Ella

We have eaten at Ella’s many times and always had a great experience. I have a gluten allergy and was pleased with their gluten free menu. We ate at Ella’s last night and I requested and ordered off the gluten free menu carefully reminding the waiter that it had to be gluten free. I’m not sure where the breakdown in communication occurred but I ended up being horribly sick the rest of the evening. I will never eat there again…

Bring your dogs and enjoy the patio! After a quick ‘dog friendly patios’ search we found Ella’s in New Albany. I can’t speak to the food but the patio was nice and the staff and owner were fantastic. We thought the doggie menu was adorable and ordered the salmon and kibble for our pups and beers for the humans. To our surprise the salmon was fresh baked! The dogs loved it. We’ll certainly be back!

My 1^st experience with Ella’s, last night, was great starting with the appetizers our group ordered; the calamari and brie were both prepared exceptionally! Soups and salads were well prepared also. The services was great. All around we had a great time. It’s a bit pricey, especially the cocktails, but well worth the time and $$$. I will be returning.

Amazing restaurant. If there is a negative review on here, it’s because poor Ella is stuck in Columbus, Ohio and people is Columbus are entitled idiots. Sorry, it’s true. The food is amazing, the atmosphere is amazing and I love it there. I’m sad that Ella has poor reviews. It’s truest delicious and a one of a kind experience in Columbus, Ohio.

Had a very enjoyable Easter brunch. We went with our extended family. I highly recommend it!

Probably the worst service I have had at a restaurant in several years. It took over 1 ½ hours to get our food. I had to finally get up and ask if we would ever get out meal. They finally brought out 2 of 3 entrees and I had to get up again and ask when the last entrée was coming. It came after we had finished ours. The worst part was they never offered any explanation about why it was taking so long and only after I complained did they send the owner/​manager over. She finally apologized and didn’t charge us for the last entrée. Are you kidding me? If ever there was a time to comp a customer their entire meal this was it.

Great service, high quality food and well prepared, great cocktail menu. All around solid neighborhood bar and restaurant. Will definitely put it on our regular «rotation»

The food is okay but SUPER overpriced. $ 16 for a salad with a piece of salmon. The salad was the size of a small side salad and not entrée sized. I ordered a chicken wrap that was $ 13. I ordered chips and received fries… which were admittedly very tasty. I watched another server spill a glass of wine on a customer. My credit card was charged twice the menu price and I had to be given a refund. We were one of four tables served, so there was no excuse for the compilation of issues.

So after being seated for lunch we waited for close to 35 minutes to get our food. Not very convenient for the lunch crowd. I had the $ 14 «Prime» burger, a.k.a a big hunk of unseasoned meat. It was bland and boring. The only saving grace was the fresh cut fries. Otherwise the meal just very mediocre. I do like that there is a connected art gallery at the entrance so I got to see some lovely art and the restaurant actually hangs art from the galley in the restaurant space which is basically a big boring cube. Overall not impressed with food or the esthetics. Meh.

I have been here several times. The trout is fantastic as are the mussels. Decent wine selection although they are frequently out of stock on many of them. The servers and bartenders ar superb. I really hope this place makes it. It can be hard to find. The signage is not great so I can see how people would miss seeing it. With good advertising and better inventory management they could increase business.

Dreadful.
The restaurant was basically empty and the service was horrible.
Several items on menu were not available.
Chicken undercooked and raw.
Vegetables burnt.
Their excuse was … That’s how we prepare our vegetables.
Also they try to weasel out of coupons.
This was not a fluke… Gave them a second try.
Equally as bad if not worse.
Oh, also over priced with limited menu.

