Elaine's

Had lunch and absolutely loved the food. A glass of Riesling with Crispy Brussels was a good start. I adored the marinated Branzino, light and super tasty. The Poached pears was yummy too. Would to return for their brunch. Love, Olan

Elaine's made a great renovation at this place. The best of all is the food was fantastic⭐💫. We took the chance to go for restaurant week which I had bad experience with different restaurants, but not at Elaine's, I enjoyed every dish I had everything was made with caring and love❤️.... wait, if you are surprised about the cocktail price🍸🍹 don't it's totally worth it! Not sugary or fake additives all fresh. The dessert... backlava for sure! Of course the service was super nice, I can't remember the young guy but thanks for making our experience great. We are definitely coming back.

Our first visit to Elaine’s was nothing short of memorable. The moment we were seated, we were warmly welcomed by Cynthia, the owner, who shared the exciting news that it was Alexandria Restaurant Week, and they were also celebrating Chef Sameer’s first anniversary at the helm. They had crafted a special menu for the occasion, featuring a fusion of Jamaican and Egyptian cuisine—a nod to their roots, with the owner being Egyptian and the chef Jamaican. Though we arrived late and missed out on the anniversary menu, Chef Sameer graciously offered us a taste of his creations, and we were fortunate enough to sample his hummus, jerk pork, and jerk chicken. I have to say, we struck gold with the Jamaican dishes—each bite was a revelation. The jerk pork had a delightful crisp on the outside while remaining tender and juicy inside. The jerk chicken was a masterpiece, with a perfect char that elevated it beyond your typical jerk chicken experience. I truly hope these dishes find a permanent place on their menu, as I’m already craving more! We also indulged in the braised lamb, and it was divine—the meat practically melted in our mouths, so tender and succulent. Our server, Muna, was exceptional, always attentive and ensuring our wine glasses were never empty. We had the pleasure of chatting with her about her Ethiopian heritage and cuisine, which added a lovely personal touch to our evening. In the end, we felt right at home at Elaine’s. I’m already looking forward to returning, especially to try Cynthia’s famous martini!

What an excellent new gem! Diversified menu with a Mediterranean vibe. The owner and staff are delightful. Michael took care of us and we loved everything! I got the Shakshuka and my friend got the pancakes. Sadly we demolished everything too quickly so no photos but the coffee - both lattes and drip (we tried both) were exquisite. We will be back! Highly recommend!

Elaine’s is phenomenal! They served some of the most delicious Mediterranean food I’ve ever had, with the hummus and the fava bean dip being particularly notable. We got the steak, the moussaka, the roasted chicken (pictured), and the lamb shoulder (which was very popular) and all were delicious! The drinks were fantastic as well, and the server was very welcoming and attentive! 5 stars all around

A superior evening earlier this week trying out the new Egyptian menu at Elaine's Restaurant, presented by their new chef, Sameer Hunter! With an eclectic, authentic menu, friendly staff, and a fine dining vibe, this is a must-visit establishment in Old Town, Alexandria. They also have an upper-floor library room, where they host free literary events all the time.

The food is amazing, fresh, savory and authentic! A lot of vegeterian and vegan options!

I came here for the second time tonight and was just as impressed as the first time. We had the cauliflower and falafel, which were both delicious, and the fattoush salad which could have used just a tiny bit more acid. We also had the aubergine which was amazing, the chicken shish which was perfectly tender and juicy, and the lamb, which is a MUST have. The service and atmosphere were both wonderful and I can’t wait to come here again!

Our visit to Elaine's restaurant was truly remarkable. From the moment we stepped inside until we departed, the owner and staff provided exceptional service, making us feel like VIPs. The delightful blend of Mediterranean and Egyptian flavors in both the drinks and food was truly outstanding. I wholeheartedly endorse this charming, family-owned establishment.

The staff and owner are very friendly and made us feel very welcomed. The atmosphere was great with wonderful music that paired well with the cuisine. The food…we love Mediterranean food, but the spices and seasonings used at Elaine’s provided a unique culinary experience. We cannot wait to go back and try other items on the menu! We had the grilled halloumi, beet salad, lamb fattah and mousaka . All amazingly delicious!

