Ellison’s Bistro

Ellison's Bistro, 14 Charles Street West, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Ellison’s Bistro is an intimate and welcoming restaurant specializing in Caribbean cuisine. The walls of the restaurant are painted a warm, rich burgundy and the pops of yellow provide a perfect balance of brightness. The restaurant has about ten tables and the bar is tiki style but with a sophisticated and updated twist.

The soup of the day was a pumpkin and sweet potato soup. This is a thick and chunky soup with an exotic sweet and spicy taste. Other equally flavourful and unique soups include the pepper pot soup  and black bean soup.  All three soups are hearty and perfect accompaniments on a cold winter’s day.

Pepper Pot Soup, $6.95

The entrées are an assortment of fish, goat, lamb, veal, beef and chicken as well as a variety of vegetarian dishes.  There is the Veal Westmoreland which is veal scallopini stuffed with onions and avocado.  There is also beef, chicken or goat wrapped in roti and served with seasonal vegetables.  I had the jerk chicken with seasonal vegetables and rice with beans.  The chicken was bursting with rich, exotic flavours while the vegetables and rice were lightly seasoned.

Veal Westmoreland, $18.50

Chicken Roti, $12.95

Jerk Chicken, $12.95

For dessert I decided to try the crepes with fruit which included slices of pineapple, mango, strawberries and blackberries. It was a perfect end to the meal.

Crepes with Fruit, $7.50

My three course meal was well over two hours but each course was prepared with care and quality. The server warned of the long wait during busy times but the evening was pleasant and alternated between tasty dishes and humorous conversation. Ellison’s Bistro serves unique dishes in a cozy environment and is definitely worth a visit.