Ella's American Kitchen

I really wish I could rate this higher. The service is excellent and there is a nice ambiance in the place, but the food and price just don't warrant it. I believe this place can charge so much simply due to the fact there is a lack of close competition and a great location. I got a loko moko, having spent a lot of time in hawaii and loving it. It came out looking good, and even had a bit of salsa, making me think all I was missing was some linguica. Unfortunately, it ended up tasting like rice with a super small hint of eggs. There was literally no flavor to it, surprisingly. The salsa added zero to the taste. It was exceptionally disappointing. The cast iron bowl was a nice touch, though. My wife got the normal eggs, bacon and toast, and although it was good, it was nothing special. You really have to work to mess that up, anyways. There was also some chocolate chip pancakes, which were another thing you would have to work to mess up, they were ok. Prices are pretty steep, and for the food quality, I would say not worth it. We wont be eating here again when we drive Into the city. What a shame. Addition: the coffee is only decent, also. Turns out parts of the pancakes were burned, too.

Great place overall, and they get the cobb salad spot on 10/10! Great staff and service on top of the good food. ❤️ Edit: they're currently doing takeout only now that they've opened up again. Stopped by to order this morning. Still great. Everyone is super nice, food was prepared quickly and is delicious! And yes, I was craving Cobb salad, and ordered that again, along with side of sausage and a mimosa. Let's talk about that mimosa though...it's a perfect blend of alcohol to juice. Almost a 50/50 feel. Not one of those that just top it off with champagne. The sausage was great. And the salad was amazing, with the chicken separated to keep it hot and delicious.

Very casual environment with tasty brunch food and friendly wait staff.

Deliciousness! Huge portions and homemade jelly and thick toast. Huge pancakes as well. No bar though, so I had to settle for a mimosa 🙂

Avocado omelette was truly a taste to behold! All the fixings were on point to include their house made lemonade.

Excellent quiet spot for great food on a Saturday morning. Get in before 10 and enjoy the bacon

Nice, clean atmosphere, the food is tasty and high quality. The service was excellent my first time there. The second time, I had my heart set on an omelette but was told they only had a broccoli and cheese omelette. Turns out the waiter mixed that up with the scramble which he had reversed. So, I missed out on my favorite bacon, mushroom, and cheese omelette, very disappointing. Be sure to walk over and check the specials board so you have the correct specials to choose from.

Not meant for outdoor dining, and the food quality was inconsistently below average and average. The outside is next to busy and noisy Van Ness. There are two small tables with two chairs each. They’re tightly up against the restaurant with little room to move. The food itself was fine. However, it came in to-go packaging (tinfoil, paper, plastic, etc.) not actual plates or silverware. We had pancakes and an omelette. The kitchen gave us white toast instead of whole wheat and put cheese in the omelette even though we asked for none. The pancakes were fine, but since this was all to-go packaging, we were given a small cup of syrup that was not enough for the short stack we ordered. The plastic utensils they did give us did not include a knife. So I ate my pancakes with a fork and spoon. The omelette was average, but the potatoes that came with it were good. The bread was low quality and didn’t feel toasted but fried and greasy. Additionally, we ordered sparking water thinking it would be a small glass or can. Instead we got an overpriced $9 bottle. The food price (besides the sparking water) is average for San Francisco pricing. However, you can get a lot better food for the same price anywhere else. I wouldn’t come here again, especially for dine-in.

Everything at Ella's is comfort food incredibleness. But for me, mElla's chicken hash is HEAVENLY. I went to college at the University of San Francisco and was introduced to Ella's chicken hash and have been a cult orderer and fan of this incredibly satisfying, delicious heavenly dish for 20 years now. Eaten on the spot or taken to go, it is one of my most sacred indulgent weekend brunch rituals. Definitely one of the best breakfast dishes on Planet Earth. If you are hungry and in for a truly fulfilling and savory meal, get it! I'm such an fan, I even attempted to recreate it at home when I moved from SF during the pandemic. Thank you for being such a staple for so many years Ella's!

