Elle’s Bistro

We wandered into Elle’s on a Friday afternoon, after hearing that their eggs Benedict was a must. It did not disappoint! We ordered two types of eggs Benedict: salmon and then spinach/​goat cheese. Wow! I swear– the best hollandaise sauce I have ever had.
It’s a cute spot with a great menu and all day breakfast (so it’s an automatic win in my book!). Great looking desserts too. Will definitely go back!

Elle’s is a quaint, downtown diner, one of the few lunch-​focused places that is open for dinner, albeit not past 7pm.
There’s a handful of tables up front, with more in the back, plus a dessert cooler and the open kitchen. It was nice to see several beers on display, mostly local, although there’s Coors Light for anyone without taste buds.
When I arrived one evening, I was the only one there, although a couple people came in for take out. It’s obviously a family operation as there was a young child sleeping in a stroller and there’s a playpen up front as well.
While they have a hefty breakfast menu that’s served all day (kudos!), I already had bacon and eggs for breakfast. Their diner burger sounded like a fitting choice, so I went with that, with a garden salad on the side to balance the saturated fat-​heavy foods I had to eat that day.
It was a quick turn around for my food, and I soon had my food in front of me. The cheeseburger comes with mustard relish and sauteed onions, and the server/​cook brought some packets of ketchup as well, but I wasn’t going to mess with a diner classic. The patty was probably about a quarter pound, and was a bit on the chewy side from being overcooked or the meat worked too much. The toppings were a winning combination, and the bun was lightly toasted. My garden salad was comprised of chopped romaine, tomato, cucumber and mushrooms, and with the house vinaigrette, and was refreshing if not overly inspiring.
I opted for dessert as well and got a slice of the house-​made cheesecake. Compared to the bargain burger ($ 4.95), the cheesecake came in at a hefty $ 6.95, but it was worth it. Taller than most cheesecakes, it also had a thick gingerbread base, fluffy cheesecake, and chocolate on top. I’m not a picky cheesecake person, but this was good stuff.
Service was great, although it’s hard to gauge when you’re the only one there, but it was really friendly.
Elle’s is a decent option for your breakfast or diner fix, and once more population density comes downtown, I’m sure they’ll have a solid future.

Update… came back again, this time had a fried egg sandwich with some feta and tomato in it (5.95)…good, bit not a 6 dollar sandwhich. Watched a young woman enter the restaurant and head straight to the back to the washroom… the owner followed her and literally told her no unless she buys something first. So rude… perhaps she was going to stay?

Amazing place was looking for a child friendly place where my family & me could sit down and enjoy ourselves we were walking by and happened to notice a highchair in the window so we went in and asked the man that served us said yes of course come in and enjoy yourselves! My lil guy is only 6 months old and is fairly loud and messy. The food was amazing and very well priced we enjoyed the homey feel and all the neat artwork. We will definitely be back to try a lunch item. I had the hungry hippo breakfast and left full.

I was greeted with a pleasant Hello and I responded in kind as well. I asked if the bathrooms were at the back and the man behind the counter responded, «Yes for paying customers…»
While I can appreciate an issue with homeless people coming in and using bathrooms, I was dressed for work (Although I was only business casual and not in my suit) and looked professional.
I responded politely and told them I would have purchased something and left promptly.
I was looking forward to trying breakfast there but unfortunately I had to take my business down the road to Starbucks for my morning beverage and breakfast.
Just a bad way to welcome guests into a restaurant.

Best classic eggs benny in the city! I stopped in here for brunch last weekend with my finance and we were both pleasantly surprised at the quality of the food. My eggs were cooked to perfection with big slices of real ham, the coffee was good, and the hollandaise was obviously fresh. The service was friendly and fast and the ambience was cozy and casual we will definitely be back!

Great, friendly service! I was drawn in by the sign that said all day breakfast. Omelette was served quick and was piping hot when it arrived. Coffee was hot and fresh. This place is a definite hidden gem.

Great all day breakfast with friendly service. Had the spinach and goat cheese omelette. Nothing fancy but yummy homemade homefries on the side. Not a lot of seating and the atmosphere has just a typical greasy spoon thing happening. This was exactly what we were looking for however. Not disappointed.

Great little friendly diner. Great for breakfast. We were visiting Halifax and found it by chance. Very nice couple seems to run the place and they were warm and accommodating. Home fries were good, eggs made to order, great bacon.

After sipping pints on many occasions at Stillwell, I was glad to give Elle’s Bistro a try. Disclaimer– my partners cousin is Elle. Small and quaint, we were promptly greeted by the very personable owners. Hard working, they did their best to chat to us while prepping for the next day, cooking food, serving, and taking care of a 5 month old– impressive to say the least. I had the beer bacon chili with a wonderful cornbread muffin. The chili was spiced right, with meaty chunks of thick bacon. The muffin, cooked perfectly and a nice foil to the chili base. My partner had a very nice cheeseburger with some delightful onion rings. Mary Ellen (Elle) disclosed the onion rings were not homemade, but hey, they cant do it all can they? We washed the meal down with a half liter of white wine. Tax and tip came to 47 bucks. Do yourself a favor, check it out. We talk of supporting local, but this is local in action. You may just get to hold the cutest baby in Halifax at the same time.

