Ella Kitchen & Bar

Four of us stopped in here on a Friday night and it was packed! It’s a small place with not a lot of room to move around, and there seemed to be some miscommunication with the staff about where we were going to sit. After about 15 minutes we did get a table of our own, but not before temporarily being seated next to a couple of other diners who didn’t seem too thrilled to have us invading their table (I don’t blame them!).
But once we were seated, the service was a bit faster and the food was great. We shared quite a few tapas: brussels sprouts, lamb and beef sliders, a salad, roasted potatoes, beef skewers, spinach, guacamole, enchiladas and probably a few others! Everything we tried was great, especially the brussels sprouts, potatoes and guacamole. Drinks were tasty and they had some unique offerings. I’d love to come back!

Decent food and drink, not bad for a low key place in the area.
We stopped by as part of a group of 3 on a weekday evening, and we split a variety of dishes as a group, all of which were generally decent but nothing noteworthy. The mushroom croquettes and paella were decent, while the smoky brussels sprouts also had nice flavor but were a bit heavy on the oil. The wings and truffle fries were also generally good but also nothing special. It’s not a place that I’d go out of my way to visit, but it’s a nice place in the area for small bites and decent drink selection.

We went there a few time. Always very good.
Great for dinner. Gourmet spanish tapas. Always new and tasty specials. Very nice atmosphere. The staff is always so helpful and friendly.
We went there for Brunch twice and it is very tasty. Mix between American and Spanish food.

Food: Ok
Service: Good
Ambience: Good
I decided to stop by with my family for brunch over the weekend a few weeks back. Walked in and were seated within 5 minutes.
I was very excited about trying their food given the reviews but was left unimpressed.
Their food was just ok nothing that you can not find in thousands of other places in the city and probably cheaper. The food was not flavorful.
It was maybe due to the fact that we were ordering off the breakfast/​brunch menu.
I would probably not be back to Ella’s not because the experience was so horrible but because there was nothing about the experience that stands out in my mind.

Came here for tapas after a taping of The chew with a friend. First impression, it was a really cute spot. Loved the décor and lighted area around the bar– even during the day you see the nice ambiance. The waiter Kevin was lovely, very nice.
Saw a sign outside about an apple mulled wine, so we decided to give it a try. It was delicious, served warm, nice combination of cinnamon and clove spices with apple and a sweet red wine. We ordered 3 tapas: albondigas (lamb meatballs), bravas and empanadas. I was expecting lots of flavor, being the menu is Latin inspired but everything was mostly bland. The meatballs had an OK taste; I love lamb so maybe that’s why. The tomatoe sauce they were covered in was bland. The empanadas were a huge disappointment! It had a variety of different things in the filling like oinons, peppers/​some types of vegatables, chopped eggs? However, so so very very bland! The bravas were just diced potatoes, nothing special. The chilli-​like sauce (red one) that was drizzled on top was the only thing that struck my taste buds with flavor, but became overpowering after 3 bites!
We ended with the vanilla orange flan. Did not taste vanilla at all. Oranges placed on top were not ripe– no orange flavor! And on top of that it was the smallest thing ever! Like it was made with a mini muffin pan (bite size). Not worth the price at all.
The food here was definitely a fail, the drinks and atmosphere were the only good things. I felt like we got gypped with the price we paid and quality of food.

I came here yesterday with a friend after attending a taping at The Chew. We had mulled cider wine which was delicious. We ordered empanadas, meatballs, and bravas. Bravas were good but empanadas and meatballs lack the spice everything tasted mild. We then ordered the orange vanilla flan which we thought would have more of a creamsickle taste but it did not regular flan with sour oranges on top that tasted more along the line of grapefruit. The presentation and how the dishes were prepared were all nice and our waiter Kevin was very attentive so I would come again but maybe for drinks and dessert only.

GREAT FIND.
We ate a Saturday breakfast there. I had the LOX on a thin bagel with onion, cream cheese, capers, etc. VERY good. My wife had the spinach, mushroom & goat cheese omelette,
She enjoyed the omelette. But, I tasted it & though it was too rich.
Price was reasonable. The service was very good. (they place only had 2 tables with customers so, it was hard to really gauge)
DEFINITELY will be back.

