This cosy little restaurant has become a firm favourite with my wife and I, we like to sneak in midweek when the atmosphere is still bustling with a lovely personal service from the owner. The starters were both fab with the Kilkenny beef being a winner but the main course of prawns stole the show! A generous carafe of wine was very reasonably priced. A rich coffee finished off a dull Tuesday excellently.

This is my favourite local restaurant. It is slightly more expensive than a lot of others in the neighbourhood but the food is consistently great. The staff are very friendly. The special of the day is usually fish, my favourite, and you cannot go wrong with it

We ate here on Mother’s day and the restaurant was very busy. We were lucky enough to be seated in the cosy seats at the window. The staff are extremely friendly and welcoming. The food was very good and the courses were well spaced out so we didn't feel like we were being rushed and really enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere.

Myself and my boyfriend ate in Ella Restaurant last Friday night. The food was delicious. My boyfriend had steak (the best he has ever eaten). Being a fish lover I was spoiled for choice. In the end, I chose the fish of the day (pan-fried salmon with mussels) which was bursting with flavour. The wine of the month complimented our meal perfectly. We finished off our amazing meal with ice-cream and Eton mess - yum. The staff were friendly and we were well looked after. Overall a very enjoyable night was had and its definetly a restaurant I would like to return to!

The welcome at Ella's was friendly and the service was very good. The menu has a variety of choices. My partner ordered the pork and I ordered the king scallops, nice portion size but not cooked to my liking. Overall its an ok place.

Visited Ella in Howth with a girlfriend on a Tues night in Jan for the early bird special. When we arrived restaurant was empty - about 5.35pm but friendly waitress ensured we were welcome. We both chose the fish special of the day ( panfried salmon with mash and mangetout) and when it arrived it was delicious.I normally have to add some pepper to dishes but the fish was seasoned to perfection. The restaurant had started to fill at this time and atmosphere was surprisingly good for a Tuesday evening. The waitress seemed to be on her own and managed the tables quite well but at times we did have to seek her out for drinks. Both of us decided to treat ourselves to a dessert and the apple & blackcurrant crumble and chocolate brownie are highly recommended. I couldn't finish the crumble the portion was so big. Would highly recommend an evening out in Ella

A lovely restaurant with great service....now I should say the afternoon we went it was snowing and only one other table was occupied so we did have the waitress all to ourselves, almost. Nice choice of courses and food all cooked beautifully. Really relaxed atmosphere and a lovely place to spend a snowy afternoon.

We went to a wine tasting night here, it was 5 courses and 5 glasses of wine for €45 each. This was great value considering the atmosphere of the night and the courses were fantastic. The restaurant is small but it was full for the wine tasting. Everybody was in good form and it gave it a wonderful atmosphere. The wines were lovely and really complimented the food. They brought out the flavours of the food to perfection. The theme was 'New World Wines'. The staff were so friendly and helpful. It was a very enjoyable night. I cannot fault the night, the atmosphere, the staff or the food. Fantastic!

Enjoyed dinner in Ella on saturday night. Found the food to be excellent but expensive for the portions. As it happens the portion was just enough for me but my boyfriend was left a little dissatisfied with the amount of food & if you like a good hearty meal, then I would't recommend coming here, unless you want to order a load of sides. service, while extremly friendly was a bit scattered & I just felt that I couldn't get the waitresses attention even though there was only another 3 tables filled. I started with scallops, at E10.50 for just two, complete with roe (uggh) was steep. He started with duck salad, which was supposed to include cashel blue, couldn't find it.. I then had seabass, which was amazing, very well cooked & a really nice fillet of fish. He had a steak, which was very good quality & locally sourced, both came with a small amount of potato & a very small dish of green beans between us. He had a choc brownie dessert, rather dry & we had a coffee each, with 1 glass of wine bill was E86 without tip, E30 alone for the steak, again, excellent food, but just a little too expensive for what you get. Atmosphere wasn't great either & restaurant was a little cold. Wouldn't rush back, but wouldn't completely rule out returning either.