Exceptional service, top quality food. We enjoyed both the bar and restaurant areas - great cocktail and beer selection and nice happy hour offerings too. We got the fava bean dip, steak shish and scallops, as well as the rice pudding. Honestly everything was super tasty and we can’t wait to come back.

Elaine’s is probably one of the best restaurants in Old Town! I tried their food for the first time and it was nothing short of amazing— it tasted so fresh and flavorful. The owners are so kind and make you feel so welcome! Overall an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone!

5 stars!! Beautiful place, amazing food and service. Went for a birthday brunch and enjoyed everything we tried. Chef Sameer does a phenomenal job adding bold flavors to an already impeccable menu. Will definitely be back.

Highly recommend! The food, service and ambiance are outstanding. I thoroughly enjoyed my strawberry French toast. It wasn’t too sweet and the crust was the perfect texture. People at my table raved about their food and I made a mental note to get a “Bloody Mary” next time. Everything was beautifully presented, and the restaurant had many exquisite touches including lovely china, teaspoons and fresh flowers. Thank you, Elaine’s!

I took my husband here for a birthday brunch. It was fantastic! I had cardamom pancakes that were scrumptious and my husband had the lamb & beef shakshuka. Also yummy. For dessert we shared a piece of the pistascio baklava cheesecake. That was amazing! We're planning to go back for an evening meal. Also, they make incredible cocktails and I'm planning to take a friend from out of town there who is mad for cocktails. I highly recommend Elaine's!

The service was superb. The food is quite good (had the shrimp and some appetizers), although my friend found the chicken to be dry. I recommend the signature olive oil martini if you like martinis. The atmosphere is cozy, there are several different dining areas and they each have their own vibe.

We loved our time at this restaurant. Not only was it visually stunning but the food was incredible. Every bite was flavorful and fresh. We ordered the baba ghanoush and the crispy brussels for starters and both were excellent. For entrees we ordered the cauliflower steak and moussaka and those were also top notch. I will be dreaming about this meal. The owner was so kind and welcoming and our waiter Michael was so very thoughtful and attentive. We loved chatting with him during our time there!

The food was incredible!! I had the Koshari bowl, hummus and the pistachio baklava cheesecake. I'm going to go on a limb and say the Koshari bowl is the best thing I've ever tasted. It is so flavorful. I can't do it justice trying to describe it. The pistachio baklava cheesecake was made to perfection. The hummus was good as well. I would definitely rate a 10/10! I stumbled upon this gem in trying to find restaurants in the area that are seed oil free and I came across Elaine's. I'm so happy I did! Highly recommend!

I had a really wonderful experience at Elaina today. We were three people for dinner, and I especially enjoyed the chicken shish, harira soup, hummus, and the hot pita bread. The service was excellent from the owner to all the staff, and especially the staff member at the front who handles the cashier and welcomes guests. He was amazing, greeting us at the door, and seeing us out with the same warmth. I truly appreciated his friendly and respectful attitude, as well as how professionally he handled the situation with one of the servers whose behavior disappointed me from the moment we ordered until the end. Despite that, I strongly recommend this place. Looking forward to visiting again soon.

Phenomenal customer service- thank you Michael! We’d gone for brunch and we recently went for dinner. They have beautiful decor, gorgeous bar area, and wonderful food. There is an upstairs too with a library area. I am gluten free and they are knowledgeable about their menu items with plenty to choose from. The owner introduced himself and was friendly and loved complimenting his wife and her family in the most endearing way (a lot of the menu items are from her family). Drinks are great too.

We were greeted by one of the owners of the restaurant, and everything was amazing from there. This is now our favorite restaurant in Old Town! The intimate and calming atmosphere really brought everything together. I recommend the pistachio martini, the moussaka, and the cheesecake. We will definitely be back!

