I ordered the Chicken Cesar Salad Sandwich. There was no mayo I had to get up and ask for mayo. They cut a strip of bacon and threw it on the sandwich it wad not Applewood bacon. Not worth the $19.48. The waiter was great. Grilled chicken breast, melted provolone cheese, applewood smoked bacon, tossed caesar salad, mayo, and tomato on ciabatta read more

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Traditional American diner, portion is huge. I ordered chicken fried steak, ended up can only finish half of it. read more

Elli's Great American Restaurant - Chicken fried steak - American Near Me - Salinas, California

Gave this restaurant a second try once again I am disappointed. The crispy chicken sandwich is a frozen thin patty which cost over $18. This is unbelievable. I will never go to this restaurant ever again. I can't say anything about the service because I did not sit down in the restaurant. I did order this to go. Additionally the cornbread is horrible. I used to love the cornbread. It was so delicious and yummy. Now it tastes like flan very gross. read more

Elli's Great American Restaurant - Crispy chicken sandwich. The food here is going downhill. - American Near Me - Salinas, California

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Always a good experience here at Ellie's food is always delicious. The menu is very extensive. If you can't find something you want to eat here I would be very surprised. Service is consistent and the location is clean. The ambience is fun. There's really not much more you can ask for. The only thing is the bathroom can get a little funky and the pricing has went up, but other than that very solid experience always read more

My special Lady and I came in for dinner recently on a Friday night. Much to our suprise, the restaurant was not busy. - We were seated in a booth todard the "back" of the restaurant. Our waitress approached, handed us menues. I ordered --fresh-- coffee and my Lady ordered hot tea. - We placed our orders, and soon we were served. - Each of our meals was plentiful, and very good. - The service was also quite good. - We will return. read more

I have been a loyal customer with Ellis for years. But, lately things seemed to have been going downhill. Food is now hit or miss. Sometimes you get lucky depending on who's cooking. Service is an area where things are hot or cold. This really depends on who's working. Some of the older and new staff are fine. But, some waiters and managers are not satisfactory now. You can verify this by previous reviews from other customers. Because of rude behavior, owner might want to move these employees to work in the kitchen. They also need to update their closing hours online. Because they are not seating customers that come in around at 8pm. Even though the website says they close at 10pm. Ambiance is pretty much the same. I hope they can get it together? read more

At Elli's Great American Restaurant In Salinas, CA Again Gonna Get Our Brunch On...!!! We're Starving Been Helping Set Up Mt. Toro High School Fireworks Stand Now It's Time To Eat...!!! The Wait Was Forever To Be Seated Their Hostess Didn't Show Up..!! So For That Reason I Only Gave A 4 Star Rating. So I Ordered The Crispy Chicken Sandwich With French Fries And A Dr. Pepper To Wash It All Down, My Fiancée Ordered The Breakfast Croissant With Hash Browns And A Bloody Mary. Cassandra Ordered The Blue Cheese And Flat Bread Steak Salad. We Sat Outside On Patio Since We Have SANCHITO With Us Today. As Usual He Will Eat Whatever We Eat. read more

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Solid diner and breakfast food, nothing that's super special. Their sourdough toast is very good. Multi-stalled bathrooms, parking in the lot was fairly easy, but might be crowded on weekends. My partner got a veggie omelette, and I got the veggie bennie (sliced tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, avocado, which was good. I asked for minimal melons for the fruit...and got mostly melons in my fruit. read more

The food was okay but the server Mary was top notch. She was attentive, communicated well, and provided excellent service. She was definitely the reason this place got 4 stars instead of 3. read more

Food was so so...BLT Was ok,my patty melt was OK, but then we got one each of their cookies and the oatmeal tasted extremely stale. The snickerdoodle and the chocolate chip had absolutely no flavor. I will say our service was good, but think maybe I should've ordered breakfast instead and their salads looked good. Don't know that I'll go back anytime soon. read more

I thought the alfredo pasta with chicken would be good but it had so much garlic chunks inside the pasta. I don't recommend at all please work on your recipe!! Service was ok, they forgot my daughter's side and gave attitude when I asked for it. read more

We've had a love hate relationship w Ellie's. We like to go to the bar, watch a game and order lunch. The last 2 orders I got from here delivered by door dash was horrible, items missing and food tasted horrible. Decided to give it one more in person try. Hubby got fish and chips I got the wings. The fish looked like it was run over, tough and smelled and tasted fishy. My wings were precooked and then over cooked by reheating, Hubby ate half of his fish and was sick all night. Will not return. read more

Service- - five stars, excellent Ambiance - two stars, the bathroom was disgusting (I.e., floor was slippery and smelled like urine, it was a quiet Sunday evening) Food - two stars (I ordered a Philly cheese steak, and it tasted like it was old, I could taste "propane" or the taste of the flame that was used to grill it; we were four people and three out of us four would not come back because of the food) - our server was kind, excellent and responsive and for that three stars up from one read more

Just ordered 2 of their Gianni burgers to go. Waited inside and picked up the moment the food came up. The burger was supposed to come w chipotle grilled onions. There were none. One tiny sprig of lettuce. The butt cut of a tomato. Onion rings cold and mushy, like they sat in water mushy. Disgusting lunch. Tried to call just now, no answer 2pm on a Monday. Eff this place. $40 and I threw on a $2 tip would like to get that back read more

Elli's Great American Restaurant - Mushy onion rings and Gianni burger missing grilled onions and meager skimp of product yuck - American Near Me - Salinas, California

It's pretty okay! Asada fries were really good! And service was great! Servers are constantly checking on the table!

