Hate leaving public reviews and feel bad criticizing any small business these days which is why I don't want to give our experience 1 star but after attempting to reach out to the restaurant privately and getting no response would like to give other customers and the business a heads up so future patrons are not treated this way. We had dinner on Dec 30th while sitting at the bar. To get me to write any letter the experience must be pretty extreme and even more so when you consider the food was great and service (once we sat down) was also excellent. My wife and I got there at about 630 expecting to wait for bar seats for a group of 4. Our friends who play local shows and are regulars at Ellina and know the staff joined us. I checked in with the hostess and just made sure on the bar wait protocol and offered to put our name down and they said first come first serve. There was another couple in front of us and when 2 seats opened up in the corner we told them and they sat down (cause it would obviously be wrong to cut in front of them even though we were closer to the seats). We waited patiently for a good 45 minutes with our 2 friends but were not on top of the hostess station cause it was crowded with traffic (we only were like 5 feet away though even with the middle of the bar). About 10 minutes into our wait a group of 3 walked by us (2 girls and a guy celebrating a bday) to also wait at the bar. I remember them walking in cause they  accidentally bumped into me and apologized on their way to wait right by the host station for bar seats. When finally 2 seats opened up my wife and my friend's wife took the seat and when another 10 minutes went by 3 seats next to them opened up. We went to grab 2/3 seats and then the guy from the party said that's our seats. I told him it's first come first serve and they lied and said we were here first. I mention they walked into us while you were walking in and tried to tell them we were right behind the couple who were seated before us an hour ago (their party wasn't even there for that..that's how long we were waiting). Instead of letting me explain, the manager or owner came over and yells "MY BAR MY RULES" at me and said told the other party to sit down. My friends who are regulars and know the bartender and actually have met the her (Jill??) were also shocked. So we had no choice but to wait a little longer before another few seats opened up. We did end up sitting next to the same party of the 3 and the guy actually apologized to my wife multiple times cause they knew they were in the wrong. They totally lied and got away with it.  Despite the rudeness we spent $450 and appreciate Willy working hard for us but my friends and I don't see any of us going back and supporting the establishment after the way the earlier situation was handled and after an attempt to reach privately still no response. There was so many more mature and professional ways to handle the situation like asking for my explanation or having the host who first saw me vouch for me (I asked her if there was a list to put our name down for the bar trying to be proactive) or ask the other couple that was seated down right before us, or being proactive and implementing a waiting list or maybe offering us or the other party drinks or appetizers) but yelling at a customer and completely being in the wrong was so unbelievable out of pocket. It really ruined the meal for all of us despite objectively good food and drinks and like I said Willy and David were great. Please treat your future customers better than us. read more

We come here EVERY YEAR! we love pretty much all the menu, look forward to it annually, the staff is super friendly, you can tell they enjoy working at this restaurant, and vibes give cozy intimate eatery that are very enjoyable when it's -xyz degrees outside read more

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Great food. Outstanding service and ambience. We've been to a lot of restaurants in aspen and this is top notch

The wine menu is very impressive, selections of all varietals from anywhere in the world at all different price points. Service was fast and attentive (maybe too fast as I was caught fighting to keep my plate). I would recommend ordering when you are ready for the food to drop. We ordered all at once and the food was cold upon arrival (seemed like a rushed expedite). The food was good, I prefer mine hot, but the flavors were there on three of four dishes (I do not recommend the gnocchiette - what ever that is). Compliments to the saucier on the artichoke heart dish and the short rib. We ordered dessert to go, Italian pudding (since all the food came out so fast and we were full) which was nice from the comfort of our home. read more

