On the way back from the Providence Amtrak Station I had the opportunity to do some solo restaurant recon for lunch. I pulled out my list of potentials for the drive back and stopped in New Bedford to try Elizabeth's Restaurant at 1461 Acushnet Ave. (right off the I95). For those who prefer a pithy review--and you know who you are--I offer this "Cliff Notes" version: Casual, clean, and comfortable with delicious and authentic tastes of Latin American cuisine, primarily from Guatemala, and friendly service (though I wish I spoke more Spanish). For those who enjoy reading, let's move on to an actual review. Easy, on-street parking, right in front of Elizabeth's (bring quarters for the meters). As soon as I wanted in the aromas hit me and I knew that was going to be the real deal. Jennifer came around from the front counter (which contains a long buffet filled with all sorts of Guatemalan stews and pre-made dishes) to seat me at a booth. I'd reviewed the menu prior to going there and knew basically what I wanted to try--which would have been just a few dishes short of everything on the menu. But that's not reality, at least not any more. So I ordered a medium Jamaica to drink (my favorite), a chicharron and queso pupusa, which came with a small bowl of curtido, and a bowl of Mondongo (which was the primary reason I had selected Elizabeth's as a new place to try in the first place). We lived in southern California for nearly 40 years, so my palate is fairly well trained when it comes a range of regional Mexican dishes. I was at Elizabeth's for the Mondongo because one of my litmus test dishes in a Mexican restaurant has always been the Menudo--a slow cooked tripe soup flavored with various chilis and typically including hominy. If a place can make a flavorful, fresh tasting bowl of Menudo--which takes care, patience and time in the cleaning and pre-cooking of the tripe--chances are most of their other dishes are going to be tasty as well. Over time, I've easily sampled a few hundred bowls of Menudo and most of them were not very good--too musty, too chewy, the broth lacked flavor, etc., though I did have two favorites places in Orange County when I would go to remind myself of what a properly made bowl of Menudo was supposed to taste like. So I was at Elizabeth's for the tripe--since I have yet to find a Mexican restaurant in New Bedford or Providence which has Menudo on the menu. The Jamaica, which is made from steeping dried Hibiscus flowers and tastes somewhat like unsweetened cranberry juice, was delicious and arrived quickly. Ice cold and beautifully tart. I waited about eight minutes and Jennifer arrived with my food, she then went back to get the silverware and some salsa which she warned me was "hot." LOL, it actually wasn't very hot, at least not for me, but it was especially delicious. I would later ask Jennifer what chili was used to make the salsa, she smiled, shrugged her shoulders, and said "only chef knows." Fair enough. Chefs need to keep some of their dishes a secret. It was not as hot as a Habanero salsa, but it was hotter than a salsa made from only Chili de Arbol. Don't know what it was, but it was incredibly tasty. I've never had Guatemalan tripe soup, though I have had Mondongo in the Dominican Republic (and really enjoyed their version of it). Elizabeth's version, which came with rice and a few limes for squirting as well as the hot sauce, was absolutely fantastic. Easily one of the best three tripe soups I have ever had from within the Latin American/Caribbean culinary tradition. The tripe was clean, none of that funky odor which many people associate with tripe dishes. The tripe itself and there was a lot of it was perfectly cooked--soft enough to almost just melt in your mouth, but with just the slightest chew left to prevent it from being mushy. But the star of the dish was clearly the broth. It was similar to a Menudo broth, but far less fatty and far richer in flavor. The broth also featured very small pieces of assorted vegetables in addition to chilis of various sorts which serve as the flavor backbone of this amazing soup. Sorry to be so excited over a simple bowl of tripe soup but it really was amazing and it satisfied a craving I've had since my last bowl of Menudo at Mary's in Santa Ana the night before we moved permanently back to the East Coast three years ago. The pupusa, which is corn masa that has been stuffed with different combinations of ingredients--in my case, crispy pork rids and cheese--is then flattened and grilled. We enjoyed lots of these at the many El Salvadorean restaurants also located across Southern California. The pupusa itself was much lighter and moister in the middle than the ones from El Salvador which I've previously enjoyed. The curtido which is customarily served with a pupusa is a wilted and pickled cabbage and carrot slaw, typically speckled with bits of fried Mexican oregano and often little slivers of fresh jalape read more

