Ellis Square was a pleasant surprise We were attending the Cabot Theater and wanted to have dinner at a nearby restaurant. The food and service were great, we will definitely be back.
PRapat
Great location,ambiance and service. Food for a limited menu restaurant was sub par. The gnocchi was undercooked and meatballs were hard. The mussels were mushy and spicy broth was over powering in flavor. I suspect the dishes were premade and heated up. Both dishes came within 10 min of ordering. The dessert was the best of the three dishes we ordered.
Our first time here. Our server was lovely and made good suggestions. We had four different entrees and all were great (chicken, tuna, salmon and steak frites). We'll be back.
Lmnop1
First time experiencing a bavette steak, wonderful orange garnish with brûlée sugar, and no cocktail sauce option for oysters, but the hibiscus ? mignonette and sauce Louis were good.
DebbyS
We had a reservation and were promptly seated. The hostess was very sweet. Our waiter was Ben and he was awesome! Prompt service, checked on us regularly. The food was delicious. Will definitely be returning.
dtdrowley
It was a lovely dinner. Not sure why it was so hard to get a reservation time I wanted- the restaurant was empty. Server was nice but not very engaging. Bartender was great. Will definitely try again.
EmilyDog
Food is always amazing at Ellis Square Social. Cocktails also deserve mentioning. Love the atmosphere. Service is very good. Outstanding all the way around. It is a regular destination for us. Highly recommend.
LisaH
Sat at bar, bartender was attentive and talented. Service was quick but never felt rushed. Host happily added an extra bar stool for a fiend of ours who stopped in for a drink and app. Love the vibe here!
Maureen1
We love the vibe at this downtown Beverly eatery. Excellent service and quality food keep us coming back. Brandon is quite the mixologist and a popular personality at the bar. Make reservations in advance!
ddave
Waiter was great, food was great....nice atmosphere. Oysters were so-so, and the olives in the martinis are the little puny ones from a jar. Still will be going back and would recommend to friends. Burger was outstanding, Salmon was also great.
Unfortunately, the menu on the website and the menu in the restaurant are different. I wasn't too thrilled that the menus are different when I got there. The service was good but the food was only okay. I tried the charcuterie board, the cheese and meet options were interesting. I got the chicken breast with sweet potato puree and this was good. My friend got the potato gnocchi with lamb meatballs and mushrooms. The meatballs were not good, they weren't hot and had a gamey-like texture and the mushrooms were disgustingly large. I enjoy the ambience very much, but I wouldn't rush back until they change the menu again.
Ellis is always a home run. The staff is welcoming and set a new high standard at every visit. The food is some of the best on the North Shore. I would eat and drink here every day if I could.
AnnieD
Three of us went to dinner for a birthday celebration. With a reservation for a table, we stood at the door for a bit too long (while there were lots of empty tables) until we were offered a high top instead which was okay with us. That aside, once we were seated the rest of the experience was fine. Cocktails were well made. Two of us got the Bavette Steak (their version of Steak Frites). Both were cooked to a perfect medium rare as ordered. The arugula salad and fries were delicious. The other person in our party got the Salmon which she thoroughly enjoyed, however, the roasted potatoes were a bit large and lacked flavor on the inside. We shared a dessert which came out with a birthday candle! (nice touch) Our waiter was attentive and knowledgeable about the menu items and cocktails. Sorry I'm blanking on his name (Bradley? Brian?) He did an excellent job all around. We will definitely be returning to try other menu items.
DannyB
Fantastic ambience, but that's where the charm ends. Despite the restaurant being quite empty when we were seated, it took close to 15 minutes for our drink order to arrive after ordering. (Only slightly shorter delivery time for subsequent orders, as well.) When they finally did arrive, they were served in glasses that were quite small, despite the price not being so small at all. Although they have four choices for steaks, their menu is otherwise very limited. And, on the night we dined, three of the menu options were unavailable due to "supply issues." It's not the pandemic era anymore, so I can't understand why so many options could be affected. To top it off, the server didn't even tell us that these options were unavailable until after she asked us for our order. Had to go back to the drawing board at that point to figure out what we wanted instead. Would have been nice if the server has told us beforehand! Food was good, though not great. My friend liked her seared chicken breast, though the pumpkin risotto was a bit soupy. My ribeye was good, but came out quite rare, instead of the medium rare I had ordered. Overall, an ok experience, not great.
ErikaH
Classy, but casual. Beautiful inside. We sat at the large, comfortable bar and watched the bartenders, who are true artists. Smallish menu, but everything was truly delicious. We'll be back.
