ela's blu water grille

ela's review week of april 2. we purchased a coupon for ela's on restaurant.com on march 27, one week before visiting the restaurant. we had a party of seven. i called to confirm our reservations the day of our reservation. when we arrived for our reservation we noticed a sign that said they were not accepting the restaurant.com coupon. when we asked about it the hostess (or owner) said that restaurant.com had signed them up for the deal to be offered at their restaurant and they had never agreed to it. they said we could contact restaurant.com to get our money back. frankly i was not concerned about getting my money back from restaurant.com. it was probably about $10. my issue was how it was handled by ela's management. i think they should have said something to the effect that they had a misunderstanding with restaurant.com, they appreciated us coming in, we're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused and let us buy you're group a round of drinks, or an appetizer or free deserts for the kids. so much goodwill could have been created by a simple gesture had it been handled with grace and class. especially because it appears that they want to hold themselves out as an upscale restaurant. i asked why this wasn't mentioned to me when i called to confirm the reservation. they certainly could have asked whether we planned to use a coupon before we got there when i was on the phone with them if it was of such a concern.they also told us that only 4 parties had come in so far to try to use the coupon so it did not appear to be a tremendous financial hardship to them to show some small gesture for the people who showed up with them.
we sat outside and it truly was a lovely view. as far as the service - we waited an hour and a half for our food and it didn't appear to be very crowded in the restaurant. they forgot to bring the bread and hush puppies out- we had to ask for them. doesn't sound like a big deal but it is a little bit when you wait an hour and a half to be served. our server was polite and personable.
the food was very good and of very good quality. the best experience we had there was when the young bus boy chased us into the parking lot to give my daughter her purse she left at the table. truly the best customer service we experienced all night! will we come back- i'd have to think about it.

to die for. not quite literally to die for, but damn near perfect! i had the yew york strip which was cooked to perfection and my wife had the seafood cioppino, with shrimp, scallops, and mussels. we shared a couple bottles of wine (typical) and went home to a passion filled evening (atypical). either the myth about shellfish is true, or ela's just knows how to do it right! i will be thanking you for the next month or two, depending on how i behave. in all seriousness, the food was great!


-----06 mar, 2012-----

to die for. not quite literally to die for, but damn near perfect! i had the yew york strip which was cooked to perfection and my wife had the seafood cioppino, with shrimp, scallops, and mussels. we shared a couple bottles of wine (typical) and went home to a passion filled evening (atypical). either the myth about shellfish is true, or ela's just knows how to do it right! i will be thanking you for the next month or two, depending on how i behave. in all seriousness, the food was great!

wonderful atmosphere/superb food. stumbled across ela's blu water grille one night on vacation while walking with my fiance. after only a short wait we were seated in a very comfortable booth. i ordered the crab cakes and thought i was in baltimore! they were excellent!!! my fiance ordered the mahi mahi which was supreme as well. after dinner we had to share the key lime pie, because we were so stuffed from the huge portions, just the right amount of sweet and tart. i highly recommend ela's and know i will be back during our honeymoon!

great atmosphere. i've eaten at ela's numerous times and have never been let down. the service is excellent, the atmosphere is lively and the food is out of this world. they have done a lot of remodeling and the place looks great. i especilly recommend the bacon wrapped scallops, which are my favorite. overall this is my favorite place to eat down in hilton head and can't wait to come back!

awful. went there new years eve. the feature new year's eve menu featuring surf & turf was ordered by three persons at the table after 30 min lapse was told they had no more! after another 20 min lapse was told the dessert was no longer available!!! one waiter for the entire second floor seating 80.
food when finally served was not placed with correct person.
very bad service ......management did not prepare!

went for new years eve and had a great meal. the setting is great - overlooks all of the harbor. the food was excellent. the seasonal butternut squash soup was delicious. it's worth the price. can't wait to go back in warner weather and sit on the deck.

grouper was excellent. key lime pie was unique and delicious. service was attentive.

terrible service-indifferent new owner. took my wife here 7/18/11. restaurant has new owner and opened less than 3 weeks. food was fantastic. service was terrible. we brought our own wine. waitress had no idea how to handle. brought me a corkscrew and left it on the table. wanted me to keep my fork from salad course versus setting a new fork. table next to us had food come out at different times. slow service, lack of attention. when i brought the service issues up to the owner she seemed indifferent...they dont get it. food wont carry them, the lack of attention to detail and service is going to kill them. will look forward to next new owners because location is good. never go back to a bad restaurant.

this place is called ela's ocean grill now!!!!!! we came to this restaurant and were a little surprised at how different it was from the way this app portrays it. it's definitely more expensive than what it says on here. entrees are more toward the mid 20 to 30$ range. however, with that being said, it was so worth every penny. the chef definitely knows what he is doing. my husband got the scallops=amazing. i got the maryland style crab cakes. they were very good. i had to share them with my husband because they were very rich, but very very good. we sat on the deck and watched the sky change colors as the sun set. then afterwards walked around the marina and listened to music. very yummy food. great location. awesome atmosphere. plan on spending close to 70 or 80$ though.

great service. this small and rather formal restaurant has a lot going for it. the food is fantastic, the service very professional, the cocktails delicious and the view of the bay and marina beautiful. it's a great spot to celebrate an important event or just when you're in the mood for good food with a great view. i decided to have the calamari and she crab soup and was not disappointed. my companion had the lowcountry pasta and raved about it. all in all a wonderful dining experience.

date night. went out with my wife for date night at the ocean grill. what a great experience. the had great food and exceptional service. the menu was unique for the area, we ordered 4 appetizers because we couldn't decide. i had to finish them all. the dinner was perfect, she had seared scallops and i had the scored flounder. we finished the night with a sinfully rich chocolate dessert while watching the sunset. the balcony view over the marina and creek was beautiful. we couldn't ask for a better night. i highly recommend this restaurant and try the tempura fried bacon with blue cheese, it was great.