Ellison's Bistro has atmosphere that you won't find at any other Caribbean restaurant in Kitchener.It has an upscale décor with intimacy that you can feel from the minute you walk in the door.
I entered Ellison's Bistro totally based on the reviews on Restaurantica. I'm glad that I did! It looks like a tiny cafe from the outside but, once you get inside, you see a very professionally set up ... well ... bistro. This was my first time eating jerk chicken. it was very nicely done and just spicy enough so that you knew that you were eating Caribbean food without it being overbearing. The rice that accompanied it had a slight tinge of something like orange, which made it quite tasty. One warning: the rice was extremely hot, temperature-wise. And spicy ginger beer isn't the solution ;-). After the meal, I had a nice chat with Elvis, the owner. He takes his business very seriously, which is quite evident. I don't get into downtown Kitchener very often but I now know where I can go for a classy meal without a lot of pretension.
Yeah maybe the place could use a facelift, but this is Kitchener not Waterloo. If the food and service are good, then who cares?! That is certainly the case at Ellison's. The courteous personal service from the chef himself balanced with authentic but elevated Caribbean cuisine are a match made in heaven. I had the curried goat with rice and peas. The depth and balance of flavour along with the perfectly pitched after burn are unmatched in any other Caribbean-style curry I have had. Definitely need a sequel on that one. And ohmigosh the bread. Did I tell you about the bread people?! This napkin-covered plate comes to the table and I get this waft of deliciousness. That doesn't smell like just your average bread and, believe you me, it was not. One of the best moments of carb-laden euphoria I've experienced in some time. I will be back, oh yes, I will be back.
My GF & I are from Stratford & we wanted something different from the "same old same old".We found Ellison's on the web so when we got there we were greeted by Elvis(the owner).Skipping through the pleasentries(which was gr8)we ordered chicken Roti.The curry was a little spicy(hot) which I didn't mind but my GF does not like hot at all so she had the Breast of Chicken it was much better for her than the roti.Overall the atmosphere food service was good.Ppl have said the service is a little slow but for us it was normal,maybe because we were the only ppl there at the time........I would certainly go back there again and as for my GF......maybe:) Being from Trinidad I know how much I miss roti and for me Ellison's the place
Terrific service and wonderful food. Very flavourful, with an impressive presentation. The dinner went far beyond what we expected, especially in this price range. We ordered pepper pot soup, blackened catfish and curried goat. All three would be worth repeating.
Extremely friendly staff and the chef even comes out to greet each guest! Food was very tasty and a nice change from the usual. Will definitely visit again!
