Elaia - St. Louis

Wanted to give this place a try after reading a lot of great reviews. We tried the tasting menu. It was very subpar compared to other tasting menus in fine dining restaurants, even around St. Louis. The best description of this place is that the menu has a bunch of items with an eclectic mix of ingredients that are hit or miss. I think a few will appeal to each person but overall it’s just an different vibe. Also, the restaurant has a very extreme feel to it. Not very warm and friendly or welcoming.

From the amazing service to the highest quality flavors, I could not express my appreciation of this place. It was truly a fantastic experience and worth every dime.

The restaurant is small, and although we had a reservation we had to wait for our table, but the management comped our drinks and brought us an appetizer while we waited. The wait staff (Lauren) was personable and knowledgeable. It was a fabulous meal.

The food was very, very good however the portions were ridiculously small. I actually laughed out loud when I saw my husband's entree which was a remarkably thin sliver of chicken breast, not more than 3/4 of an inch wide, and one exceptionally small, narrow celery stick with something on top of it. While the flavors are there, for the price, you shouldn't walk away hungry.

Even with a reservation we had to wait 30 minutes to be seated. The staff was very apologetic and did their best to make up for our wait. We weren't in any hurry so it didn't bother us. It was well worth waiting for, the food was amazing and we enjoyed every bite. It was a wonderful dining experience and can't wait to go back!