Elsa’s Eatery

Looks like they are closed now. Guess the construction did them in :(. Sad because they had really good food.

I love the food. The service is great, but are they still open. Been by several times but they were closed.

Great chicken Caesar wrap! It’s not on menu but I get it all the time! Friendly service.

This place is just OK.
Went with another couple for dinner on a Saturday night. The food was pretty good, but inconsistent. The selection is good. I got the chicken parm. I thought this was good, real chicken pieces which I enjoyed, red sauce was good. My wife got the baked haddock special. Haddock was over cooked. Looked like a nice dish but when you ruin the haddock there is not a lot you can do to save it. Another member of our party got the Chicken Marsala which was good but his wife got a pizza. From reading the other reviews we were quite excited to try the pizza but tonight it was only OK.
The salads were large and fresh and the Risotto balls appetizer was outstanding.
The interior was old and dated. this is certainly a place that could use some cleaning up and improvment
Some stuff we had was good, some other was not so good. wish it was a little more consistent.

When I moved into the area, I was looking for a good pizza place and Elsa’s was recommended to me. While it’s not bad, it’s not all that great either. The pizza is okay, decent flavor, but I’ve definitely had better. For appetizers, the chicken quesadilla is very good and there is a lot of it. The sweet potato fries are awesome with the brown sugar sour cream, while the risotto balls were bland and tasteless, and the calamari are whole baby squid that had a very strong pungent smell. I didn’t eat them and immediately took them to the dumpster. The fact that they deliver the entire menu is a plus, but they close earlier than any pizza place I’ve ever ordered from (who closes at 10 pm on a Saturday night?). While they will do in a pinch, I’m still looking for an outstanding pizza place in Shrewsbury.

so i tried the white pizza and the cheese pizza today. They have got me… i will be visiting often now… i love thin crust pizza and this here is thin and crunchy, yet chewy and just soo good.

Extremely good pizza, thin crust, circular, cut into 16 squarish pieces.
The service was good, and there were plenty of people there at lunch.
Note: They serve IBC Rootbeer, which is both a pro (it’s good stuff) and a con (you only get one) this had no bearing on my rating.

Had Elsa’s pizza for the first time tonight. The crust is super thin and absolutely delicious! We had the four cheese, and an antipasto pizza. Each was cooked perfectly, and the cheese combo is so tasty! Best pizza I’ve had in Worcester. Comparable to anything on the North End. It’s not brick oven, but you wouldn’t know it. I will be eating there more often!

Stopped in here while randomly going through Massachusetts since my friend and I found a
deal. The pizza was pretty good and they had some local beer that wasn’t too bad either. It’s a pretty decent place to stop for a quick meal.

Stopped by here Last Saturday 11÷17÷12.
If all you read are the first few words, let me just say I recommend this place, and I plan on eating here again when in the Worcester area.
It’s easy to pass, since it doesn’t have a flashy sign or bright lights (unlike the other Italian restaurant a stone’s throw away). The atmosphere is alright. I liked the music in the background, kind of old-​timey Italian style. The service was fantastic, couldn’t have been better. Food came out prompt and hot. Server came by to check on us, seated in a timely manner, and no dilly dallying with the check. She noticed we were all set and we didn’t have to wait or call her over. The waitress was all smiles and bubbly and sweet. A+ on service.
The food was great also. We ordered the large Route 9 Pie and a Chicken Palermo sandwich. I can’t attest to the sandwich (since I didn’t eat it) but the person we were with said it was good. Take that for what it’s worth.
The pizza was excellent. It was one of the better pizzas I’ve had in a while. On the route 9 pie, they throw sausage, meatball, I think bacon etc on there. But what separates this from your run-​of-​the-​mill meat lover’s were the addition of peppers and onions. Man. That’s a perfect move and balances this pie perfectly. Thin crust too, gotta love that. Very big, can easily feed 4 people… so the price of $ 18 is well worth it. Not too saucy, not too cheesy, just right.
We had a couple of glasses of wine too with dinner. Reasonably priced, and once again-​served in a timely manner.
This place is very good, and the food (most importantly) comes out hot and delicious. I want to say I’d sample other dishes in the future, but that pizza is really tasty so I might just stick with that.
PS– I forgot to mention they serve free bread&oil before meal. Not too many restaurants do this anymore, so it was a nice touch as well

