Eli’s On the Hill

I’ve never had a bad meal here and the bartenders are awesome (we are not table people). Not to mention they always have my football team (not a new England favorite) on a TV for me!

Delicious lobster rolls, delicious fries so hot I burned my mouth but I don’t care they were so good. Signature salad was great too. Great service. My husband add I ate everything in front of us. Definitely returning.

Food is great here. A little of everything. Atmosphere is very cozy and bright and new. Staff very pleasant!

Just had the most terrible lunch experience of my life. Seeing how it was a little busier than normal when our server (Christa) took 5 minutes to even greet the table I was willing to overlook it. But the service continued to be that terrible. It took 10 minutes for our drinks to arrive in which I had to go to the bar to get waters seeing how everyone at the table was thirsty. Our meals arrived expect for a spinach and artichoke dip we had ordered which she said «will be right out» as she went over to the computer to what I assume would be to put in the forgotten dish. After that arrived we asked for the check and some boxes because we were in somewhat of a hurry which of course took another 10 minutes to get to our table. Since I and everyone else at the table work in the service industry this to us is unacceptable. I have put two stars because I actual enjoy this restaurant and come all the time. This review is solely based on the experience today and doesn’t represent this restaurant as a whole.

Service was good, happy and helpful! Nachos were good but were made with that drippy type of cheese unfortunately, but they were unique and tasted good. The burger was great and the crab cake burger was good too. What I loved most was that it was packed with a great crowd, a mix of families, college students, couples and guys watching sports oN the many Tver at the bar! Service was an A, food was a B, and atmosphere was a B+
Will definitely be visiting Elis on the hill again

Went on Sunday to watch the game. Fairly crowded but never had to wait or ask for service, the bartenders were very competent and on top of it. The food is good as is the service.

Consistently good food and active bar with friendly keeps. The menus have recently changed to improve presentation which isn’t particularly positive. I prefer the no nonsense plain bar food in a bar.

Wow… this place has gone down hill. The waitress we had was very nice and a great server but the food was pretty bad. It’s been about 5 months since I’ve been here and will not be going back. The crab cake burger literally tasted like a tuna fish sandwich and the new fries they are using are disgusting. Only getting 2 stars because the waitress was great.

Eli’s is simply awesome– and they have the best staff of any restaurant around!
We hold a meeting here monthly and have anywhere from 15 to 40 people and they are fabulous with large crowds, split bills easily, and provide a great location where everyone can gather.
Plus, the food is great too. The avacado salad is a must!

Went for lunch today and it was a perfect quick delicious meal. Had a kids hot dog and Eli’s signature burger and loved them both! Would recommend to anyone in the Branford area for lunch or dinner; very diverse menu.

We came here pretty late on a Saturday night so we were treated to the late night menu as opposed to the standard fare-​but I must say, it was not disappointing. We got the fried calamari with both marinara and Asian sauce, fig pizza, wings, and some pita chips with guac. The calamari was a surprise standout. While most places like these tend to just fry the poor squid to kingdom come, these delights were perfectly fried so that they remained tender on the inside and still retained the crispy breading on the outside. They were so good that we ordered another platter. The other star has to be the fig pizza — it was also topped with arugula and goat cheese, all which served a purpose in balancing the sweet acidity of the fig jam. Everything else was pretty lackluster. The wings were definitely a bit too overdone and the guac was pretty standard. One of my friends also got an Alagash White that was pretty much devoid of all carbonation. The music for the bar area was also quite mismatched with the crowd. The DJ pretty much just stuck to 90’s gangster rap — and while I do appreciate some Wu Tang Clan or or Ice Cube, it definitely did not fit the crowd or the mood that the bar was aiming for. But stop here for some decent post partying grub.

We met some friends here for a few friends and snack… the décor is exactly like you would expect for a place in the Fridays/​Applebee genre… and the menu was about the same as those places too. The hostess was amazingly friendly and welcoming. We decided to sit at the bar… the bar staff was decent… efficient and pleasant… but the weren’t…friendly…nothing wrong, just… there.
The food was good… we shared a burger. Cooked well and tasty. All in all we had a good experience

Excellent Cobb Salad.
Excellent pulled pork sandwich and Turkey burger sandwich.
Thank you

Great food, good times. A little bit pricey but you definitely get what you pay for. I haven’t had an entrée I found unsatisfying yet. The wait staff is generally friendly. Can get a little crowded on the weekends, but it’s crowded for a reason– because it’s a good place to be.

Meh definitely sums it up. I have been a Eli’s patron for years. Well, I used to be. Until I became so burned out on the same ol’ tired menu that I couldn’t bear the thought of having one more signature salad. Even the specials all seem the same. There is a large draught beer selection, half of which is stale. The place could definitely use some wakening up.

