Our party of five settled into a cozy booth at Elie's this past Friday evening... Thanks to my friend Ali for making a reservation. Elie's was the perfect place to grab a drink and some dinner after a travel day and to fuel for a big weekend ahead. We ordered some drinks (wine and martinis) and shared the Mixed Appetizer plate that had hummus, baba ghannouge, and tabouli and was served with a basket of warm mini pita bread. Our waitress was attentive and refilled the pita basket a couple of times and so was the water service. For entrees, I had the lebanese salad with salmon, and others at the table had the fattoush salad with chicken, baby back ribs, and chicken shawarma. It was a lot of food and we did not finish it all... and while it was very good, nothing stood out as something you can't find elsewhere either. No complaints however. I would definitely recommend Elie's if you're in the area and looking for a solid bar/restaurant with Lebanese and Mediterranean cuisine. Elie's offers both indoor and outdoor seating and they also host private parties and offer catering. It is clearly a neighborhood favorite and has been around for decades. read more

Food is amazing, staff is great, and overall a great place! The hummus is wonderful and a great spot for patio seating

Looking at their website, we now realize we were never offered (or realized) there was a "lunch menu". We were there at noon. 3 went for lunch and quickly got a table (not too many patrons; clue #1). Ordered a large tomato kibbeh ($22), mjadara ($20), 2 pita sandwiches ($9 each). 1 small bread basket, never refilled. The sandwiches were a little dry so we asked for a little garlic sauce. A small (maybe 2 tablespoons) ramekin was $6! We ordered 3 cokes ($3). When we asked for a refill they took our same glasses and returned with a refill. When we looked at the bill we were charged for every refill, aka $3+$3. IF you're charging me for a refill PLEASE bring me a fresh glass AND a heads-up that I'm actually purchasing another beverage. Service was basically nonexistent. We had to ask a busser for anything we needed. Ellie's - you really need to pay attention. There is a lot of competition in Birmingham. read more

Food was delicious. We got the calamari, sausage, Mediterranean salad, Mediterranean potatoes, grape leaves and more. Calamari was great but the portion was kinda small even for an appetizer. Service was great and the decor was very pleasant. Would definitely recommend the grape leaves and sausage read more

Elie's - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

See all

We ate at a lot of places our first time visiting Michigan. This was our favorite meal - it was delicious and felt healthier than most things we had. The staff were super friendly and cracking jokes, accommodated our big group's seating, and most importantly... the food was phenomenal. Highly recommend the chicken shawarma. And the bread basket they bring is fantastic. Dip it in olive oil and eat it while it's hot. This isn't the place to skip the bread. read more

Elie's - Chicken Shawarma - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

We went after attending the Birmingham Christmas market and our server, Amani was very attentive and kind. All of our food was fresh and warm, just like you'd want it to be. I ordered the chicken lettuce wraps and they were so good. The restaurant was beautifully decorated, and the ladies room was super clean and nicely decorated too! read more

Expensive but decent. Seating is very crowded but service was fast and friendly. We ate outside, so there was a lot of traffic and hustle and bustle. We ordered appetizers - labneh dip, lentil soup, and falafels. It was pretty good but nothing remarkable. Probably would try something else next time. read more

See all

Great Lunch. Was greeted immediately and shown to table. Very friendly family-style place - asked our name and introduced themselves also. Hummus, Baba were outstanding. Tabouleh was also top-notch. Kafta also good. Finished with second-to-none rice pudding and some Turkish coffee Outstanding meal. Will be back read more

Outstanding and very attentive service, delicious food, relaxing, cozy vibe. Best hummus and freshly baked, (served warm!) pita bread ever! Generous servings. read more

Elie's - Hummus - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

What a nice cozy environment. Had some great vegetarian options. Very welcoming staff. Only reason for 4 stars-wasn't open on Sunday read more

