Ella’s of Calabash

I liked this place. The food was good, the prices were comparatively low and the people were nice. All the local fire trucks were parked outside which is a clue to where the locals eat. I will try thus one on every beach trip.

Ella’s is pretty good. Nothing bad but again nothing to really get excited about. The restaurant itself could use a face-​lift or some updates. The tea was awesome. Our waitress was excellent. The food… well, it was just ok. I got a «small» fried shrimp platter and when they say small boy do they mean it. The slaw was too sweet and the fries were straight out of a bag. Prices weren’t too bad for Calabash area. The thing is, about 5 minutes from my house in Walkertown, there is a restaurant called the Seafood Shack. The portions are bigger, prices lower, and food better. The tarter sauce is 3 times as good. So in the end, I can do better in the seafood area without leaving my zip code.

Our first visit here. Overall a good experience. We would give the hostess and waitress 4 stars. We were greeted quickly by the hostess and seated right away (of course it is still the off season). I had the clam chowder and my wife the oyster stew. Both were served nice and hot and were very good. I had shrimp and flounder. While some would say the fish was dry, that is the way I prefer it. My wife had shrimp and they were a little over done compared to mine. Overall, good service and good food but the food was not anything special.

My wife and I came while on vacation. We pulled up as they were putting up a sign #1 in the county. We walked in and were greeted, sat down, and ordered within 3 minutes. I kid you not, we had our food in four minutes. I time it. Absolutely stellar food and service. Wow.

Ella’s is my favorite of all the Calabash seafood restaurants. It’s also likely to be the one with a line to get into the restaurant, and that should be a good indication. Ella’s is always the busiest. I prefer going here during the off-​season, when there are no crowds. They also have oyster roasts during the winter months. My favorite menu item is the deluxe seafood platter. It includes fried fish, shrimp, oysters, scallops, and deviled crab. That is a lot of fresh seafood for $ 18.25. Unlike some of the other restaurants, the seafood is not greasy or heavy from frying.

Ella’s is My favorite lunch spot… I also l enjoy dinner. shrimp and crab plate is my food of choice tonight I tried clam chowder it was amazing… when I was checking out I noticed they has suuvioner t-​shirts I bought some
family…service was great we had a male waiter by the name of Demetrius he was so attentive and the best service I’ve ever had

Scallops were on point. Good food all around and decent sized portions. Not a fancy place.

The Deluxe platter was mostly good. Just too much brown food for me. I am going to get it broiled the next time. The scallops, oyster and shrimp were good. The flounder was dry and not as good as I expected. Really good hush puppies, and the cocktail sauce was also pretty good.

Clearly, choosing Ella’s as my first Calabash dining experience was not a wise one. I’m hoping that they are not an accurate representation of Calabash style food and other restaurants in the area.
I knew things were not going to play out well when our lunch was delivered in under five minutes. It was absolutely evident that the food had been cooked in large batches and was being held under a heat lamp. We had the flounder and Calabash shrimp. The flounder was barely lukewarm and bone dry. I had to drown it in tartar sauce just to be able to get it down. It was like cardboard, both in texture AND flavor. The shrimp fared no better. Frozen shrimp, also lukewarm, in an unseasoned coating. Completely devoid of flavor. The coleslaw was the standard meh slaw… cloyingly sweet. I made it past one bite. The fries must have been hanging out next to the seafood under the heat lamp. Lukewarm and chewy.
The only saving graces were the service and free hushpuppies. The hushpuppies were fresh and crispy and the service was friendly and attentive.
I’ve had better seafood at Long John Silver (even LJS cooks their food to order). Do yourself a solid and skip this place. I’m sure there are any number of better places in the area… which cook their food to order.

I was not impressed. Calabash seems to have gone downhill altogether. The last several times I have been there were disappointing. I had the seafood platter. The shrimp were small and greasy and did not appear to be local. My wife had a steak and it was very tough. The waitress was great though. The guy working the register was not friendly at all. I will not go back to Ella’s.

Everything was as good as expected. If you like fried sea food, you can’t expect much else than this. My parents are locals and took us here since I wanted some «classic fried seafood». Service was good and my wife says they have some awesome home-​made hand scrub in the female bathroom.

STAY AWAY. Food just ok, waitress was terrible. They gave us the wrong check and acted like it was our fault they messed up.

Hush puppies are really good and so are the Calabash shrimp, but service is not that great. Waited a long time for them to refill my water, was done with my meal before she ever came back.

During a recent trip to the beach, we drove up to Calabash to enjoy the genesis of delicious fried seafood and did not leave disappointed. I think everybody in the party ordered calabash shrimp and we all agreed that it was phenomenal. We arrived at the perfect time to be seated right away and the service was great throughout our visit. As we left there was quite a wait, so make sure to try and get there early! Otherwise, come hungry, because the portions are more than enough for all but the most voracious appetites.

We were a party of 6, and arrived approximately 5:15 pm. We were seated promptly, and our orders were taken within a reasonable time. The seafood was cooked well, and we were kept full with our drinks. Portions were generous, and special requests were honored. Overall, a very nice dinner. Highly recommend this place!

We have been going to Ella’s for many years. We went there for lunch. It appears the charm is gone and the prices have gone up. Sorry we may need to find another seafood restaurant. It is so sad

This review is solely for customer service. Not the quality of Ella’s food. I didn’t make it that far. I usually don’t leave reviews when I have a bad experience; however, this one is needed. On my vacation, I decided to enjoy fresh seafood. I picked Ella’s. When I walked in Ella’s, nobody was at the host stand. I stood at the host stand for 5 – 10 minutes while 2 waitresses or hostesses walked right past me. After waiting for 5 – 10 minutes I was seated at a dirty table. After this, I decided it was time to go. I do not recommend this restaurant. I own three companies. I hope the owner reads my review and takes this into consideration. I know I would.

Service was amazing. Hope you get Breanna… we never waited for anything. Something we ordered did not meet our expectations… it was removed from the bill. I had the oyster stew. Came in an old aluminum measuring cup which was kind of neat. Hubby got the fried shrimp. Good portions and a huge basket of hush puppies and honey butter to munch on while you wait for your meal. Draft beer was 3 bucks. Not bad. All in all a good experience.

Yes Calabash has plenty of seafood choices but why would someone choose Ella’s? Fair prices and great food would be some of the benefits to start with. The general rule of thumb would be to go where the locals go. Well here it is, this is where the locals go.
The oyster steam pots are a great way to have a night out with friends. Healthy portions to share with friends and family. Well enough for everyone to have some without having to fight for your food. They also have steam pots with shrimp, Crab legs, etc…
Lunch here is affordable and filling. Meals always start with free hush puppies and they are delicious. Try their selection of soups and sandwiches for lunch. Come back for dinner and try some stuffed flounder. You will not regret it.

Ok, I am over 40. So when we were seated and I looked around and realized other than kids I was the youngest in the room I was hesitant about staying. However, my mom likes this place. They were busy but server got the drinks and we ordered quickly. I wanted to change something on a special and just asked for what we wanted and they would do it. That requested meal: $ 2.75. Yep. It was a sandwich and baked potato. Sweet!
The friend shrimp was bland however. It almost seemed like the shrimp could have done another 30 seconds in the fryer. But it needed seasoning. I used a lot of cocktail sauce. Whoa, that sauce has KICK. No mild for them. But it made up for the lack of flavor in the shrimp.
The deviled crab was good. My kid liked the crab cake. Fish looked good and flaky.
I remember going to other places in the area that had more flavor in the shrimp. For the price though… it was a cheap and decent meal.