I have the food every 2 weeks, rice beans steak n onions. Is a clean n comfortable place! The crew is nice! Usually the owner or a beautiful girl (Jennifer) is there to help me up with the delicious food! read more

Tienen muchas MUCHAS cosas en el menú. Tantas que creo que por eso están todos asustados. Lo que sí me gustó mucho fueron las popusas estában muy ricas y frescas 10/10. Éramos los únicos en el restaurante aparte de un muchacho y la verdad se tardaron como si ubieran estado súper llenos pero nada que ver. Llego la comida de mi compañera y se la dieron como si la hubieran calentado en el micro y no le pusieron suficiente tiempo. Estaba súper fría y no sabía rica. No recomiendo el rabo. El servicio es muuuuuuuy seco. Ósea no saben vender al cliente para nada. Me a pasado que a veces la comida no es tan buena pero el servicio está del top y regreso y le doy otra chance. Pero aquí las meseras no comen la comida ósea no saben nada de los platillos que porque no comen allí y eso se me hico muuy extraño. Pero bueno si no hay otro lugar y solo queda este porfis te sugiero las popusas. Ah y el flan también 10/10 read more

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This place was cozy and inviting. The food was fresh. The sword fish with a lobster aioli was so delicious, moist flaky fish again you could taste the freshness. Another entree tried was the lobster with penne pasta baked better than a Mac and cheese definitely needs the squeeze of lemon on it. It's not a decoration. Dessert we had tiramisu which was very soaked in coffee a little on the sweet side for me. We also had the pistachio cake it was moist I wish it had more pistachio flavor and maybe a pistachio praline on the delightful cream cheese frosting that was light and airy. I would return again. read more

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Many food options, fast and delicious. Service is always friendly. My go to spot for this type of food

No seasoning and poorly served food. And I didn't try it just once, I gave it more than one chance

Such an awesome experience with my parents and newborn... Everything was fresh and delicious and the portions were wonderful for the price. Highly recommend lunch during the week. The actual restaurant isn't anything fancy but it's quaint and the food more than makes up for it! read more

The food was pretty good and the service was more on the negative side. But still, this place has charm and we loved the super long martini list! It's a fun spot to have in the neighborhood, but not something to go out of your way for. read more

Luckily, while visiting friends- we are not locals, we had the opportunity to have lunch at Elizabeth's. A friendly small place with great food and reasonable prices. If you're nearby, I strongly suggest you try their amazing meals. read more

I'm never disappointed here. Food is so good and the bill at the end is even better. They know what to do and how to charge to make problem happy and coming back for more. Congrats to them and please go try this place! It is a gem for sure !! read more

Excellent food and great service, we really enjoyed our dinner. Baked scallops were scrumptious, hubby had the tenderloin , which was cooked perfectly at medium well. Very friendly atmosphere and its located near the water in a beautiful neighborhood. Worth a visit! read more

Great lunch! I had the baked scallops and the daily sides mashed potatoes and vegetables. Delicious! I don't usually care about sides but these are fantastic. Will go again soon. read more

I am shocked by the lower than average rating. The food is excellent, prepared by excellent chefs (stop by the back and say hello - they are very pleasant) And, for the happily married guy (and the single guy too), the servers are pretty & cute. My wife and I eat there 3 or 4 times per week. Everything never gets old (even the servers who now know us like Norm from Cheers - and yes, my wife lets me enjoy the view too!). Plenty of parking is available, but it does get busy on Fri, Sat. & Sunday at "dinner time". My wife and I say you won't be sorry dining there. read more

First time visiting & from the reviews I expected a great experience. Walking in we were like "okay" , but I'm sure the food will be great, as the pics look better. The restaurant is clean but has the CHEAPEST chairs and tables that belong in a hot dog joint. It says "fine dining" on the awning but it is more like an "upscale" diner. The cheap, "metal" chairs were cold the entire time and are not comfortable. Started with chowder, nothing special at all though filled with potatoes, bacon?, and clams. it lacked the creamy consistency that is expected with NE chowder, was thin & greasy. The bread and oil were really good but the bread should've been warm. It was a reminder that the seats were COLD. We both had the Maple Scallops which weren't bad but the smashed potatoes were covered with cheese not baked with, (you'll get it if you read the menu description), the asparagus was a little under cooked and cold, and Had a weird sauce on it, no idea what it was...We shared the pistachio cake, wasn't bad but not great. It is plated at the BAR and they served it to us with a "whipped cream???" That looked like puke. REALLY??? We just let it go because we knew the place isn't awful but it is not worth recommending or going back to. I don't understand the positive reviews. read more

