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Eli's On the Hill

3.4 (200 reviews)
ModerateAmerican
Closed • 11:30 am - 11:00 pm

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Eli's On the Hill Photos

ELI'S ON THE HILL ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Eli's On the Hill

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Caramel Apple Martini & S'Mores Martini
Tyler D.

Seasonal/Holiday Drinks are always excellent. The Philly steak eggrolls are the best, in the surrounding area. Every place else's are subpar. Avocado Salad with crispy chicken is great, vodka sauce is decent. Service is decent, depending on your waiter/bartender and also what time of day you go. Nicole is my favorite bartender, always on point, very friendly & never misses a beat. Not a bad spot for a quick bite or drink during lunch hours.

They claim this is a Margarita. It's not.
Nicole B.

Honestly? I hope I never have to eat here again. Eating out at restaurants like Eli's really crushes my will to live. I would rather not eat at all than to eat at a restaurant with completely mediocre/not good food. Eating out is my primary (potentially only) "leisure activity." For me the place does not need to be fancy. The service does not need to be exceptional in any way. But the food needs to be delicious and the vibe needs to be good. Eli's fails on both these. Here's what happened: we all met up at a nearby restaurant that turned out to be randomly closed (??) and so we just drove down The Hill a bit and went to Eli's. I definitely got out voted on that choice. Oh well. I say that to say I never would have chosen to eat at Eli's. But there we were, so I ordered us a sampling of their appetizers: Fried mozzarella, Street Corn Brussels (bore zero resemblance to any kind of street corn), Nachos, Spinach Artichoke Dip (wow, terrible), Local Tomato Bruschetta (I would bet someone actual money those were NOT local tomatoes and I'm pretty sure they bought the bread at Big Y), Point Judith Calamari. The fried mozzarella and calamari were pretty good and the marinara was not half bad! The other stuff? Bad bar food. Like real bad. The nachos were a travesty. I think we can all agree that nachos should not be "rocket science." However, throwing some jar, white cheese sauce, pickled onion and jalapeños and a few diced tomatoes on top of a pile of tortilla chips is NOT nachos. Eli's nachos is the kind of food that actually makes me angry. As in: the NERVE to serve up something an 8 yr old could have thrown together and then charge money for it. Gordon Ramsey would lose his mind over these things. I tried everything. One bite in was as far as I got. I then ordered the fish and chips and asked for the parmesan truffle fries instead of the Old Bay fries. I ordered a side Caesar Salad. The Caesar was the best thing I had. It was actually totally good. I should have just gotten a full sized Caesar, maybe added some shrimp and called it a day! But noooooo, I had to try fish and chips. To be fair, the fish and chips were FAR BETTER than any of those appetizers. (I'd have to recommend skipping all appetizers.) The mistake I made was asking for the parm truffle fries. Because all they did was sprinkle some sort of parm truffle seasoning all over the plate. And it wasn't good. That was my fault. Because Eli's fries are actually good. Which you're thinking is not a big deal. But it is. A lot of places serve fries. Not a lot of them are good. The fish was nice and flaky, fried crispy on the outside, cooked all the way through. It was perfectly fine. It was not better than perfectly fine. I do not want "perfectly fine" to be the highest praise I give to a meal I am eating in a restaurant. And yet we pressed on and tried some desserts. I have no idea why. We ordered the beignets, the peanut butter pie and the chocolate chip cookies and milk cake. Obviously, these are all premade desserts bought from some food supply company. The cake was awful. The peanut butter pie was pretty good for premade food service dessert. I have no idea why the little deep friend rectangles of what appeared to be pastry dough were called beignets. They weren't beignets. Maybe most people can't tell the difference?? Ugh. Everyone working at Eli's was very nice. But it was still kind of a struggle to get water, to get the eaten food plates cleared before adding more food to the table, to get the to go containers, etc etc. Hopefully I will not be back. This is not the kind of dining out experience I can recommend to anyone.

Eli's Eggroll Sampler
Allison C.

This was our first time eating at the Eli's in Branford, but we've visited the one in Hamden a few times so we knew the food was going to be great! The eggroll sampler is a must, and they just have some of the best American comfort foods on the menu. Obsessed with the loaded croquettes and burger we had which came with fried provolone and and vodka sauce! The eggplant parm was a gorgeous stack, the Mac & Jack was super flavorful, and the spinach and artichoke dip was great too. They have a great selection of drinks to choose from, and they even had some new seasonal ones on there like the pumpkin spice margarita. The food came out quickly - we were in and out within an hour and were very impressed by that! Everything was clean, and the staff was attentive.

the menu
Jennifer E.

