sandwich as another option.) I had the house-​made iced tea, also excellent. So the why the three stars, you ask? My husband had a bowl of said soup with a side Caesar salad. He enjoyed the house made soup, as well. Said the salad was just OK. He had a glass of Oregon Pinot Noir. It was not the finest wine to start with (wines by the glass often are not) but it had been opened the night before and whatever fruit it once had was gone. He said he should have had a bottled beer for $ 4 instead of very tired mediocre wine for $ 8. So, a mixed review. However, I would go there again, and would try it for dinner — the menu looked very interesting. The server was charming and professional, but, when he asked if the wine had been open the night before, she said she thought so. She didn’t ask if it was OK or offer to open a fresh bottle. For $ 8 a glass, they should open a new bottle each day, IMHO.

One of the high points on our most recent visit to Ashland. It is always a challenge deciding where to go for dinner on a Saturday night, especially because our annual trip usually coincides with the Ashland Film Festival so reservations can be difficult if you don’t plan ahead.
Over the past ten years, I’ve hit most of the high end and casual restaurants in town and also ventured to Jacksonville and foodie hot spot New Sammy’s Cowboy Bistro in Talent. So this year I decided to try something in middle and was so happy with Lela’s Café, which I would classify as more of a neighborhood bistro with most entrees under $ 25.
Located in the Railroad District, you are about a ten minute walk from the theatres, and you manage to escape most of the crowds. Very much a family run feel in a cozy setting with small tables and the menu has a European flair.
I am particularly fond of beets and the roasted beet salad with blue cheese crumbles was one of the better versions I’ve had recently. I paired it with the margherita pizza and it was thin crust perfection. Crisp without any charring and a true delight. Both my dining companion and the tables next to us ordered more traditional entrees and most are served as a tower of food, so they are definitely going for both presentation and flavor.
For the price, I was truly happy with our meal and quite thrilled to relax and savor the food without any distractions. Hard to go wrong with classical French cooking techniques and everything made from scratch with locally sourced Oregon food. Très bon.

Since we had a large lunch elsewhere, we decided to have tapas at Lela’s. The menu had a beautiful cheese plate served with Humboldt fog cheese and an amazing local goat cheese. The menu also had a Pacific Northwest salmon lox plate. We ordered both appetizers and requested if the plates could be served deconstructed (so we could pick and choose and combine what we wished). The staff was exceptionally accommodating! The food was wonderful! And the atmosphere was ideal for Christmas eve. Great evening!

This Railroad District café used to be a regular hangout for us and ours, and, though we’ve not been back in over a year, we hear the food is still quite good.
The Pear, Bleu Cheese & Hazelnut Salad and the Smoked Salmon Pizza here are lovely — in fact, we’ve stolen both recipes to serve at home. It’s a little loud in here for an intimate date, but a birthday or anniversary party plays well. The Passion Fruit Tart, if they still have it, is wonderful.

Lela’s — even with an almost brand-​new new owner — become our favorite dinner place in Ashland this year.
Their egg plant napoleon is meaty enough for a carnivore, flavorful enough for an epicure, and presented artistically enough for a designer.
The roasted garlic appetizer is mild and satisfying and just warm enough.
And, the salads, meat, and fish are all tasty. We haven’t had a clunker, and we’ve worked our way through much of their moderate-​sized menu.
Lela’s has become more consistent (in a good way) since its opening a few years ago, and now the staff is relaxed and in the groove. It’s a fine place for a before-​play meal or an evening of dining on a theater-​less night.
The new owners have fought successfully for a full liquor license, so the now even the non-​winos in our circle love Lela’s.