I literally walk by this place every day and only today did I finally think about it when my husband and I were trying to figure out a place to meet for lunch.
It’s your typical, run of the mill diner — which I like. It’s small on the inside, the menu is quite extensive, they serve all-​day breakfast and lunch, it’s cheap, the staff are great — all in all, it’s a place I could put in my back pocket for those «I really want to eat at a diner» moments.
I ordered the Grilled Cheese Club on Rye (sans bacon) and husband ordered the chilli (after learning they had no gravy for either of the hot sandwiches). The food was good, but the wait was a little longer than I would have liked for a lunch hour. Mind you, they were pretty hopping for the time we were there so I completely understand. The only thing was although my sandwich was food, it was a little flavourless… perhaps because I didn’t have bacon on it, I don’t know, I just wish it had a little something more to it.
I will definitely check this place out again, not at lunch time though, but for a weekend brunch.

I came a crossed this lovely little place during my trip home. To be honest it was so much more than i expected. The menu was amazing, great prices, and the food great! plus it helps that they also have in the back docks for powering up your cell or power outlets that also help if your laptop needs more:) Which for some one who travels a lot this is amazing! The owner was super nice as well and my server Kerri was the best i’ve had in along time. There is plenty of seating which is cool also if you have a group with you. I would for sure recommend visiting this place for everything from just a quick bite to eat or just a chill out and have some coffee time.

A few weeks ago my fiancé and I decided we wanted to go out for a late breakfast. I had been curious about Elle’s Bistro so we decided breakfast would be a good way to check it out.
Walking in, the first thing we noticed was the odd layout. There is some seating in the front, some seats in front of a counter in another section and then even farther back, in a separate area, there was another scattering of tables. I found it really odd and unappealing.
Upon sitting down it took a few minutes to recieve menus. During this time, the table next to us tried to order beer, but were informed that the refrigerator was broken so there was none available. We received our menus and decided pretty quickly. My partner ordered a standard breakfast (eggs, toast, hashbrowns, meat) They were out of sausage, I believe, so he substituted extra bacon. I ordered the same, but seeing as I am not a fan of meat of the breakfast variety, I appreciated that I could have tomato and feta instead. The server initially wasn’t sure if they had enough feta, but in the end it turned out that they did. We overhead the table next to is ordering and one of the items they wanted, wasn’t available either. Not having the ingredients on hand to make your listed menu items is generally a bad sign, and the two of us were a little bit leery of the quality of food we would be receiving.
When the food arrived, it was your standard breakfast plate. The eggs were cooked as ordered, and everything on the plate was pretty good. The hashbrowns were underwhelming, but I’ve yet to find hashbrowns in a restaurant that I am head over heels for. My side of tomato and feta was my favourite part. The tomatoes were fresh with nice big chunks of feta. It really was a refreshing addition to breakfast.
After eating we weren’t sure about the process for paying, as no one brought us a bill. We waited for a bit then went up and paid at the cash. I enjoyed my meal, but found the experience a little bit uncomfortable due to the fact they were out of so many items and the overall ambiance is a bit off putting. There are a few menu items I am curious about, and might make it back at some point to check them out.

I’ve been there a few times and the food was good. Owners husband was serving, hosting and cooking. He did an amazing job knowing he was running it alone. I found a hair in my food one time which I didn’t really care. Working in this industry for many years I know that happens so it’s not a big deal to me. What I didn’t appreciate is the owner breastfeeding and changing her baby on the table next to me. I know babies have to eat but you have an entire back part to the restaurant. I don’t understand why there should be a crib, toys and a child breastfeeding right in the front window where everyone walking by can see. When I go out to a restaurant I would like to see food, not a playground.

I wanted to really love this place. I imagined it would be cool with old school charm. Although I didn’t get that vibe when I actually went, it was okay. The food was good (I had breakfast) the seating was good (they have more seating down back if you have a large party), service was good. It was just good. I wouldn’t run out and recommend it to everyone, but I wouldn’t discourage anyone going. I guess I just thought it would be different.

Highly recommend the golden dragon sandwich! really well made.
Turkey with cheese and Mushrooms in a French Toast sandwich.

I had heard and read a few semi-​negative reviews of this place, but know that businesses will have growing pains the first few weeks. I try to avoid eating at such places until a few months have passed. Decided to try it for lunch on a snowy Tuesday. Got there around 11:30 and there was only one table taken at that point I think (out of maybe six out front by the cash/​kitchen, and a section further in the back which I didn’t really look into). Was greeted immediately and told to sit wherever I’d like. Discovered that they have an all-​day breakfast menu which is quite large, and at first I was going to try a veggie omelet, but decided against it since I already had a breakfast sandwich hours earlier. Finally opted to go with the veggie lasagna (very good, not a huge portion, but just enough) with side Caesar (quite standard, nothing special about it, but tasty enough). The plate arrived within five minutes I would guess. Although satisfied after this, I had an extra big appetite this day so boldly chose to try their NYC cheesecake with chocolate chip cookie dough. (quite large, very good with a dollop of Cool Whip). THEN I was very full and had remorse, but only for the calories. The whole lunch cost a lot more than I ever like to spend on a weekday (almost $ 25 after tax & tip), but when you give into the impulses and add dessert, that’s bound to creep the price up. By the time I left, several ‘regulars’ had stopped in to get take-​out, with a few more dining in. Seemed a bit busy for the three staff to handle, but they did a fine job while I was there, which is all I can say. Glad I decided to try it despite what others had said. If I had one recommendation is that they’d add a veggie burger to the menu, since they have a lot of burger options which seem popular. And yes, I’d go back someday to maybe get the breakfast on a weekend or something.