Ellen’s Southern Kitchen

I had the blackened catfish with green beans and mashed sweet potatoes. The food was delicious and well-​seasoned. The place itself is a little small so it can get crowded pretty quickly during peak times. The food however is a must try if you are in Dallas!

The only con was that in the video the chef is shown plating waffles. I was SOOO looking forward to having some chicken and waffles, but alas, we get there, & waffles aren’t even on the menu. #SadFacedEmoji
Their being on the NoWait app is awesome, even though I didn’t realize that until we’d gotten there (we live in far north Dallas).
Food and service were both spot on!

I’m gonna have to be the bad person here and give this place such a low rating. Oh boy, where do I begin…
We showed up for lunch on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. Go figure the wait was gonna be long. No problemo. Even tho we were both starving, but too naïve not to make a reservation prior, and had too much to catch up with each other, that we just decided to wait in the car and talk while waiting «45 minutes» for a table. Big plus to them for the texting notification when your table is ready. A minus that even the bar is part of the waiting list. So don’t expect to grab a stool at the bar for a drink or 2 while waiting.
After 30mins, I got a text letting me know the table is ready, a minute right after that, I got a phone call letting me know it was a mistake. An additional 30mins, for the total of an hr, our table was finally ready. Yippie! I felt a little bad that the 2 of us were seated at a table for 6, but I guess their lunch rush started dying down so they didn’t care much. About 5−10mins went by, our server was nowhere insight, until (I believe) the manager came out and apologized that our waitress got too caught up inside, and proceeded to take our order.
Both of us wanted something that they didn’t have available. My friend was in the mood for chicken and waffle, and according to the manager, their waffle maker takes 8mins to get the waffle done, and that’s too long, their kitchen would get so packed up, so he offered the chicken and pancake instead. I didn’t know it was even a thing. To be fair, it was NOT on their menu. However, it’s a little odd that they actually have a waffle maker in the house for breakfast items, but it’s not doable to make a waffle and slap on a piece or 2 of fried chicken. Oh well. I went with the pork chop and wanted asparagus, but according to the manager, again, there was some kind of flood that happened in America which raised the cost of asparagus up so they can’t offer it anymore at the moment. Not a biggie, green beans it is, but after everything that has happened so far, it was like rubbing salt in the wound. We both already had a bad taste in our mouth even before the food came out.
The food was good, but nothing to rave about. With the $ 6 parking, an hour wait, and 2 not too happy customers later, this was my first but probably also the last time here.

Grits, eggs, mac&cheese, fried chicken, and green beans. Yep.
The food was pretty good, but the service was really slow. I guess I should have expected that because we were in Texas, but it was just too slow. The place was busy and our waiter had to run around a lot. I’m a fan and will be back on my next business trip, I’ll just make sure I have enough time to enjoy it all

After hearing so many great things about the Brunch at Ellen’s, I decided to meet a friend one Sunday morning. I’ll say it was a great brunch, but a horrible time to go. If you can imagine it being crazy busy on top of being small. The service wasn’t that great, but I imagine the name of the game is to get people their brunch and get them out so we can get more people in and tips in our pocket.
We had the shrimp and grits and mac n cheese… both were pretty damn good if I may say so. The food came out at break-​neck speed, piping hot, and went down almost as fast as it came!

Wow, I had a really good grilled Pork Chop & the green beans were very very good. The Mac & Cheese was not the best to me, but overall the rest of the food had great flavor. I saw many things on passing plates, I would love to come back and try. This is a nice little spot for a girlfriend meet up or for date night.

If I’m going to get up & out early on a Saturday, it better be worth it! My friend and I had plans to catch up over brunch. Her only request was wherever we decided, they must serve Mimosas (I concurred).
Ellens had everything we wanted & more!
We arrived at 9:45 to avoid any long wait. Was seated immediately.
Location: West End ($$tip: find a meter vs. parking lot)
Ambiance: Cozy/​Eclectic
Food: DELISH — I had the French Toast Big Breakfast. Toast was fluffy, eggs were fresh, even the syrup tasted «special». My friend ordered the Grits Benedict, it was creamy, rich, & flavorful. The bacon pieces kicked it up a notch. So good!
Service: Excellent — very attentive & well versed on the menu & drinks
Drinks: Bloody Mary was spicy… just the way I like it. Also, the Grapefruit Martini was delightful. (Ha! We came for Mimosas but ended up enjoying our speciality drinks).
All in all this place is solid. Good «southern» comfort food done right. I’ll return to check out lunch & dinner options soon.