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I honestly am pretty shocked to even be writing this review so this is a MUST READ after PAYING A 500 DOLLAR BILL for 2 people. INCREDIBLY RUDE STAFF. DO NOT EAT HERE. I wrote a nice review giving the restaurant 4 out of 5 stars on open table but noted that I wouldn't reorder the fettuccine because it wasn't the best but their burrata and octopus were both amazing. The restaurant I noted was good but not amazing which I felt to be true. Great appetizers but our mains we didn't love for 500 dollars!! THEIR STAFF had the audacity to write me back an extremely passive aggressive note back to me discouraging me from writing a review, taking the egg off of the fettuccine and they were quite surprised I even liked the burrata (passive aggressive). This isn't a good look for any restaurant. I AM SHOCKED and considering I paid 500 dollars for my meal I feel the meal should be amazing for that cost for 2 people to have 3 drinks total, 2 appetizers, 2 mains and dessert. People are entitled to opinions. Dont belittle individuals on the internet after giving a strong rating. read more

We really enjoyed our meal here. When we got there it was early in the evening with the restaurant mostly empty (it got busy shortly after), but I was shocked the hostess seated us like sardines next to one of only 3 parties in the restaurant at the time that put us within a couple feet of a very young child. Thankfully within seconds of sitting down, another employee came up and proactively moved us to somewhere a little more secluded. I appreciated that someone saw that wasn't an ideal setup and moved us before we awkwardly said anything. For the food, the pasta was a highlight for both my wife and myself. I got the fettuccini and my wife the prawn pasta and both were great. The bread was also extremely fresh and olive oil nice and robust. My drink was well balanced. I knew I'd like the place when I saw the negative reviews get a sassy response. I appreciate it having local ownership, and that the owner was also working along with the rest of the staff. Present ownership and passion shows. read more

Friday solo dinner dates are sort of my jam. I enjoyed a lovely meal at Ellina. I was in town for a few days for the Aspen Valley Marathon and specifically made a booking at Ellina for a pre marathon pasta dish. I started with the frisée salad (beets, apples, goat cheese) which was really nice and refreshing. I initially told myself I'd skip a glass of wine, being that I was a bit anxious about the altitude change (coming from 300ft to run 26.2 in 8000ft) and really wanted to play it safe - then I realized I don't love playing it safe as much as I do a glass of wine with dinner and ordered the Aglianico. The bread basket with olive oil was lovely. I was happy to have the carbs! When I spotted the campanelle piselli on a table adjacent from me, I immediately knew I needed this dish. I'd previously been torn between a few but I love English peas and this dish looked so scrumptious. I ordered it as my main and it was perfection. I honestly credit the guaciale for helping me in the marathon, with each bite I took I knew my sodium levels would definitely be in check ;) Service was excellent, place was a buzz. Highly recommend! read more

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I was reading a particular review where the author was ripping into Ellina for ridiculous reasons & I take other yelper's reviews seriously to the point of almost canceling our reservations here but I continued reading more reviews & decide we were going to give it a go anyway despite this absurd review. We were greeted with smiles very professional yet engaging and enter acting with us. We were seated with candle lite table, our chairs were than pulled out for us as we were being seated, very upscale, well mannered staff very gentleman like only our waiters were women. (No offense ladies). We converse with our waitresses & again engaging personable talked about family Christmas & up coming New Year. They took our drink order which came out within minutes, appetizers, omg ! Hot, fresh, plated beautifully with a pop of color. Our entrées were next again plated to the nines with artistic flare so impressive & desserts WOW !!!! I've dined at Michelin Star restaurants but by far THEE BEST ONE IVE EVER EXPERIENCED & if their not a Michelin five point me in the direction to make it one , somebody in my squad can make it happen ! Definitely coming back b4 we head home ! Look I'm going to add my 2 cents worth, here it is, some of us yelpers take to review verbatim , like me, I almost didn't dine here because of one, but my 2 cents continue to read on & see what other yelpers have to say especially the Elite Stars & take it in process and make your decision & when you review please don't exaggerate, lie, and keep what you paid under wraps, because if you read the same review, they totally embellished their ticket and to me that sounds like somebody trying to get something for nothing because in my opinion, this place was every dollar worth it and the tip was well given ! Remember the Employees work with us NOT FOR US ! Treat them with respect dignity and with integrity & your entire experience will SHINE! Ellina top notch Michelin, five food service with a reasonable price. Don't take my word for it. Come experience it for yourself. read more