My husband and I tried Ella because we had a coupon from the Columbus Diner Deck.
We went on a Friday night and I made a reservation with their online reservation system. They really were not crowded enough to need a reservation. New Albany seems far away, but the drive from Dublin was only 20 minutes.
I liked the décor with all of the art on the walls and I liked that they sat us at a booth for 4 even though we were only 2 people. It gave us the chance to sit on the same side and view the dining room.
The meal started with some free bread which was not impressive but it was free so I can’t complain. My husband ordered the strip steak and the clam chowder. I ordered the Ella burger and the soup of the day (which was tomato bisque).
I thought the clam chowder was a little salty, but it had a strong bacon flavor and lots of clams. My husband enjoyed it. My tomato bisque was awesome.
Regarding the main course, we were both impressed by our meals. I ordered my burger medium and the middle was perfectly red. The steak was the same. I appreciated the crunchiness of the toasted bun and the onion aioli provided on the side. I believe the meat was local and it had a nice taste to it. The bacon was a little tough – made it difficult to eat on the burger so I picked it off and did not eat it. I stuck with the bbq potato chips for my side instead of the up-​charged potato wedges. They were good – salty and sweet – but I didn’t eat all of them.
We needed to hit the minimum purchase to meet the coupon card requirement, so we ordered dessert as well – bourbon chocolate pecan pie with vanilla ice cream. Basically a Derby pie, but they didn’t call it that. It was just alright, nothing super great. Tasted fine, but did not «wow» me like the burger.

Great food, very nice atmosphere. Great for a date night or sharing a bottle of wine. Went here for mothers day brunch and it was fantastic.

Came here on a Thursday night and got the double cut pork chop. It was huge. Decent place and recommended to others.

Have only been to Ella twice — once for the Easter buffet brunch and again for the Mother’s Day buffet brunch. I have to say it just might be the best buffet brunch I’ve ever been to. The food was VERY good. And while there were plenty of items to choose from, they didn’t try to do more than they were capable of, which is the downfall of a lot of buffets I’ve been too. Food was replenished quickly, everything tasted fresh… nothing was ever dried out like you find at many buffets. One thing I really appreciated was there was no omelet station — so no bottleneck in line — if you want an omelet, you fill out a ticket and the server takes it to the kitchen. NOTE: they have the best fried potatoes on the planet! The service was spot on, too!
I realize that you want your buffet to look «pleasing» so things are staggered at different heights. However, I was there with my 87 year old mother-​in-​law and it was very difficult for her to reach some of the things she wanted. Heaven forbid you are a really short person. Lower things just a little… that would be my ONLY suggestion.
Ella has now become our «go to» buffet brunch place for holiday’s with the family. Even my EXTREMELY PICKY brother-​in-​law & sister-​in-​law loved it.
Good job, Ella!

We had a coupon from the Columbus DIner’s Deck and decided to try this place out.
We ordered the Zucchini Fries – which for 10 dollars, were way overpriced and «average” – probably somewhere between Friday’s and Cheesecake Factory in taste. The three dipping sauces were okay. But again, way overpriced for the amount you’re getting.
Both of us ordered burgers and the parmesan potato wedges. The burgers were bland and the aioli that they provide with the meal made it taste a bit «gamey.» I’ve had better burgers at chain restaurants that cost much less. If you’re looking for the best burger in Columbus that you get your bite/​buck ratio, it’s hands-​down Northstar Café.
Service was below average. It took us a bit to be seated without anyone else ahead of us. There was a large table that all had individual bills, so that may have played a part in it. Our waitress seemed preoccupied with these tables.
Overall, stuffy atmosphere (even for New Albany) and bland food.
Meh.
*Update: See the owner’s response below. This is exactly the kind of attitude and service you’ll get at Ella.
I’m not sure if beef sourcing is the issue here – it could be from Timbuktu or Columbus area farms. It’s all about how you cook and flavor the burger and it was just plain bad. Yes, I’ve had better burgers at chain restaurants that had patties that were previously frozen. I’ve also had ones that weren’t from local restaurants. Farm to table, bakery to table, and made in-​house is great, unless you take that great food and flavor it terribly.
Again, I think it’s great that you source locally in Ohio. But this is simply an experience in which the food was poorly executed and not how you do business or who your suppliers are. I’m glad the polenta fries are popular.
Yes, this review was from over a year ago or three seasons ago as you called it. I transfered it over from another Unilocal account. Glad to know that the restaurants attitude hasn’t changed in over a year. Typically restaurants hop into the diners deck to attract more customers here and that the 10.00 off won’t be a hit because you’ll likely get items with higher margins.
So, instead of saying, «hey, we had an off day, come back and try us,» you see the typical New Albany attitude below.