I used to love Eli’s. I specifically chose to meet a couple of friends and acquaintances there this past Saturday, instead of their suggestion of SBC. Turns out, I goofed. The 5 of us sat in the dining room and just as we started to talk and meet one another for the first time, a private party in the upstairs kicked off — complete with a karaōke singing Elvis impersonator. (No joke.) Our ages ranged from 30 – 37 — and none of us could hear a thing over this singer. It was *deafeningly* loud. We literally could not hear each other talk across a small table, or even next to one another. We couldn’t even focus on having a good time because we couldn’t even THINK, it was just so blaringly loud. We pleasantly mentioned it to the server (who of course is not at fault in any way! and I’m sure was getting earfuls from the rest of the patrons as well… I realize this) but we had hoped perhaps the complaint might be passed along to a manager who might have been able to lower the volume just a bit, and all we got back was attitude and a half-​assed rude apology that there was «nothing she could do. It’s a private party. Sorry.»
Eli’s won’t get my business again. There are PLENTY of other restaurants in Branford to frequent.

First, let’s start out with the good — the food is excellent. My 2-​star rating has nothing to do with the quality of the food. While a bit pricey, (4.00 for adding shredded pork to nachos?!), the nachos were excellent as an app, and I believe everyone at our table enjoyed our meals (I personally had a Smokehouse Burger).
Now, the bad — the service. I’m not usually super picky about service, but I expect it to be at least — not offensive. We had to wait a few minutes to be seated, which was fine. We were 4 adults and 2 children, including my son, who is 6 months old and just starting to eat solids. This makes us a party with a highchair and booster. The hostess seated us in a roomy enough booth, but near an aisle with a pole.
After placing my son in the highchair, the waitress complained that it was «in her way» (even though it just required her to simply walk around another table). Quite honestly, we were offended, I spent 15 years in the restaurant industry. You NEVER ask a guest something like that, ever. I had to jam his highchair up against the booth so that I was the only person visible to him. He fussed the entire dinner, because he couldn’t see his Daddy or the other child at the table. (Which is kind of the point of going out, socializing)! I was annoyed with her abrasive, brusque personality but I tried to get over it because the food was good.
Now, for the REALLY bad — we gave her 2 credit cards and asked her to split it exactly in half. Easy, right? She did just that and we left and went on her way.
Unbeknownst to her, I get my receipts instantly emailed to me. I discovered on the way home that she had charged the ENTIRE bill to my card, and then re-​ran my card and charged half, like she should have.
I had to call the manager and he said it was in his system as a void, and that the money would be returned to my account within 24 – 48 hours. When the waitress returned the bill to the table, however, she should have just kindly let me know she made a mistake. What if, because of her mistake, I received an overdraft? This wasn’t my situation but this kind of carelessness could really affect someone’s account around the holidays. Shame on you, spiky red-​haired cranky waitress!
Taking all of this into account, if you’re in the mood for Eli’s, visit their Hamden location where you might actually get good service. It’s the same food.

Seriously Unilocal,can we please get half stars? Eli’s is definitely more 3.5 stars than it is 3 stars. I really enjoy Eli’s as one of my go-​to spots. food, drinks, and service are consistently great. Is it a spectacular, mind blowing meal? No. Can I find better food elsewhere? Of course. But they have a wide selection of food that can cater to anyone in your group, prices are fair, and I’ve never had anything that was bad.
It’s a great place to meet up after work, watch the game on one of their many TVs, have some drinks on a Saturday night. really, it’s good for anything. There’s ample seating (including an outdoor patio for the warmer months) and plenty of parking. It can get packed, but the way this place is laid out it never feels cramped.
Drinks are strong, food is good, and it won’t break the bank. Their signature salad is awesome, and any of their buffalo dishes (buffalo boats, buffalo chicken wrap, buffalo egg rolls, lazy man wings, you get the idea) are delicious as well.
It’s a solid, reliable spot and I’ll continue coming here as long as I live in the area.

Value– 2 stars
Food quality– 3ish stars
Beer selection– 3 strong stars
atmosphere– 2.5−3 stars
Ok place. Too pricey for where it is and what it is. The bar food is decent all around from a quality and value perspective. The beer selection is good, but it’s more expensive than SBC next door.
The atmosphere is a little confusing. They have TVs, but they’re not all visible unless you’re sitting at the bar and you’re short because they’re like inside the bar. On the weekend they kind of try to turn it into a club with a DJ in the corner of the bar, which, in my opinion, is a huge swing and miss. Are you a sports bar? Are you a club? You are clearly not a club.
It’s a place a lot of people go to start their night on the weekend before going elsewhere, or a place where people go to grab lunch any day of the week.

Probably more like a 3 and a half stars…4 for food and service…3 for the price of the food and the noise level in the bar area. Granted, it is football season on a sunday afternoon. However, upon arrival it was reasonable, but as we ate the TV’s got louder and the conversation in the room increased as a result.
Food was pretty good, although the menu is relatively standard. A salad will run you between $ 8-​$ 12 with adds on like chicken, steak or shrimp adding another $ 4 to $ 9…so essentially, an $ 21 salad is quite possible. My avocado salad was tasty, but very plain, would have like some other veggies instead of just cheese and a few cherry tomatoes. Sweet potato fries were yummy. My sisters’ crab cake sandwich looked very good but again, $ 14.50?! Arugula salad was also very plain although my other companion enjoyed it and took half of hers’ home for leftovers.
Not sure if I’d order more than just drinks and apps if I come back again.