Beautiful place, staff & hospitality!
Everything was delicious! My sister & I started with the empanadas, mushroom & the calamari. (It was a tapas menu so it was the right amount)
We also enjoyed for dinner the seafood paella. It was delicious and to die for.
We sipped on some of their great cocktails and everything was fresh, not pre mixed nor from a bottle.
Our servers were Raphael and Antonio. They were sweet, attentive and knew their stuff. They had a smile on their face the whole time and were awesome.
The manager Ivan came by and chatted w us. Very nice man that you can tell loves what he does.
Being in the hospitality industry myself and seeing this interaction with customers and good relationships with his co-​workers is important to me.
Everything about this place was great!
Cheers and enjoy

Came here for a late brunch with my best friend and we were seated right away. Ella is a cute little spot with nice décor. Besides this however, our experience wasn’t the best.
The food was extremely salty. My friend got the paella which tasted like pure salt and veggies. She couldn’t finish half of it and had to chug an entire pitcher of water. I got the egg and cheese croissant with fries (which also were over salted) with a side of greens. My meal wasn’t too bad but nothing special. We also got the ricotta pancakes to share which were not bad, probably the best dish we tried there!
The service was very friendly and constantly refilled our water, however they were very forgetful when we requested a side of ketchup (we never got it) and didn’t know the answers to any of our questions regarding the menu (can we make the paella vegetarian or what kind of cheese do you have for the egg and CHEESE sandwich).
It was a fine experience since I was with good company but don’t think I’ll be back.

We had a group of 7 for dinner last night at Ella. The food was fine, but the service was absolutely awful and we will not be returning. We all live on the UWS and were hoping to have found a new spot — unfortunately not here.
The first pair to arrive at the table ordered drinks which did not come for almost 30 minutes.
We ordered a first round of several tapas — 2 of the dishes never came.
We ordered a second round of tapas — again, a dish was missing.
Our waitress seemed to be very hung up on the number of wine glasses she would give us per bottle ordered. We ordered two bottles to start, plus a few of us has cocktails, but she would not bring us each a wine glass. I wanted to switch to wine after ordering a sangria but could not get anyone to bring me a glass. Finally I poured wine from the bottle into my sangria glass which is ridiculous. About an hour later I finally received the (empty) wine glass I asked for, only to find out that I was charged for another glass of sangria that I neither ordered nor received (more on that later).
Overall our waitress could not have cared less about our table. We were there for 3 hours and spent over $ 600. Gratuity was automatically included and absolutely not deserved. There were several misunderstandings over the course of the meal — for example, when we ordered two bottles of wine to start and asked for glasses for the whole table, because we would be ordering more bottles throughout the meal, it took several attempts for her to understand that we did not want to order more bottles at that very moment. My boyfriend ordered a cocktail that he very slightly mispronounced and she had NO idea what he was trying to order. It was extremely odd.
We were out celebrating a birthday and were determined to stick it out. When we left, I stopped to talk to the manager about how disappointed we were. Worst of all, the manager could not have cared less! I have never experienced this at a restaurant. I briefly told her that the service was quite poor, we were charged for items we did not receive (but did not want to deal with trying to explain that to the waitress so just paid for them), we didn’t receive several items that we ordered, etc. The manager said ‘I don’t know what you are talking about, maybe you should have said something sooner, sorry’. That sealed the deal on us never going back.
In summary — the food is nothing to rave about, there is no ‘atmosphere’ to speak of, and my god, I have never encountered a more blatantly disinterested group of employees. I am upset to have spent a night (and a considerable amount of money) with friends and family celebrating a birthday at this place. This meal will leave a bad taste in my mouth for some time to come.

Great food and the prices are pretty good! I had an omelette, which came with toast, home fries and a small salad. My friend had the Brussels sprouts baked eggs and they were amazing. It takes a little longer for those to be made but it was worth it! She subbed fries as her side and they were quite good. I would definitely return — it’s a cozy place and there was no wait for brunch.

We came here for Saturday brunch at 2pm. We ordered a refried paella and skirt steak egg Benedict. The refried paella is rather plain. It’s a bit dry and the poached egg was overcooked. It could also use more ingredients.
The skirt steak was cook to perfection. And the Benedict was buttery without feeling too much fat.
The mulled wine was tasty with cinnamon and apple. The décor and service were top notch. It’s comfortably spacious but cozy enough for good conversations.
Overall it’s a good place to have brunch and I will come back for dinner some time.

I just had my companies Christmas party at Ella on December 10^th. It was a hit with my group of 20.
The ambiance was perfect! We were very well attended by the staff that were so accommodating. My guests were greeted and escorted by Joaquin and we had Perla attend to us for the entire event. She was just lovely. Joaquin made sure that the food was prepared and served at a timely fashion. The Chef that night was on point and perfect and he made me a special vegetarian dish which consisted of cauliflower and nuts that was just perfect.
The drinks and appetizers flowed throughout the night. I could not have asked for better service. Everyone was happy and pleased .
Mini burgers, the calamari, empanadas and Bravas are a must have!
Thanks again to everyone at Ella for a successful night and we cannot forget the wonderful bartender!

