Have been going to Elia in the original Danville location since long ago. Always liked the food. Was happy when they did the Walnut Creek location. Food and ambiance have been excellent most of the time too.As they’re getting more popular and busy in the post-pandemic economy we all know well, they’re falling into the same pattern of many doomed businesses that take their customers for granted.Example: I booked a table for 2 for an important business meal. Did this a few days in advance on OpenTable where you book with a credit card and are reminded numerous times that being late or missing the booking will have a monetary penalty.I arrived 10 min earlier and was asked to wait at the bar for the table to get ready. The bar was packed and I had no space to safely land and get a drink for example. :(I patiently waited till 15 min in a loud and uncomfortable corner beyond the booking time (25 min total). I went back to the hostess and inquired. She said the table is not ready and her excuse was that people are not leaving from my table.I explained my situation to her and she repeated the same story. I asked for the manager. She came back and said the manager cannot see me but they can probably move me to another table upstairs which I had originally asked to be excluded.Truly unbelievable in this days and age for a loyal customer who has been going to and promoting the business for years.Imagine if I were late and they charged me and I would use a similar excuse like my credit colleagues did not leave my work meeting in time so I am late.They did impact my dinner and business meeting in a very negative way and never got an apology even.Be prepared to be treated very wrongly. Sad to see a great place is being screwed simply by bad management. This will hurt their bottom line for sure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 1
Rob Christiansen
Great food and great vibe. I'll be back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Francesco Benavides
Yet another very basic suburban Mediterranean restaurant. Overall consensus was that food is ok, not great. We ordrered shrimp appetizer , escargot, sea bass, chicken skewers and moussaka, baklava for dessert. Shrimp was tough but the sauce it was in was pretty good. We didn’t finish it. Sea bass was just ok, kind of bland. Chicken was ok. Baklava was store bought. From the entire dinner, bread was the best. The host told us when we were getting seated that we had a 90 minute time limit but then service was slow so I got worried we will brake the cardinal rule. Who does that??? It kind of ruins the experience from the very beginning. Also, tables were packed so close together. It was hard squeezing out to go to the bathroom… (not the cleanest).
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Doyle Jackson
The staff and service was excellent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
E.A. Harris
We came for dinner. The order:EscargotFlaming CheeseEvil eye cocktailMedusa cocktailSeafood PastaHalibutFilet MignonLemon cheesecakePoached pearGalatktoThe appetizers and drinks were amazing. Very delicious, and the cocktails were perfectly balanced. The mains were a bit lacking. The seafood pasta lacked flavor, the filet mignon a bit overcooked depending on the piece, and the Halibut was the biggest let down. Very dry.The desserts were mostly good. The star was the poached pear, followed by the cheesecake, but the galakto was burnt.Overall it's a lovely restaurant with Santorini vibes, and the waiters/staff were always kind. ?At these prices, the mains need to be a lot better.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
Korissa Singh
It’s really hard to find a restaurant with a wonderful vibe and great food. We’ve been on a Thursday night and the band was fabulous.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anita Kaur Sachdeva
Jesse is an incredible human being and made my experience so fantastic. Will be back with loads of personal friends, work dinners and family parties solely because of him.There was a beautiful human at the bar (amazing tattoos) who also made my day. Can’t wait to see her always! Thank you for remembering the true purpose of life - enjoying!!!Anita
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Neil Bunag
Great food, great atmosphere
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Octopus, Burrata
Jacque Drew
Everything was perfect! Service was great! Very attentive. Me and my husband had the lobster dishes which were very well done. The drinks were delicious. He had an old fashioned and I had the harmonia. For dessert we had the pear dessert which was good as well. It was a nice spot for a dinner date. We went at 430 which was nice because it wasn't crowded. Overall, we had a pleasant dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
ranjan maini
We went for dinner on the weekend.Every aspect was carefully serviced including the drinks and dinner.
I truly love this place, however, there was a bit on confusion about who our waiter will be that it prolonged to take our drink and order that night. Overall, the waiter did a great job and I love the ambience. I feel like the restaurant can benefit from a more organized staff. Oh, before I forget, I love that they printed the name of the birthday celebrant. I think that was very thoughtful and an impeccable gesture.
Theresa S.
Really cute vibes here. Definitely a place to visit with a group of girlfriends if you can afford it. It's pricey. The food was very good. Light, healthy, and artfully presented. They even have a flaming cheese dish! The portions are delicate. Great for me cause I'm not a big eater, but if you're looking for value... you're not going to leave with a lot left in your pocket. This is a special occasion spot.
Matthew H.
Great food and the service was great. It was lunch time and we had the place to ourselves.
Ariana R.
The ambiance is great! It does get very loud so if you're looking for a dinner where you can talk to one another, this is not the spot. However, if you're looking for good music, drinks and food, you're in the right place. The servers really do rush you with ordering to try to get as many people in and out as possible. Definitely still worth a try!