I recently attended a private wedding reception here. Every bite of food was absolutely delicious. I had the spinach salad and the filet. I also tasted the squash turnover. I was concerned that the filet would be overcooked, as it is difficult to prepare for such a large group. However, it was perfectly rare, and so tender I didn’t need a knife. Sides were tasty as well. No complaints, but looking at the menu, I could see how some might think the prices are a bit high…

Waiter was awful. I asked what the soup of the day was and he said «3 bean and 3 meat chili» and walked away. Uh, wanna tell me what 3 beans and what 3 meats fella?
Chili was too spicy and the cornbread croutons were dry and stuck in my throat. I asked for sour cream, which should have come with the meal, just to make it edible. I only ate half; the beans were only half-​cooked. WTH?
I got the beet salad that everyone raved about and was sorely disappointed. The arugula was old and wilted… some pieces were even yellow, way past their prime. Shame on the kitchen!
I sent the salad back and the waiter asked if I wanted another to which I replied, no thanks, I don’t know why any chef/​kitchen would send that out so I don’t want a re-​do.
The waiter was distracted and inattentive in a restaurant crowded with 2 tables. The manager came over and shook my hand, apologized for the meal and took care of the bill, as would I expect. I finished my overpriced glass of Kim Crawford SB, 12 a glass for a wine that costs 16 a bottle (guess he couldn’t comp the one thing that I could consume). Lame.
To add insult to injury, the 80s non-​hit «Funky Town» was playing in the background — seriously??? And the flies, don’t get me started about the flies.
The manager or owner seemed genuinely sorry about my bad experience which I appreciated but there wasn’t much that could erase that flop. Perhaps comping the wine would have been a start? I wouldn’t have paid for the food anyway so his waiving it was kind of meaningless.
Obviously, I won’t be back.

Eclectic Atmosphere. Varied Menu. Average Service. Delightful Tea.
My best friend and I popped in Ella for a late lunch. She had heard great reviews of the farm to table food. I have to say that the food lived up to the expectations. The burger and gumbo very very tasty.
Our waitress only had two tables and was missing half of the time. This was my main reason for moving it from four to three stars. I recommend getting the tea. It is the perfect start to a good meal.

I’d been wanting to come to Ella since I saw preparations for the restaurant opening (it was part of my old running route), but I was waiting for a Groupon. They never came out with a Groupon, boo! For Restaurant Week jan 21 – 26, I looked at Ella’s menu for restaurant week, and it looked good, so I was excited to finally try out this place!
I came during happy hour, so the bar area was filled with patrons. But I wasn’t there for happy hour! I was seated at a small table. Looked over the drinks menu, cocktails are around $ 9 – 10. they looked good, but I decided not to have anything to drink.
I was presented with the bread. It was garlic bread, already heavily buttered. It was too much butter for me.
For the first course, I had the BBQ OSU Pork (Over Smoked Randalls Cheddar Polenta Cake with Cider-​Sprout Slaw). I really liked the BBQ sauce, but the pulled pork I had at gallo’s pit bbq was more tender. The polenta cake and slaw were good.
For the second course, I had Spinach Salad With Poached Pears, Hazelnuts, Gorgonzola, Radicchio, and Vanilla Balsamic Vinaigrette. Honestly, I thought the hazelnuts didn’t work with the salad. Hazelnuts really belong in cookies.
For the main course, I had Brie & Spinach Stuffed Ohio Chicken With Brown Butter Spaghetti Squash, Smoked Tomato Sauce. I wasn’t fond of the brie in this dish, but the preparation of the ingredients turned out well. There was something crunchy on the top (like asian crunchy noodles), which I liked, but it was a bit odd with the chicken and the spaghetti squash. Tomato sauce worked well with the spaghetti squash. I ate the chicken separately from the squash. Sometimes I like to mix all the stuff on my plate, but that didn’t really work here.
Overall I think there are a lot of flavors which don’t always work well together. Maybe Ella tries too hard to be different and unique? I’m not averse to returning. It was an interesting experience for my tastebuds.