Guacamole Tartar — served with toasted bread. Could used more bread, maybe 5 instead of 3 slices.
Chorizos — I liked it, but the actual chorizo is kinda bland. Temperature was nice and hot on a sizzling plate.
Skirt steak — excellent, come here just for that.
Leg & belly Pa-​Ella — this was awful. Seemed like every ingredient was separately cooked, then put on top. The rice tasted like brown rice. was not looking for health food flavor, with duck confit, and pork belly.
I complained about it, and it was comped. I truly appreciate that, and I did not expect it.
Service was quick (good) and attentive. Food presentation was excellent.
I am coming back for the steak

I would give the food four stars, but the absolutely horrid service we received brings my rating down to a three. We came in on a Saturday in the afternoon, after the brunch rush had passed. We sat, we ordered, we waited, we waited some more, the empanadas came out, we ate them and waited some more, the server noticed our coffees hadn’t come out, we waited, finally we got coffees. Then we waited and waited and waited. The table next to us (who arrived after us) ordered, got their food, ate, paid the bill and left. But we continued to wait for our steak benedicts. We asked a bus boy where our food was and he made a snarky comment that they were killing the cow. Note to restaurants: when a customer is rightfully upset about their food being epically delayed, do NOT make a sarcastic comment. An apology would’ve been nice, but we never got one from anyone, at any point! In fact our server just completely disappeared when she realized our food hadn’t come out yet. I think she forgot to put in our whole order or didn’t know how to put in the order, minus the empanadas. No apology. After probably an hour, we finally got our food, which looked like it had been thrown onto the plate. What would’ve been a nice gesture, other than an apology, would be comping something on our bill-​anything! But no, we got the full fat bill.
Now onto the food — the empanadas were amazing, probably the best empanadas I’ve had in a very, very long time. Not heavy, thick empanadas, but a light, flaky, crispy outer shell and bursting-​with-​flavor-​ooey-​gooey goodness on the inside. The coffee was good. The steak benedict I’m sure would’ve tasted better to me had it arrived on time, but by the time it finally arrived an hour later, I was so bitter I could barely taste it. Plus, the food was cold. The steak was a little underdone for my taste, but still delicious, my friend complained that her egg was overdone and it should’ve been runny, but it was closer to being hard boiled. So after waiting all this time, our waitress was no where to be seen. We had to flag down someone else to get our bill, no way was I going to wait any longer on this brunch. He got our bill, we put our cards down, then we waited some more, then we saw the guy who brought the bill motioning to our server, who finally showed, to go pick up our cards. Wow, if your co-​worker has to tell you how to do your job, then you’re a really pathetic waitress. No words, no apologies, just silence from our waitress. If I were her and my customers had been epically failed by the kitchen, I’d be doing everything I could to salvage the experience by being overly nice, providing excellent service, or comping something on the bill. Nope, nothing. I should’ve asked to speak to the manager. My bad for not being more proactive. I left utterly disappointed, annoyed and feeling like I had wasted an extra hour of my day. Absolutely terrible service.

Friday night even at 7:30pm and this place is hype. Solid tapas on the UWS where the food is good, the service is on point, and the ambiance is hip. Definitely coming back
The Sweet:
— Food comes out fast and fresh. You can tell they don’t just slack. Its also hot — temperature-​wise. In general the flavors were bold, unique, and each dish had its own attitude.
— Bravas: Delicious potatoes covered in ½ aioli, and ½ harissa (slightly spiced). I would get this again.
— Empanadas: They use real beef, not that ground up stuff. Well spiced.
— Shrimp: I’m not a fan of shrimp, but this dish was definitely a hot spot. The garlic was cut in these large slices and toasted, giving you immense flavor. They did it right. The smoked paprika and white wine came out boiling and sizzling, with a bread that just drank up the sauce.
— Service — The GM was fantastic. Came over a few times to ask our opinion. After giving our card to the waiter, he asked us how we liked it — we said what we liked but also told him we weren’t the biggest fan of the octopus dish. He insisted on going back and taking it off our bill.
The Sour:
— Kofte — This was recommended. Maybe because my standards are high, but the dish was dry.
— Octopus: One of the most popular dishes ordered, and is also in a lot of reviews as being good. Maybe we got an off-​dish, but neither of us was a fan.
— Loud — don’t come here if you’re looking for a quiet peaceful dinner — this place gets loud on the weekends, can be a good or bad thing depending on what you’re looking for

Stumbled across this little place on Thanksgiving after a walk through Central Park. Got a table for lunch with out any problems. Had a beer and the steak sandwich — very nice. While the food was good, the service was somewhat lacking. They were not that busy, they seemed to have plenty of staff working yet everything seemed to take ages — from getting menus, to drinks arriving, even to the bill being delivered (had to ask for it twice — took 15mins!).
Would definitely go back for the food, however the [lack of] service has put me off.