Phenomenal food and service every time! The dishes are so perfectly thought out and balanced. The technique is pretty impressive as well! The White Linen cocktail is definitely a must!

My only complaint is my buttermilk biscuit was dry the corn beef hash was excellent with just the right amount of saltiness and the house made sausages patty was good but I like mine a little bit more spicy. The eggs were abundant with my meal and the service was fast and courteous So this is my second visit to Ella's and I must say I am very impressed with your chefs. I sat at the bar to eat and watched them cook. I love watching chefs at work. It is fun but it has also turned me away from restaurants due to the chefs behavior. Your chefs both wash their hands between each meal they prepared, and the cleaned their utensils after preparing each dish. Kudos!!! My meal today was an Ella's burger w/fries. It was cook perfect and seasoned just right. I would say the best burger I have had in the last 2.5 months I've been here. The fries were crisp and tasty and the toppings for my burger were fresh chopped because I watched him do it. Anyone that compares this place to Denny's has never eaten at Denny's or worse like I have. This place is far better that several of the places I have chosen to eat in San Francisco including the Denny's downtown. To management keep up the good work and keep listening to your customers and you will do great. Don't sacrifice quantity for quality in you ingredients and your clientele will grow.

This is a good place for breakfast or lunch. This is place to get a good breakfast or burger. The service was great and the host was great. I will be back for the bottomless mimosas.

I hold this place dear to my heart - it is where I had my first date 12+ years ago with my now husband. Sad to say this place has gone way downhill. I think maybe the owner and or the management has changed in the last year. The fact that there were plenty of seats to be had at 11am on a Sunday is testament that I might have been the last to know about the downslide. Ella's used to be one of my "go to" spots to bring out-of-towners for brunch. I used to check every week for the brunch special pancake and other ever changing items. No more: -They have the same menu every weekend, the website still has specials listed from July (it is now Dec). -They renovated the counter - so it now has glass in front and is less of a good show. -I saw the cooks kinda fumble around - they packed scrambled eggs into a to- go box (only to have another chef say that was wrong - so they scooped out the eggs with their hands in to the trash and re-loaded the box with over-easy. I saw them twirl a plate so a pancake fell off (on to the counter?) anyway they just grabbed it an put it back. Gone are the Thick slices of toast - replaced by skinny replicas...and to add insult to injury - the butter comes (cold) in paper packets. -Both of our dishes were not heated through (and we were sitting about 4' from where they were making it.) -The super friendly hostess and waitresses are gone. What the f--k happened here??? Sadness abounds

Food is a solid four-stars. If the prices were better, we would do five. Chicken pot pie was a b+ good crust all fresh ingredients Out of burgers (huh?) so got chicken sandwich. Chipotle ranch aioli for chicken sandwich was best aioli ever had. I would go back to try other items if I am in the neighborhood.

Ella's is a busy and popular San Francisco brunch spot that specializes in comfort food made completely from scratch. Ella's turned 30 years old this year. It was started by a nice pair named Danny and Robert in 1990. Over the years its become one of the weekend morning hotspots in San Francisco. Be prepared to wait for a a while if you show up on a weekend morning. However, during the week, I've never had any problem getting a table. Everything is so good here, I recommend keeping it simple. For $10.75 you can get two eggs cooked to order, country potatoes, and toast. Due to the business of the restaurant, the servers are understandably not always as attentive as is needed. Also, requests like making the country potatoes crispy sometimes get swept under the rug in the hustle and bustle. Regardless, this is an excellent brunch spot that is centrally-located in San Francisco.

Got the sticky bun, which I heard is something that's very popular here, and the corned beef hash. Corned beef hash was good, initially thought it was a bit pricey at $15-ish dollars but you get a huge plate so it was the perfect size to split. Sticky bun on the other hand was a huge disappointment. It was dry, and hard on one side, and tasted like it was two days old. Friend who recommended it said it never use to be like this... We didn't eat it.