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Ok, first off, service was amazing. Great even! The set up is pretty cozy. The room is crowded and there are many seating areas including outside and inside on different levels. We sat spot in the middle of the dining room at a table. The wine was a fortune but heck, we are in Aspen. What bummed us out was the food. I could make better food at home. We were looking for a place to go for something that was unusual. We decided, due to a suggestion from waitstaff, to get the artichoke bruschetta. Ok, it was good. Was it incredible and a culinary delight? not really. An old tired recipe that at one point was prob. pretty new to our palates. Hubby go the short rib and I got pasta. It was incredibly simple. The ravioli was soggy and hubbys short rib was rich but nothing incredible. Just some wet meat over what could have been boxed mashed potatoes. It was good, but expensive and not too adventurous. read more

We had a memorable dinner at Ellina which really offers a great Italian fine dining experience in a relaxed and cozy atmosphere! Their wine list is impressive and we had a fantastic Barrolo from 2016 which is a great vintage! Service was on the slow side but hey it was President's Day long weekend in Aspen! Service was attentive and dedicated! They even rushed some special order for my son who was "low" with his T1D. So, that was very much appreciated. This is a favorite of my dear friend Ken, so needless to say to say this restaurant is known by locals for its great food and wine. read more

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Food was great. Highly recommend the octopus. Pasta was delicious as well. Some did nice job to find us a delicious wine. Samantha was a star read more

I wasn't there to experience the dine in experience because I chose to stay to workout at the hotel. It might have been a mistake based on how good the leftovers pasta i tried was. (And I even ate it cold because I was lazy and it was amazing!) Skip the workout to get some food Italian food read more

Excellent service and atmosphere. Beautiful restaurant. Food was very good but not exceptional.

This is a tough one. I love the look of the restaurant - there is ample outdoor seating and the inside has a cute cavelike feel (although there are quite a few steps to get to the indoor seating). The service was great and our waitress incredibly nice. Although our food looked amazing, every dish seemed to be missing something. The flavor profile on my salad was interesting - it was a radicchio salad, but definitely needed something sweet to offset the bitterness of the lettuce and had grilled corn that was lost in the dish. The short rib fell off the bone, but was pretty basic in flavor and needed a little salt. I had high hopes for this place but felt it was a little overrated for the price. read more

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The best food I had while visiting in Aspen, can't go wrong ordering anything on the menu. Absolutely unmatched culinary excellence. Jill is amazing as well!!! read more

This is in response to Jill: I recall drinking multiple cocktails and no wine in my visit. She could pull the receipts on that. Also not once did I have a wine question. Responses to critical reviews, from someone with "basic etiquette and courtesy" (lame comeback), should be a reflection of how you're running your business. You unfortunately decide to get offended each time some criticizes you, which only makes the reviewers statement more factual. Lastly, for the busiest week of the summer in Aspen, your restaurant was not full at the time we sat nor by the time we ordered our food. Sad on your part. Guess I'll have to eat at Matsuhisa twice as much now. How sad for me read more

Ellina is a great place! I loved everything about this restaurant- very upscale and cozy even in the outdoors with amazing food. Started the evening with cocktails - theh are amazing!!! Ordered a bunch of things for starters like the braised artichoke, fritters (I think) and tacos ( halibut and pork belly tacos were excellent, very flavourful). For mains, I got the shrimp pasta that had crumbled croutons, definitely a new take on pasta. The only dish we were disappointed in was the chicken Milanese.. it was very oil and had no flavours at all! Just plain soggy oily sandwich. The desserts were definitely the highlight of all the courses. Cream caramel was like nothing I've ever had before- so velvety and the right amount of sweet. The only thing we were disappointed about was our server. He was a bit rude and asked to place orders of all meals together with no proper explanation, or courteousness! Besides this, I do want to visit Ellina again. Oh ya this place is reservation only so book your table before for sure - they were pretty packed!! read more

