Ellacure Restaurant & Bar

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  8      Value  7     

Went for a work function was were impressed (we had come from a hospitality business overselves). We had calamri entree, chicken main and the mint dessert. Very impressed with all three choices. Their choice of wall art as well was very interesting. Incredibly busy considering we went on a tuesday night but it was obvious why once we had finished our meals. Simply stunning.

Jan 06, 2012 

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  6     

Went with high expectations and was not disappointed. For a weeknight it was very busy, would not recommend an intimate dinner there unless you are sitting outside! Not the cheapest place in town either, but worth the cost of admission as the food was fresh and presented simply but elegantly.

Aug 17, 2011 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  8     

We have been here 5 or 6 times now and have found it a pleasurable experience everytime. The staff are fantastic and are very alert to the needs of customers, constantly checking if things are ok. It is one of the few relaxed eateries that are quick to offer to decant BYO bottles.

The food is consistently good Italian style offerings and represents value for money. You need to book early in the week for a table on Friday or Saturday evening. This place is a standout in restaurant starved Belconnen.

Apr 11, 2011 

1 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  1     

I've eaten at Ellacure many times and it was a favourite of mine. I recommended it to everyone, that is until I went back recently. What happened?

The service was slow and the staff seemed like they hated life. A smile wouldn't hurt! The food was even slower and came out at different times. They even mixed up our order... Twice! My friends dining with me couldn't believe that I had ever said good things about the place. I tried to give the owner/manager some 'helpful' hints and he was extremely rude.

I also overheard the way the staff were speaking to each other (mainly because our table felt like we were sitting in the kitchen and bar) how on earth does that place have any staff? One thing I enjoyed about Ellacure (back in the day) was the down-to-earth attitude and that feeling of friendly dining atmosphere, but I don't enjoy going out to dinner and hearing profanity coming from the kitchen and bar staff. Not to mention the staff's attire. The females looked as if they had either too much or too little makeup, and the men hadn't showered in weeks and looked like they just got out of bed!

It is beyond disappointing because I thought Canberra finally had a restaurant that would be successful for many years to come. Its clear that Ellacure has reached its peak and is now on its way down! Unlucky to anyone who did miss it in its glory days! Dont be fooled by the many bookings this place has, it's probably people like me who once upon a time loved this place and went back only to discover the sad news that Ellacure is no more!

Ellacure is a has been. You'd get better food and service from a McDonalds.

Apr 04, 2011 

1 Not Recommended

Service  1     

On a busy night, we turned up just to see if there were any tables free (as we hadn't booked). We were literally told to "go away" (verbatim) with no other explanation when the rude staff member decided he didn't want to seat us. We won't bother trying again, even with a booking. How rude!

Feb 08, 2011 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

I just don't know how they got it so right! What a great night, the food was amazing and the services was brilliant- make sure you book because there wasn't a spare seat in the house and that was a Tuesday night.

Dec 01, 2010 

4.3 Below Average

Food  2      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  1     

My partner and I visited Ellacure Restaurant with 2 friends last night for what we hoped would be a pleasant dining experience. We ordered entrees each which although enjoyable were not delivered together so we had to wait for about 5 minutes for everyone to receive their entree.

Then the mains arrived. Well 3 out of 4. It appears one of our parties meals was delivered to another table so he had to wait until they cooked another serve. I had the marinated cutlets which I had neither the strength or a knife sharp enough to cut through the fatty sinewy meat. The rocket was also unedible as it was bitter and not adequately dressed. My partner had the fish and chips. The fish was enjoyable but the chips soggy and unpleasant. The duck was dry and tasteless. Overall a very unpleasant meal.

The restaurant did acknowledge that my meal was unedible and did not charge me for it but maybe they should stick to the pizza and pasta and leave the fine dining to an establishment with the expertise.

Nov 14, 2010 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

Now this is one place that I don't want people to know about! It's excellent each and every time. 'Gus' greets you at the door and is friendly, remembers your face and makes you feel like a friend at home. Finally a restaurant in Canberra who believes in consistency! The food is always good, service is the same and it's a comfortable and enjoyable place to eat.

Five stars in my book. Try the beef fillet, you'll thank me afterwards! Parking can be a little difficult so plan your travel time accordingly.

Jun 05, 2010 

6.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  2      Value  8     

Enjoyed our meal, service could have been better. I felt arriving at the restaurant for dinner, being pointed to our table and handed the menus to take with me to the table was not good service! Considering I already had a bottle of wine, handbag and umbrella to take to the table! The food was good and staff very friendly, the food came out too fast not much time to digest between courses. At the end of meal we complimented our waiter but I commented to him that my water glass(which I had not used) had a huge crack in the lip.

He informed that I should have told them, if they want to be a good restaurant it should not have been on the table in the first place! I wouldn't dine there again as there are places with better service and food just as good or better for the same price.

Feb 15, 2010 

6 Average

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  2      Value  6     

I dined at Ellacure recently after hearing great reviews from people about the food. The food lived up to expectations, it was excellent.

Unfortunately, the service was terrible and ruined the experience for us. Firstly we were made to wait outside for 25 minutes because the table we booked wasn't ready yet. That was okay, but they didn't give us any updates on how long it would be and we weren't sure if they had forgotten about us altogether because there seemed to be plenty of empty tables. Just as we were about to leave, the waitress appeared and took us to our table.

The staff were friendly when we saw them, but the restaurant seemed to be severely understaffed as we couldn't get the attention of the waiters all night.
After finishing the meal, we had to wait over 30 minutes for the bill. We were going to pay by credit card and leave a tip (despite the substandard service to that point). But after waiting another 20 minutes they still hadn't come back to process the credit card so (fed up with waiting) we scraped the right amount of cash together so we could leave.

Although the food was lovely, I won't dine at Ellacure again. There are plenty of great restaurants in Canberra to choose from these days!

Oct 29, 2009