EllaEm’s Soul Food

Outstanding… not to much food just the rite portion… great selection… highly recommend

This place is amazing. Didn’t even make it a week without coming all the way back here for the fried chicken dinner. Ok. Left my bank card here and they were awesome and held onto it. Double win on my part. The food is amazing and the people here are the absolute best!!!

I had EllaEm’s Soul Food for lunch today. While the service and restaurant was phenomenal, the food itself was lack luster. First and foremost, everything was cooked perfectly, my issue is the lack of flavor. I ordered the lunch special for $ 9.99 and had fried chicken, macaroni & cheese and fries. The only item that had any flavor was the fires, everything else was bland. I would try this restaurant again because the service was awesome and who knows maybe they had a bad day in the kitchen.

The food is probably the best soul food I ever had. Got fried chicken, red beans, greens and black eye peas. It was amazing although I had to have a doggy bag because the portions are big. Staff was very kind and friendly. Definitely will be back. Best in Soul Food in Las Vegas

In one word: inconsistent. It’s so frustrating too because the food that is good is VERY good but other things that you think should be an easy lock in for any southern or soul food place aren’t. Customer service is questionable at best…
The fried chicken, VERY GOOD. Crispy skin, juicy, etc. The mashed potatoes, VERY BAD. Lumpy, super thick, clumpy etc. Yams=yummy, greens, meh. Their meatloaf and side of veggies YUM! Cornbread cakes — get extra lol. Their ribs have great flavor but the beef tastes «cheap» and/​or frozen for too long. Their customer service has been friendly exactly half the time too lol — out of four visits fielding my way through the menu I’m not sure I want to go back because the customer service is so inconsistent. In fairness, one time I believe the cook or dishwasher (both?) took my order himself — either way, there’s a reason that some people are better at back of the house than front of the house. I think this place has great potential but even after sampling several things I’m still utterly undecided so I hope this helps you more than it’s helped me lol.

Nice décor, very friendly staff. Service was quite good even with 70% or so occupancy. Catfish with greens and black eyed pease were right on point. I will go back.

I have eaten food all over the south and I can say this is some of the best soul food I have ever had. Fried chicken, collards, fried okra and black eye peas all were great. I will definitely be back!!!

Pretty solid and delicious soul food!
They had mixed up our order, so instead of taking it back… they let us keep the extra plate then brought out the corrected order! How awesome was that! Lots of businesses take it back, I always wondered what they did with an uneaten plate. Do they throw it away? Serve it to someone else? Gross. I’m regressing.
I had their oven baked ribs. Deliciously baked! Lathered in bbq just the way me likey. Husband had the liver and onions. Of course the husband enjoyed his! Lol. He really loved their fried cabbage. Their mac n cheese was pretty yummy too, and I’m not a complete mac-​n-​cheese person. Their prices are pretty decent too. Soul food in other areas of this world charge soul food like catfish is a rare species, collard greens are grown from gold, and ribs are a season.
Anyway, awesome to have deliciously prepared comfort food nearby. Definitely recommend them. Service was great! Seeing family pics on the wall just feels nice. Reminds you they are deep with their roots. That’s probably what makes them deelish. It’s homely.

OMG! I havent found this kind of «mama’s» cookin since I left GA. Everything was PERFECT! BEST chicken fried steak ever, so crispy & juicy. Fried cat fish falls apart at 1^st bite & batter stays on til last bite. Yams is like Thanksgiving heaven. Mashed potatoes are so smooth. Mac n cheese is loaded w cheese. Can’t go wrong with fluffy rice & chicken gravy. LOVE LOVE LOVE it here! Very cute décor inside for sweet date night (especially rainy day) Service was friendly. Always coming back! :)

Mom really enjoyed the food.
Expect extremely slow service as the management refuses to hire more than one waitstaff and cook. The two of them were hustling as best they could while the cashier person yapped with the «carry-​out» customers.
Also, they do not serve dressing of any sort. We found that odd.

Came to visit Vegas and wanted some soul food. Looked this place up and said let’s try it eventhough it was a lillte out the way… GLAD we did! We was promptly seated and ask if we wanted something to drink right away… Funny cause 3 mins later another waitress asked did we want something to drink… They both were right on it!!! Very nice and friendly! They keep checking on us… after we ordered we received our food about 15 – 20 mins after… food was fresh, tasty, and finger licking good!!! It was southern good cooking! Food was excellent! Glad we made the decision to go! Must try in Vegas!