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This place is SO good. Ordered the Artichoke Bruschetta, the Black Pepper Fettuccine, and the Ricotta Cavatelli and the Paper plane for my drink. 1. Make sure you make a reservation--we could see unhappy people getting turned away without one. 2. The paper plane is amazing. Although I had to wait forever (I think the bartender was backed up) it was so good I ordered it again. The bruschetta and the fettuccine stole the show for me. The flavor. The textures. The right amount of peppery flavor in the fettuccine. It was AMAZING. The Cavatelli was good, but the sauce was more watery/liquid like, which I wasn't a fan off. Overall a great experience and would come back to try some other entrees. read more

Jill, a reminder that you are in the hospitality business. I have been to so many lousy restaurants, yours included, that I don't even bother to rate any more. But you are really over the top as one of the worst restauranteur based on how you interact with your one star reviews. It was brought to my attention regarding the negative wine experience on 7/9 by one of your customers. As a serious wine collector with over 12,000 bottles of exquisite wines, your comment regarding a 2020 village wine is simply a joke. First, I can order a container for $30 each and for you to have an allocation of only 3 bottles of a village level wine ...... please And for those other 5 stars raters who claimed that your restaurant is the best in Aspen, please stop posting to save other diners from wasting their time and stomach. If Cache Cache and Matsuhisa is not on top of your list, you should just stop pretending to be a foodie, period. I have a home in Aspen and I visit Aspen four times a year. I have both owners of Cache Cache and Matsuhisa on speed dial and almost all their servers know who I am. Jill, you are way out of your league to be so rude to your customers. Please just shut your mouth and stop scamming your customers. read more

Fantastic dining option in Aspen. We'd go again. I'll start with the negatives, and finish on the positives, but they far outweigh the downsides. Only 2 gripes, one of which can't be realistically solved by the restaurant....b/c money talks. 1) At the prices of restaurants in Aspen, infants/toddlers really shouldn't be ruining the dining experiences of people paying hundreds of dollars to dine out. The parents are at fault, but a bold restaurant would ask the parent to take their child outside until they can properly behave. 2) I shouldn't have to get out of my seat to pour myself wine from the cooling stand. Now, the positives. They have a great wine selection and the sommelier knows her stuff b/c she had a story for the wine I chose, and it's not a common wine. They opened the wine and we tasted with approval. They put it on ice next to the table, but out of reach, while we finished our cocktails and enjoyed the appetizers. Unfortunately they did not come back to actually pour the wine until after our main/pasts dishes had been delivered. Just as I was ready to pour ourselves a glass, the waitress finally noticed our table and came over to pour the wine. They were busy, but not overly so that they shouldn't notice this on a modestly priced bottle of wine. Modest for this establishment anyways...they did have screaming eagle on the list. ooooph. A minor oversight on their part but it didn't really take away from the stellar food. The appetizers were delicious and perfectly balanced. Burrata of good quality is pretty hard to mess up, but they found a way to enhance every part of that dish. The artichoke bruschetta was simply outstanding. Don't skip this item in the starter section. For the mains we went of the house made pasta. We couldn't pass that up, and I was surely glad of that decision. Of the two pasta dishes we ordered, the Black Pepper Fettucini* pancetta, poached egg, parmigiano cream and Ricotta Cavatelli asparagus, prawns, tomato, garlic white wine, lemon breadcrumbs, the Fettucini dish was the clear winner. Just enough black pepper in the pasta to make it pop. The pancetta was some of the richest I've ever tasted. It's a very rich pasta dish, and I'd recommend a good white wine to compliment. We were both so full from everything that we couldn't even consider dessert. Honestly they earn a 4.75*rating. If the staff had been just a tiny bit more attentive I'd give them a 5. The screaming infant/toddlers? I give the parents 1* for being inconsiderate of others. read more

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The ambiance of the restaurant has a cool vibe, good drinks and that's about it. We were a party of 4, the server didn't even bother to ask me if I wanted another drink, overall service was extremely poor server never came by to check in us. The bussers did their job but main server was terrible. In addition the food was ok not excellent. Not sure if I'll return since there's a lot of options Aspen. read more

Ellina is delicious and has a wonderful atmosphere and Jill is lovely! It's always a pleasure to dine there.

