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    Eli's On the Hill

    3.4 (200 reviews)
    ModerateAmerican
    Open 11:30 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)

    Order Eli's On the Hill Takeout or Delivery

    Eli's On the Hill Photos

    ELI'S ON THE HILL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Eli's On the Hill

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    Caramel Apple Martini & S'Mores Martini
    Tyler D.

    Seasonal/Holiday Drinks are always excellent. The Philly steak eggrolls are the best, in the surrounding area. Every place else's are subpar. Avocado Salad with crispy chicken is great, vodka sauce is decent. Service is decent, depending on your waiter/bartender and also what time of day you go. Nicole is my favorite bartender, always on point, very friendly & never misses a beat. Not a bad spot for a quick bite or drink during lunch hours.

    They claim this is a Margarita. It's not.
    Nicole B.

    Honestly? I hope I never have to eat here again. Eating out at restaurants like Eli's really crushes my will to live. I would rather not eat at all than to eat at a restaurant with completely mediocre/not good food. Eating out is my primary (potentially only) "leisure activity." For me the place does not need to be fancy. The service does not need to be exceptional in any way. But the food needs to be delicious and the vibe needs to be good. Eli's fails on both these. Here's what happened: we all met up at a nearby restaurant that turned out to be randomly closed (??) and so we just drove down The Hill a bit and went to Eli's. I definitely got out voted on that choice. Oh well. I say that to say I never would have chosen to eat at Eli's. But there we were, so I ordered us a sampling of their appetizers: Fried mozzarella, Street Corn Brussels (bore zero resemblance to any kind of street corn), Nachos, Spinach Artichoke Dip (wow, terrible), Local Tomato Bruschetta (I would bet someone actual money those were NOT local tomatoes and I'm pretty sure they bought the bread at Big Y), Point Judith Calamari. The fried mozzarella and calamari were pretty good and the marinara was not half bad! The other stuff? Bad bar food. Like real bad. The nachos were a travesty. I think we can all agree that nachos should not be "rocket science." However, throwing some jar, white cheese sauce, pickled onion and jalapeños and a few diced tomatoes on top of a pile of tortilla chips is NOT nachos. Eli's nachos is the kind of food that actually makes me angry. As in: the NERVE to serve up something an 8 yr old could have thrown together and then charge money for it. Gordon Ramsey would lose his mind over these things. I tried everything. One bite in was as far as I got. I then ordered the fish and chips and asked for the parmesan truffle fries instead of the Old Bay fries. I ordered a side Caesar Salad. The Caesar was the best thing I had. It was actually totally good. I should have just gotten a full sized Caesar, maybe added some shrimp and called it a day! But noooooo, I had to try fish and chips. To be fair, the fish and chips were FAR BETTER than any of those appetizers. (I'd have to recommend skipping all appetizers.) The mistake I made was asking for the parm truffle fries. Because all they did was sprinkle some sort of parm truffle seasoning all over the plate. And it wasn't good. That was my fault. Because Eli's fries are actually good. Which you're thinking is not a big deal. But it is. A lot of places serve fries. Not a lot of them are good. The fish was nice and flaky, fried crispy on the outside, cooked all the way through. It was perfectly fine. It was not better than perfectly fine. I do not want "perfectly fine" to be the highest praise I give to a meal I am eating in a restaurant. And yet we pressed on and tried some desserts. I have no idea why. We ordered the beignets, the peanut butter pie and the chocolate chip cookies and milk cake. Obviously, these are all premade desserts bought from some food supply company. The cake was awful. The peanut butter pie was pretty good for premade food service dessert. I have no idea why the little deep friend rectangles of what appeared to be pastry dough were called beignets. They weren't beignets. Maybe most people can't tell the difference?? Ugh. Everyone working at Eli's was very nice. But it was still kind of a struggle to get water, to get the eaten food plates cleared before adding more food to the table, to get the to go containers, etc etc. Hopefully I will not be back. This is not the kind of dining out experience I can recommend to anyone.

    Eli's Eggroll Sampler
    Allison C.

    This was our first time eating at the Eli's in Branford, but we've visited the one in Hamden a few times so we knew the food was going to be great! The eggroll sampler is a must, and they just have some of the best American comfort foods on the menu. Obsessed with the loaded croquettes and burger we had which came with fried provolone and and vodka sauce! The eggplant parm was a gorgeous stack, the Mac & Jack was super flavorful, and the spinach and artichoke dip was great too. They have a great selection of drinks to choose from, and they even had some new seasonal ones on there like the pumpkin spice margarita. The food came out quickly - we were in and out within an hour and were very impressed by that! Everything was clean, and the staff was attentive.

    the menu
    Jennifer E.