Not being from the area, I Google for a highly reviewed Lebanese restaurant, Ellie's showed up, and I went. It was much fancier than I anticipated, and much more expensive, but it was explained to me that that's what Birmingham is. I was excited to see sweet meats on the menu, as I've heard about it on TV shows, but I've never seen them in the real world. I wouldn't say that it was my favorite dishes, but the novelty was there, and I was certainly glad that I was able to try it, especially since I could trust that Elie's has the expertise to cook it safely and in the best way possible. Overall, due to the fanciness/cost, I would stick with coming here for dates, work functions, or if I'm being treated, as it's a bit out of my price range. Can't go wrong come here, especially if looking for an upscale Mediterranean meal. Beautiful indoor and outdoor seating, and topnotch service. read more

This spot is tiny, cute, has great relaxing ambiance indoors and outdoors. The food and drinks were excellent! There was so much flavor in the lamb Kafta and cherries meatballs. They were out of this world good! They were juicy, textured, and full full of deliciousness!! I highly recommend this small hot plate. They had gluten free options which was amazing. I really safe one, was the grilled chicken in lettuce wrap. It comes with an assortment of veggies to create your own wrap. Our dinner was romantic, with perfectly balance of flavors, drinks, and great service. Definitely will be returning again! read more

A very classy and relaxing place to dine. Best of all the food is excellent. Compare this to other restaurants nearby which can't decide if they're a dance hall or a dining establishment. The food is amongst the best Mediterranean I've had. The hummus in particular is great. A little pricey but it's Birmingham. Lamb or chicken it's cooked perfectly and just really well-executed dishes. The service is so courteous, friendly and accommodating and it's especially appreciated with our baby. One of our new favorites and definitely the best Mediterranean in the area! read more

See all

Guy on phone was rude. Girl on phone had no answers to my questions, constantly having to find someone else. I asked for the two types of bread, but only received the Syrian flat bread. The Lamb Shawarma looked good, but came out mushy, and yet somehow still ended up being dry as fuck. It sucks that it was mushy and dry, but how they accomplished both at the same time was easily the most impressive thing to happen here. The Kibbeh Neyeh was the right consistency and color, but was seasoned for shit. No flavor whatsoever. I DID order it mild, but I did NOT order it sans flavor, so... The salad was a nice mix of greens, a tomato wedge and chick peas, but the dressing had no imagination, and (no surprise here) once again no real flavor or seasoning. The only thing that tasted good (not great) was the Couscous and Hummus. I wouldn't pay money to come here, but if someone had a carryout or catering from here I would likely try it again to see if it improved at all, but with so many bad things in one carry out I'd bet money that below mediocre is their "best." read more

Food was great. Too bad the waiter reeked of smoke. Would have been nice of a manager came by so I could report it. read more

Ok might be controversial but I'm willing to say best spicy marg in metro Detroit....... Not what anyone would expect I'm sure. Top notch jalapeño ratio and very fresh, so good with the hummus and fresh bread. Add garlic sauce of course read more

Elie's - Spicy margarita - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

Food and service are both top notch. Friendly, excellent hummus, house made pita. -- great place.

You have to start with the wonderful calamari appetizer. This dish has so much flavor! Flash fried calamari is coupled with tomatoes, banana peppers, green onions, capers with a lemon beurre blanc. Not only delicious, but also a large portion. Also highly recommend the pistachio encrusted whitefish with a barley risotto. This dish is light but packed with flavor! The baked salmon was also good. Served with a mushroom & asparagus quinoa (yum!) & grilled onions with capers & olives. Love their patio in the summer! read more

See all

Stop in for a quick dessert and a cup of coffee (if you don't feel like a full blown dinner). Lava cake is the bomb and so is baklava. Electronic menu let's you see a picture of every dessert. Wait staff is friendly as well. read more

Elie's - Lava cake - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

Obsessed with the cous cous! All their food is good, love sitting outside in the summer. Good service

Great place for dinner. The food was excellent ! Nice outdoor seating. Highly recommend. read more

Elie's - Entrance - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

the food was alright. the ribs and calamari were good. only downside was that we felt we were being rushed to finish and get out once we sat down. we were the only table around continuously getting checked on and asking if that was it and if we wanted the check. didn't even get asked if we wanted to order dessert. the table behind us were already there way before us and didn't get asked once! First time visiting the area because of the mlb team. read more