I haven’t found a lot of solid tapas restaurants on the UWS, so I was quite pleased to find this fairly new spot on Saturday night. Like most tapas places, Ella can get very pricey if you’re not careful. Other than giving my credit card a heart attack, I had a fantastic experience here. Diverse menu, creative preparations, wonderful flavors and lovely ambiance.
Came here on a Saturday night around 8:30 — made a reservation on OpenTable but it probably wasn’t necessary. Walking in, you’ll probably be struck by how darn cute this place is. My pictures of interior don’t really do it justice, but the environment here is just so darn cute. Pretty lighting fixtures, lots of exposed brick, a few elements that pay homage to the ancient days (nude portrait, a majestic column) — just a really nice vibe. Definitely could be called a «neighborhood spot». It’s casual but still semi-​trendy. Seems like a place that would be bustling for breakfast/​brunch, lunch and dinner. My only issue in this department was the space… or lack thereof. The tables are positioned pretty close together, and heading downstairs to the bathroom is a tight squeeze. Just minor annoyances though.
To start, I got quite the delicious cocktail. It’s not on their online menu, but it was gin-​based and featured muddled avocado. Basically like an alcoholic green smoothie. Given I’m a total health nut, this was a dream come true. Surprised I don’t see this type of thing more often given the world’s current addiction to avocado. It totally works. Needless to say, I downed the cocktail a lot more quickly than I would’ve liked to. Just too good.
The food here has both Spanish and Mediterranean influences, which happen to be my two favorite types of cuisines. You’ve got your traditional Spanish dishes (paella, shrimp ajillo) and some more Mediterranean cuisine (several different uses of kofte, some preparations featuring feta/​olives, etc.) and a few hybrids (octopus). So naturally, choosing was quite the feat. They suggested 4 – 6, so we opted for 5. We settled on:
–Mushroom Croquettes w/​Chimichurri Aioli (A)
Nothing fancy about these. Simple but so so tasty. Obviously don’t get them if you’re anti-​mushrooms but these were a fantastic start to our meal. The aioli was a great touch — one of us may have licked the plate.
–Guacamole Tartar: Avocado, Cucumber, Red Onion, Feta, Kalamata Olives, Sumac, Lemon (A).
How could this be bad? Just look at the picture. A for taste and A for effort on the preparation. II appreciate them going the extra mile here — beautiful plate, fresh ingredients, great flavors. Very fresh! I’m not a big fan of olives but they were serendipitously placed to the side of the avo/​cucumber/​onion/​feta deal, so you can avoid if you have similar taste buds.
–Salmon Carpaccio: House Beet-​Cured Salmon, Pickled Beet, Baby Arugula, Smoked Yogurt, Capers, Dill) (A).
Salty and sweet — love the flavor profile. Delicious smoked salmon paired beautifully with the beets. Felt like a good Jew getting my capers in there too. The arugula was kind of pointless but it made an already colorful plate even more vibrant. Yogurt sauce brought it all together. Though we got this for dinner, this could easily be a brunch plate as well.
–Grilled Octopus: w/​Sunchoke Purée, Piperrada, Pickled Sunchoke, Basil (A-​).
More props to the chefs for great preparation. I don’t usually expect this type of aesthetic at more casual eateries, so it was a pleasant surprise. I’m an octopus fiend so my tastes are pretty discriminating when it comes to my succulent Ursula descendants. I’ve had better-​cooked octopus in my life, but this was still very good. The savoriness of this dish was a nice complement to some of the lighter plates we got — again, impressed with the variety here.
–Chorizos: Sizzling Argentine Sausage, Dates, Caramelized Onions, Thyme (B+).
Love dates and chorizo. What a winning combination. This was far from the best chorizo I’ve had, but it was still solid. Not a bad choice but probably my least favorite of the evening. Just not as interesting as the rest. It comes piping hot so be careful!
Service was great for the most part. My only issue was that they brought out the dishes too quickly. Not only was this just generally overwhelming, but there wasn’t room for everything on the table. It was a bit of a headache. Otherwise, the staff we interacted with was pleasant/​helpful/​all that good stuff. Would definitely recommend — just be aware of da moneys!

Happy hour… fried calamari and mushroom croquettes were both good. Anything fried tastes good with a cold beer! Service was slow and the place was empty, but it was Friday night afternoon, so who cares!

My husband and I came here for dinner on a Saturday night. We got seated relatively quickly at 7pm, though the restaurant was definitely near full.
Our waiter recommended a nice red wine based on our tastes, and the cocktails, while mostly gin based (not my fave!), had a nice variety to them.
My husband got the Chicken Chaufa, which was a little underwhelming. The quinoa mix had a subtle flavor — maybe it needed more salt? — and the chicken, while cooked fine, didn’t stand out, especially for the $ 20+ price tag. The kofte mini sliders ($ 9) were scrumptious, and the kale caesar ($ 10) was lightly dressed and fresh. If we had had more time, we definitely would have tried the Leg & Belly Pa-​Ella.
Did the trick but didn’t blow me away.