I love this restaurant and it never disappoints. The manager/owner is a really warm and welcoming person and knows just the right amount of banter to make you feel welcome but not imposed on. I was here with a friend and I had the cannelloni to start, which was just delicious. My pal had the smokies, which she said were great also. For mains we both had fillet steak and both were cooked exactly to our liking. Presentation of food is excellent and each dish has a really nice twist in terms of sauces, accompaniments, etc. We hadn't seen each other in a few months, so we indulged ourselves in both a bottle or Sauvignon and a Portuguese red. There are 2 Portuguese reds on the menu, one the house red and the other at about 30 Euro. I can't remember the name of it, but it's a fabulous big full bodied red, similar to a Ribera del Duero. We both had coffee (probably needed after so much wine). Service was excellent and even though it was a 'school night' and the restaurant emptied by about 2130, at no stage were we hurried to go or made to feel we were keeping them open (which we were). Bill came to 70 euro per head when you include a 12% tip. Not cheap, but well worth it.

Myself and my husband availed of the excellent value early bird menu at Ella. The restaurant is located in the heart of Howth Village. While walking past at night, the interior is very inviting. The service we received from the staff was welcoming, friendly and attentive without being too intrusive. The food was beautifully presented and cooked to perfection. We had a bottle of the spanish white wine which was lovely too. I would recommend a visit to Ella for a romantic night out or dinner with a small group of friends. I wouldn't bring my young children as I didn't feel it was a restaurant I personally would. Mainly because of the lovely relaxed atmosphere and I don't relate relaxed to dinner out with young children :) I will definitely be back to Ella though.

The special offer of 2 courses for the price of the main course is available until 7pm on Saturday. We called in on spec but got a table for two no problem. We had french onion soup and smokies to start, followed by sea bream and the fish special (monk and gambas). The food was superbly cooked, service was friendly and efficient. Great choice of wines by the glass, reasonably priced This establishment really deserves to succeed and I will certainly be back. Hughly recoomended

Went for dinner in Ella in Howth last night. Have been there a few times but at the moment there are doing a special offer for 2 courses for the price of the main course. We both had starters and a main, my friend had coffee and we had a bottle of wine for €60. Great value for excellent food.

My girlfriend and I visited Ella on a sunny summer Saturday afternoon and were delighted by a €19 for 2 courses lunch offer that, considering the quality of the food, was an absolute bargain. I started with a deliciously creamy haddock and muscles chowder and followed it up with the extreamly fresh fish of the day (cod, muscles with a creamy and garlicly prawn sauce). My girlfriend had a cheese/mushroom starter which was tasty, if a little meagre in terms of portion size. The hake she had didn't fail to impress. Service was also excellent and was very friendly and prompt, yet quite unassuming. We both left very happy and keen to return.

A new early bird for the summer (2 courses for the price of a main) is great value. Menu may not be the most exciting ever, but always reliable, with friendly service.

Myself and my girlfriend dined in Ella last Friday at 8. We were greeted by the very friendly manager who let us choose our table. The restaurant was about half full. The decor was more café style than restaurant and although it was a nice June evening it was actually quite chilly at the table - jumpers were required. I had the seafood crepe to start which had nice pieces of chunky salmon and cod and a v tasty sauce. My girlfriend had the goats cheese in pastry. The pastry was definitely not fresh and the cheese was v hard. For mains I had the monkfish and scallops with gratin potatoes. It was a bit flavourless but the fish was v fresh. The girlfriend had Thai green curry with beef which was incredibly bland. For dessert I had the cheese plate which consisted of some v small pieces of cheese, tiny crackers, caramelised onion and some sort of green liquid. Not pleasant. The girlfriend's nightmare experience continued with her meringue which was a bit stale. Neither of us were drinking but the wine list seemed adequate. The one redeeming feature was the service which was attentive without being intrusive. The bill came in at a hefty €84. Needless to say I won't be returning to Ella as there are far superior restaurants in Howth which are much better value. It's a shame because the front of house staff are excellent but are being let down by the poor quality of the chef(s).

nice place in Howth,a bit cold and formal sometimes..bur still a good option,food is decent and fairly priced,back again when in Howth