The food here deserves five stars but it's definitely more expensive and the service is sometimes slow. I love the menu which has a nice blend of traditional Lebanese and some more modern interpretations of the same. The quinoa tabolee is a good example, perfect variation on an old favorite for those of us trying to avoid gluten. They were also very kind and made my Kibbee without cracked wheat. Great wine selection, beautiful decor and a cozy patio where you can people watch in comfort. Overall a great spot for lunch, dinner and drinks. read more

See all

Maybe it was an off night for the chef but we were disappointed in our dinner here tonight. Ordered the chicken shawarma and it was terribly dry, couldn't finish it. We ordered cocktails which were good. Ordered the feta stuffed mushrooms as an appetizer which were tasty but for $17 would have liked more than 2. We miss that they do not serve complimentary hummus with their bread. Their hummus is good. The service was excellent. The waitress attentive, the bus boy quick to clear dishes and a dedicated server refilling water glasses. Really just great service. Their patio is one of the best in Birmingham with beautiful flowers and lights. But prices are up and quality/quantity down from a few years ago. Hopefully it was just an off night because I've always enjoyed it in the past. read more

I came to Ellie's because of the great food and service I had the last time. But I'm highly disappointed in the service I received on this visit. The waitress forgot an item from my order and disappeared for 20+mins. Before she returned to tell me someone else took my order. Unacceptable!!!!! Rating is mostly based on service. read more

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon when Bham faves like Toast and Social Kitchen were packed, Elie's was able to seat us at a cozy table for two right away. It wasn't on the sidewalk, but they have an inside/outside layout so it still has the open air effect. Our server, Trina, was um....AWESOME! From her upbeat personality to her food recommendations, she made our dining experience very enjoyable. I was treating my mom to a (much) belated Mothers Day lunch so we naturally started with mimosas. Fresh squeezed OJ and they did NOT skimp on the champagne :) We also ordered hummus with pita - and while I've had better pita bread before, the hummus was delectable. I was hesitant about the lettuce wraps per Trina's recommendation due to the "overdone" factor of pf chang's popular dish. But I ended up ordering the shrimp one while the Madre had chicken. We were not sorry. The cilantro hummus sauce was On. Point. At the end of the meal, the check didn't break the bank either. Will have to come back and try Elie's for dinner! read more

See all

Best Mediterranean food around! Service, food and quality excellent! Fun bar and stoli Doli's too

Get over the prices - it's BIRMINGHAM people!! Had a great experience this weekend. Fattoush salad, hot pita bread with garlic, and chicken ghallaba were all delicious. Service was great. I'll definitely be back! read more

Really enjoyed the food, it was flavorful and fresh. The service was awesome and attentive and the team was kind. Pricing was very reasonable. We rave about this place to family and friends! read more

The atmosphere on the patio is top notch. Perfect for summer nights. We had the lamb schwarma and the chicken gallaba , both delicious ! Don't sleep on the lentil soup either ! read more

See all

This place has terrible service. Our food was delicious but served in the worst manner that it made it taste bad and it was not enjoyable. There wasn't enough table space because no one ever took anything away. Disappointed read more

Elie's - Lemon Chicken. - Mediterranean Near Me - Birmingham, Michigan

Great food and excellent hospitality. What a delicious meal! We ordered for takeout for a small celebration and everything was so fresh and expertly prepared. The food was brought to our vehicle by a very kind gentleman. Elie's is a must visit, a Middle eastern cuisine gem tucked off a side street close to a large parking facility. Thank you for the delightful meal on behalf of our family and guests! read more

Everything I've had on the menu is very good but the Lima Bean Stew will change your life! So good. The steaming hot bread they bring to your table is a treat. Service is usually good but can be slow. We love coming here for lunch more than dinner as it gets really crowded. read more

Nothing Special, I tried it once, I'd give an average rating, food is bland. Would I visit again not sure, maybe.