We came for a late breakfast. I wish they had a kids menu. Overall the menu is a little bit of a high price for what you get. I always think breakfast should be cheaper...am I kidding myself? I had the avocado omelette. It was good. I liked the potatoes. Hubs had the chicken hash which he said was "fine." My kiddos split the pancakes and a side of bacon. You know it's pancakes. They loved the bacon because it was perfectly cooked. How come bacon is always best in a restaurant? The coffee is quite lovely. The service was a tad slow since it wasn't busy at all. But again, I feel like I can grab breakfast anywhere and be happy...so next time I will come for lunch.

Ordered the sticky bun, chilaquiles and loco moco. I give concessions to delivery because the food isn't served immediately and stuffed in a box. From the reviews my chilaquiles is customarily served on a hot plate. It was still tasty. The sticky bun was outstanding - crunchy, sticky, sweet dark caramel. The loco moco needs to be redone. The flavor of the gravy was overpowered by the flavor of the white rice - that's not a good thing. Perhaps package your rice separate from the rest of the dish because basic white rice will soak up the sauce you place on it and mess up the the overall flavor. Perhaps switch to Asian rice. I'll visit them once it reopens for dine-in.

Ella's Plate via takeout. The picture is how the food arrived. Appreciated one container for everything however my pancakes were moist. No utensils & condiments! Luckily, I was home. Food was okay, but I had no syrup at home. no pancakes for me. For $20 bucks, not the best.

Like several recent reviews mentioned, this is not my first time here but it certainly has changed. The restaurant is brighter, more open, and more casual that my first visit here. Our hostess was smiling and gracious us in seating us at a window side table in the left dining room as you enter. Besides the remodel, the menu also had some distinct changes. Besides some traditional breakfast offerings, there were some interesting additions, one of which I tried. Being a big fan of the Primarvera stand at the farmers' market, my eyes widened when I saw chilaquiles (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=WKiH8sMg81nC81KEtzt0Og&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) on the menu; though visually attractive, it was just okay, even with the addition of Tapatio sauce and other condiments. The highlight of the meal was my side order of hash brown (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=C8X__6yBd9pJhjMITRvrsg&userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q) which was perfectly crispy and served hot. The portions are generous and my dish was filling so the sticky bun, once their signature menu item, became my take home prize. Before packing it away, I stole a couple bites and disappointedly frowned from the hard and dry texture of this pastry. I went home and toasted it but it wasn't any better. The service was spotty as the waiter who took our order returned one other time while a lady mostly tended to our needs (filling drink glasses, removing plates, packing my leftovers, etc.). This seems consistent with many other recent reviews. Nestled on the edge of Pacific Heights, this restaurant used to be a neighborhood spot and a popular Sunday brunch destination for special occasions. Sad to say, it isn't what I remembered it was. Might stop in again but not a destination place in my book.

Food was pretty good but the service was horrendous. Short on staff and not very customer service aware. People we literally piled in the doorway without anyone approaching them. They were only using half of the restaurant and the other half was empty. We had to ask for coffee while we waited the doorway. It was so bad that we actually went behind the counter to get cream and sugar on our own. Not sure what's going on. This review is mostly for the service portion of our visit. Food was good in portion and the bacon was delicious. The burger was burnt but the chicken hash was great. Debating whether to come back or not. ** no more fresh baked bread- what a shame

A hi-de-ho Neighbor and an absolute NO! My nail technician next door Wendy has always told me this place wasn't very good and we've always trusted her judgement. Until today. It's 11:15am, I am starving, this place has 4 customers, some staff eating, and other staff walking and chatting with each other, so I tell my 5 friends to meet me here. I stand at the front door and watch the cook for a while, I watch the server walk from the kitchen to the dining room and engage another small stature man in conversation when I finally get in eye contact. The one who spotted me signals to the bearded small man in the blue shirt to go and assist me. He turns back to him and tells him to do it. No, no, no, no guys. Screw you both. The 6 of us will gladly go elsewhere! People, always listen to your service providers! They know you and what you like- I should've just listened to Wendy.

Where do I even begin? It's hard to critique food offerings when half the menu is not available. I'm still not sure how a breakfast place can be out of waffles, pancakes, and sticky buns. It also took reminders to the wait staff receive our drinks and check. The food we did receive lacked seasoning and was far below par - especially if you're paying $15 for a plate. I would give it 1 star except that it the food was at least edible, so I'll give them that. I wish you have a better experience than I did!