This little restaurant was just delightful for our brunch. The interior is lovely and comfortable. We had late lunch and all ordered from their brunch menu ( though the lunch menu was offered. I ordered the cardamom pancakes with maple syrup. I have to say these were some of the most delicious pancakes I’ve ever eaten. They smelled divine when they were set down in front of me, and the flavor was perfect when the house made cardamom butter was added. I’ve never tasted this combo before, loved it! The rest of my party equally thought their items were delicious: French toast, pistachio crepe and Egyptian omelette. The staff were so friendly and welcoming. Great hospitality overall.

Elaine’s is truly a special place. Food, service, and ambiance are fantastic. A true gem in Alexandria! If you love Egyptian food you must try their Koshary! I especially enjoyed the mousaka and steak kebabs. Cynthia is so welcoming and kind. I went with friends and we will dine here every time we come to Alexandria.

I ate at Elaine’s tonight and the food was stellar. I went in with a party of 5 people, four of us who have eaten at great restaurants all over the country, and we were all impressed. The flavors are really delicious and unique, the portions were generous (not obscene, like at chain restaurants) and the ingredients were high quality. The fava bean dip is to die for and I loved the branzino that I had. I will definitely go back if I ever travel to Alexandria again.

We had such a wonderful experience at Elaine’s! The food was absolutely delicious — the cauliflower steak was cooked perfectly, and the Alexandrian shrimp was full of flavor. Our waiter, Michael, made the evening even better with his friendliness and attentiveness. He made sure we had everything we needed and gave great recommendations. Highly recommend this spot for both the food and the service!

Modern Mediterranean. The atmosphere of Elaine's is pleasant, though possibly a bit too loud, and may benefit from some sound dampening and softer corners. London's Olive Oil Martini is a well balanced and intensely flavored with olive oil and rosemary gin. Made with an award winning house blend. The marinated beets are lackluster in its presentation, and lackluster in flavor. Falafel are conceptually a good dish, but is lacking in sauce and presentation. The Steak shish is perfectly marinated, nicely tender, excellent char broil. Potatoes are well seasoned, the pepper onion salad is perfectly prepared. The dipping sauce is nicely seasoned and peppered to compliment the steak and heighten the flavor. The baklava cheesecake has a rose petal topping, along with the Carmel pistachio flavor and is the most interesting part of this dessert. The baklava crust is not enough to hold a cheesecake together, thus relying solely on eggs, starch and an extended bake time to hold the cake. In total, not worth getting again. I do look forward to trying other dishes from this chef, and look forward to experiencing more Egyptian Mediterranean flavors.

I have mixed reviews about this place but it was my first time so it is worth another visit. The brussels sprouts and the salty feta appetizers were phenomenal. The wine was also really good. For our main dishes we ordered the grilled mix and the moussaka. The steak in the mixed grill dish melted in my mouth. It was incredible! As for the lamb and chicken, they were good but I think I may not be a huge fan of lamb. The chicken had an incredible crispy skin but was slightly dry. The moussaka had a very interesting flavor I was not accustomed to. Mostly because there was hardly any eggplant. I love Greek style moussaka but this is not that. It is a different variant that was good but wasn't memorable for me. Like I said, I will come back and try a few more dishes to determine if I want to return more times in the future. Also, the place is quite pricey. I don't give ratings based on price. Only based on flavor of food.