Great service. Food was great and the restaurant is nice and clean. I had the pork chops and boy were they good! The serving size was enough for lunch and dinner.
Thank you!

Items Selected:
Cornbread Muffins
Fried Chicken, Chicken Gravy, Fried Okra, Mac n’ Cheese, Candied Yams
Sweet Potato Pie
Red Velvet Cake
Tucked away in a strip mall on West Craig Road in North Las Vegas, but frequented by locals and those within the proper city limits for what some consider to be the best Soulfood in The Valley, it was just after 5pm that I entered the stripped down confines of EllaEm’s for a bite before dinner and although several take-​out orders unfortunately caused a rather lengthy delay from the kitchen one would be hard-​pressed to name another place offering a more authentic experience, particularly at such a price.
Not at all billed to be the upscale experience of Yardbird and far less often discussed than either location of underwhelming M&M Soul Food Café found further South, it was at a four-​top surrounded by a crowd of all ages and ethnicities that I was seated mere moments after entry and perusing the menu it a young Hispanic hostess offered smiling greetings before filling water and presenting the first of two rounds of complimentary cornbread muffins, each bite tinged with sweetness amidst a delicate yet toothsome base.
Offering a la carte options, but generally a far better deal when ordered as a combo or traditional «Meat + 3,» it was in rejecting temptation offered by fried pork chops as well as several other entrees that my original target of EllaEm’s signature fried chicken was selected and although attempts to add-​on a waffle were thwarted by poor kitchen timing the nearly thirty minute wait was rewarded by two legs and a thigh of crisply breaded brined bird, the spice profile well represented straight through the skin and into the flesh while sides of yams and fried okra were reference standard in execution, the man & cheese largely forgettable with overcooked noodles plus a soupy thin sauce.
Apologies offered by the young server for the missing waffle and delays that were in no way her fault, there was little doubt that a meal at any Southern eatery was likely to end without a sampling of dessert, and although the lack of banana pudding would seem to be a serious menu oversight both the small slice of warm red velvet cake and one of Sweet Potato pie were far better than one may have expected, the former far sweeter than other cocoa-​laden iterations while the latter atop a crisp and flaky crust impressed by taking the traditional savory route.
****No doubt one of «Hidden Gems» of North Las Vegas, an area oft lamented for a dearth of quality places to dine, EllaEm’s offers not only a relative bargain for the dollar but also some of the city’s very best fried chicken and Red Velvet Cake, no small praise considering the omnipresence of each on menus throughout town.

Service: I think the service went from good, to great after we got to chatting for a few. The guy who took our order seemed maybe busy at first while taking our order. When he asked me certain questions I wanted his opinion as to what was better in his opinion. Later he came and joked with me and had a nice smile on his face.
Food: wow! I loved the food from here and so did the rest of the family. From our main dish all the way down to all the different sides they were all delicious! Not 1 bland item on the plate! I will 100% be going back for more!!!

Tradition. That is what this cute soul food café is steeped in. The menu is a tribute to a lovely NOLA influenced granny, RIP, who lived to the ripe old age of 97 ½ and who apparently was a gifted cook. These are her recipes. Consider yourself honored to meet her through her granddaughter’s perseverence to share her food.
Located on the north end of town, near Nellis AFB, this is a very attractive, clean, spacious eating establishment that should be taken seriously by locals and travellers as well. It is desireable not only for the food but for its location far from the craziness that is downtown and on the Strip. This is in the land of copius parking and chill attitude.
The Catfish has a lovely cornmeal crunch, not at all greasy. It comes with great tasting tartar sauce and your choice of 3 sides. The servings were so big I felt I was looking at them thru a magnifying glass.
The braised oxtail came with 3 pcs as big as a fist and a choice of two sides. The meat was fall off the bone tender, and the pan gravy was plate lickable.
Even the cornbread muffin was unique with an interesting crusty muffin top. Served with REAL butter.
My mac n cheese side (oh my goodness wonderful) was made exactly as I crave, with lots of the right kind of cheddar cheese.
The collard greens were tender and hammy and tangy. Oh so good.
Then there was the fried cabbage with bacon. I could eat that all day long.
And yep, Mr B indulged in tasty Black Eyed Peas.
I didn’t, but if you want to see what all the hype is over chitterlings, you don’t have to go down South. They have them here.
They offer excellent service and a delightfully cheerful vibe.
You have no idea what authentic soul food is about until you come here. I have tried many places, but this ranks #1 for me. I would definitely go out of my way to eat here again.