Our family has been eating here for over 25 years.. date nights to watch the game, Family dinners ... occasional breakfast... since the sale of the restaurant... quality has diminished GREATLY.. last night I had the underwhelming "crispy chicken" sandwich. Chicken appeared to come from a processing center and re-heated. This restaurant used to make MANY dishes from scratch... but this was really cutting a corner. Service was fine.... But food quality was not even fast food worthy read more

I'm not sure if this is a sign of the times or what. But at Elli's Great American Restaurant you have the distinct privilege of paying almost 20 dollars for half a Belgian waffle. I don't know what they do with the other half, but it's definitely not on my plate. Service and everything else was great. read more

Elli's Great American Restaurant - Half Half a Big Belgian Waffle - American Near Me - Salinas, California

Carne Asada fries are bomb!!! This place is definitely a local staple and always good service as well!

Oh yeah. Artery clogging comfort food. This was on a Sunday for brunch. Our service was in the bar area and it was getting busy after 11 am. As far as I could they there was only one person hosting the whole bar area. But noticed more assistance towards Noon. I ordered up the Chicken fried steak with eggs, hash browns and sourdough bread. It was definitely a hearty meal and need a nap or a long walk afterwards. I ordered coffee and I feel like it was an French Roast or something similar and not the usually Farmer Brothers stuff. Recommendation is to get there by 10 am for Sunday brunch. I will back to see what the rest of the menu is like. read more

Elli's Great American Restaurant - Chicken Fried Steak with three eggs over medium and hash browns and sourdough bread. - American Near Me - Salinas, California

First the service was excellent ! The food was mediocre and I didn't like my eggs Benedict they served . Probably not coming back.

Didn't even get seated. The hostess was very rude. We came in with a larger party. The place was pretty empty and we were told it was going to be a 45 minute wait because of "training a new waitress". Little did they realize we would have been the most patient and understanding party. On the way out in the rudest sarcastic tone told us "good luck!" another person already eating at this location suggested 31st grill and luckily because it was amazing with amazing service with a smile so don't stop at Elli's. Head straight to 31st. read more

Elli's is a good reliable place. The service is very quick, so we didn't have to wait long. I had French Toast (good but basic), two people had eggs Benedict (very good), and one person had pizza (very good). They have a good menu of American standards. They seem to excel at desserts and their bakery case was loaded with huge, over the top baked goods. Otherwise, their menu wasn't overly creative, but the food was good. A dependable, casual restaurant. Casual atmosphere and we were there, two large groups were there for parties. read more

Elli's is one of those classic staples in town. Is it a 5 star dining experience? No. But the foods good and they've been around forever. We arrived around 7Pm on a Friday night. Seated within 10 minutes, at one of their round booths. Unfortunately my husbands a big guy and I'm 7 months pregnant so it was a tight squeeze for us to climb in. Once seated the table was sticky, as If it had an impossible to remove residue, Less than appetizing. It took close to another 10 minutes before our waiter greeted us and took our drink orders. I ordered the "Nojito" which was Refreshing and delicious. Our drinks and food for good quality, and our table all enjoyed the meal. The desserts are big enough to be shared by 2-4 people and were also delicious. Keep that in mind if you decide on dessert at the end of your meal. Overall I take away stars because the quality of service and cleanliness didn't reflect the price point of the food. Our tab got pretty hefty pretty quickly, with most entrees starting around $21+ We enjoyed the food but the overall experience didn't live up to the price point. read more

Elli's Great American Restaurant - American Near Me - Salinas, California

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A while ago, this was my go to place when I was hungry. Not anymore, not only did they inflate their prices, they also downgraded the quality of their meals. For example, when you get a full sized salad, they used to give you bread with it. Now you have to ask and they make you feel bad for even asking. I do not recommend this place! read more

Ordered shrimp Alfredo and there was a metal screw in it! When the waitress first came by and tried to take the screw, we told her we wanted to keep it. She came back a second time saying she needed to show it to the manager, but when we asked for it back, she refused to give it back to us. She then had the nerve to still try to charge us for an appetizer and two drinks. She was completely unapologetic, didn't even let us finish explaining or talking before she just started talking to another customer in front of us, and brushed us off like it happens all the time. The food was disgusting, except for the pizza rolls which were actually pretty good. We've already contacted the police and the health department and will be moving forward with legal action because not only was that extremely gross, but the way they handled it was absolutely terrible. Shady business and beyond unprofessional. read more

