Ela got on my good side before I even stepped through the front door.
My preferred way of eating is to sit down to a table loaded with wedges of bread, smearable dips, snacky platters of meat and seafood, rounded out with bowls of fresh, colorful, texture-laden salads and produce-heavy side dishes. Everyone then dives in, helping themselves to a little of this, a little of that.
That style of noshing is exactly how Ela’s menu is structured to showcase pan-Mediterranean flavors.
In addition to its natural appeal for the shared-plates crowd, the two-month-old restaurant’s timing is superb, as it joins buzzy restaurants nearby that include Tio Lucho’s, Southern Belle, Fishmonger and Colette Bread and Bakeshop.
Ela is very much a neighborhood spot, but the food, drink and seasoned service also make it worth a drive.
Credit: Frankie Cole
Credit: Frankie Cole
If you arrive hungry, an order of the must-try mezze board likely will arrive quickly. This sampler is a gussied-up presentation of house-made Persian labneh, smoked eggplant dip, your choice of hummus (mine is the one capped with roasted mushrooms and herby, oily, garlicky chermoula sauce), plus a handful of pickled vegetables and grilled pita wedges.
My only gripe was that the ratio of spreads to flatbread was off; there wasn’t enough bread to use up all the dips. Expect to order at least one more round of pita at $4 a pop.
Mark Jeffers, Fifth Group Restaurants’ culinary vice president, developed the menu with a goal of offering familiar dishes without adhering to what he called “strict authenticity” in its representation of Greek, Moroccan, Israeli and Turkish cuisine.
You’ll see that in the cauliflower falafel, a starter that brings a half-dozen fried balls topped with tahini ranch dressing, or the Moroccan “hot chicken,” with ras el hanout wing sauce.
You’ll also see it in the cocktails developed by Ian Mendelsohn, the beverage director. Flavors might include sumac and blood orange for a tequila and mezcal-based cocktail, or an alcohol-free drink whose purple hue comes from pea powder. Mendelsohn also has curated a list of eye-catching wines that all hail from the Mediterranean region. For something spunky with peach notes, get a half or full carafe of a kegged Greek white wine called Gotham Project.
Credit: Frankie Cole
Credit: Frankie Cole
A meal ordered by my party practically turned into a fete, as we enjoyed all five of the char-grilled skewers while sitting on the all-weather patio, which had clear vinyl awnings that sheltered us from a heavy downpour. We dug into a platter bearing harissa chicken, black pepper lamb, chile-garlic shrimp, uber meaty mushroom shawarma and an Adana-style kebab of pork seasoned with tamarind and date.
Our server encouraged us to “get sauced” with a selection of five house-made condiments: lemon tahini, a red chermoula, traditional red harissa, a milder green harissa and bottled hot sauce. All were delicious, but, as it turned out, unnecessary. The kitchen does a terrific job seasoning the meat, seafood and mushroom skewers; they don’t require more sauce.
For sides with your platter of skewers, go for grains of couscous studded with the traditional Moroccan mix-ins of dried fruits, herbs and nuts. Better yet, bring on the veggies! A serving of local greens might sound boring, but roasted pepper, shaved fennel, olives, feta, pita croutons and green goddess dressing made it pop. And another option was a fine combination of roasted red beets, thin rounds of raw golden beets, strawberries and nuts, resting on a swath of thick labneh.
Credit: Frankie Cole
Credit: Frankie Cole
However, while Ela excels in shareable dishes, it falls short with single-person entrees. The lamb kofta burger was a confused mess of flavors and the beer-battered cod was oversalted, though otherwise it was crisp and flaky. There is no vegetarian entree, besides the mushroom shawarma, but Jeffers said they are working on a meatless main.
For dessert, take your pick of Greek doughnuts or tangy frozen Greek yogurt with crumbled baklava and drizzles of honey. And Ela’s parting, complimentary offering is a tiny shot of house-made liqueur served in a miniature goblet-shaped shot glass.
I wasn’t impressed by the concoction of Greek tea, vermouth and what Jeffers called “a few other secret ingredients” (nondrinkers just get the tea), but I was impressed by the gesture.
Credit: Frankie Cole
Credit: Frankie Cole
ELA
3 out of 4 stars (excellent)
Food: pan-Mediterranean
Service: cheery, speedy and well-versed on the menu
Noise level: above average in dining room and bar during peak hours
Recommended dishes: mezze board, Ela’s hummus, Yaya’s hot pockets, local greens, beets, skewers (especially mushroom shawarma and tamarind-date pork), lamb kofta burger, Greek fro-yo
Vegetarian dishes: mezze board, Ela’s hummus, cauliflower falafel, Yaya’s spinach-feta hot pockets, local greens, beets, baby eggplant, grilled artichoke, Steve’s Greek fries, mushroom shawarma skewer, couscous
Alcohol: full bar and all-Mediterranean wine list
Price range: $$ ($50 or less per person, excluding drinks)
Hours: brunch, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays; happy hour (limited bar menu), 4-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 3-5 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays; dinner, 5-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 5-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and 5-9 p.m. Sundays
Accessibility: manual door at entrance; very dim lighting at booths can make reading the menu difficult
Parking: free lot
MARTA station: 2.2 miles from Midtown
Reservations: accepted; recommended for weekend dinner
Outdoor dining: all-weather covered patio
Takeout: online ordering, delivery via Door Dash and UberEats
Address, phone: 1186 N. Highland Ave. NE, Atlanta. 404-873-4656
Website: ela-atlanta.com
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s dining critics conduct reviews anonymously. Reservations are not made in their name, nor do they provide restaurants with advance notice about their visits. Our critics always make multiple visits, sample the full range of the menu and pay for all of their meals. AJC dining critics wait at least one month after a new restaurant has opened before visiting.
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