Loved it again! They really, really care about food and it shows

Off the beaten path in Ashland, on the «other» side of Main Street (not the theater side), lies A Street, home to some of the best art galleries around. (Four blocks away, Davis & Cline gallery is the exclusive dealer of Chihuly glass sculptures from San Francisco to Seattle.)
And on A Street between 1^st and 2^nd is Lela’s Café, a charming little restaurant exactly where you wouldn’t expect it.
On this first visit, we only had salads, but it was clear this is a place you want to be a regular. My folks had the baked brie salad, which was delicious — served with beautiful red grapes and perfect focaccia. (For a small charge, the kitchen split the salad for them.) I had the Caesar with tiger shrimp. The salad was great but overwhelmingly garlicky, and the shrimp were firm and tender, warm right from the sauté pan.
The iced tea was freshly made, which I’ve come to expect in Ashland.
Maybe two salads isn’t enough to justify four stars, but we could tell Lela’s is going to make the regular rotation. I drooled over the paper-​thin pizza at a nearby table and would like to try it on my next visit — it looks awesome.
And when you’re done with lunch, hopefully you’ll have time to visit Davis & Cline.

Very, very good. Not quite five stars but very good.
Beautiful spot, the night we were there live music featuring a classical guitarist made for a nice night.
Food was excellent one of the dishes, the nightly special, was salmon. It was terrific but not cooked all the way through in the middle. The waitress was preoccupied and we wondered where she’d gone to. She showed up with the check without asking if we wanted dessert or coffee.
Overall it’s a great spot and we’ll be back.

One of the best in Ashland, and we’ve been visiting here for 12 years. We went before a show and had one of the evening’s specials: salmon seared then baked on corn and red peppers with rainbow chard. Excellent. Started with a split Ceasear salad, which was plenty. (Don’t order one all for yourself!) Good service. Reasonable prices. Spent $ 98+tip with one salad, two entrees, three glasses of Sauvignon Blanc, two espressos and a shared sorbet. This is the place that will be on our *must* list for next year’s visit.

Ooooohh la la! Exceptional everything!
Service: A+
Food ingredients: A+
Plate art: A+
Price: A+
I’ve been walking past this little café in the railroad district of Ashland for a year or more. Though I did notice it everytime and told myself to eat there. Well this afternoon was that fateful day of bliss. After putting the dog back in the Jeep, we sat ar an outside table for some lunch. The lunch menu consisted of salads, panninis & pizza. Not to mention the 4 page menu of beverages consisting mainly of wines from around the world and unique coffee drinks.
My lover ordered a cup of delicious Thai coconut soup that came with a homemade slice of warm, soft, tasty, seasoned bread and a salami pannini. I ordered a 10″ salami pizza with ½ a Greek salad for around $ 15 and a cup of delicious house coffee. We received the soup and salad before the main course. Everything was outstanding. The Greek salad was fresh, crunchy and topped with the right amount of olives, feta, cucs and tomatos. My pizza was thin crust, New York style, just the way I like it Afterwards we deighted in a homemade chocolate blackberry torte.
There was so much food between the two of us that we ate the rest for dinner. I can’t wait to go back and try their dinner menu.
You won’t be disappointed!!!

Very good food. Service is slow during crunch times (weekend evenings, pre-​show) so give yourself lots of time (Staff was very good about warning us about this over the phone which I appreciated.)
Definitely kind of jammed together with lots of tables but the food is the thing here„ not the ambiance, though they do a good job of dressing up the place.

Gayle and I had a nice dinner here last week.
PRO: Nice comfortable atmosphere with friendly and efficient service.
Outstanding Eggplant Napoleon
Excellent Goat Cheese Plate and Oregon Pinot Noir Combo.
Easy Walking Distance — Nice Quiet Neighbourhood.
CON: At least in the Front, Limited Privacy Due to Table Configuration.
Somewhat bland Dover Sole.
Next year when we come up to Ashland, we’ll try the lunch and the well-​regarded Pizzas.

A hidden gem in Ashland. In the railroad district so it’s often overlooked. But it’s a very easy walking distance from downtown and the plaza and it’s some of the best food in Ashland. Try the thin crust pizza’s, or for breakfast one of their fresh pastries and a latte. A great atmosphere and the food is fantastic.