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Elli's Great American Restaurant - Steakhouse in Salinas, California

Elli's Great American Restaurant

4.1 (1583 reviews)

1250 S Main St, Salinas, CA 93901

American restaurant
Bar & grill
Breakfast restaurant
Caterer
Cocktail bar
Family restaurant

About Elli's Great American Restaurant - steak house in Salinas, California

A menu inspired by the many cultures of Ellis Island includes American favorites like prime rib.

Customer Review Summary

The Pistachio-crusted Chicken Salad is highly praised for its exceptional quality, providing joy and hope in dining experiences. Service was notably excellent, with servers being attentive and accommodating. While some dishes took longer to arrive, the food was generally well-received, with many considering it worth the wait. The ambiance, including a heated outdoor patio, adds to the restaurant's appeal, although some guests expressed nostalgia for past menu items, like the former Chocolate Mousse. However, experiences were inconsistent, with a few customers encountering cold food or order mix-ups, leading to disappointment at times. Despite these issues, many patrons still appreciated the fresh food, pleasant atmosphere, and recommended menu items like the stuffed mushrooms and desserts.

Key Features

Service options

  • Outdoor seating
  • Delivery
  • Takeout
  • Dine-in

Highlights

  • Fast service
  • Great beer selection
  • Great cocktails
  • Great coffee
  • Great dessert
  • Great tea selection
  • Great wine list
  • Sports

Popular for

  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Solo dining

Accessibility

  • Wheelchair accessible entrance
  • Wheelchair accessible parking lot
  • Wheelchair accessible restroom
  • Wheelchair accessible seating

Offerings

  • Alcohol
  • Beer
  • Cocktails
  • Coffee
  • Comfort food
  • Food
  • Happy hour drinks
  • Happy hour food
  • Hard liquor
  • Healthy options
  • Late-night food
  • Organic dishes
  • Quick bite
  • Small plates
  • Wine

Dining options

  • Breakfast
  • Brunch
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Catering
  • Dessert
  • Seating

Amenities

  • Bar onsite
  • Restroom

Atmosphere

  • Casual
  • Cozy
  • Trendy

Crowd

  • Family-friendly
  • Groups
  • LGBTQ+ friendly
  • Tourists
  • Transgender safespace

Planning

  • Accepts reservations

Payments

  • Credit cards
  • Debit cards
  • NFC mobile payments

Children

  • Good for kids
  • High chairs
  • Kids' menu

Parking

  • Free parking lot
  • Free street parking

Customer Reviews

Rating Distribution

4.1 out of 5
5
835
4
393
3
192
2
58
1
105
Based on 1583 reviews

Gabrielle Weedon

2 months ago

Pistachio-crusted Chicken Salad was spectacular. Not to be dramatic, but it was so good it gave me hope—that salads can be excellent, that food service can deliver love and joy to anyone anywhere. Elizabeth was a wonderful server and I am so grateful to her. Elli’s is a place I will come back to again and again, and recommend to my closest loved ones. Such a special place. Thank you!!!!

Bay Area Reviewer

8 months ago

Overall this restaurant is awesome, everything we ordered tasted great , it was hard to decide due to everyone on their menu looked great. The Food took a while to get to our table but worth the wait. I will be back to try other eats on their menu, and remember to save room for dessert we got the peach pie 👌🏽. 💥

manuel hernandez

9 months ago

We came to celebrate father's day. The server was very attentive, always checking on our table. The food was a lil cold but still good. Bread pudding is amazing!!!!

Vikas Patel

2 years ago

New items on the menu, new interiors, new staff too but I definitely miss the old version of their famous Chocolate Mousse which we've cherished for over 20 years and now miss it as it is a little bit different. This place has impeccable service, ambiance and staff go above and beyond to serve you and cater to customers preferences. Heated outdoor patio for a private party too possible without feeling disconnected from the main restaurant.

Ashley Perez

6 months ago

Yummy fresh food. I loved it! Quaint Californian breakfast diner. Beautiful patio and amazing service.

T A

I really didn't want to do this, but this place falls on and off too much. Their food is great , and then it's not so great. The customer service is very good. The food let me down so badly. It was so bad it ruined my evening. It was a $200 meal and felt like a big waste. It will be another 2 years again... before I come back. Side note the waitresses saved the evening.

Buppi Gonzalez

1 year ago

First time here. It was okay. They did mess up half of my order but they did fix it and the manager also came to apologize. Another dish was also cold but we didn't complain we ate it anyways. We ordered pancakes, roast beef French dip, chilaquiles, and two other combo plates.

Alexandra

2 years ago

Good service. Great food. Pleasant atmosphere especially dining area, outdoor patio seating looks wonderful, bar and service not as welcoming. The stuffed mushrooms are marvelous, must try with their cucumber sauce I believe. Try the flourless chocolate cookies a wise choice for chocolate lovers. Plate are a reasonable portion and worth the price. An array of drinks definitely will try again.

Location

Contact Information

Hours of Operation

Friday 7 AM–10 PM
Monday 7 AM–10 PM
Saturday 7 AM–10 PM
Sunday 7 AM–9 PM
Thursday 7 AM–10 PM
Tuesday 7 AM–10 PM
Wednesday 7 AM–10 PM

Price Range

$20–30