Ella`s Restaurant in Calabash

Entering Ella's Cafe, it appears to be a quaint, touristy restaurantxwith fish regalia on the walls and what appear to be pics of Ella. The wait staff is polite, and it must be popular. The hush puppies were excellent with and without the honey butter. I had the calamari, which was most often to heavily breaded but at times also unevey breaded, with sinews of the squid. The grilled chicken sandwich was fresh and warm, with simple elegance. The cheeseburger was good, mouth-watering. The catfish comes in two large filets, largecenough to share. They have booster seats, but no high chairs were seen. The restrooms were in need of TLC with chipped paint, overflowing trash cans, and etchings on the stalls, but the sea salt moisturizer was a nice touch.

Social distancing servers wore mask. Food was great as always. Good service

Excellent food--excellent service--medium price--no waiting

Great steam pot with oysters, crab claws, clams, shrimp and corn on the cob. Great for a party of 2. Very good hushpuppies. Coastal casual atmosphere. Could not give 5 stars because our first oysters were over cooked, which we ate. Our second pot was under cooked which we sent back and were returned properly cooked. These are not the large single garden type gulf oysters. These are clusters and are smaller but very tasty and they give you plenty. We had 2 orders of puppies, 2 iced teas, 1 water, 1 steam pot and another half pot of oysters - an excellent dinner for 3 large appetites for $67.76.

Wonderful lunch specials. The shrimp and flounder were excellent! Will be back!

It's hard to go wrong here. Ella's has been around 60 years, I think? Same location! Great food... Not unhealthy in moderation.

About every other year my wife and I come to NC. (We have relatives here)We where introduced to Ella's by my wife's father. Since then we come by every time we are in the area. This place has been in business forever. (more or less)Hush puppies come free on the table with honey butter. (My wife likes honey butter, but prefer cocktail sauce on them)I had shrimp. (I love shrimp)My wife had flounder, and Deviled crab. (She was very happy)Both meals came with French fries and Cole slaw. We finished with key lime pie.What's not to love about this place?

Great tasting fresh seafood. Have been coming here since late 1960s. Lunch specials are unbelievably cheap.

Great food. Had the flounder beat i have ever had. Shrimp was good too had to try my girlfriends.

We had ordered 2 deluxe seafood platters which are $20 each the amount of food given isn't a lot.. they wasn't much taste to the food which was extremely upsetting for what we had paid... 🙄

Calamari and shrimp was fried perfectly! Cole slaw was good and creamy! Home made cocktail sauce is probably the best I've ever had.

The seafood is always fresh, hot, and oh so delish. The service is fast and friendly. Ella's has been a family fave for decades.

Have been going to Ella's for years. Never been disappointed with anything. Great food and service!Highly recommend you try it out.

It was wonderful food, fast & friendly service! We will be back again. Very reasonably priced also!!

Fantastic seafood. Everything was served hot and fresh. Really busy but the service was fast and friendly and the line moved quickly. Will definitely be back soon.

Last weekend my husband and I ordered to go. I was very displeased to get home an notice first off they forgot my fries, second they gave me coke slaw which I had asked them not to. There were barely any shrimp on my deluxe seafood plate, the piece of fish was very small, and the oysters were terrible small dry and had a unusual after taste! We didn’t even eat most of the food. Definitely will not be returning.

We were picking up and not dining in due to Covid. Friday night at 8:30PM. Waited for about 5 mins for a hostess to tell me where I should go for pickup. They have no covid procedures for pickup. You have to go inside with the dining crowd and get in line with people who ate in and waiting to pay at the cashier. Bring your own pen or you will need to use the communal pen. Not everyone working there were actually wearing a mask. Chin masks don’t work, they just make you feel better. They got my name wrong, but were able to locate the order after some asking around. I had paid extra for broiled food but they had it fried. I didn’t push since it was just getting late. Food? It was good. Will come back but not again when covid is still around. There are other establishments that take the pandemic more seriously.

Great place! Family vacation tradition.

Food and service was very good. Portions were somewhat smaller than I expected for the price. All just don't add up to five stars.

We always eat at Ella’s when we visit Calabash. Great food and very large portions. Excellent service!

So, this is a review that is long in the making... over 30 years. Having spent most of my summers in the coastal area, I have been eating lunch/dinner here more time than any other one restaurant my entire life. That should say something. This is where "calabash style" seafood started, and Jimmy Durante himself called out "Good night Ms. Calabash, where ever you are" - referring to Ms. Ella herself. This really is where the local's go. Lightly breaded and deep fried. Lunch specials are reasonably priced, and the Oyster Roast is a must do (in season). This family owned restaurant is where you will find me when I am in town!