I took my girlfriend for her birthday dinner here yesterday evening and it was a very wise decision indeed. It was not very busy in the beginning of our meal, around 7.30 but it became rather noisy later on but calmed down at the end. Needless to say, we spent a good 3 hours in the establishment and received very good treatment. For starters we had crab lasagna and pear/blue cheese salad. Both very tasty and recommendable. It was washed down with each a glass of rose' also worth mentioning. For mains we had monk fish and fillet steak, both cooked to our liking and equally delicious. The bottle of pinot noir was an excellent staff recommendation that we appreciated very much. Desserts were savory and came in the shape of banoffee pie and rhubarb strawberry crumble. It was a successful evening and very pleasant dining experience. Will certainly be back.

keep coming back to Ella. Yes Howth is the nearest place to eat out to where I live and yes it has loads of restaurant, but Ella snuggled away up in the village is something special. The service is always top class. Neither continously hovering around the diners nor totally ignoring - but knowing just when to interact with them. The food is fabulous if a little on the pricey side but hey you can always go for the early bird menu which is great value. The atmosphere is very relaxed and I've yet to leave disappointed in what I've ordered. In fact find it hard to eat elsewhere in Howth aa I know so Ella won't let me down.

Ate here yesterday, a meal for two. Get in before 7pm as their new special is that if you order a main you get either a starter or dessert free. We had the crab lasagna and a salad to start. Although the lasagna was very much a reheat it was non the less quite nice. Salad was very nice. Two mains were 10oz fillet steaks which were cooked to perfection and could not be faulted. Ordered a banoffee pie and a summer berry meringue for dessert. Meringue was lovely but banoffee was a bit of a let down. Priced at 7.50 you would expect a nice thick slice of pie, what was actually served was a tiny circular crumb biscuit base with a dollop of caramel and cream topped with a few slices of banana. Too small a portion for the price. Washed everything down with a reasonably priced bottle of pinot gringo. With the discount the bill came to 88 Euro which was good. Really though the mains stole the show :-) will definitely be back..... only before 7pm though.

Visited here last week with 4 family, how we was dealt with by the owner was , i dont know how to describe, she treated us like her kids, bossing us about and tutting, she must have done this to another table too as they smiled and gave me winced raised eyebrows, its a tiny room, so you can hear everything, and we could hear her having conversations with stafff that we should not have heard, as customers. we ate, the food was obviously cooked with thought and care, if a litttle miss guided at times. The seafood chowder was a mess, grey and over cooked with the use of dried herbs, i enjoy a nice fresh chowder, very hard to find. the french onion soup was very good, however was not served with bread. Mains fared better, one friend had a double meatballs for main course and was tasty, but quite cold. i had the steak, which was good with a good gravy and chips, best part of the dinner. we could not enjoy it though, as the owner was mumbling to herself and walking around in circles, shouting across the room to other staff or customers, she disrupted our entire meal, she was quite pleasant though, just way too loud and inappropriate. we skipped desserts and left. we were the only table in there at lunch hour. sorry for such a bad review but the menu hints at quality and the plaques outside the door mean this is a good place to go.

Small quaint restaurant, easily located in howth village. Has been quite any time ive been here, so you may have the restaurant to yourself. The food however is amazing.

Went here with three friends last week, best meal we have had out ever. I had the prawns for starters delicious, Main course the stuffed pork is out of this world. This is one restaurant we will be back to.They do not do an early bird but your starter is free with the main course so it was very good value. Give this a try , you wont be disappointed.

Had a fab meal here a few weekends ago. Have eaten here numerous times and i am never disappointment. Thay also has an offer on that any meal ordered befroe 7pm can enjoy a free starter, desert or drink, an excellent idea to get the punters in. Our meal worked out very reasonable because of this. The food was just gorgous and staff very attentive. The restauarant is a little on the small side but the food makes up for it. Will most definitely be back again.

I have eaten in Ella a couple of times, and I keep forgetting what a great little restaurant it is. The Early Bird is great value, and the food is amazing. On my last visit I had deep fried goats cheese with figs for a starter and hake bake for a main course, with a lovely glass of pinot gris. The food tastes like it should be twice as expensive as it is, but i'm glad its not or i wouldn't be able to go there!

