Elements Cafe

We enjoyed a lovely and delicious dinner event last night for the Haddon Heights Rotary was handing over the president baton. The evening started off with a delicious choice of appetizers. There were scrumptious meat raviolis, pea soup with ham, and two fresh salads. The entrees included delicately seasoned lumpy crab cakes, baked salmon, tender juicy risk iced rib eye, and plump gnocchi’s. The desserts included fresh raspberry sorbet, flourless chocolate cake with homemade vanilla ice cream, and warm bread pudding. Everyone was raving about their food! A wonderful night was had by all. The attentive host and waitress were constantly making sure that everyone was well taken care of. We will be back! Terrific night at Element’s!

We’ve eaten here at least 15 times in the last few years, because it was reliable for quality and taste. I actually have not written reviews after the good meals (probably a common theme in social media reviews) and I probably should have. So let me say that if you want a cozy little restaurant in a sleepy little town where you can try a few different things without feeling too full to even get up, this has always been a good place to visit. As I say, we used to come here a lot. If the Cheesesteak Egg Roll is on the menu, get it. It’s second to none.
So this is just my personal opinion, focused on a few things that made the dining experience less than I’m used to it being here. I don’t know why, but our last two visits were just not up to the superior level they had previously set.
Specifically, last night, the short rib was tough (was it cooked long and slow enough?) and very bland (didn’t someone taste it?) Two of us had to send it back. My crabcake, as replacement, was very «wet» and average at best. The charred beet was also tough, but probably by design (e.g. charring it). The shrimp and black bean egg roll was mostly dominated by the beans. So for me, it just wasn’t worth the money spent.
My wife DID enjoy her rack of lamb, and my friends liked their brussels sprouts and their clams. In fact, one friend ordered seconds on the brussels sprouts.
Ultimately, I’m surprised that the chef didn’t come out and talk to us about the short rib (and nobody noticed we sent back the beets mostly uneaten). But that’s just my expectation of how you would run a restaurant in this competitive environment.

A wonderful, cosy little restaurant. A great small plate menu with sophisticated flavors and nice presentations. The service was friendly and attentive. Every course was great from the mushroom aracini, portobello ravioli, rack of lamb with scallop potatoes and the popcorn ice cream with salted caramel. Everything is spot on and excellent. Exceeded expectations. Will definitely look forward to our next visit.

We came here last night for a low-​key anniversary dinner. I was attracted to the place because they offered tapas and I love small plate eating. The service was delightful and the food was delicious. I recently relocated to South Jersey from Brooklyn, NY and it has been hard for me to find good food in the area without going into Philly. This restaurant reminded me of some of my favorite hidden gem neighborhood spots in Brooklyn. We will definitely be back. Highlights: fried chicken, arancini, shrimp dumplings, crab cake.

This is such a wonderful gem of a restaurant. The food is consistently yummy! I love the crab cakes and salmon. Tapas Tuesday is fun. Shrimp dumplings and tuna were really tasty.
The ambiance is nice and the waitress sweet and attentive. Definitely eat here and enjoy a wonderful meal!

Wow! We accidentally stumbled into this gem a few months ago during a craft fair. We sat at the table near the window. It is such a quaint and romantic setting inside. The chef is an expert cook and his/​her unique dishes are something that all the locals need to try. We always do the three dishes, recommended by the server, and save room for what is, in my opinion, the best crème brûlée I have ever tasted. One of my favorite meals is the beef with aged cheddar. The menu is unique and for a sophisticated eater or just someone curious enough to try something new and be blown away! Enjoy!

We love the food everything was so fresh, the portions were perfect.

So how do ya pronounce «tapas» with a South Jersey accent? Hmmmm. Maybe: «Elements Café.»
Long, narrow, high ceiling’ed, hard wooden floored, simple, and a touch stylish small plates café in old Haddon Heights.
Nice folks and a creative chef, along with local bottles of wine (and the one we had from Auburn Vineyard and Winery called «Classico» was a great deal at $ 22 for a bottle of red table wine (and that was one of the more expensive ones offered)) is a South Jersey find.
The mussels and shrimp were great starter dishes. The salads worked well, and the main plates (our salmon, quail and short ribs) were very good.
The flourless chocolate tart was good /​not great, but the coffee ice cream that came with it was so good we asked for and were given an additional scoop.
Give it a try. It’s much better than most places you’ll find in that part of the world.