Came here on a Saturday around 11am. They could sit me and my boyfriend right away. We got an orange juice, fried egg sandwich and prosciutto scramble. They were out of sticky buns so we couldn't get one. The sandwich and scramble were both really good. Potatoes that come on the side are ok. I wish they were crunchier. Overall a great brunch experience: no wait, good food, friendly staff and fast service.

The quality of the food here is just okay. There are a lot of bruch places I've explored in SF, and this one didn't have anything that really stood out for me. There was a mix up with the reservations on Easter, but the owner was more than willing to accept the mistake and offered us some fruit and was still able to accommodate us with a table. I'm always thankful for good service so kudos to the customer service to correct the mistake. I ordered the potato scramble that came with these little purple potatoes, and on the side it came with house potatoes as well. I love potatoes, french fries, you name it.But the food just didn't stick out for me. The fresh squeezed orange juice was pretty good, but I think I'm used to very cold juice so that was just also okay. The experience itself wasn't bad, but I doubt I would come back.

Ella's is a convenient place to meet people if you go at off hours. And the service is OK and the bathroom clean. But how do you run out of white toast? And then you go on and serve raisin bread toast that is so overdone that it crumbles when you bite into it? Come on guys, a little effort and this place could be so much better.

Always great breakfasts / Brunch at Ella's!!! Love their scrambles. And menu change often. Highly recommend this local favorite.

Looking for a local diner after visiting that House that seems to be Full for a few Generations now, located on Broderick.using Yelp i decided to give Ella's American Kitchen. We ascended about a quarter miles worth of Hill, my stomach started barking. Upon entering my brother and i were immediately seated in the main dining area. Incidentally I'm a thick guy and tables and chairs are tight. I looked at the menu and opted for2 eggs, potatoes, bacon, and wheat toast. My brother ordered the same as well as a blueberry short stack pancake. I ordered my eggs over medium and bacon extra crispy. I received my food exactly as i liked it. And so did my brother. The potatoes were seasoned perfectly and had red and green bell peppers as well as onions. The whole meal was great.i sampled the blueberry pancakes, which were about the size of the plate they were served on and were hearty. The maple syrup was from Vermont and-was sweet but not the sugary overbearing commercial grade. The ambience was typical with a nice street view and the host and hostess made sure my coffee, which is locally roasted in Oakland, was full all the time. The service was excellent and friendly and the price is typical of most restaurants of the area, but i am not complaining. I wanted to eat local to support local businesses. Money well spent and i recommend Ella's for breakfast.

"Is it live, or is it Memorex?" That's how I remember Ella Fitzgerald when she was alive. She was scatting in her inimitable way on that old commercial back in the seventies, and then the glass would shatter. Remember? You don't? Well, that's too bad because that's the only way I can remember Ella's. Is it live? Can't really tell early in the morning because it's quite a bland place for a rather vanilla-looking customer base. There's definitely a well-monied clientele here with overweight matrons wearing Hermes scarves at 8 in the morning. It's Laurel Heights after all. Ella's does provide a reasonable-looking breakfast menu with a lot of freshly baked goods and granola available. I went with my standard order, Corned Beef Hash with Poached Egg and Biscuit (see photo). You could tell I wasn't in the Tenderloin because it cost me $11.25. Everything looked right on my plate, but it struck me as a bit pricey unless there was a major "wow" factor involved. There wasn't as the corned beef hash was still lacking somehow despite the homemade look of it. I have to say the biscuit was the best thing on the plate. I'm afraid blah-ness prevailed throughout the meal. I have no complaints about the service or the space, but man, where was the oomph? FOOD - 3 stars...the ingredients taste fresh, but where's the personality? AMBIANCE - 3 stars...typically Pac Heights SERVICE - 3.5 stars...attentive enough TOTAL - 3 stars...is it live, or is it Ella's?...can't be both