We went to Ella having read the reviews on menupages and it didn't disappoint. We both had the mushroom to start which was fantastic. It was also served with some warm bread which was a nice touch. For the main courses I had the pork and he had the venison. We couldn't fault either. Even though we had gone in for the early bird we decided to go for dessert given that the rest of the meal had been so good. We shared a fruit crumble and again we were not disappointed. The service throughout was also very attentive. Will definitely go back.

This is one of my favourite restraunts in Howth and often overlooked because of it's location. Everytime I visit, they have updated the menu. This has also one of the best cheese boards I have had in a long time.

Went to Ella because of the menupages reviews, and they were right. It is gorgeous. The hostess/proprietor is super friendly and informative. They food was lovely. The wine was absolutely delicious. My only criticism of Ella would be that the space is more of a cafe space than a restuarant space, but over-all it is a great place to have dinner!

Hi Went here recently... Tables were a little close togeather, but not really a problem once you get seated & assuming there is not too much moving about. Food quality was excellent, would have liked one or two more options on the starter menu but otherwise, all very good. A little pricey for Fillet Steaks (€30 or thereabouts) & deserts (€7.25 - €7.50, as I recall) ... given the place is a bit cramped. However, I'd be very slow to go back there .... One of the staff .. not sure if she was the owner, the manageress or what but she's very rude to both her colleauges (as we saw demonstrated several times, with her putting them down publically etc) and on occasion, even a little rude to the customers. Definitely not what you want when you go out for the night. If this lady owns the place, then she needs to chill out or get away from the customers before she scares them off .... if she works for the owner, then the owner seriously needs to think about who is representing her business I'm afraid. Granted, everyone has a bad night once in a while and this could have been her's ... but either way, you don't let the customers see it !

Nice cosy restuarant with nice food. I took my mum here for lunch. It is a little pricey but the food is good. I had the Fish which was fab and my mum had the pork which was equally tasty. The desserts are amazing. I will go back.

Ella is expensive but well worth it... the food is superb and the girls on the floor are great fun. There is a great atmosphere in the restaurant. Highly recommend this restaurant...by far the best in Howth.

Mr EllaSwings & myself have eaten here on several occasions. The food has always been superb. The pork dish is particularly delicious and all fish dishes are incredibly fresh, as you would expect in a restaurant in Howth. The owner is an excellent hostess, who manages to interact with every customer & make them feel welcome. The food is a bit pricey but well worth a visit.

Ate here with my BPH a while back and was very imperessed by the food and service. Overall experience was great and would definitely go back again. Would be an excellent place for a private party due to the size of the place..

always have a great meal, have brought a lot of friends here and always enjoy it. great for private parties.

Ate in Ella on Saturday night and as always was not disappointed. As a group of friends, we nearly always go to Ella for someone's birthday. The service is lovely and friendly; the manageress is great. All the meals were delicious; the duck perfect especially. It is by no means cheap but for a special occasion it is the place to go. The only drawback is if you are unfortunate to be put on the high tables but that said, it is, in our opinion, the best in Howth.

Not the cheapest early bird really, but the fare was nicely cooked and kind of wholesome. The starter of tempura prawns were delicious, I just had a little taste, but regretted swapping a starter for sweet immediately. The main of chicken was nice enough, my only complaint would be the relative scarcity of side vegetables. There were three of us at the table and we had to share one portion of vegetables, which usually would be shared between two, so we felt hard done by. The fruit crumble for afters was delicious, just as it should be, with lots of moist fruit and a light topping, served with some ice-cream. Ella's is nice, but I wouldn't be rushing back as I feel there is better value to be had elsewhere for the early bird.

Ella has been good 90% of the time for me, I have had one or two poor main courses which I sent back to the kitchen and the complaint was dealt with efficiently. The food is imaginative and creative using local (I hope!) produce and is very tasty. The restaurant is more a bistro / wine bar server good food than a restaurant so do expect fine dining size tables. But I think worth it!