Maybe it’s because it was restaurant week. or maybe it was an off day, who knows. What I do know is that the only thing I enjoyed was the dessert. And that dessert was prepared, at least I think, to order, the way I usually make it.
Started off with the mussels. With lots of fennel. That was the basic outline of the flavor profile, besides being bland.
Soup was up next. You could either do a jersey tomato and crab soup or sweet potato vichyssoise. Sounds good, but neither looked like a winner. The ‘jersey tomato and no crab anywhere’ soup tasted like it came straight from a can– with garlic added. Nothing else. I was embarassed by it. You serioulsy tasted this and thought, wow– that’s good. And the vichy/​pudding was just that. It came in a martini glass and was as thick as pudding. I understand a thick nappe, but this was pudding constistency. come on.
Main course– roasted chicken, which strangley was overly satly, and some sad looking green beans.
Dessert– bread pudding. I liked this because it wasn’t a hunk of a square bread pudding. It had cubes of bread tossed together and was delicious and delightful.

This has become my favorite restaurant in South Jersey. As the other reviews say, it’s a tapas-​style restaurant, but not to be confused with Spanish tapas where you order many small dishes. That being said, 4 courses including soup and salad are totally reasonable if you’re a big eater. I really appreciate the simplicity of the recipes, and how fresh the ingredients are. The food is sourced locally, and prepared by an expert. The flavors are almost always great, and not overpowering. His sauces get a bit more complex, and the BBQ is really amazing (I’ve got some high standards for BBQ too). It’s a slower meal, so generally not for kids. My wife and I come here every chance we get.

Very good but not great. Service was very good but not great. I didn’t quite understand the menu. What was the difference between the first course and later courses? Overall it was a nice experience though.