    We stopped in for a snack on a Saturday evening. It was surprisingly quiet at 6pm. The manager greeted us as we walked in and asked where we preferred to sit. We sat at a high top in the bar. People around us were a bit loud and rowdy, but it is a bar. Our server greeted us promptly and took drink orders. We ordered 2 appetizers, the steak rolls, and the provolone fritta. They arrived very quickly. The steak rolls are always delicious! I love the sauce on top, and they are crispy. The provolone came in 2 huge pieces. It was hot and crisp, and the sipping sauce was perfect. If we were already full, we would have love to try something else. Their menu seemed to have lots of new items. We will be back soon!

    Avocado Salad
    Sidra S.

    I met up with one of my girlfriends and tried this place out. I ordered the avocado salad and the Asian Calamari. The service as this location was great! The servers and manager were accommodating. The presentation and freshness of the avocado salad were excellent. Although, it's nothing out of this world. The Asian Calamari was far better; it was fresh and crisp and flavorful. I like how the octopus had a slight crunch as well. Overall, I may try this place one day again.

    Crispy Brussels & Taters
    Richard A.

    Started with the fried calamari Asian Style. It had a sweet chili glaze with almost no batter. It also had a small octopus in the salad. It was tasty, sweet and a little heat. I then had the crispy Brussels sprouts with potatoes. It was covered with a balsamic glaze, topped shaved Asiago. This was absolutely delicious. My main course was the grilled chicken caprice. It was served with a chilled orzo salad and broccoli. The chicken was topped with mozzarella and tomato bruschetta. The chicken was cooked on the grill, however it was over cooked and a little dry. Between topping it with the orzo salad and the bruschetta it took away some of the dryness, The person that was with me had the fish and chips. He said it was good, but it contained a very small portion of fish. Service was good, and the place has a bar like atmosphere. Plenty of off street parking and right off route one.

    Buffet Style Set Up

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    1 year ago

    service and food was great for our small celebration in their upstairs area. Everything was done perfectly.

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    Transilvania Restaurant and Bar - Desserts : Hazelnut crepe, papanași , limoncello flute

    Transilvania Restaurant and Bar

    4.5(135 reviews)
    1.1 mi
    $$

    Our entire family was absolutely enchanted from the moment we walked in. The décor, the atmosphere,…read moreand every little detail made us feel like we had stepped into another world. Every single course was homemade and bursting with flavor, but the Hungarian Paprikash completely stole the show. The chicken literally melted in your mouth, and the rich, velvety paprika sauce was so incredible you'll be thinking about it long after you leave. And don't even think about skipping dessert! The Vlad the Impaler dessert arrived dramatically flaming like Dracula himself, and the kids were completely captivated. It wasn't just a show, it was absolutely delicious and one of the most memorable desserts we've ever had. If you're looking for a dining experience with exceptional service, that's as unforgettable as the food itself, this is it. We can't wait to come back!

    Came here because of the eerie vibes and the "spookiness"…read more We started with the famous Draculas kiss, which reminded me of a cosmopolitan. Strawberry purée around the rim of the glass added a nice sweetness. We also got the jerk chicken and garlic parmesan dry rubbed wings. They were good, but I just wish they were a little crispier. We shared the chicken Panini which came coleslaw and fries on the sandwich and a side of fries People definitely come to this place for the ambience Service was good. However, the bartender was using her phone at the bar. She admitted this was unprofessional and was calling somebody that was late for work. However, you don't conduct business in front of customers while ordering

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    Tavern On State - Flat iron steak with forbidden rice

    Tavern On State

    4.5(194 reviews)
    4.3 mi
    $$$

    I was on Holiday and my son and daughter in law have been meaning to take me here. We did a walk in…read more(we got lucky) I suggest reservations. We had a time limit to eat (due to a reservation at the table) inside or on the heated patio. It was cold so we ate inside. Our waiter Brendan was cool, knowledgeable and attentive. I ordered a burger, fries (came with it) I don't like fries I opted for a salad. My daughter in law got octopus and a pasta dish. My son a steak in chili butter sauce .Everything was delicious and the presentation was lovely. My son's only vice was the steak pre cut (it was new on menu) He preferred to cut himself. The ambience was low level lighting and relaxed. I had a delicious meal and a pleasant experience. I'd patronize this place again. Oh we had dessert too. They had tiramisu, we shared a lemon tart it was delish

    Interesting menu, but underperforming. Skip the gem salad (Caesar salad): consists of finely…read moreshredded Parmesan with meager bits of anchovy and hardly any dressing. It was mediocre. The presentation of the main dish was nice, though the ricotta was hardly noticeable and the serving was meager for the price. The host was nice, but the waitress (Holly) was unpleasant. Not helpful at all and also bland, as if she doesn't care. We still tipped to be fair to other staff, but don't think we want to return to be waited on by her. As for cleanliness, watch out! They don't clean their upholstered seats, as it became plainly obvious on my clothes after having sat on the upholstered benches in the dining area. Now my clothes are permanently stained. All in all, I'd give it a 7.5/10 and take my money elsewhere.

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    Tavern On State - Grilled octopuswith fingerling potatoes

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    Grilled octopuswith fingerling potatoes

    Eli's On the Hill - tradamerican - Updated September 2026

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