Ella's Deli

cockroaches. My boyfriend and I wanted to try ellas ever since we moved to madison, as he had seen a show on food network showcasing the restaurant. We got in and the place was dimly lit, but lots of cool crazy stuff all over the place. We ordered our food and about 5-10 min after ordering I saw a large cockroach scurry across my table. I told the hostess and left. The worst part was seeing all those people with their children who didn't know they are eating at a restaurant with a cockroach infestation.…

Fun Dining in Madison, WI. Always on the look-out for the unique and unsual, and based on the many Chowhound posts, we decided to try Ella's Deli in Madison. The first thing you see on driving up is a big, colorful Carousel with prancing wooden horses painted in a rainbow of colors. On walking inside, you are spellbound by the diverse collection of animated displays. Everywhere you look you find something to catch your eye and remind you of your childhood. Everything is bright, colorful and fun to watch. Everywhere you look something is moving, flying turning, or rollilng.

Although the restaurant was crowded (around 4pm on a Saturday) we were seated almost immediately. Our polite and friendly waitress appeared right away and took our drink orders (2 diet cokes with a shot of vanilla) while we read the menu.

Having enjoyed deli food in Chicago and Los Angeles, we quickly looked for our favorite dishes. We decided to start with a bowl of Chicken Matzo Ball Soup, followed by a Corned Beef Sandwich w/Potato Salad. We also added a piece of Kugel.

The chicken soup was delicious, and the matzo ball was tender but not too soft. The corned beef sandwich was good, but could have been served on a darker rye bread. The kugel was sweet and moist, with just enough crunchiness to the outer egg noodles. Everything had a delicious home-made taste.

We have no young children of our own, we usually do not frequent places that are so kid-friendly, but we enjoyed the look of wonderment and amazement on the faces of the children, who were well behaved and not a distraction.

We enjoyed our meal and hope to return the next time we're in Madison.

Ella's Deli

2902 E Washington Ave

Madison, WI 53704

(608) 241-5291

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Save yourself! DO NOT EAT HERE!. Oh my GOD, I cannot believe Ella's is still in business. When I was in college, I worked there for 2 illustrious days. When I quit (after the longest 2 days of my life), the manager told me "that's funny - the last 3 employees quit after less than a week, too." HERE'S WHY. It's a miracle the restaurant hasn't been shut down due to health code violations. I was hired to be a server, but found myself on the line, making sandwiches within minutes of punching in for my first shift. The surfaces are wiped down with the same dirty, non-bleached, cold and slimy rag - all day. The "break room" was also the baking area - complete with dishes and ashtrays (!!!!) on the rolling bins that hold the flour, oats, etc. The place is NASTY. Even if the food were stellar, which it is not, I wouldn't let anything in that restaurant touch my mouth.…