I was worried about the brunch crowd on a Sunday - but it was barely a five minute wait once our party of three was there. * Potato Scramble "with grilled squash, spinach, pinenuts and feta" ($11.25) - The waitress was quick to point out their was no egg in this dish, which I guess with the name 'scramble' in it, people would assume there would be. I was actually glad there wasn't. This is one dish that you definitely see all the ingredients listed - there's no question with what you're getting. It was really good and hearty. * Chicken Hash "served with eggs and toast" ($11.50) - The Husband had to get this infamous dish that everyone yelps about. Hidden under a bed of scallions, I initially didn't notice the hash - which looks like a patty. It had good flavor and is definitely different. * Open Faced Omelette "with sausage, tomato sauce, basil and fresh mozzarella " ($11.75) - It also came with potatoes too. This dish was tasty too. * Ella's Morning Coffee ($2) The food was good - it wasn't as large as everyone mentioned (but then again, I'm coming from Vegas). We were the very last to leave and I really appreciated how the staff never asked us to leave. They cleaned up all around us and we were actually oblivious to the fact that they were closing. That was a big plus! We came around the holidays and Ella's offered a one page menu. You have to appreciate simplicity and doing those dishes well. A great neighborhood gem without all the frills.

I felt lucky to be seated right away. I appreciated that my coffee was served almost immediately but i was about two cups in by the time my order was taken. Our waitress was super busy and we had to flag her down throughout the meal. I chose the Salmon Scramble with chives and lemon cream cheese over the popular Chicken Hash. Asked for the capers on the side and ended up receiving no capers. Didn't mind although not sure if they forgot or it wasn't written on our ticket. Eggs were overcooked and should have spent all my money on Ella's Plate which was 10x better with their homemade sausage, crisp bacon plus sour cream and peach pancakes. I'm normally a bacon person but i loved these sausage patties. After having peaches in my pancakes i can't go back to banana or blueberry! I was also able to sample the chicken hash in this combo plate. Wasn't blown away... Probably wouldn't come back due to the poor experience.

I ordered the Ella plate, which has pancakes, eggs, chicken hash, potatoes, and I chose a biscuit and sausage. The pancakes are delicious, 5 stars. Everything else, 2 stars. I had high hopes for the hash which other yelpers seem to really like, but it felt like a dry shredded chicken surrounded by mushy stuffing. The potatoes require a little more browning and steaming, since they were too hard. The eggs were fine, but the sausage had a strange aftertaste.

Ella's has been on my list of places to have breakfast/brunch for quite a while so I was pretty excited to try it. I came on Memorial Day and it was surprisingly pretty crowded. It's a pretty large location divided into two sections. One side seemed to be for smaller parties (1-4) and the other side for larger parties. Though it was pretty crowded, we were quickly seated. Another big plus was how fast the service was. I was in and out of the restaurant in about 45 minutes. I was very excited to find out this was an ALL-DAY brunch spot. Their menu isn't too long and it's very simple. Based on Yelp reviews, I wanted to try the House Made Sticky Bun ($5.75), which is basically a cinnamon roll with walnuts on top, and the Chorizo Scramble ($15.25), which includes carmelized onions, tomatoes, cheddar cheese, country potatoes, and toast. You can choose from a unique range of toast: white, wheat, sourdough rye, honey oat, homemade buttermilk biscuit, and brioche raisin. The House Made Sticky Bun was pretty good. I appreciate that it wasn't too sweet and, because I don't like walnuts, I liked the fact that the walnuts weren't crushed and sprinkled on top and or inside the cinnamon roll; and the Chorizo Scramble was delicious. I thought there was a little too much chorizo for the amount of egg that was served, but I rather have too much chorizo than too little. Overall, I thought everything was delicious and I definitely plan on returning to try other things!

My aunt and I were in town staying at an Air BnB down the street and came here for breakfast twice during our stay in October. It's your typical small breakfast diner with eggs, bacon, toast, omelettes, pancakes, etc. All very good and a good portion. However, the sticky buns are AMAZING. They are just like my grandma used to make and it was really nice to have a taste of home. :) The second time we came for breakfast, the cook was M.I.A. and the staff was doing everything they could to service the 3-4 tables that showed up right when they opened. Very nice and accommodating.

