Despite spending a lot of lunches getting pizza or Subway with co-workers, every once in a while I treat myself to a quiet, sit-down lunch with a buddy to discuss matters of greater importance, in an atmosphere that supports such a thing. Last time that happened, we went to Ellison’s Bistro.  Fellow bloggers have written about the spot, especially in light of the restaurant recently turning 5 years old.

This restaurant truly is a bright spot for Kitchener lunch. There is widespread recognition of that amongst people at the ol’ office, especially those who like “good” food.

Ellison’s Bistro on Urbanspoon

Big Smiles

The first thing that I want to note is Elvis Ellison’s, the owner and chefs, welcoming and cheerful demeanor. This restaurant is one of the few places where you can talk to the chef about what you’re eating, how things are, and feel that you’re doing something appreciated by dining there.

Big smiles abound, especially amongst the guys coming in for the famous lunch-time take-out special. The lunch menu seems like a great value in general, but the take-out specials are worth exploring if you’re just passing by and only have a $5 bill.

From the lunch menu, I had the jerk chicken with some rose-hip tea. The chicken was a great bang-for-buck, but I sincerely regretted not starting with the pumpkin soup. Jeff let me try some of his; yeah, order it, it’s fantastic.

lunch at ellison's

Jerk Chicken, No Soup for Me :(

Get Busier

The only thing I would like to see happen is for Ellison’s to get .. busier.  More people need to eat here, as the food is delicious and the restaurateur vibe is real.

Part of the solution is for the community to show up to eat at place like this.  But this restaurant needs to meet people half way.  I have a question about the take-out special: Why bother?  Every time I’ve gone in there to get the take-out special, the restaurant is quiet.  Let me just eat there, at that price.  I promise I’ll buy more (a drink, an appetizer, dessert etc.) if I sit down.  Hopefully sometime soon, when I’m looking for the best Caribbean food this side of Toronto.