I think this place would have been better appreciated if I had better service. Our waiter, Chris, was running around the place in the afternoon well past the lunch rush, and came across as rude, even though the place was not packed. He later did not heed to our need for attention, even after 10 minutes of acknowledging us. That was bad form — if he was busy, he should learn how to make the most out of teamwork since there were other servers just waiting to do some kind of job. Eventually one of them, noticing that we were losing our patience, came over to assist us even though our waiter should have take the responsibility of relaying our need for attention.
And perhaps it was his lack of attention that he didn’t think to tell us that we had ordered too much food. We ordered two chicken fried steak and a salad, and were not able to finish everything, since we had no idea that the portions were really oversized even for lunch. The chicken fried steak (CFS) was massive — and the meat was a bit too lumpy that I think the chicken fried chicken would have been a better choice. Still the CFS had a good flavor. The sides were a hit and miss — the asparagus were perfect, the green beans with bacon were good, although the bacon was too salty. The mashed sweet potato wasn’t well liked and was left barely touched. The broccoli was just plain and steamed.
The Crunchy ‘maters salad was just okay — it tasted a little too plain, surprisingly, even though it has fried (red) tomatoes in cornmeal batter, field greens, goat cheese, olives, and balsamic reduction. It was really only the tomatoes in balsamic reduction that stood out.
SUMMARY:
CFS — just okay
crunch maters salad — just okay
broccoli — meh
mashed sweet potato — nay
asparagus — yay
green beans — just okay, but less bacon or less salty –then yay
and sucky service?
I’ll just keep this at three stars for now. I may visit it again for their brunch, if it is any better.

I was extremely happy with the quality of my food! Not only was it delivered to our table quickly, but it tasted amazing! I ordered the mushroom garlic toast and my girlfriend ordered the Big Ol’ Country breakfast.
The mushroom garlic toast was a PERFECT balance between garlic flavor and substance. It was covered in mushrooms and scrambled eggs, had thick pieces of bacon bite scattered around the dish, and a soft multigrain toast sat at the bottom. This might have been the best breakfast meal I’ve ever had at a restaurant.
My girlfriend enjoyed the country breakfast. It came with a biscuit, bacon, eggs, and sausage. I tried her sausage and it tasted fresh. The gravy that covered the biscuits was well balance also. Just thick enough to compliment the biscuit.
When we visit Dallas again, we will definitely choose Ellen’s Southern Kitchen.

I saw the raving reviews on here and really wanted to try this place out. The first time I went there was an hour and a half wait so I ended up at BuzzBrews instead (awesome place, review coming for that too). I couldn’t get this place out of my mind so I tried again on my last day in Dallas and there was only a half hour wait. I think most of the reviews were for lunch and dinner. I was here for breakfast.
You check in with the hostess and she will out your name on a list and take your cell phone # to text you when your table is ready.
I ordered the pork tinga tacos: pulled pork, crispy potatoes and scrambled eggs topped with cheddar cheese, sour cream, avocado, salsa and warm tortillas on the side. Oh em gee it was amazing!
My b/​f had the big French toast breakfast and our friend ordered the grits benedict which the waiter said was one of their most popular items on the menu. I didn’t try either but they both raved about how delicious their meals were. Coffee was also very good.
Don’t think I would wait an hour or more to eat here but if you get lucky with a short wait, give it a try.

Holy moly what a gem in downtown Dallas! Breakfast here is to die for and I’m sure dinner is too.
Biscuits and gravy, cheesey hash browns and cheese and grits Benedict for us. Heaven. True southern/​Cajun breakfast at its finest.
The gravy on the biscuits had slightly smoky Cajun spice, and the biscuits were the most perfectly cooked I’ve ever had. Fluffy, light and buttery on the inside with a nice crunch on the crust outside.
Best dang breakfast I’ve ever had, hands down.

While visiting Texas I really wanted to have some amazingly delicious Southern food. I found exactly what I was looking for at this joint.
We were sat right away and greeted by a very polite southern boy. A mocha and OJ were ordered for drinks. Cheesy grits & a ham biscuit along with grits Benedict were ordered for grub.
I loved my cheese grits. They were smooth with a perfect flavor. The biscuit was soft on the inside and a great crunch on the outside. The ham was very moist with some great caramelization. My parter had the grits Benedict. Precisely poached eggs, hollandaise, tomato, spinach & fatback all atop cheesy grits. She was in love.
Our waiter was real friendly and inviting.
Southern hospitality is alive and well at Ellen’s.

I ordered Ellen’s via Caviar one Saturday morning when I was too hungover to make/​drive to breakfast. Got the best biscuits and gravy plate that came with sausage, bacon, and a variety of other delicious things.
It took me 3 sittings to finish. Will eat again.

Awesome breakfast. I had the chili with eggs and it was probably the best chili I have had in a while. Grits and pancakes were on point.
I would definitely go back, wait wasn’t too bad and worth it. Not a far walk from most places downtown and service was spot on.