Great Sport best service in ages..and the food was super!! will be back for sure

A charming and friendly little place. Good wine list. Nice, clever menu, without anything fussy or frou-frou. One of the best on Howth.

Been to this restaurant on several occassions - most recently my dreaded 30th birthday! Ellas however definitely helped to ease the pain accomodating us all with the most fantastic food and service as always! Ellas is without doubt the best restaurant in Howth. The food is always fab and I highly recommend their scallop dishes or their monkfish when they are on the menu! Service is always excellent and especially helpful with the wine recommendations. Overall atmosphere is warm and cosy and exactly what you hope for from a restaurant of this size. Completely recommend this for any occasion from birthdays to those more romantic evenings...or even just for a simple glass of good vino!

A cafe with restaurant prices!! Sitting on bar stools in a cramped little area with barely enough room to eat. No thanks! Food was mediocre and what is shown on this website as the menu is not accurate by far. The girls who served us were nice but that is not enough to draw me back again. Thumbs down!

Love it, love it, love it. Have eaten here on several occasions and have never been disappointed. The staff are friendly and efficient, and there is a lovely local feel to this restaurant. Always a good atmosphere and the food is great. I can highly recommend the grilled fig and goat's cheese starter, while my steak was cooked to perfection. I love the fact that they source a lot of their food in Howth itself. Food is not the cheapest but there is no compromise on quality of produce which I like.

I went to Ella for the first time last night and I will be back again. We had the early bird which was great value...and you get to choose dishes from the regular menu. I had the scallops and crab meat topped with gruyere cheese for starter and fillet steak for my main - everything was cooked to perfection. The waitresses were really friendly too. We shared a creme brulee for dessert - yum! And the coffee was good too. A nice place for a quiet mid week meal

Excellent service and food. Staff were really friendly and the food was of a high standard. Only complaint if any was that my starter was small but the main course more than made up for that. As a veggie I was able to pre-order a meal before I arrived. Not something you get offered in other places. Will definitely be back.

Must disagree with last two reviews, I think Ella is a smashing place, my friends and I have dined there on three occasions and have yet to be disappointed. Food was superb, an early bird with the same quality as the a la carte, quite hard to find. Good, swift service, an enjoyable experience altogether, great wine list. Will return.

If this is the best Howth has to offer then it's safe to say I won't be returning. The menu selection is poor and the food was AWFUL. My steak was rotten, the fries were soggy and my friend's chicken was swimming on a plate of butter. The prices are higher than many of Dublin's city centre restaurants - €13.50 for 4 tiny battered prawns? The tables are on top of each other and the seats are very uncomfortable. In a word? - Yuck.

I had a dissappointing meal there last week which is a pity because it used to be lovely. My fish cake was cold. We were offered no bread. The salad leaves in my salad were 'tired'. My brother's pork was tough. With other restaurants around Ella will have to restore itself to its former glory!

Top class food and service at Ella's. We really enjoyed our first visit to this restaurant. The pork fillet with miniature apples was superb and the scallops and monkfish was expertly prepared and cooked. Not the cheapest restaurant but good value. Tables are quite small and close together, but this makes for a cosy atmosphere. We will definitely be back very soon.

Early Bird is superb value, fabulous food, good atmosphere and friendly staff. A firm favourite!!

I think this is the best restaurant in Howth. I've eaten there several times and I’ve never been disappointed. The food is great and the staff are always very friendly. The service is excellent and there's a lovely cosy atmosphere.

Thoroughly recommended. Fourth time eating in Ella's. Lovely food for both fish and meat-eaters, good wine list, good service and about the same price as other good restaurants in Howth. Early bird menu is particularly good value.

This is a lovely cosy wine bar. Seats are fairly close together but it doesn't feel too cramped. Portion sizes are generous and I would definitely return.

Good quality food produce, cooked exceptionally well. I believe that you can judge most chefs by their cooking and presentation of a steak; and this has the best in Howth. Quite expensive, but worth it for a treat. The dinner menu is much better than the lunch menu.

Expensive but good, great wines nice and relaxing