Ella Cafe — Restaurant in Coral Springs

Coral Springs, FL. Sherlly was a joy! But I suspect everyone on staff is a joy here. With a slogan like “handcrafted love” on your shirt, you gotta bring it. And Sherlly did.

Sherlly checked on me after ringing up and delivering my order, and we eventually had a nice conversation about the new Lilo and Stitch movie. I think if I return in a couple months I’ll look Sherlly up. Sherlly is good people.

This Ella looks like the original Ella Coffee in Pembroke Pines on the inside. It has greenery, natural wood, two high-top tables for six each, four regular tables, one children’s table, two classy occasional chairs in a seating arrangement, and a setup for live music at the end. The clientele here is the same as at the other Ella with calm remote work and meetups happening. I love Ella Coffee’s people, they are diverse and nice.

The last time I was at Ella in Pembroke Pines I got a huge tall cinnamon roll. Today I got a buttery croissant for Steve. Steve said you could taste the butter, it was really good.

I got a decaf cappuccino because my doctor said ix-nay to caffeine. It tasted great! And Ella’s baristas know how to do coffee art.

They still use wooden boards for dine-in. They did this about two years before charcuterie boards trended. Now they add little coffee-flavored shortbread cookie hearts to each board.

On the outside, it seems to be obscured by the sterile white walls of the strip of businesses it is in. It looks like it should be a dentist shop. Look for “Coffee House” on the white building on the northeast corner of University and Wiles. There is better parking in the back, and that’s where the entrance is.

Once you enter, if you’re a coffee shop aficionado, Ella will become your new favorite coffee shop.

They have amazing pastries, salads, and croissants baked on...

The new Ella Cafe on Wiles and University (located at 4691 N University Dr., next to Truist Bank) opened last weekend. It's a local high-end coffee shop chain with four locations. The first shop opened in Plantation, with additional locations in Davie and Miami.

They've done a great job with the interior. It has a warm wood grain-enhanced atmosphere, and if it was on Las Olas or in East Boca, Miami Beach, or Wynwood, it might be able to justify its prices. Maybe. But this is Coral Springs.

We should note that this place has absolutely no sound insulation. When it's full, it's extremely loud, and you can hardly hear the people at the counter, so it's not a good place to work with your laptop. Additionally, the menu displayed does not have prices, so it can be quite a surprise when you receive the bill.

The latte is $7, and while it is a very nice latte, I think that's a bit high for a basic coffee drink without all sorts of other crazy stuff; it's just coffee and whole milk.

The sandwiches are small and, for the most part, vegetarian; the "Italian" sandwich I ordered was served on a small crusty toasted baguette and consisted of a few slices of melted fresh mozzarella, some pinkish tomato slices (not heirloom, it's straight up supermarket quality beefsteak), some pesto, and balsamic vinegar dressing. They served it with some kind of chopped-up vegetarian antipasto salad on the side, in a mini Mason jar, but neglected to bring silverware to the table, so I picked at it with my hands before giving up. The sandwich was good, but was it worth $14, basically captive customer airport terminal pricing? No.

Oh yeah, it has the god-awful metal torture seats.

If it lasts six months, I'll be...

I had a wonderful experience at this coffee shop until I interacted with one of the employees as we were leaving. The food was delicious, and the establishment itself was charming—perfect for a cozy outing with kids. We had four kids with us, and they were well-behaved, and we made sure to clean up after ourselves and leave the space as we found it.

However, one male employee with a beard seemed visibly bothered by our presence and stared at us the entire time, giving off an uncomfortable vibe. When we ordered a to-go coffee, he was rude and seemed inconvenienced by us being there, which was very off-putting. It was especially disappointing given how kind and welcoming the other staff were.

If a business has a designated children's table, it should be prepared for families and create an environment that feels friendly and accommodating for all guests. It's unfortunate that this employee's attitude negatively impacted our visit because everything else, from the food to the ambiance, was lovely.

I hope the management takes this feedback seriously and ensures all staff are aligned with the welcoming environment they...