My wife and I had to make an impromptu run downtown for reasons I won’t go into here. After completing our errand we decided to take advantage of the fact that it was (a) breakfast time and we were (b) in an area of town we do not normally frequent. Checking my mobile Unilocal app, we found Ellen’s.
Breakfast for me always begins with the nice, hot coffee. Bad coffee will cause me to walk. Fortunately, Ellen’s was good, quality coffee served quickly after seating. There are several interesting items on the menu. Several reviewers mentioned the pancakes so I ventured from my norm a bit and opted for Ellen’s Big Olé Pancake Breakfast. The cakes were delicious — I highly recommend them. Accompanied by two eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns there was more there than I could put away.
Although the place was quite busy, our server was attentive in terms of not letting my mug empty. Food was a bit slow coming out, but it’s fresh, so I didn’t mind. We enjoyed our experience and will definitely visit again given the opportunity.

Went with family to check out Ellen’s on a recent weeknight.
Knowing that Ellen’s serves some very traditional southern fare, I decided to forego a belt and dive right in! Dining room half full, so grabbing a table for five was a snap.
My dinner was simple — Ellen’s Prime Meatloaf; dressed in pan gravy (so much goodness here), was a very pleasant dish. Juicy but not at all greasy as is possible with lower quality beef. Went with more carbs on the side (fries, of course!), but steered clear of dessert as I was just too full to go any further.
Friendly and efficient service, absolutely no qualms about it.

Awesome little place to stop for a bite. I ducked in from the cold to warm up with a hot chai and something savory. I ordered my chai latte with almond milk and it was superb. Perfectly spiced and not at all too sweet.
The grits benedict are some of the best grits I’ve had in my life. They’re good with hot sauce but even better on their own because of all the amazing flavors. If I lived in Dallas I’d be a regular for the grits alone, but there were so many other things I wanted to try on the menu. So many delicious meals, so little time!
I’ve only been the one time and it was a late, late lunch so it was relatively empty but the service was great and the staff was attentive and just plain pleasant to talk to.

Last day in Dallas and just had enough time to stop by this highly rated restaurant. Came in and had open seats at the bar so that’s where I sat, close to the kitchen so I can see firsthand, the entrees that were being served. My bartender /​server immediately greeted me and offered his suggestions. I really wanted to try a couple of entrees but I know it was going to be too much from looking at the dishes that were coming out of the kitchen.
I ordered the Grilled Bone-​in Pork Chop with roasted fig demiglace. It comes with 2 veggies so I opted for fried okra and mac & cheese. Sure enough, the portion was huge. The pork was so tender & juicy topped perfectly w/​this housemade semi sweet demiglace :) First time had fried okra and I’m now a fan! It wasn’t really greasy and just breaded right. Let’s not forget the homemade side of mac & cheese… wish I had order a bigger bowl. I surely will stop in again when I’m around Dallas.

This, my friends, is what you call southern comfort. Having just arrived in Dallas, I was looking for some good old, delicious southern food. And Ellen’s Country Kitchen is just that.
It’s a very average looking place with above average food. I immediately ordered some fried chicken with some sides of black eyed peas and broccoli. The fried chicken was very good, crispy and huge from a size standpoint. I’ve had better fried chicken, but it was an enjoyable meal. The black eyed peas however, were delicious. Not sure how they prepared these, but they were the best I’ve ever had. Little bit of spice and a lot of flavor.
I also shared a bowl of Mac n Cheese mixed with Chorizo. This is dish was good, but not something I would get again since the chorizo overpowered the flavor of the dish a little too much.
After all this food, I decided to be really bold and go for some rum raisin pudding bread for dessert. This dish represents everything that’s right with life. It was absolutely delicious and seemingly fresh out the oven. This was the standout of the meal and some of the best bread pudding I’ve ever had.
Overall great experience here!

I wish so fervently to be a Southern lady (that’s the real reason why I’m going to marry Pat Baby). I mean a real Southern belle whose blood had turned into sweet tea and eats Chicken Fried Steak for breakfast with her dainty white gloves on. Every day.
During our one hour wait for Sunday brunch, we passed time by ordering a White Mocha from the bar that sent Starbucks to the grave. It was sweet, not scorching but hot enough to get that warm fuzzy feeling, and probably something I should have ate with a gigantic cinnamon roll. My mistake however was ordering unsweet iced tea. How Southern un-​lady like of me. I’m trying…
Starving, I expected grits that went straight to my thighs and were as rich and thick as grabbing a handful of butter from an enormous tub of Country Crock.
Nope. None of the inches on my waist budged.
Their watery bowl of Grits Benedict made me yearn for a box of Malt-​O-​Meal. I scooped up a spoonful of pale orange mush, raw tomatoes and limp spinach leaves that went down my throat like lukewarm unflavored pasta sauce. The only thing «Southern» and cholesterol laden were the two splendid poached eggs, bathing in the mess that some yankee called grits.
I saw their thick sausage patties and equally scrumptious pancakes that just screamed ultimate comfort to me. What I actually got was the very familiar uppity patio brunch food. It was all fine overall, but didn’t get me to the next level of Scarlett Southern-​ness.