Ella Social — Restaurant in New York

Posting my Yelp Review on Google —

If I could give zero stars I would as from the moment I stepped into this establishment I wasn’t granted any form of respect.

I arrived on Saturday March 19th at 4:10pm for dinner - the wait staff informed me they weren’t severing dinner for another 30 minutes despite their website stating dinner started at 4:00pm.

My husband and I came back in 30 minutes and were told we still couldn’t be seated for a table but could go to the bar. We waited at the bar and proceeded to order a bottle of wine and were instructed that a table was ready but still couldn’t order food. As we waited for the kitchen to open, a waiter dropped multiple plates and dishes on my head and back. Food spilled down my back and my jacket that was hanging over the chair.

No initial apology - I excused myself and went to the washroom to wash off the red stains and dry my shirt in the hand dryer. When I arrived back to my table the waiter came back and apologized and offered to give us a complimentary appetizer. We then asked to move to another table given I no longer wanted to sit by the entry way to the restaurant to avoid getting food spilled on me again. They obliged after some disdain and rude comments from the female waiter with glasses.

A few minutes later as we were getting ready to order, The woman at the table next to us, had a waiter spill food down her back and the manager came rushing out and advised that their meals and drinks would be complimentary and apologized profusely.

Another patron then brought to the managers attention that she hadn’t come outside to apologize to me nor did they offer to comp our meal and drinks (just an appetizer.) The manager then asked me to turn around so she could see what spilled on me as she didn’t believe me or the other patron who brought it to her attention, accusing me of lying and then walked away.

My husband and I got up from our table and we confronted her given the fact that I was not treated with the same amount of respect as the other woman who got food spilled on her.

My main issue is with the treatment of the staff, not caring that they spilled food on me and when it was brought to managements attention accusing me of lying and trying to get a free meal out of the situation. I brought to the managers attention that her accusations were hurtful, not factual and unwarranted. I can’t help but to think which I expressed to the manager that if I was a different ethnic or racial background, perhaps I would have been treated with compassion and received an apology but instead I wasn’t. I told the manager that I was disappointed that this establishment should treat all customers equally regardless of their race or ethnicity especially when you are at fault and not accuse them of lying or trying to get a free meal “because that’s what people like me do’” in particular given another patron brought it to her attention that she didn’t...

Wish I could give this restaurant a zero. Went here for an early evening meal and were disgusted when we found ourselves victims of what could only be explained as racial discrimination. My wife is perceived as black, and I am a white male who found the whole experience eye-opening. Within 5 minutes of sitting down, a server accidently spilled a dish down my wife's back. We understand this was an accident, but we were unhappy with the lack of concern or assistance they offered to help clean her up. I had to find the waiter to request club soda and ultimately, my wife was forced to go to the bathroom to clean herself off. When she returned to our table we asked to switch to another table, one which we saw just opened up, because we feared we were in a location that was susceptible to another incident. The hostess gave us some pushback claiming a couple who had just arrived had requested that table, but after discussing why we wanted to switch the hostess eventually conceded. The waiter then approached our table and offered us a free appetizer for the incident. No more than 10 minutes later a server accidentally dropped another dish on a white woman. After this incident there was an apparent concern for this woman and her blouse. Not that it matters, but the waiter dropped potatoes, vegatables and red sauce on my wife, and he dropped olives in olive oil on the white woman. Once the woman was as clean enough to sit back down the manager went to her table and told her that her entire meal would be compensated. Upon hearing this, another woman, unassociated with us, told that manager that they too had spilled a dish on my wife and that she should probably make the same offer to us. The manager immediately told my wife she did not see any food fall on her and told my wife, it was not a request, to turn around to prove it happened. This manager was in the back during both incidents, so she never saw food fall on my wife or the white woman and she sure as hell did not demand to see the white woman's blouse. It was apparent to use that the staff felt that they needed to tell the manager about dropping food on the white woman but were unconcerned with what happened to my black wife. We immediately left the restaurant, and my wife was visibly upset with the whole affair. We will not be eating here again and suggest that you all consider this story before you look to eat here. We want to thank that woman sitting next to us who spoke up when she saw the disparity in treatment, it meant a lot...

I don’t mean to be harsh with this review.. I’m just speaking from my own experience and giving advice to those who might be in a similar situation.

I recently visited Ella Social with my partner, and while I was hoping for a great experience, I unfortunately left feeling unwell. I have a serious allergy to seed oils, which I made very clear to my server when ordering. I specifically asked about ingredients to ensure I wouldn’t have a reaction, but despite this, I was still served food cooked with canola oil. The brussel sprouts, which I assumed were safe based on our conversation, ended up containing canola oil something the server failed to mention. As a result, I had to rush home and use my EpiPen.

I understand that not everyone is familiar with food allergies, but when a guest makes it clear that they have a serious sensitivity, extra care should be taken. The female bartender, who was helping us with our order, should have been more mindful in explaining exactly which dishes contained canola oil before allowing me to place my order. I noticed that she struggled to explain parts of the menu, as if she either didn’t fully understand the ingredients or hadn’t studied it enough to confidently answer my questions. It’s frustrating that Ella Social insists on using canola oil in nearly every dish, even when olive oil is available. I get that it enhances the texture, consistency, and cost efficiency in some ways, but for those of us who can’t have it, it creates a huge risk.

Beyond that, the dining setup wasn’t ideal. The tables were uncomfortably close together, which is why my partner and I chose to sit at the bar instead. The food itself was okay, but nothing spectacular especially not for the price, considering how small the portions were.

I hope this review helps others who are also trying to avoid seed oils, and I encourage the restaurant to be more transparent about their ingredients. A little more attention to dietary restrictions could go a long way in improving the...