Located in Old Town Alexandria, Elaine's offers a cozy ambiance and introduces you to middle eastern cuisine with a flair of European influences. First things first, the thing always on my mind...parking! There is a little across the street that is a $10 flat rate- a convenient option. If you don't mind parallel parking and some walking, there are some 2 hour street parking zones--but this was hard to find on a friday evening. There are some 3 hour free parking zones a bit further away, that were still available. Re: Food. I think the appetizers hit the ball out of the park. We ordered the halloumi goulash (per owner's recs), calamari, and hummus. All delicious! My friends got the koshari and I got the scallops (may not have been the best scallops I've had but the fava bean puree was the highlight and really brought the dish together). I heard the koshari was good- I had a bite, and it was good but I was glad I ordered something else. The popular dishes seem to be the halloumi goulash, steak, koshari, and branzino. My pistachio martini was interesting and different; next time, I'd like to try their espresso martini. My friends got the baklava and the phyllo- wrapped brownie, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Service was good, our waiter was mostly attentive and would frequently check in. We did; however, flag people down for refills of water and drinks. I was a bit disappointed when we weren't notified that there would be an extra cost for additional pita bread. One of our members asked for a little more pita bread to finish off the hummus...which after looking at the receipt that I texted to myself, I noticed we were charged an extra cost. I'm not complaining of the cost, but I feel like we should've been told this. I think it was a nice touch that the owner and the chef were making rounds and checking in with the tables. The chef was very kind/ personable; he knew exactly what we had ordered (despite plates being cleared) and notified us that they have brunch on the weekends and have seasonal menus. The owner had checked in and offered suggestions at the beginning of our dinner, and told us that she names the restaurant after her grandmother. This is probably just my subjective feeling, but I felt like she was just speaking to my tablemates with body turned toward them (it had me wondering if it was because I was the only non-caucasian member of the trio). I had also made the reservation and asked for a nice table, away from the hustle and bustle as some coworkers and I were celebrating International Women's Day. Our table was okay, but it was right in line to the door and kind of got cold. The upstairs appeared to have a nicer ambiance with a "library" type of feel. TLDR; cozy ambiance, good service, appetizers were great.

Came for Restaurant Week, glad I did. Some people may consider the portions small, but perfect amount for me. The food was well presented and flavorful. I chose items I won't normally pick and was not disappointed.

Everything felt personalized. The decor and ambiance were excellent and the service was top notch. Food was honestly just okay. I will definitely return because I had such a lovely time.

Very attentive staff. Food nicely plated. Owner very gracious. Delicious branzino and tasty lamb shanks. The Brussels sprouts appetizer were tasty.. competitively priced.

Elaine's is a cozy upscale restaurant in the heart of Old town Alexandria that just serves average Mediterranean fusion food. Sure the food looks great, but its the taste that equally matters when you are paying top dollar. The hosts were lovely and food comes out quick, but its not a place where I would want to go again. If you love taste in your food, you have better options in Old town. The only things i recommend on the menu are the fried cauliflower, brussel sprouts and the fried Calamari. I hope you see what I mean with these recommendations; you can get the same stuff at better places.

I tried this place during Restaurant week because it shares my name. The food was delicious! Service is IMPECCABLE. Thank you Nicholas and Jeffery. It felt a little incomplete like each plate could do with a sauce or a whip cream on the side of the dessert. The grilled shrimp was PHENOMENAL I wish I could have ordered that as my entree! The beet salad definitely had beets I do wish it had more goat cheese. Grilled salmon was yummy but multiple people at my table ordered it and the sizes varied greatly. The potato’s underneath had the most flavor. The baklava was good baklava. However, the phyllo wrapped brownie was very rich and not very sweet.

In the beautifully renovated space last occupied by Bilbo Baggins is Elaine's. The modern vibe is laid-back quiet elegance. Named after the owners grandmother Elaine...the menu is inspired by the owners early years growing up in Egypt and includes influences from around the globe. The owners are lovely, warm and are genuinely delighted you came. We were seated upstairs in a spacious dining room that I had a feeling was not fully decorated. If I'm incorrect in that assumption, something needs to be done. Our server was energetic and attentive. It became clear he may have been over seated as he had us and a huge table of 8-10 people, perhaps more. I ordered a dirty Titos Martini. It may be the best Martini I've ever had. Shaken so cold the ice crystals survived the trip upstairs and thru a couple sips. Perfectly dirty and smooth. My companion enjoyed a tasty Vino Verde. The Meze & appetizers were a bit of a conundrum. They were priced similarly and having ordered from both sections our 5 shared choices were portion sized generally the same. This felt more Tapas to me and should just be featured and priced as such. Highlights were the Grilled Halloumi and Egyptian Stuffed Cabbage. Disappointment was the Egyptian Pickled Veggies. Portion was too small for the price and was 80% beets and 20% unrecognizable veggies that looked and tasted like the uber flavorful beets they were pickled with. Our entree choices were the Zucchini & Squash Mousaka. It was beautifully plated, creamy, rich and slow cooked with Grandma style flavor. The other was the Koshari. Stacked in layers this dish looked inspired and tasted delicious offering a unique combination of Ingredients. The problem here was again the portion sizes. These dishes were appetizer size in most other restaurants and were unfortunately not priced accordingly. Elaine's is a lovely restaurant. The owners are delightful. Their intentions are good. They are so close to being fantastic. This ship can be righted. They need some guidance. We're rooting for them. I can't wait to come back to see the improvements.