My favorite restaurant in Aspen!!! The food is incredible. We had the roasted tomato soup, tuna appetizer, and goat cheese salad to start and all were delicious. The lamb chops were the best I have had! Melts in your mouth! Highly recommend ordering this! We also shared the spaghetti with pine nuts, burrata and marinara sauce. WOW!! As good as what you would get in Italy. The service was perfect and everyone was so friendly. Can't wait for our next trip to Aspen so we can eat here again!! read more

Ellina - Spaghetti marina almost completely eaten because it was incredible!!!!! - New American Near Me - Aspen, Colorado

This was our first time eating at Ellina and we were very impressed throughout our experience! The food was delicious, the staff were all very kind and knowledgable, and the owner, Jill, was wonderful to meet and spot on with wine and food recommendations. The restaurant setting is a beautiful, classic Italian cave-like space with gorgeous stone walls, soft (yet still supportive) lighting, an overall lovely space. We left stuffed and incredible satisfied!! read more

The most terrible service I have ever received at a restaurant. The owner is so rude. I would not spend a dollar more at this place. Don't waste your time! read more

One of the better served restaurants in Aspen wine is always a good choice Jill and her team are phenomenal always a pleasure always great food and wonderful service read more

I'm sure their regular menu is fine. My husband and I booked their dinner event for New Years Eve. We've done other dinner experiences for past NYEs in Aspen and this one fell flat. Drinks were not included, which would have been fine. But the "experience" itself was just balloons and a few streamers on the walls. No DJ, no champagne toast at midnight. To clarify, this was coded as a dinner experience when we booked the reservation. read more

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So many reviews about the very rude owner. Don't risk your precious time or hard-earned money at this restaurant. Take a look at the following 1 and 2-star reviews, and the owner's replies to those reviews. You'll quickly figure out the common denominator here. You'll find similar reviews about the owner's rudeness and unprofessional behavior on other platforms. Like Elena K on 3/15/23, Candy F on 3/26/22, Fran F on 12/11/21 who received a harassing text message from the owner , Paran J on 8/12/21, Dasha G on 8/10/20 ..... Ana P, John D, Urus L, Jonathan H, and the list goes on....... Read them. Do you see the common denominator? Mistakes happen. It's how you handle them that makes the difference. Most business owners address complaints professionally, apologizing, offering to correct problems and make things right. This owner is unhinged! Sending harassing messages to people who complain. She has a huge, arrogant ego. Even making up alternate realities of what actually took place. Take a look at other reviews and judge for yourself. So many other great restaurants in Aspen. Don't risk your time at this one. Read the other reviews that echo the same thing I'm saying. read more

I had the most amazing & romantic anniversary dinner here on July 29th. The food was out of this world. The service was so on point! We had the artichoke heart bruschetta, the peaches & prosciutto, the Baja halibut taco, the mushroom ravioli, and crème caramel. Each course was better than the next. We had a beautiful bottle of wine. Each course was beautifully served and the taste was superb! Ellina is truly one of Aspen's most delightful restaurants! I've been going here for many years and look forward to my next experience here I highly recommend. read more

One of the best bars in Aspen! Great local ambiance with a top shel bartender. You can't order wrong on the menu, everything is delicious. But their signature Bruschetta is an absolute must. read more

Called 2 times prior to our reservation because I got sick. I understood there was a cancellation fee and I accepted the matter. I courtesy called twice and then tried calling a third time to order take out because I wasn't feeling well enough to go out. I went online under "online order" and it didn't work. I started to assume the restaurant maybe wasn't open because they weren't answering the phone and the online order didn't work on their website. Anyway. The owner decides to personally message me and my friend 3 hours later. My friend was the one who called to order take out and wasn't even the one who made the reservation. read more

Ellina - Messages from the owner 3 hours after reservation - New American Near Me - Aspen, Colorado

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Ellina is a small, casual yet classy restaurant with an extensive wine selection that will please the wine snob!! The outside seating was romantic and beautiful. The pork chop was a nice sized portion and cooked perfectly. The Halibut was beautifully presented with a wonderful sauce. Outstanding service and food. A must try while in Aspen. read more