Oh how the mighty have fallen. Sad to say today was the last time I'll go to Ella's. My husband and I live a few blocks away and this used to be our favorite breakfast place in the city -- come for the chicken hash, stay for the coffee, but no longer. Decided it was time to show some friends what Ella's is all about and ended up being their first and last time there. Started with us being seated in the front room where they are literally blasting club rave music -- it's Sunday morning, how is that considered acceptable? After asking 3 different people to turn it down or change it, they played one calm song and then halfway through it changed it back to rave music, at which point we moved into the other room because we couldn't hear each other over the music. There were 5 of us and our food came out in intervals of 10 minutes so we didn't actually get to eat together. The food was ok, but not nearly as good as it used to be. The coffee also used to be delicious and now might as well be from a gas station. Really confused what happened here... how did you guys manage to go so far downhill in such a short time? Super bummed.

Me and the family had an amazing breakfast Really good food and friendly service. Definitely recommend.

We have been coming to Ella's for many years. Today's visit was disappointing at best. It was enough for me to investigate and see that there's been a management change. It shows in the menu. There's a shadows of the former Ella's but this is not the same. My husband had the Ella's Plate with not quite the same chicken hash from the past, dry pancakes, underdone easy over eggs, and a greasy bacon. I had the loco moco which was presented with their southern gravy and salsa. Get past the weird culture class and tackle under seasoned hamburger patty and more underdone eggs. The table near us returned eggs for being over cooked. So if you're looking for a great breakfast outing don't come here. Or order the bottomless mimosa so you don't care as much about the food.

Update: Ella's changed hands and the new owners are running it straight into the ground. What used to be gourmet fare is now Denny's level or worse. It's even sadder the way they keep the old menu but aren't even following it. Example: order "Organic Earl Grey tea" and you'll get Lipton straight from Costco. Avoid, there are plenty of better choices for breakfast. See Update above- Absolutely awesome brunches at Ella's. The chef Xavier himself waited on us and even gave us a free sample of another dish that we asked about when ordering! We loved the scrambled eggs with spinach and brisket and the made-from-scratch chilaquiles. The atmosphere is also very relaxed and inviting. Service was friendly as spot-on​.

This place needs BIGGER portions!!! The food is very good, but I need to put more of it in my mouth. I highly recommend the Coddled Eggs.

This is like no breakfast I've ever had. We are big breakfast eaters, New Orleans, Montana, Barcelona, etc and Ella's in SF was AMAZING! The food was so enjoyable and perfect for our late morning City experience. The staff was delightful and so thoughtful. They made our birthday weekend celebration keep on rolling. Get that chicken and waffles in my belly! #chickenhash #offthecharts We are coming back to Ella's for a very well priced brunch!

I'm concerned about Ella's. This used to be my sister and brother-in-laws favorite breakfast place in the city (6-8 years ago) and I remember it being pretty good as well but they have really fallen off! The reason I'm concerned is that I think "Ella" may owe someone a serious debt because they are clearly making an effort to cut costs: Ordered coffee, never came so I had to go to ask for it - saving on this coffee beans! Ordered an Avocado Omelette - Perhaps they may have set the omelet near an avocado at some point but none ever made it in or on the omelette/plate - saving on those extra items! The omelette was supposed to come with potatoes but I think I got 1-2 piece of potato and the rest was just onion and pepper - this one is a little off because in general, potatoes are very cheap so they may want to rethink their approach to this cost-cutting strategy but I'm still impressed by the commitment/consistency. Lastly, the sausage that came with my GF's eggs was basically raw so clearly they are being very frugal with the use of their stove tops / ovens - saving on those utilities! Bottom line, if you want an incredibly underwhelming meal accompanied by mediocre service at best, I highly recommend Ella's!!