Elli's Great American Restaurant - American Near Me - Salinas, California

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Service was very poor. Got my own silverware and napkin. Waitresses had poor attitude

The fish and chips had to be one of the best tasting fried fish I've ever had in my life. It was so flaky and had the perfect crunch! It was mouth watering and SO BIG. I would totally order again. The brownie sundae literally crumbled with every spoonful and paired with the ice cream was the perfect combo! Seriously 10/10 on the food and the waitress was so nice. I can't wait to come back. read more

Elli's Great American Restaurant - Brownie sundae - American Near Me - Salinas, California

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We love breakfast here. The egg sandwich is good. Comes with hash browns or country potatoes. Breakfast burrito was good but spicy. Pancakes are big light and fluffy. Place is clean and the staff is friendly. They are so busy whenever we go. Good place to eat. read more

Would not recommend at all. What I would recommend is going somewhere else. Service was slow, even when the place was empty, and the food was just not up to par. It almost seemed as if the person assigned to our table just didn't want to be there and I don't blame them either. read more

Food is low quality, service was lacking (had to request silverware and water multiple times, long waits, port service), men's bathroom was disgusting a looked (and smelled) like it hadn't been cleaned in a week. read more

Crispy chicken sandwich was awful. It used to be a real piece of chicken. Now it seems like a frozen patty from Burger King but worse. It was soggy and the texture was giving mystery meat. They gave me the wrong dressing for my salad, again. This place has been going downhill for years. Such a bummer. read more

Elli's Great American Restaurant - Crispy chicken sandwich - American Near Me - Salinas, California

Arrived and sat in the patio as i had my puppy. The server was great but the order was wrong and 2 persons for breakfast being $50.00 wasn't ideal. Thr server turned on the patio heaters which just put out a terrible gas smell too. Food was ok but dining with ants is not cool read more

We came on a Friday night and Jen was our server. She had the best customer service and took care of us wonderfully. We had the most relaxing time and great food. Will go again! We've also been here many times but the service isn't usually as good but Jen really made the night feel awesome for us. read more

Food was decent, waitress service was good, atmosphere was okay. However bad manager refused to comply with California's tax regulations.

Need. To watch the bathrooms no paper towels no flushing urinals need to watch service was good

Once again our tummies craved this magnificent place for a great lunch before the drive to the Monterey Peninsula, second time here and it did not disappoint, took leftovers home way too much for our appetite, when in Salinas highly recommend Elli's !!!!! read more

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Avia un tiempo cuando comias aqui te sentias como rico. Ahora no mms pinshe platillo me kede viendo ya ni supe si estaba medio lleno o medio basio. Y asi cobran doble. Ya no es tan great. Make Ellis Great American Restaurant Great Again pinshe M.E.G.A.R.G.A. read more

we had lunch here today & our waitress was the best, her name is Maria, ordered the BLT with fries & my friend ordered a philly cheese steak with sweet potato fries, it was super busy & we were able to get a table quick, read more

So this is one of those reviews I would like to do a half star. To me this place is a 3.5. The restaurant is right off main st and has parking in back. The lot for this place fills up but there is a larger lot next to it where you can park. It can get busy and unfortunately it seems to be having staffing issues like many other places. We had to wait about 15 minutes and there were open tables but not enough staff. They even had to limit the bar. The service was really good considering the shortage and the staff did their best with what they had. All the staff were working hard. The menu selection is good. A lot of options but not overwhelming like a Cheesecake Factory menu. I got the half sandwich with two sides. The sandwich was the California chicken and sides were a cup of chili and firecracker fries. The sandwich was good but sides were fantastic. Chili was some of the best I've had and the firecracker fries are on a different level. The wife got the Asian wings. She stated they were crisp and juicy but the flavor was not good. She stated the sauce killed it and said was not that good. read more

Elli's Great American Restaurant - California chicken sandwich with a side of chili and firecracker fries - American Near Me - Salinas, California

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What a joke this place is, when my friend and I ordered, we asked if our salads could come out first before the meal. After 2 bites of the salad the food comes out, with no apology offered she just drops the food and runs away. She never came back to check if everything was ok, it is a standard house rule to check in with your table after a few bites to see if everything is good. My friend needed more ice tea and I needed some tartar sauce. My friend ended up going up to the counter area and asking for what we needed. My friend was given a steak knife that was wobbly and was clearly trash, we pointed it out and again no apology. I suspect this place has a high turnover rate due to it being mismanaged, this waitress was clearly not capable or experienced enough to handle this job. She could care less about our experience and it showed. Even if the food was delicious, the waitress completely ruined the experience. My friend needed a to-go container and he had to go fetch it for himself, she walked right by and said nothing. She has zero integrity. The place seems dumpy and has no charm or inviting energy. read more