IOrdered for delivery took over an hour and a half after being told it would take 30 minutes driver was unprofessional, management lied to me, and food was cold and found unedible tomato core in ravioli. third time I’ve eaten there and it was the third time they screwed it all up not even a busy weekend night… never again!!!

I visit here 2 – 3 per year. This business has been under new ownership since Easter time 2012. I have to say that it has greatly improved since the new ownership.
Since the new ownership I have eaten the food from here on 3 separate occasions. The first time was an impromptu get together by a bunch of friends. We had a bunch of mixed appetizers. Every appetizer that I tried was creative and unique in come way and very good. The owner made a special vegan/​vegetarian plate for us. Yum. The bread was hot and fresh and apparently made from scratch onsite.
I took an entrée home for the hubby and loved that it was in a tin that you could put in the oven rather than having to nuke it. Plus they also sent me home with utensils and some of that delicious bread. Next day hubby said it was awesome.
The next time i had them was about 2 month ago at a outdoor event. They catered the party. I was expecting picky type food. They did have cheese and crackers and veggie platters but that was it for the picky stuff. I loved that the veggie were gourmet style cuts. Very fancy.
They also had salads. about 6 – 7 varieties of hot platters. including chicken, pastas, rice, fish, and meat. They had something for everyone. I was so stuffed and everything I eat as hot and very good. They even had pizza’s (and gluten free) for the kids. And for dessert we had cookies like they your mother made. Wow. What a spread and great food too. I would want them if i had a catering need.
I went there today for a Sunday brunch. The menu section is small but given that it was a brunch menu I think it contained something for everyone. It even had kids plates. (FYI the dinner/​lunch menu is larger). I had the German apple pancake. I did not why it was defined as ‘German” but wow. It was huge and I have no idea how anyone can finish it. It was lighter than a normal pancake (which is good because I am not a huge fan of pancakes because of their weight). This reminded me of a crepes in airiness. The orange juice was fresh squeezed and was so good.
The price was very reasonable given the portion and the fact that it was a brunch. I do not think i will be eating until dinner. I have left overs and i thought it a was great that they told me how to reheat it as I would have been at a loss.
Both times I ate here since the new ownership the staff was all very pleasant, the food timely and the refills and checking in frequently.

We had breakfast here today, trying out a new brunch thing they have going on Saturday and Sunday mornings. It was mostly a single page menu for the brunch with 4 – 5 beverage (non-​alcoholic) selections. They also had 4 – 5 alcoholic selections available.
The portion size was HUGE, and I could only finish ½ of it, and it was super yummy. Service was great, and the kitchen was speedy! After discussing it for a while, we decided I got a Bertucci’s vibe from them, if I had to compare it to a chain.
The parking is in back, and is right next to the door, there is no huge walk to get in.
I took a few photos, I’ll see if I can upload them here as well.

My family and I came to Elsa’s Eatery Italian Restaurant during their Saturday brunch hours. I was the only one who ordered from the brunch menu, while my husband, daughter, and son ordered from the dinner menu. Jeff and Julian Paquette, the owners, were very accommodating and came to our table to check on us and our food. Our waiter was friendly, fast, and personable. The food came to us quickly and was at the perfect temperature. It tasted delicious. We noticed other guests enjoying their meals as well. It’s obvious that these owners know how to please their customers. I will definitely come back and look forward to trying out other items on the menu.
Renee Sullivan

The waitstaff seated us immediately, friendly and helpful, but that’s about the highlight. The dining area was exceedingly small (we had to move our table to sit given the closeness of the diners at the next table) and LOUD with no attempts by parents or staff to quiet the shrieking children. On the menu, their reach exceeds grasp, with dishes that are well above the usual ‘Olive Garden’ and pizza place fare, but in execution it was bland and unappealing.
For nearly fifty dollars for two people, *without* alcohol mind, I expect more.

