ela! Greek Taverna Restaurant — Restaurant in Halifax

Just had my third meal at ela! and it was one of the worst dining experiences I've had in a long time.

I had eagerly ordered the lamb slouvaki, only to find the meat was mostly fat/gristle and completely RAW inside. Like, a deep pink that was cool to touch. Totally gross. I felt nauseous for about two hours after, only having had one bite of it.

The lettuce in the salad was wilted ice berg lettuce (in a greek salad?!), and mostly yellow with some brown edges. It looked like it'd been sitting in the bottom of a bin for too long -- like those bags of pre-washed, half brown lettuce 50% off at Superstore. Zero effort was put into this element of the meal. The cucumber seemed old and the olives stung the roof of my mouth (yes - weird and babyish, but true!) You expect a decent salad at a Greek restaurant, so this was really disappointing. I also don't think there was much of a dressing -- maybe a bit of vinegar. No herbs or much olive oil content.

The potatoes (or "potato" -- it was one old, lumpy potato cut in half) had no flavour whatsoever. They seemed par boiled then roasted for maybe 5 minutes max in some bland oily red sauce. Certainly not worth the carb intake.

And that adds up to the whole $22 entree!

Our waitress seemed new to the job and was not at all helpful or attentive. I told her about my raw lamb and she said she'd go talk to someone about it but never came back. She wandered in and out of our seating area at least 4 times before I motioned to her again about the meat inquiry. She seems confused and said she'd show the manager the meat, taking my plate with her. No one returned to the table.

Finally I went to counter to pay/complain, and the so-called manager said she'd never even seen the meat, so therefore couldn't "verify" it's cooked-ness. It was really lame and unprofessional. I was pretty frustrated at that point, about to spend $30 on a singular and acutely sub-par, potentially unsafe meal at a supposedly high brow restaurant.

Sensing my irritation, she didn't charge me for my meal, but was also really passive-aggressive, unprofessional and unapologetic about the whole thing. I'm glad I didn't have to pay, but I also don't know why it had to unfold as such.

Also the bread and oil you get before the meal sucks. It's really plain spongey white bread (much like Wonderbread) and the oil-vinegar is extremely salty and sour with hardly any olive oil. It's very inauthentic. This restaurant may be fooling most of Halifax into thinking it's a 4-star but it's exceptionally low quality, inauthentic, disorganized, and unprofessional in my opinion. Even the atmosphere is tacky....

We ordered take out from here the other day. The highlights are that the food was great. Service was good, and preparation of the food was quick. The packaging was ok, and I'm sure for most customers that probably don't have as far a trek back as we do - some items (packaging) sort of fell apart, hot food, paper packaging... They take credit card.

Overall, I'll say that the food was great. We ordered a few things, as we always like to try a few of the restaurant's offerings so we can gauge how good the food quality is. The only ding on them is the price, but that seems to be the way things are going these days anyways; the value didn't seem there...

We had souvlaki with potatoes (instead of rice), moussaka, grilled octopus, and the Greek salads. Everything was yummy, and we'd definitely go back.

A staple in any Greek restaurant/diner, you need to have some decent souvlaki. I'd say theirs was decent, but nothing that made it stand out or seem better than average. The meat was well seasoned and cooked well; thankfully not dry. I would've liked the tzatziki to have a bit more flavour - more garlic and lime perhaps - it seemed more basic/plain yogurt + cucumber. It was a thicker variant which was good - hate the runny ones.

The moussaka was nice, done well, tasty. We wanted more. =)

The grilled octopus stole the show for us, some of the better we've had. It was cooked well, not dry or chewy.

The salad was also as what we've become accustomed to in a Greek salad - well balanced, not too sour, or too much feta or anything to throw it off.

We'd happily go back! See...

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Darling diners, allow me to regale you with an account of my recent culinary escapade at this delightful Greek establishment. From the moment I stepped through the door, I was embraced by an ambience that was both subtly enchanting and warmly inviting, as though I had been whisked away to a sun-drenched taverna on the shores of the Aegean.

Now, let us discuss the pièce de résistance: the food! I indulged in the vegetarian moussaka, a sumptuous creation that was as pleasing to the palate as it was to the eye. Each bite was a harmonious symphony of flavors, layered with love and artistry. And the haloumi? Oh, my dear, it was grilled to perfection, offering a delightful contrast of textures that danced upon my tongue like a well-rehearsed ensemble cast.

But what truly elevated this experience to the realm of the extraordinary was the service, courtesy of the effervescent Amy. A veritable queen among servers, she catered to my every whim with grace and aplomb, ensuring that I felt like royalty throughout my meal. Her attentiveness was nothing short of extraordinary, and I daresay she deserves a standing ovation for her unwavering commitment to excellence.

In conclusion, if you seek an eclectic experience that tantalizes the taste buds and warms the soul, look no further. This Greek gem is a veritable treasure trove of culinary delights, with Amy as your guiding star. I shall certainly return, with a crown upon my head and a hearty...