This location is currently hosting multiple restaurants so this directed at the Mexican Food they are currently serving - This is one of the worst places I've ever ordered from. And I mean, EVER. The burritos bowls were 80% rice. They forgot to add anything I ordered with it including cheese, guacamole and veggies. And they overcharged me. This is the absolute worst place and doesn't even deserve one star. Avoid at all costs.

Update: I lowered my review to 3 stars because even though I love their food, I just received some really crappy customer service over the phone. The waiters themselves are always very friendly and nice in person but apparently that doesn't carry over to people who call in. I'm on my lunch break and just called to place a to go order and the guy who answered said "right now is a really bad time can you just order on Postmates or something?!" No dude, just take my order like a regular professional service person. How hard is that?! Who wants to pay the extra fees from getting deliver when I can just call? I go in there once a week always at the same time of day and only 3 or 4 other people are in there usually so was it REALLY that busy? Or are you just lazy? Probably the latter. Thats fine you guys just lost an easy customer. I work in Laurel Heights on Sacramento Street and there aren't many food options close to me so I feel like i've been eating the same things over and over but today I tried Ella's and it was so good! I wish I lived closer to this area so I could have breakfast here on the weekends. The staff are all really nice and accommodating - I called my order in ahead of time and it was ready when I walked in the door 5 minutes later. Their bacon is the good stuff - thick cut and crispy. You should definitely try this place! I'll be back :)

Came here for my birthday breakfast!! First time here and had the corn beef with two eggs. Also had the biscuit which was delicious.

Ordered Ella's from Postmates and it was a nightmare. The sausage was undercooked. I ordered scrambled eggs and received some other type of eggs. The home fries that came with my order were missing. I was afraid to eat the sausage so I threw it out. Complete waste of a delivery breakfast. During this time especially, it's critical that meat is cooked properly and thoroughly. No one can risk getting sick and having to jam up the emergency rooms.

Updated review... The manager here is super polite and was willing to work something out for me since my meal was messed up. He replaced the meal with another one a few weeks later. Their pancakes are good... egg whites super fluffy and their choice of fruit for the side fruit salad were fresh!!! They definitely changed my mind!!!

Great little place, with good service and good food. The menu is short, but hits all the right things. Honestly, there isn't much else to say here. The other reviewers were right: this is a great place for breakfast. Oh, I had the fried cornmeal. It was good! I don't know if I'd truck across town to get it, but it was really good. You should try it.

Wow. Ella's has officially gone to the pooper. I started coming here back in 2000 and for years the consistency of good food has never disappointed me. After i moved out of the city i frequented Ella's whenever i could. The last time i have been there was a few years ago. A few weeks ago i decided to head to Ella's because i missed that place so much. I should have read the reviews. The moment i stepped in i noticed wow they renovated but not for the better. The restaurant lost it's character and just looks mundane. There was no hostess to seat me for a few good minutes. Once i got seated i had to wait a while for even a glass of water. When the waiter finally came, he didn't have the professionalism the old wait staff had, and seemed aloof and inexperienced. It took a while for my food to come out. The eggs and corned beef were good, but the home made sausage tasted like herbed rubber. So disappointed because it was my favorite thing! No longer are the tasty baked goods Ella's once had. Instead it was poorly store bought bread that actually tasted a little funky. The management needs to improve their product. At this rate Ella's is going to be gone in no time.

So pleasantly surprised by the deliciousness of Ella's American Kitchen. Went to Ella's mostly out of convenience, but from start to finish the meal was good. A standard American brunch that will leave you full and ready for a nap. The pecan sticky bun to start is essential, very moist and full of flavor. Also, would highly recommend the stack of pancakes, the syrup they serve it with is wonderful. I'm not convinced it's the best brunch spot in all of San Francisco, but if you're in the area it wouldn't hurt to stop by. It's a four from me!

Underwhelming and overpriced. Went for breakfast yesterday. 20 minutes, to have a waiter approach us, another 20 minutes to get waters, another 20 minutes to get coffees. And when we finally got our food it took about 15 minutes for everyone to get their courses and half of them were cold. The food was fine, but nothing really shined. I imagine if it was your first time having breakfast then it would have been wonderful, but for what it cost it certainly wasn't what I expected. I'll go again if someone who really liked the restaurant wanted to go, but I don't think I'd go out of my way to eat there again.