In the past, we have had many delicious meals at Elements (most have been 4.5 stars). However, something in the kitchen was off-​kilter last night. We and another couple decided to do a 5 course New Years Eve dinner. To sum it up, some of the items were just plain flavorless… that made the $ 50.00 /​person plus tax and gratuity a little harder to swallow. Thankfully it is BYOB.
The Good:
* Shrimp Bisque: very good
* Chicken confit: it was okay
* Lobster: very good
* Duck: delicious ! (Elements always does duck well)
* 30 day Dry Aged Rib Eye: effing’ fantastic, crowd winner!
The Bad:
* Risotto: flavorless, even adding pepper and salt could not save this.
* Butternut Squash Soup: flavorless
The Ugly:
* Romaine salad: All four of us did not like this salad… it was more of a slaw style, the anchovies were not seasoned & was extremely fishy smelling/​tasting, it did not taste fresh (I can eat sardines and anchovies out of a can/​jar so for me to say this, it was bad). We observed other patrons in the restaurant not liking the salad either.
~~~~~~~~
Our server was proficient and borderline friendly. She kind of had a ‘it’s New Years Eve and I am stuck working tonight’ vibe to her. I seemed to be the only one at the table that had my water glass constantly refreshed, the others were not so lucky.
Last nights meal was 2.5 stars but I am giving this review 3 stars since I believe this was just a one-​off night.

My go to restaurant when home with my best friend and cousin.
The food is great. Love the Sunday suppers.
Can, t wait till I get home this week for the four course special for restaurant week.
We can take our wine and sit for hours without being rushed out.
He makes his own ice cream and it is delicious.
They never rush us out

Fred continues to shine with fresh ingredients, creative fusion of flavors, great plating and welcoming, helpful service.
Went with Taylor and a bottle of 1999 Heitz Bella Oaks. We shared everything. Plates are small (and perfect size) so you can try stuff and not get overly full. We had a shrimp appetizer in a coconut based broth with bean sprouts. Fantastic. Also had the brussel sprouts which is normally on the menu. A must have. However they are prepared they are awesome. For the entrees we shared the duck with pureed sweet potatoes and collard greens. Killer and unexpected. The sweet potato texture was wild. Like air and a great flavor. The spin on the collards? Don’t know what he did but they were shredded and had no bite. Clean and delicious. We also had the scallops. About the freshest, best tasting that I have had in a long time.
Finished it all off with sharing the flourless chocolate torte with homemade ice cream. Perfect ending.
This place is a local sleeper. Make reservations on weekends since there are limited tables.

This was disappointing.
A few months ago, we’d stopped in hoping for a table, but there was no room at the teeny tiny inn. I figured the food was good because of the turnout. I found out on a revisit that those people were clueless.
My rating is solely a reflection of the food; the service was pleasant. And when our pleasant server recommended we order 3 – 4 dishes since the menu was designed as a small-​plate offering, we did so. To make up for their size, small plates generally pack a punch of flavor, but these dishes were one-​notes, if that. Out of eight dishes we ordered, three were good enough to mention: if you see pierogies, spinach salad, and panzanella on the menu it’s safe to order them. Stay away from anything dubbed sofrito or bouillabaise (because apparently, at Elements, they are the same, watery, flavorless thing). And what was even more upsetting than the kitchen insulting my culinary intelligence is the owner pilfering my wallet. The prices here are on par with delicious, innovative, intricate plates you’ll find at any respectable tapas house in the city. This place better check itself.
I was heavily debating dessert; it could have meant redemption or the nail in the coffin. But I could no longer stand the mindless chatter of other patrons who bragged they’ve tried FOUR GRAS and the food of CHEF STEPHEN STARR. I had to get out of there. Coffin closed.

Elements is my home restaurant. It and the place across the street are two of the best places to eat out in this part of New Jersey. I’ve eaten here a number of times and have never been disappointed.
The menus are varied and original and reflect the seasonal offerings.
This is worth a drive to see what the evening’s offering is.

I am still loving this place. The staff is always friendly and the food has never let me down. I love the fact that they use almost all locally grown food you can taste how fresh it is! I read the most recent review from Roger S. and couldn’t respectfully disagree more. I have never spent more then $ 65 there and I feel that the excellent service and high quality of the food would make it totally worthwhile anyway! my boyfriend and I try to go at least once or twice a month.

Chalk this review up to another happy Groupon recipient! After a wonderful meal, I will definitely be returning for more yummy bites. My date for the evening was my favorite picky eater. Due to the insanity of our schedules, we don’t often get to go out for nice relaxing meals, so we had high hopes for this evening. Elements Café did not disappoint. The restaurant is intimate but open, and a perfect setting for a romantic date.
The food was great. Even the picky eater was thrilled with our meal. He loved the crab fritters. I wasn’t as excited about them. When it comes to crab preparations, I like mine dense. Nothing beats lumps of crabby goodness. These fritters were airy clouds of crab flavor with an impossibly light and crisp exterior: delicious, but not what I’d hoped for. The oysters, on the other hand, were top-​notch, and the shrimp too. When we moved onto land, we enjoyed the duck and filet as well. The mushrooms that accompanied my duck were a-​maaaa-​zing. I think they’d been seared quickly in duck fat. How can you go wrong with that? I managed to snag one bite of filet, after which ensued a buttery, beefy explosion of delight in my mouth. We shared ice cream for dessert, because by then we were stuffed, and it was great.
I want to come back again, and again, and again. Pretty sure I’d never get bored with anything on this ever-​changing menu. Only minor issue? It’s a BYOB — we didn’t bring vino — and despite otherwise friendly and attentive service, our water glasses were abandoned throughout the meal. It looked like only one server and one busser were on duty. Maybe they could have used an extra hand or two. I feel bad about pointing this out, because they were both so nice, but… I was thirsty.

I had never heard of this restaurant before I saw it on Groupon. It was a tasty quaint little spot right in downtown Haddon Heights. The décor is pretty yet understated and the restaurant itself is not very large. I see this being good for a romantic date or a small dinner with 3 or 4 friends. Don’t forget to BYOB!
The food was good. I was not a huge fan of my mussels but everything else was great and the food was very fresh. The $ 26.00 prix fix menu was definitely worth it. And when the waitress tells you that each plate is a few bites (tapas) she is lying… there was definitely enough food on each plate to be a meal for me. I shared anyway. :)
The niceest touch was that the chef himself brought out the main course. I was very pleased with my experience here and would be willing to go back.

Elements café offers a unique dining experience. Instead of the typical choice of appetizers, salad, and a large main course, Elements offers several small dishes which comprise a full meal. Menu is comprised of four courses which include appetizers, soup, salad, and a main course. Each course is a few bites and sold a la carte. Although it is recommended that diners order one item from each course to comprise a full meal, diners are free to order nothing or several items from any course. Elements is BYOB.
The food for the most part is very good and the presentation is gorgeous; it is obvious the chef takes a lot of pride in his creations. The reason I give 4 stars instead of 5 is because the food isn’t always perfect; on my last visit, the soup had too much salt. The menu changes seasonally so there are always new dishes to taste. This isn’t the place for people who love supersized portions, but I feel comfortably full when I order one item from each course as recommended.
The restaurant is located in downtown Haddon Heights and is cozy and rustic. The walls are decorated with unique black and white photographs and the floor is hard wood that appears to be aged. The tables are far enough apart so it feels more private (as opposed to being right next to other tables).
I would recommend checking out Elements website and joining their e-​mail list to get information about special events and discounts for the restaurant.