The ambiance is cute, and a little small if you choose to dine in. I’ve ordered from here twice and I’d have to say the food is mediocre. Definitely not what you could get home cooked, but it satisfies. It’s hard to find authentic souls food that makes you want to slap your momma! If you are craving soul food, then this would be its «fast-​food» equivalent. It’s all cooked fresh, you can see the cooks through the little window to the back, but the taste is pretty generic.

I’m writing this review while waiting for our order. My husband and I got a craving for some fried catfish, and being near our house and having it once before, we called this place for take out. Now, the food is good. Not outstanding but good and just a little pricey. Still, convenience and cravings win out. But this is my complaint, we called in an order for pick up. We wanted to avoid the wait and have a night in. Asked if it would be ready by 6:30, I called at called at 5:40, they said yes. My husband got there ten minutes late and he is still there waiting for our food thirty minutes later. Bad service? Yes…
*** update– after waiting thirty more minutes for our takeout, a food server just sets the bag of food in front of my husband without a word and walks away. No courtesy what so ever.

This place is great! I’m coming from Detroit and the soul food here is on point. To compare, I ordered the fire chicken meal which you can select two sides. I chose the rice with gravy and veggies. I also got a side of the Mac N Cheese. The chicken had the best seasoning and was perfectly cooked. The Mac n cheese was awesome! We also ordered their corn bread which were baked in a cup like a cupcake. I felt like I lost alot of the bread with it getting stuck to the paper. Otherwise, really good.
The ambience is quite dark… But the service is great. We got our food a little bit before closing and they were so welcome to let us dine in.
Great place for the soul food cravings

I gotta preface this review by saying, I’m not the biggest fan of soul food. My friends and I were in Vegas for the weekend and decided to try something new and off the beaten path of the strip or downtown. Ran a Unilocal search and found EllaEm’s. Being just shy of 10 off the strip wasn’t too bad.
I’m sooooo glad we rolled through! Got there about 2pm on a Sunday, the place was pretty busy. We grabbed a seat and quickly greeted by our waiter Q. He got our drink order and gave us sometime to look over the menu.
I was torn by a few different items… Oxtail? Meatloaf? Fried Chicken? Fried Catfish? Aaaaaah! I don’t know! Q rolls back to take our order, my friends were ready… Fried Catfish & Fried Snapper with collard greens, mac&cheese and red beads&rice. I asked for a recommendation and Q was on point… Meatloaf with a red sauce is his favorite and Thad good enough for me! I got the mac&cheese, fried cabbage and the red beans&price!
All three of us loved our meals. The Fish was flavorful and flakey… The Meatloaf was tender, juicy and so tasty! The red sauce was peppery and the tomatoes were sweet! Great flavor with the beef! All the sides were amazing, but the Red Beans&Rice straight stole the show! We were thanking God we each ordered our own! There was no sharing at this table!
All I gotta say… I’ll be back… Actually, we’ll all be back! And I’ll definitely open up to more soul food spots in L.A. Thank you EllaEm’s and the staff!

Soul food should always come in portions this generous! $ 16 seems like a bit much to spend on a smothered porkchop plate, but then you discover the plate includes three chops and three generous side portions– more than enough to share! Chops themselves come with your choice of chicken or beef gravy, but the overall flavors were just okay. After craving this dish for a week and driving half an hour, it just didn’t quite hit the spot, unfortunately.
Sides selected were mac, greens, and cabbage– I’m not even a fan of cabbage but their version was flipping delicious with bits of ham and good crunch without too much oil.
Too bad the other sides were so dismal– mac was a generous portion but super dry and the cheese was in large clumps as if my little sister were making it, while the greens were virtually flavorless aside from the heavy-​handed dose of salt.
Cornbread was decent, kept in a warmer that perhaps over-​steamed it, as they had a mushy texture that I did not care for.
I was hoping to find an alternative to M&M, but unfortunately this place was more miss than hit for me.