We stopped in for a snack on a Saturday evening. It was surprisingly quiet at 6pm. The manager greeted us as we walked in and asked where we preferred to sit. We sat at a high top in the bar. People around us were a bit loud and rowdy, but it is a bar. Our server greeted us promptly and took drink orders. We ordered 2 appetizers, the steak rolls, and the provolone fritta. They arrived very quickly. The steak rolls are always delicious! I love the sauce on top, and they are crispy. The provolone came in 2 huge pieces. It was hot and crisp, and the sipping sauce was perfect. If we were already full, we would have love to try something else. Their menu seemed to have lots of new items. We will be back soon!

Avocado Salad
Sidra S.

I met up with one of my girlfriends and tried this place out. I ordered the avocado salad and the Asian Calamari. The service as this location was great! The servers and manager were accommodating. The presentation and freshness of the avocado salad were excellent. Although, it's nothing out of this world. The Asian Calamari was far better; it was fresh and crisp and flavorful. I like how the octopus had a slight crunch as well. Overall, I may try this place one day again.

Crispy Brussels & Taters
Richard A.

Started with the fried calamari Asian Style. It had a sweet chili glaze with almost no batter. It also had a small octopus in the salad. It was tasty, sweet and a little heat. I then had the crispy Brussels sprouts with potatoes. It was covered with a balsamic glaze, topped shaved Asiago. This was absolutely delicious. My main course was the grilled chicken caprice. It was served with a chilled orzo salad and broccoli. The chicken was topped with mozzarella and tomato bruschetta. The chicken was cooked on the grill, however it was over cooked and a little dry. Between topping it with the orzo salad and the bruschetta it took away some of the dryness, The person that was with me had the fish and chips. He said it was good, but it contained a very small portion of fish. Service was good, and the place has a bar like atmosphere. Plenty of off street parking and right off route one.

Buffet Style Set Up

As a former employee of Hamden, I had used Eli's in Hamden for many of my events in the past. I was aware of their great food and service, but never was I prepared for the type of service that I received at Eli's in Branford. Everything was perfect. I had dropped off my centerpieces and the tables were set for my invitees. We were having a memorial for my sister and I got so many compliments on the way things turned out. From the ambience to the food to the service to the accessibility of the room, Just everything! The food was delicious and we had more than enough! Thank you again

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Reviews are mixed. Many highlight the attentive, friendly service, pleasant atmosphere, and that it is good for group events. Food is often praised for taste and variety, though some report mixed food quality.

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Ellis R.

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1 year ago

service and food was great for our small celebration in their upstairs area. Everything was done perfectly.

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Transilvania Restaurant and Bar - Desserts : Hazelnut crepe, papanași , limoncello flute

Transilvania Restaurant and Bar

4.4(141 reviews)
1.1 mi
•$$

Ive heard about this place and decided to drive up with my wife to check it out. It's about an hour…read morefrom where we live. We are so glad we made the trip! We were welcomed by the bartender (Rhein) who was also our waitress. She was AMAZING! Since it was our first time here she explained how everytging is made from scratch in house except for the onion rings. (Her honesty is greatly appreciated) For starters my wife got the tripe soup and I had the cheese cascava (mozzarella sticks). Its drizzled with balsamic and incredible. My wife couldn't decide between 2 dishes so Rhein said "I'll be right back". She comes back and said the kitchen will make the smaller portions of both for her if she would like. (It's was the early bird specials but we weren't within the time frame) So OF COURSE she did that. I got the bacon cheeseburger. The food was delicious! My wife is from Poland and she said the Traditional Stew reminded her of back home. Every employee were super friendly and welcoming. Rhein even took us for a little tour of the place and told us the history. If we lived closer we'd be here once a week. We'll settle for once a month....maybe more. Thank you Rhein and the staff for making our first experience amazing.

1. Our reservation was "lost" but the hostess was able to seat us…read more 2. The table next to us snuck in a dog that was NOT a service dog that they were trying to hide yet was barking at everyone. The dogs owner kept telling the dog to be quiet "you'll blow our cover ". They were obviously trying to hide the dog that was aggressively barking at us as we were seated. 3. Nothing on the menu that is marked GF gluten free was gluten free . Server and chef both confirmed only GF item was the salad that everything else was cross contaminated. 4. Even though we were seated inside the dining room , our table was a plastic table and our chairs were metal outside patio chairs. Weird . Super disappointed, was so looking forward to experiencing this place and we had to leave because nothing was safe for my dad to eat other than a salad .