Ellis Square was a pleasant surprise We were attending the Cabot Theater and wanted to have dinner at a nearby restaurant. The food and service were great, we will definitely be back.
Great location,ambiance and service. Food for a limited menu restaurant was sub par. The gnocchi was undercooked and meatballs were hard. The mussels were mushy and spicy broth was over powering in flavor. I suspect the dishes were premade and heated up. Both dishes came within 10 min of ordering. The dessert was the best of the three dishes we ordered.
Our first time here. Our server was lovely and made good suggestions. We had four different entrees and all were great (chicken, tuna, salmon and steak frites). We'll be back.
First time experiencing a bavette steak, wonderful orange garnish with brûlée sugar, and no cocktail sauce option for oysters, but the hibiscus ? mignonette and sauce Louis were good.
We had a reservation and were promptly seated. The hostess was very sweet. Our waiter was Ben and he was awesome! Prompt service, checked on us regularly. The food was delicious. Will definitely be returning.
It was a lovely dinner. Not sure why it was so hard to get a reservation time I wanted- the restaurant was empty. Server was nice but not very engaging. Bartender was great. Will definitely try again.
Food is always amazing at Ellis Square Social. Cocktails also deserve mentioning. Love the atmosphere. Service is very good. Outstanding all the way around. It is a regular destination for us. Highly recommend.
Sat at bar, bartender was attentive and talented. Service was quick but never felt rushed. Host happily added an extra bar stool for a fiend of ours who stopped in for a drink and app. Love the vibe here!
We love the vibe at this downtown Beverly eatery. Excellent service and quality food keep us coming back. Brandon is quite the mixologist and a popular personality at the bar. Make reservations in advance!
Waiter was great, food was great....nice atmosphere. Oysters were so-so, and the olives in the martinis are the little puny ones from a jar. Still will be going back and would recommend to friends. Burger was outstanding, Salmon was also great.
Restaurantji Recommends
Unfortunately, the menu on the website and the menu in the restaurant are different. I wasn't too thrilled that the menus are different when I got there. The service was good but the food was only okay. I tried the charcuterie board, the cheese and meet options were interesting. I got the chicken breast with sweet potato puree and this was good. My friend got the potato gnocchi with lamb meatballs and mushrooms. The meatballs were not good, they weren't hot and had a gamey-like texture and the mushrooms were disgustingly large. I enjoy the ambience very much, but I wouldn't rush back until they change the menu again.
Ellis is always a home run. The staff is welcoming and set a new high standard at every visit. The food is some of the best on the North Shore. I would eat and drink here every day if I could.
Three of us went to dinner for a birthday celebration. With a reservation for a table, we stood at the door for a bit too long (while there were lots of empty tables) until we were offered a high top instead which was okay with us. That aside, once we were seated the rest of the experience was fine. Cocktails were well made. Two of us got the Bavette Steak (their version of Steak Frites). Both were cooked to a perfect medium rare as ordered. The arugula salad and fries were delicious. The other person in our party got the Salmon which she thoroughly enjoyed, however, the roasted potatoes were a bit large and lacked flavor on the inside. We shared a dessert which came out with a birthday candle! (nice touch) Our waiter was attentive and knowledgeable about the menu items and cocktails. Sorry I'm blanking on his name (Bradley? Brian?) He did an excellent job all around. We will definitely be returning to try other menu items.
Fantastic ambience, but that's where the charm ends. Despite the restaurant being quite empty when we were seated, it took close to 15 minutes for our drink order to arrive after ordering. (Only slightly shorter delivery time for subsequent orders, as well.) When they finally did arrive, they were served in glasses that were quite small, despite the price not being so small at all. Although they have four choices for steaks, their menu is otherwise very limited. And, on the night we dined, three of the menu options were unavailable due to "supply issues." It's not the pandemic era anymore, so I can't understand why so many options could be affected. To top it off, the server didn't even tell us that these options were unavailable until after she asked us for our order. Had to go back to the drawing board at that point to figure out what we wanted instead. Would have been nice if the server has told us beforehand! Food was good, though not great. My friend liked her seared chicken breast, though the pumpkin risotto was a bit soupy. My ribeye was good, but came out quite rare, instead of the medium rare I had ordered. Overall, an ok experience, not great.
Classy, but casual. Beautiful inside. We sat at the large, comfortable bar and watched the bartenders, who are true artists. Smallish menu, but everything was truly delicious. We'll be back.