ela's blu water grille

ok, but.foodwas fair, surrounding are tranquil, service was disinterested.

bestfoodof the four restaurants i visited. a little pricey. wine costs almost the same per glass as it would per glass in a bottle (total wine cost/4 glasses), so you won't save any money by buying the whole bottle. my one gripe is that the buser stood next to me as i finished eating so she could clear my plate. obviously i sped up eating so she wouldn't have to wait long, but that was very rude. never experienced that before.

beautiful setting (definitely request outdoor seating), quiet and somewhat secluded. good service, greatfood- the crab cake was exceptional. key lime pie was a hit!

fabulous!. this was our first visit to hilton head and ela's and we were quite please with everything. the service was great, the view of the marina was spectacular, and thefoodwas amazing. the pear/arugula salad was lightly dressed and the arugula was nice and fresh. we had no complaints about anything. a must for anyone who enjoys dining at it's best.

greatfooddumb guest. although i regularly check reviews of restaurants before and after visiting them, i have never before written one. however having read the "bait and switch" review i have to add my opinion as i am sure the reviewer is the same idiot that did her best to ruin the wonderful dining experience for all others around her. first of all the food. service, views and ambience were amazing. until the "lady?' at the table next to us began to scream, swear, and act in a manner that no normal person would consider acceptable in the privacy of their own home let alone in a restaurant. in fact her obnoxious behaviour go to the point that several guest told her companion that he needed to get her out. while online reviews are a wonderful tool to infrom others of both the pros and cons of an establishment, it is a shame that people who feel it is fine to scream and swear in a restaurant when they don't get their way are allowed to utilize it. ela's provided us with the bestfoodand service we experienced on our visit to hilton head and we will be sure to return on our next visit and encourage everyone else to do the same.

excellent, excellent, excellent. thefoodwas top of the line. the service was wonderful. our waiter, sam, was friendly, knowledgeable, and made great recommendations forfoodchoices. the meal courses were well paced. the live music was an added touch. i am visiting this area, but hope to eat here again before i leave.

gorgeous setting, great food, excellent service. we gave up on another hhi restaurant because of the 1.5 hr. wait and decided to try the first non-chain restaurant we found. great idea! ela's was excellent! our server, francesca, was welcoming, attentive and friendly. thefoodwas perfectly prepared and presented. my flounder with cilantro just about made me swoon. we highly recommend ela's. we'll be back.

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 ourfoodand 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.
thefoodwas 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, thefoodwas 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, thefoodwas great!

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 thefoodis 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!

went for new years eve and had a great meal. the setting is great - overlooks all of the harbor. thefoodwas 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.

terrible service-indifferent new owner. took my wife here 7/18/11. restaurant has new owner and opened less than 3 weeks.foodwas 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 hadfoodcome 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.foodwont 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.

great service. this small and rather formal restaurant has a lot going for it. thefoodis 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 goodfoodwith 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 greatfoodand 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.