I've been to Elie's Mediterranean a few times and I will be back many more times because their Shish Kafta is so great and so close to me in walking distance. Cutting into the Kafta sends juices spilling out preparing you for the richness in flavor and juicy texture. I always order garlic sauce and hummus as an appetizer. I try to go with the vegetables as a dipping tool but the fresh hot bread right out the oven is so tantalizing I have to at least have a piece. I love that the veggies are grilled with char marks so you know it's real lol. The atmosphere is dim and it's a relaxed place but also nice enough to take a date. On a game night it's always packed and lively. read more

See all

Have I not reviewed this place before? Absolutely amazing food! I love the great selection of vegetarian and vegan options. Smaller venue, but big flavor with top notch service. I usually sit at the bar. The bartenders are always so personable. They have a great selection of wine. Wonderful craft cocktails too. read more

See all

Myself and my friend have been in the service industry for over 25 years combined and we will never be back or recommend Elie's to anyone. I had been here once before and the service then was okay and the pistachio whitefish I had was very good, so was willing to give it another try. I wish we had just waited for a table at Streetside to open instead of taking the open table here. We were not even greeted by our server, she stopped at our table and asked what we were drinking, no name given, no thanks for stopping in, no specials offered. We gave her our drink order and a small plate order to start, my old fashioned came out and was decent but my friends lemon drop martini was missing a sugar rim. My friend mentioned how she had never been served one without a sugar rim and was bummed, the server said best she can do is give her a lemon with sugar on it. 10-15 mins past and the server never brought the lemon, my friend walked up to the bar and asked for a glass with a sugar rim from the bartender who came over quickly and took her glass and brought back the martini with a sugar rim. Our server walked up as he was dropping it off and asked us why was he was at our table? And instead of apologizing for not ever bringing the lemon with sugar that she said she would get, she just dropped the small plate we had ordered and walked away without asking if we needed anything else. Looking around her section was pretty open but we gave her the benefit of the doubt and tried to stay positive. As for our food orders, our mushroom stuffed with feta had some promise but one of the two caps was missing any of the red sauce that was on the other. A host walked by and asked to clear the plate and we told her we were still eating but could use some extra sauce and she just said oh you need to ask your server for that. If our server had been by that wouldn't have been an issue but she was no where to be found, we were also surprised the host didn't tell the server we asked for more sauce. By the time the server finally came back the mushrooms were cold and we decided to move on and put in another round of drinks and two more small plates in hope they would be better. I ordered the same old fashioned but it came with a maraschino cherry instead of the bing cherry the original one came with and was noticeably smaller than the first drink. For $18 a pop the old fashioned shouldn't be served with a crummy maraschino cherry and should taste the same as the first old fashioned. The calamari was over sauced and the eggplant roll was also disappointing. The garlic sauce and bread were the best things we had for our meal. Our server tried clearing my drink while it was still half full and I had to tell her I was still working on it but we would like the bill. She didn't ask why we 3/4 plus of all of each of our small plates were not touched and when we asked for a container for the garlic and bread she started rushing and clearing those away. $140 before tip was the largest waste of money I have ever spent. The owner was walking around but we never really saw him touch any tables and our server was just absent throughout the meal, rushing by our table anytime she walked by and we were left very underwhelmed by the whole experience. As mentioned above- we will not be back and will not be recommending to anyone. read more

This is such a good lunch and dinner spot! The bartender Doug is amazing-- we have been a handful of times over the past couple of years and he remembers us like we saw him yesterday! So personable and great to talk to. The food is so great-- authentic and delicious, the hummus and baba are incredible. I couldn't recommend this place more-- you won't find better service or Mediterranean in the area!! read more

Best lentil soup of my life and it's vegan - crushed, savory, and addictive. I also love the fattoush salad a lot... we like to get takeout here whenever we are in town - nice variety of vegan options and the people are really nice. The food tastes homemade. read more

Do you like fresh salads? Do you enjoy hummus with beef, seasoned to perfection? Do you love a good Stoli Doli or white wine Sangria? If you answered yes to any of the questions above, then this is the place for you! Elie's sits in beautiful downtown Birmingham and offers both patio and indoor seating. The food is divine and the drinks are refreshing. Yes, it's a little pricey but you get what you pay for people. Love this place! read more