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Transilvania Restaurant and Bar - Inside

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Transilvania Restaurant and Bar - Don't really know but my youngest era so wowed

Don't really know but my youngest era so wowed

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Tavern On State - Flat iron steak with forbidden rice

Tavern On State

4.5(195 reviews)
4.3 mi
•$$$

We've eaten here before so it was a known "great place" to go to celebrate an early Father's Day…read moredinner. I'll try to keep this short: the appetizers, the main courses, the drinks and the service were all exceptional! Not a bad plate in the bunch. Our server, Brendan, was knowledgeable and explained the items we had questions about. The octopus and salad appetizers were tasty and served separately so our table wasn't overcrowded with food and dishes. The main courses (a very large burger, a mushroom and ravioli dish and a spicy porgy and rice offering) were cooked to perfection and looked very enticing on each plate. We had booked for a table in the outdoor garden area which was a little misleading in that our table ended up being in the little alleyway exiting into the street but that was okay as the night was comfortable weather-wise. Dessert was a shared tiramisu served in a ramekin. Thought it might have been a little small for the cost but it was tasty and devoured in very short order. At no point did we feel rushed or forgotten which is no mean feat considering the size of the crowd both inside and out last night. Kudos to the chef and staff for a very enjoyable meal and evening out. Definitely worth a visit, highly recommend this place for ambience, food quality, and attentiveness of service. Stop reading, make a reservation, and just go!

I really don't want to write this review. I've been here twice in the last 4 months. I'm allergic…read moreto seafood and fish and it seems as if so many entrees, including a steak dish, contain seafood. Overall, the food was fine, a bit pretentious but fine. The dining room was so loud esp when the bartenders were shaking drinks as if they were starring with Tom Hanks in "cocktail" We had the pea salad which was very fibrous and chewy (a 10 second Blanche wouldn't hurt) and the burger was tasty but served with frozen French fries, and way too much of them. Considering the style of menu, frozen fries don't belong on the menu. The fish was overcooked and dry. Overall, it's an inconsistent experience. Dinner for 3 was $200 with 1 shared app, 2 burgers and the fish course plus 3 drinks.

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Tavern On State
Tavern On State
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Home

Home

4.1(390 reviews)
1.7 mi
•$$

Welcome Home When…read moreit comes to supporting your local business, look no further than the comfort of your local Home! Comfortable setting, warm staff, calming & feel at home ambience and a delicious & immaculate menu which takes creativity & bold flavors to a whole new level. They certainly hit Home on all fronts. The community of Branford is lucky to have a place like Home. Now enough puns... let's talk menu. Spinach Salad A luscious salad topped with roasted beets, a decadent ball of creamy fried goat cheese & a housemade honey-balsamic vinaigrette. A perfect start. The Home Burger 10/10 one of the best burgers ever. Pecan wood smoked bacon, a delicious caramelized onion jam & sautéed mushrooms on perfectly toasted brioche bun. And my the god Boursin cheese adds an incredible mouthwatering explosion of flavors that brings it all together. Hawaiian Turkey Burger Guess what Gordon Ramsay... you were wrong!! Worried about the Turkey patty being dry, don't!!! This delicious burger is topped with grilled pineapple, crisped applewood smoked ham & housemade BBQ sauce that add just the right amount of fat & juicy moister to the lean Turkey patty. I don't ever go out of my way to try a non-beef patty but this heavenly gem is a must try. HOME-style Spinach & Artichoke MAC can you say cheesy goodness?! This delicious Mac is topped with a slice of torched Brie that further enhances the flavor of this creamy dish. HOME-style Mussels Frites MAC Oh my what a bold combination of flavors & textures. A creamy delicious Mac with mussels, arugula & tomatoes topped with crispy potato gaufrette. Highly recommended. A big thank you to Home for the wonderful experience & accommodating this extremely hungry bodybuilder post competition. We will be seeing you again... soon.

Came to home for a special occasion lunch and had a great time with my family. The food was…read moredelicious and the owner was friendly. They have a living room area, which was perfect for us dining with our six month old. Would def recommend!

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Home
Home
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Eli's On the Hill - tradamerican - Updated October 2026

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