Friendly. Cute. Good quality food at good prices! Hushpuppoes are addictive!

Awesome food, great people and home of the Jimmy Dryant, "Goodnight Ms. Calabash, whereever you are". Must taste and see history unfold before your eyes and mouth.

Ordered take out, during Covid 19. Ordered a large platter and upon arriving home, 20 minutes away, found we did not have a deviled crab nor any hush puppies. Also, stated it came with French fries, and had a baked potatoes with it. The seafood shack right across the street much better.

Always good food and great service. Service with a smile

Delicious hush puppies!! Great service. The grilled tuna was the best I've had in a long time!! Yum!!

We always Love to eat at,Ella's food is awesome. The people there are always friendly

One of the better options for a fix of hush-puppies and various fried seafood like, shrimp, clam strips, soft shall crabs & flounder. Portions are good and pricing is reasonable.

My family and I love Ella’s! Awesome seafood and great atmosphere!

Great food god fearing trump supporters

Food was amazing and service was so friendly and fast. Their flounder and calabash shrimp are beyond awesome. If you're looking for a good place to eat definitely need to go here...

We have some great food and quick service! Can't wait to come back and eat again!

The waitress was probably one of the best waitresses we have ever had, and she did her job phenomenally well. The inside was nice, but the outside seating was very comfortable, and the food was great (especially the hushpuppies)

The freshest cold boiled shrimp ever! The best crispy onion rings ever! Nuff said!

Very cute place, not fine dining, but the food was very good. Stuffed flounder, scallops, and flounder were all excellent. Fried items were fried perfectly golden and very tasty. Our server had a number of large tables including us and handled us all very well. She was very attentive and checking in appropriately. Very good value and service.

Great food as well as experience... I'm allergic to fish and got the ribeye which was cooked good and tasted great and one of best baked potatoes and toast I've ever had...other 5 at the table had a high regard for all of their food as well... will definitely come back!

Always good with a super friendly staff. Plenty of food and the prices are very good.

Rating fot takeout only. Figure about 18 to 20 bucks a head ( with tax ) Food is always good but the last 3 times not ready when promised. I wonder if they dont put it together till you arrive.

Excellent food, great prices on daily specials. Great customer service.

Our family has been going here for years. It's one of our favorites for classic Calabash seafood. Great chicken for land lovers.

If you ever get the chance .. go to Ella's if you really want some good down-home southern seafood !!! And don't forget to ask for Robin or Holly as your server !!! They are nothing but the BEST !!!

Great seafood, friendly service. Had no complaints, lunch special is very reasonable. Clean. Also had other menu items for meat eaters.

Delicious meal delicious delicious and home of the Good night Mrs Calabash,.... Wherever You Are! do you remember? Jimmy Durante made her famous. Enjoy and read thr story

Always have enjoyed eating here but today the food wasn't the quality. Appeared to have been in the warmer. Fish was tough and dried out. None of the food seemed fresh or hot.. Disappointed especially since we took guest. Will return again hopefully will be better. Maybe just a bad day and the time of day.

Bottom line up front - Skip the $120.00 seafood buffet in Myrtle Beach and come here instead. The food is great, and the service is attentive and friendly. Asked multiple times if we needed anything and provided ample drink refills etc. The hush puppies w/honey butter are the best we’ve ever had! Overall very pleased, and we will be coming back 👍

Very nice place! There was a lot of food, and it was served fast and fresh. The service was excellent! Special thanks to our server who left the sweet tea pitcher right on our table. I don't think you could go wrong, ordering any of their seafood, and the prices were great!

This place is AMAZING! Outstanding service and selection. Reasonable prices for fresh, quality seafood. Portions are exceptional and worth the effort. There is of course Calabash style food, but also steamed and broiled. Plenty of options for most palates. It is clean, recently updated, has plenty of parking available and an exceptional staff.

Lovely spot in Calabash. Raw oysters, shrimp , fish ect. Been around for many years. Seniors discount as well. Yummo ♥️

Ella's opinion of their food is higher than mine. $16 for 2 seafood combination and I left with plenty of room for ice cream. Literally about 3 fork fulls of slaw with this "platter". First and last visit to this restaurant.

By far the best seafood place ever. Stop here every chance I can. Voted Brunswick best about ten years running. This place never disappoints.