Elizabeth's - The whipped cream actually looks "better" in this pic than it is - Seafood Near Me - New Bedford, Massachusetts

The food was very good. The salad was fresh and crisp. The cook/owner was rude. The exit was a step-down to sidewalk, no light (at night), no warning sign, I almost fell on my face. read more

Great place very clean and service is great I always get there chicken salad club on wheat bread it is the best around and the best I've had I have tried that sandwich from a lot of different places in non-compares to this great food and great people read more

Excellent date night spot. And for those that can't get a sitter accommodating to the kids. Food and drinks are always creative and fun.

Casual delicious food at great prices. A cool atmosphere (bring sweater). Service is always pleasant.

Very good,fresh seafood dishes. Nice service. It's the sister restaurant ( as it seems) to Margaret's next door in a little less intimate setting and a liquor license. You won't go wrong eating here. read more

Deliciously authentic! A favorite of mine and should yours too. Service, value, fresh homemade ingredients, full bar, cozy atmosphere will exceed your expectations. read more

Ate here a few weeks ago. The food was good. The waitress was one of the worst I've ever had. She was rude when we first walked in, she was talking to a table that seemed like it was probably friends of hers and she made us feel unwelcome and like a disturbance because we were 6 and a child. Made it seem like it was going to be a super long wait but we saw empty tables so we waited it out regardless of her attitude because we were 3 couples in separate cars. She rushed us through ordering and she was just very loud. Maybe she was having a bad night. The seafood is very good and the house made pistachio cake is one of my good friends favorites. So I guess we will give her the benefit of the doubt, but as someone who works in customer service, for me she affected my experience big time. read more

One of the worst experiences at a restaurant ever. We went on a Wednesday night after raving to another couple that joined us how good they were. They were out of many items on the menu. Towards the end of our meal I noticed a fly had gotten into my husbands remaining half glass of wine, after informing the waitress she offered to give him a little bit more wine, we said never mind. Our friends who were paying for dinner noticed that they credited us $4.50, half a glass of wine.....then after they got home noticed a charge for the same half glass. Paid for the full glass of wine fly and all. They just lost 4 customers. They should have given him a full glass of wine we may have stayed and had another drink or maybe dessert. SHAMEFUL!!!!! read more

Consistently great food and exceptional service. My husband and I went to Elizabeth's last night after dropping our son off at a gathering in Mattapoisett. Elizabeth's is not the closest restaurant for us, but we both love it and we haven't been in awhile. On a Friday night at 8:00, it was expectedly busy, and there was a wait for a table. We decided to sit at the bar. Bartender immediately got us bread and cocktails (rule #1 in restaurant service). I recently had surgery and have to limit my fat intake, so eating at restaurants is often really difficult--some of my most favorite restaurants can't be part of our usual rotation because few offer low-fat options that are also tasty. Not Elizabeth's! There were 4 entrees on the menu that I was trying to decide between and landed on a delicious halibut entree with a yummy summer squash, eggplant, and zucchini sauce and a cucumber relish over greens. I had to forgo the crispy sweet potato fries that usually come on top, but it was still so good. My husband got his usual maple scallops--always his favorite. Dessert was their beyond compare tiramisu, which I watched my husband eat and had to hold myself back from ignoring doctors orders and having more than my 2 spoonfuls. Elizabeth's is small, it's not a five-star restaurant, and it's tucked away in a great little area of Fairhaven. It's a humble little place where the waitresses and kitchen staff work their tails off. The food is always delicious, and the people are great. Worth the trip every time! read more

Ate here for the first time today and have to say it was an awesome experience. Had to wait a bit but it was well worth it. Good fun atmosphere and good varied menu. Drink selection is varied and prices are roughly between 16 to 20 an entrée. Would recommend to anyone looking for a nice hometown feel restaurant with amazing food. read more

Last year. I ordered a cake for a small and simple wedding. It was the worst cake that I ever had. It wasn't fresh, all cracked, they put tin can fruits, the cream was rancid. It was dry. They told me it was a tres leches but it was only a regular sponge cake. It was an embarrassing experience for me and my few guests. The hygiene of this place looks questionable. read more