We ate here more regularly when we lived up the street but Elsa’s has been a regular stop for us for quite a few years. I always try one of their specials when we eat there and have yet to be disappointed.
They also have some of the best fries in the Worcester area.
The ambiance is a bit lacking though the recent remodel has opened up the dining area and made it lighter. It can get a little noisy when it’s busy.

I live closeby to Elsa’s and sometimes it is the only place open for takeout, so I end up eating here more than I might even like. I have tried much of the menu, and I’d give it very mixed reviews.
1. The entrees are decent. I think they are overpriced for what they serve, and its usually very heavy (I know Italian isn’t exactly known for being light, but I think this is more heavy than normal). Not especially inventive… but decent.
2. The sandwiches and wraps are really good, and I love getting them for takeout while at work. I especially like the mediterranean chicken wrap and the honey mustard chicken.
3. The pizza. Where to begin with the pizza. I initially gave this review 3 stars and then changed it to 4 solely because of the pizza. It is one of the best in the city. It has delicious flat crust and fresh ingredients, order the Tuscany if you have any sense of food. I recently convinced my work to change our weekly pizza takeout place to Elsas and you might have thought I was a golden god during pizza hour. We haven’t gone back since.
4. The atmosphere: atrocious. No lighting, no décor, and a cranky waitstaff. I would highly recommend getting takeout (and they deliver)

I was greeted with a smile and a very friendly waitress on a Thursday night. The bread came warm and their oil dip is delicious! I got the veggie calzone and my bf got steak tips, medium. My calzone hade fresh veggies and was very good. The crust was crispy and not doughly like most places. Now the steak tips were ordered medium but came out 5 mins after the calzone and also well-​done. But there was not much steak for the $ 16! Still surprisingly delicious but I would have liked my meals at the same time. It also got very busy mid-​way through the meal so we waited a WHILE to even get a check. Over all, the food was very homey and yummy so don’t expect gourmet but do expect to feel cozy and full.
TIPS: Turns out only one waitress on the weekdays even for dinner service. Also, tons of kids there so if you have a problem with noise or just little babies walking around then this place is not for you. Most important is that the entrance is in the back and the parking lot is accessed through the McDonald’s side. The door facing the street is actually an emergency exit.

This is a good solid place that’s almost always near empty or filled with only Blue Plate Special type diners.
The food ranges from eh to really good– I’ve gotten the baked haddock twice– the first time it was outstanding and the second time it tasted like it might have been previously frozen. Our waitress was very nervous and didn’t ask us what we wanted for sides– so when mine showed up with Spaghetti and sauce I was a little taken aback. I don’t like tomato sauce with my fish– but it was good.
Overall– this could be a great place, but it’s menu is way too big and no restaurant this size can produce that many things with all fresh ingredients so the end result suffers.
Still a pretty good value and if you’re looking for a stop on a Saturday night there is never a wait.

When I lived in Worcester, this was one of the places my boss and I would frequent for our «working lunches.» Okay, so we mostly just chatted, but it was a two person office… not much went on that we weren’t both heavily involved in to begin with!
Anyway, I haven’t lived in Worcester since July 2008, and let me tell you, I still drool thinking about Elsa’s eggplant parmesan hoagie with sweet potato fries. The fries come with brown sugar sour cream, which sounds weird, but tastes amazing. (I have made knock-​offs of this at home, and it’s also super simple!) There is just something about Elsa’s that makes my heart pitter-​patter. I had never been a fan of eggplant parm until I tried theirs… chopped up crispy bits of eggplant help keep your food in place (as opposed to giant slices which you might pull off the bread trying to bite it!).
When I make it back to MA, this will be one of the first places I hit.