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Ellina is a cute restaurant right off the main downtown pedestrian street in Aspen. We decided to visit based on the great reviews and also because my co-worker recommended it. To start the ambiance is lovely. It was a chilly night when we visited in mid-September but there were people sitting outside on the patio anyway! Stairs take you deep down into a large dining area. When we got there at 7pm we were one of a handful tables, but as the dinner went on the tables quickly filled up. The menu has so many classic and familiar options, however I would say the dishes are far from boring. For example, we had the artichoke heart appetizer which came on toasted bread and was topped with an over easy egg. These are all familiar foods, but we're combined so uniquely and topped with an amazing sauce. After we finished that, we used additional bread to soak up every drop of that yummy sauce. My partner had filet mignon which was topped with mushrooms, and served with a yummy sauce and sweet potato tots. I actually had a decent amount of his food while we were waiting for my dish (I ordered salmon but chicken showed up instead!)... Maybe someone out there is looking out for me and wanted me to eat more of this yummy dish. 0:) I had the salmon which was cooked to perfection and served over a bed of crispy quinoa. Again, familiar ingredients but pulled together in a thoughtful way that maximizes flavor and texture. The sauce was also outstanding. Whoever is in charge of sauces must be a magician, because they were all incredible tonight. One setback for my experience was our server. Not only did he input our order wrong, but we were without water throughout the night. At the end of the meal, we told him we weren't interested in dessert and he brought one anyways instead of the check. It seemed like other tables were being taken care of and were being checked on by the owner of the restaurant, so I would guess this experience is probably not the norm. Overall I definitely would recommend Ellina to others. It's a romantic and delicious ambiance and I have never gushed over sauce more than during my time here. read more

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The food is phenomenal. Everything I get I love. This place is impossible to get into for a reason, it's constantly full but never understaffed. I absolutely love it. read more

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It wasn't half a complete table that's simply not true. We were missing two guests on a 7 top. I am fully aware of the rule regarding incomplete parties which is why I asked if it was okay to be seated while we waited. Like I said I have enjoyed meals here before so I was shocked by the reaction and service we received this time despite ordering plenty of food and drinks in the meantime. Also absolutely unaware there was a time cap on our reservation. read more

Ellina is relatively bigger in terms of seating than the other Aspen restaurants we went to, it a good bet if you are a big group. We started with the ahi tuna tartare which turned out to be my favorite. The combination of chips, tuna and avocado went well together. Next we had the barata salad which was just ok as far as the barata goes, but the beets were great. We ordered cauliflower soup which was on the heavy creamy side, they are good but nothing outside the ordinary. As for the main dishes went with the salmon and the roasted chicken. The roasted chicken was the better choice mainly due to the lemon caper sauce. Here are my ratings: Ahi tuna tartare: 8.5/10 Barata salad: 8/10 Cauliflower soup: 8/10 Salmon: 8/10 Roasted chicken: 8/10 read more

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Always always have to pay a visit to Ellina! It's so cozy and so delicious. Super classic. The salmon entrée is beyond, 10/10. Great drinks, vibe, and incredible service. read more

Overall pretty good didn't like that they had a split charge service was good except for the fact we waited 15 minutes for someone to come to our table to take drink orders. Food was good and overall recommend for a quick fine dining experience. read more

We ate here only once, and the food was exceptional in all respects. Can't give much credit for the ambiance, though. We rarely order steaks in restaurants , but their Harris Ranch New York Steak was perfect (not a word I use a lot.). Great tender beef, 100% consumable, exactly medium rare, and topped with a sauce that caused me to pick the plate up and lick it clean (just kidding on that part.) They charged extra for us to split it, but it came out like two individual servings. Expensive, but good value nonetheless. read more

The meal, service and vibe were 10/10. My good friends are locals to Aspen and said this was their favorite spot in town to meet for dinner. Jill the owner was lovely. She went above and beyond to take care of us. Willy at the bar was 10/10. Come here for dinner when you're in town. You will be happy you did. read more