OK to be honest - the last time I was here was probably seven or eight years ago. I came in for a later lunch somewhere around 1 to 2 PM. The help were really unfriendly, sighed loudly when I asked to have my coffee refill and it was just generally an unpleasant experience. After some medical testing and blood draws nearby however, Ella's was the closest place to get a bite to eat. This time it was lunchtime and I came in to see no one at the counter or anywhere nearby. An older woman eating her lunch indicated she would get up to help me, but just as she did a young man came out from the kitchen, sighed very loudly, and walked me to a table where he literally dropped out a menu in front of me. The table was dirty and he used his hand to brush the crumbs off. I asked "are you going to clean the table?" And he said "it was just a few crumbs." Tell that to the health department! Needless to say not much is changed in the past seven or eight years so I left for a further but better lunch. Update - I heard from you think the owner and then the GM who seem to think the incident happened at their location on Polk Street. They both seem very confused and sad to say the new ownership hasn't made much difference.

I used to go to Ella's religiously, twice a month after Sunday morning runs. But I changed my routine and hadn't been in months. It was always a little more expensive there , but always felt like it was money well spent. I realised as soon as I walked into the door it was different..staff faces I had seen for years, and got to know , were all gone. White shirted wait staff replaced by all black uniform, no line, and the restaurant was only 30% occupied. I had brought a friend there , talking the place up, so I was on edge. It felt like new owners, new staff & new menu. I found the wait staff friendly and efficient. Food was decent, but a little over priced, because it lacked the super freshness that I used to get on the plate. Maybe it was because they previously made fresh daily specials. I was asked as I was leaving , if I enjoyed my food. So they are trying. If I had never eaten at old Ellas , new Ellas would be fine, but I hope they can get the magic back.

Just came out of a quick doctors visit and decided to grab a bite to eat at Ella's. The place looks nice and they were a bit slow so it was perfect since I didn't want to have to wait. Service was a bit crappy with only five other patrons and two or three waiters you'd think the service would be a bit faster but it wasn't the case after we received our drinks. My corn beef hash was extremely greasy and had to flavor at all I ended up only eating about a quarter of it and leaving the rest untouched presentation kinda sucked as well I mean they just kinda threw everything into a bowl and called it a day. Wait staff can you a little bit more training it shouldn't take more 20 mins to get a refill of coffee or water when it's this slow. I probably won't be back again especially with so many restaurants in the city.

The foods presentation is very nice but the food isn't really that fresh. The beans are obviously from a can, and I had fish tacos which were nice here but I've had better. They also charged my credit card for two times the amount owed (apparently they didn't want to refund it because CitiBank had to reimburse it themselves)

I have lived in San Francisco my entire life and never eaten at Ella's. Now I know why. The ambiance is awful, floors and overall appearance dirty, waiters disinterested or overworked . Too long of a wait for food, menus, even cutlery and water. This wasn't even a busy time. Home fries over peppered, French fries under seasoned. Good meat on the burger and cooked to order. Famous pancakes just so so. The only thing that came quickly was the bill I would not return .

What happened to this once amazing cafe?!?! I had a simple breakfast and it was horrible! Let's start with the coffee which not only tastes terrible, but I barely got 2 cups for my $20 breakfast. Next, I dove in to the potatoes which had half raw red and green peppers and onions. The ingredients were there it's just too bad the cook didn't give it time to cook them and for the flavors to develop. Next, the eggs had no flavor at all!! The toast looked amazing but again, no flavor at all. Finally, I splurged on bacon (That I only eat once a year) and although it was not bad, it was 70% fat (unlike the quality bacon you can get at Sears in Union Square). I'll never go back and I'm sorry to see the loss of one of the very FEW breakfast places in the neighborhood.

Dear Mailei at Ella's American Kitchen. I don't know why you're bringing up your POLK location when I was obviously referring to your PRESIDIO location. We were denied entrance at 1:30 when your posted hours say you close at 2:30......