Elena centers its culinary focus on expertly prepared thin crust pizzas and authentic Italian pasta dishes crafted with high quality seasonal ingredients. The kitchen utilizes traditional techniques to achieve the perfect blistered crust on every pie while maintaining a commitment to regional Italian flavors. Guests encounter a spacious environment designed for casual interaction characterized by minimalist aesthetics and industrial design elements. The menu emphasizes fresh, locally sourced produce alongside imported specialty goods to ensure consistency across every plate. Beyond the classic sourdough pies, the selection includes rotating pasta offerings that showcase seasonal vegetables and artisanal grains. This establishment prioritizes a focused culinary vision, delivering a distinct experience through its precise handling of dough and carefully curated flavor profiles that define its approach to modern Italian cuisine.
Elena is widely recognized as a top-tier destination in Montreal, frequently praised for its exceptional wood-fired pizzas, fresh salads, and authentic pasta dishes. Many patrons describe the atmosphere as chic, cozy, and vibrant, making it a popular choice for both casual date nights and group celebrations. While the majority of diners highlight the attentive service and high-quality ingredients, some have noted occasional inconsistencies regarding noise levels, temperature, and specific service lapses. Despite mixed opinions on pricing and menu variety, the overall consensus points to a memorable dining experience characterized by a sophisticated, modern vibe and consistently flavorful, well-crafted Italian fare.
Food was delicious. Service was abysmal. First let me say that the food at this restaurant is outstanding. Really lovely dishes executed well. I made a reservation for 12 for my Best friends bachelorette weekend, & recut very kind very encouraging email back ensuring that they were extremely accommodating for dietary restrictions/preferences. As soon as we arrived I informed our waiter that we had one vegan in the group & if there was a way to accommodate her in the pre-fix menu courses. She said "of course, no problem." Great! Dishes start to arrive, including a delicious ceasar salad & asparagus dish . Nothing has been modified. Ok.... Maybe they're taking a while with the vegan options. Then the pizzas came, nothing. Our vegan friend had starting eating our crusts. Then the pasta dishes, at this point it's been an hour & a half since we sat down & our friend is starving. We politely asked our waiter several different times in between courses of the vegan fooos was coming, a salad dressed with a vinegary would suffice, & they kept saying "yes yes., sorry." They sent out a complementary drink for the table to apologize, but it was half finger of Paloma or some batch chill, hardly anything. I finakky got up out of my seat & go over to the bar & say "hi you know our friend still hasn't had anything to eat & she's very hungry, where is her meal?" & the waitress said that it was her mistake, she'd forgotten to put the orders in with the vegan modification, but she'd make sure the meal was made right now. Right now? It had been hours & we'd already prodded them three times. One of my friends even said "I thought we were being annoying with how many times we asked about it!" So then our friend FINALLY gets a bowl of pasta with red sauce. Everyone else has finished eating. She's like, hurrying to finish since they have a 2.5 hour limit for big groups. Then, insult to injury, I get the bill & the prefix menu has been charged for all 12 of us, including the vegan. I take a look & say, "please remove her from this bill she didn't get to eat anything." & they agreed. But then they came Back & handed our friend HER OWN BILL! Charging her for a kid's menu $17 charge. I was floored. We had bought several bottles of wine everyone got at least one cocktail, the bill was well over $1000 & here they were trying to charge our poor friend for her pathetic meal. We insisted she not have to pay, but the waitress countered that she had comp'ed some drinks for the table & wasn't that good enough? We were silent & in disbelief & the manager came over to ask what was wrong. We finally got them to drop her charge but OH MY GOD. I've never felt more absolute disregard or a lack of care for a group. We were polite, spent a ton of money & the least they could have done was eat the $17 dollars. I think that if they're not plant based friendly, they need to own up to that fact. (Several reviews on here suggest that they've treated other vegetarians & vegans similarly) or do better. Other restaurants email beforehand to gather any restrictions BEFORE the party even arrives so that everything goes smoothly. They should consider one of these two options.
Ce restaurant est un peu cher mais la bouffe em vaut 100% la peine. Pour les gens qui n'ont pas de reservations, l'été il y a une terrasse a l'arrière avec le même menu!
May 27, 2024
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Amazing service & atmosphere. We split a pizza & a pasta & both were delicious. Our waitress was a highlight & was happy to recommend a wine & talk about the new things that just came in. Highly recommend for a cool date night
Nourriture excellente, tout était délicieux! Le service était étrange & intrusif, on interrompait maladroitement des conversation ou remplissait des verres d'eau avec très peu de subtilité. L'endroit est rapidement devenu bruyant. On nous a servi en anglais malgré qu'on répondait en français. Confusion sur le menu de groupe. Par contre on a fait attention aux allergies, c'était apprécié! Bien pour y aller avec 2-3 personnes, je ne recommanderais pas pour les groupes. La formule groupe à 65$ était un peu chère, mais nous avons eu beaucoup de nourriture (même trop!).