We went for lunch and decided to try the Nile Journey. Sofra platter, mezzas and dessert. Lots of food and most very good. I'd have given the food 4 stars but the desserts were both dry. Service was pleasant but slow. Not sure why. It was a late lunch and there were very few people in the restaurant.

I expected more. Maybe it was what we ordered, ... we loved the salty cheese plate. But the rest was a bit plain is flavor. The room is more spacey than what i expected, with nice seats , but could use more deco, maybe Egyptian papyrus, or pyramids. There were no choices for natural juices like guava or other typical in Egypt, only sodas, tea, and coffee. Would have loved to find chocolate or pistachio halva (halawa) dessert. The baklava was ok, a bit soft.

Having been to Egypt multiple times I automatically lower the bar for any US-located Egyptian food. I was looking forward to my first trip here with friends, but was unfortunately disappointed. The cost is way too high for the quality/portion size of food. I often visit small plate restaurants, but $28 for one subpar shish tawook is outrageous. The food was okay in taste, but nothing that stood out. The restaurant was decorated cutely, but it was SO hard to have a conversation with people at our table due noise. Noise reduction installations should be made. It took 30 minutes for servers to take our orders, 20+ minutes for each drink to come out, and 70+ minutes for our food to come out. Service was friendly, but management really needs to work out the quirks. I usually give restaurants a second shot, but I think I would only come back to visit the bar and hope it doesn’t take 20+ minutes for a drink.

I am a local repeat customer who has always enjoyed dining at Elaine’s. Tonight’s experience was very disappointing. For $46 I got 3 thin lamb chops that were cooked until they were dry and tough. A woman whose job appeared to be control of the lighting system and general hovering around the dining room was arrogant, dismissive, and rude to us. You lost a customer tonight.

First, we were really excited about eating at this restaurant, and I love Mediterranean food. When we arrived, the space seemed a little tight, but we like close, intimate experiences when dining out. However, we were seated and waited about 10 minutes before a waiter came over to get our drink orders. After we placed our drink orders for two pistachio martinis, which were actually good. However, after waiting for 20 minutes and watching them sit at the bar, I had to go over to get them on the bar, and they were literally warm. We placed our orders for the salmon in white wine sauce and the lamb shish. After about 30 minutes, we finally got our orders. The salmon was literally disgusting. It was white and dry as paper, and not a speck of pink or orange in it. After a few minutes, the host and owner/hostess came over and asked how our dinner was. I expressed concern about the salmon being white, dry, over-cooked, and not resembling the website photo at all! I've never seen salmon look white and dry. In addition, this salmon had no skin or seasoning on it. The owner/hostess came over after some time to ask about how it was, and I was honest about what I thought, and she asked if I wanted anything else, and I politely said no thanks. She offered a free drink as comp, and I got a margarita. However, it also sat at the bar, and the bartender who came to assist another unsatisfied couple seated next to us had to go get their own drinks and silverware. They were pissed, and we were pissed! In addition, another couple seated near us also expressed that it took an hour for them to get their dinner, and they were really unhappy! The waitress came to check on us twice. The two couples next to us had similar complaints about their waitress. It's really a shame. We were really excited about eating there. Their advertising online did not live up to what they provided, not only to us, but to the tables near us. All three tables were really, really unsatisfied. Don't waste your money! Like seriously!

I came here for Valentine’s Day. Unfortunately this was my first and last visit. I was not attended to by any waitress until I had to motion for the manager. Branzino was could’ve used more flavor. Afterwards, the owner then stated I was double booked and implied I had not paid my bill when I had. She went on to explain they were unable to accommodate the volume of patrons that evening, which is not my responsibility as a guest. She mentioned dinner would be on her next time, but it should have been comped that night given the experience. I will not be returning.