NeilB
Was a wonderful experience! Food was delicious Dined on patio, which was perfect spot on such a beautiful evening Did not expect hear live Irish music at a Greek restaurant, even if it was St Patrick's Day. If wanted Irish Music would have chose. A different venue
Have been going to Elia in the original Danville location since long ago. Always liked the food. Was happy when they did the Walnut Creek location. Food and ambiance have been excellent most of the time too.As they’re getting more popular and busy in the post-pandemic economy we all know well, they’re falling into the same pattern of many doomed businesses that take their customers for granted.Example: I booked a table for 2 for an important business meal. Did this a few days in advance on OpenTable where you book with a credit card and are reminded numerous times that being late or missing the booking will have a monetary penalty.I arrived 10 min earlier and was asked to wait at the bar for the table to get ready. The bar was packed and I had no space to safely land and get a drink for example. :(I patiently waited till 15 min in a loud and uncomfortable corner beyond the booking time (25 min total). I went back to the hostess and inquired. She said the table is not ready and her excuse was that people are not leaving from my table.I explained my situation to her and she repeated the same story. I asked for the manager. She came back and said the manager cannot see me but they can probably move me to another table upstairs which I had originally asked to be excluded.Truly unbelievable in this days and age for a loyal customer who has been going to and promoting the business for years.Imagine if I were late and they charged me and I would use a similar excuse like my credit colleagues did not leave my work meeting in time so I am late.They did impact my dinner and business meeting in a very negative way and never got an apology even.Be prepared to be treated very wrongly. Sad to see a great place is being screwed simply by bad management. This will hurt their bottom line for sure.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 1
Great food and great vibe. I'll be back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Yet another very basic suburban Mediterranean restaurant. Overall consensus was that food is ok, not great. We ordrered shrimp appetizer , escargot, sea bass, chicken skewers and moussaka, baklava for dessert. Shrimp was tough but the sauce it was in was pretty good. We didn’t finish it. Sea bass was just ok, kind of bland. Chicken was ok. Baklava was store bought. From the entire dinner, bread was the best. The host told us when we were getting seated that we had a 90 minute time limit but then service was slow so I got worried we will brake the cardinal rule. Who does that??? It kind of ruins the experience from the very beginning. Also, tables were packed so close together. It was hard squeezing out to go to the bathroom… (not the cleanest).
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
The staff and service was excellent
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We came for dinner. The order:EscargotFlaming CheeseEvil eye cocktailMedusa cocktailSeafood PastaHalibutFilet MignonLemon cheesecakePoached pearGalatktoThe appetizers and drinks were amazing. Very delicious, and the cocktails were perfectly balanced. The mains were a bit lacking. The seafood pasta lacked flavor, the filet mignon a bit overcooked depending on the piece, and the Halibut was the biggest let down. Very dry.The desserts were mostly good. The star was the poached pear, followed by the cheesecake, but the galakto was burnt.Overall it's a lovely restaurant with Santorini vibes, and the waiters/staff were always kind. ?At these prices, the mains need to be a lot better.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
It’s really hard to find a restaurant with a wonderful vibe and great food. We’ve been on a Thursday night and the band was fabulous.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jesse is an incredible human being and made my experience so fantastic. Will be back with loads of personal friends, work dinners and family parties solely because of him.There was a beautiful human at the bar (amazing tattoos) who also made my day. Can’t wait to see her always! Thank you for remembering the true purpose of life - enjoying!!!Anita
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food, great atmosphere
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Octopus, Burrata
Everything was perfect! Service was great! Very attentive. Me and my husband had the lobster dishes which were very well done. The drinks were delicious. He had an old fashioned and I had the harmonia. For dessert we had the pear dessert which was good as well. It was a nice spot for a dinner date. We went at 430 which was nice because it wasn't crowded. Overall, we had a pleasant dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We went for dinner on the weekend.Every aspect was carefully serviced including the drinks and dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chicken Souvlaki, Mediterranean Sea Bass Filet, Lamb Shank
Restaurantji Recommends
I truly love this place, however, there was a bit on confusion about who our waiter will be that it prolonged to take our drink and order that night. Overall, the waiter did a great job and I love the ambience. I feel like the restaurant can benefit from a more organized staff. Oh, before I forget, I love that they printed the name of the birthday celebrant. I think that was very thoughtful and an impeccable gesture.
Really cute vibes here. Definitely a place to visit with a group of girlfriends if you can afford it. It's pricey. The food was very good. Light, healthy, and artfully presented. They even have a flaming cheese dish! The portions are delicate. Great for me cause I'm not a big eater, but if you're looking for value... you're not going to leave with a lot left in your pocket. This is a special occasion spot.
Great food and the service was great. It was lunch time and we had the place to ourselves.
The ambiance is great! It does get very loud so if you're looking for a dinner where you can talk to one another, this is not the spot. However, if you're looking for good music, drinks and food, you're in the right place. The servers really do rush you with ordering to try to get as many people in and out as possible. Definitely still worth a try!
Was a wonderful experience! Food was delicious Dined on patio, which was perfect spot on such a beautiful evening Did not expect hear live Irish music at a Greek restaurant, even if it was St Patrick's Day. If wanted Irish Music would have chose. A different venue