Ellis Square Social

Great atmosphere! Friendly service, food was excellent, drinks superb!

Cool place for the area. Cocktails were really well made and the proportions and garnishes were done correctly (which in the area could be hard to find). BBQ was alright definitely didnt blow my doors off. If any suggestion could be made for the spring menu definitely an emphasis on sharing plates and streamlining the menu a bit.

What a great surprise! A friend of ours told us that Ellis Sq. had changed their menu to BBQ, so we decided to try it. We strongly believe that the restaurant industry is being unfairly punished due to Covid, when the facts and science say otherwise, so unfortunately there were only a few people in the restaurant on this Saturday evening, but we loved it! We split the house salad and it was superb!! The greens were actually deep green (not light green or yellow as most restaurants serve). The Feta was great and the cucumbers fantastic. I had the fried chicken and it was one of the best I've ever had. Perfectly done - crispy crust and moist meat. The Hoppin John side (black eyed peas, bacon and jasmine rice) was really tasty, My wife had the shrimp and grits and loved it. We finished with the chocolate cream pie desert (mint Oreo crust with chocolate pudding and whipped cream served in a glass) - outstanding! Our server was right on it and very helpful. Prices are very reasonable. We'll be back in the near future and will order to go as well. Highly recommended!!

Sat at bar. Not many other people there (Covid). Bartender was knowledgeable and helpful with food choices. Cocktails were great. Upscale BBQ. The Thai ribs were awesome. Beef cheek burnt ends phenomenonal. A little pricey for portion size, but food was fantastic.

We love it here and we are so happy to see them surviving during these tough times.
All food items were great with terrific flavors

The food and cocktails were great! Our server was super friendly and accommodating. We felt safe with the COVID-19 restrictions in place.

Fantastic food! Fantastic wait staff! Fantastic service! All done with appropriate social distancing and attention to new time guidelines. Very impressed!! Can’t wait to visit again.

We hadn't been back since the menu change, to say the least we loved the cuisine and experience previously. With that being said,we were truly impressed with the new options. From a zesty Caesar salad, Thai pork ribs and chicken fried steak we loved everything about our evening at Ellis Square Social.

Can't wait to visit again.

Absolutely delicious! Great food and great service. Really nice spot if you're visiting the Salem, Mass. area!

This is our 3rd or 4th time visiting this location over the last few years - it was Barrel House originally and now Ellis Square. They changed the menu up now and thought we'd give it one last shot. The ambiance is great - love the vibe of the decor. But they now serve southern bbq - doesn't go with the restaurant at all. The food was meh. Nothing to write home about but not terrible - also pulled pork was DRY. The best things were the french fries and mac n cheese. The Menu is also really hard to read and understand. Unfortunately we've written this restaurant off at this point. Such a bummer as it's in a great location and like I said, the decor and vibe is great.

The most amazing food and cocktails!! We’ve been here twice in the last month and it’s our new favorite spot. Todd, the bartender, is super personable and makes excellent drinks.

The barbeque was amazing. They had a very impressive drink menu as well. The waitress was very helpful in explaining anything we had questions about and even recommended a few drinks that ended up being very good.

Excellent southern food served in a clever format. I am a southern girl and I think the chef got the tastes just right. We were nervous about eating inside, but we were distanced far from the next table, so felt comfortable.

The food was delicious. Service great. With no heaters or tent, it was quite chilly sitting outside, but still a fun experience.

Our waitress was super sweet and gave us so many recommendations! The food was great and not over priced! Get the corn bread it’s delicious 🙃

some menu items need detailed descriptions so you know what you may want to order

Great food and ambience.

Really good cocktails; minimal appetizer selections; both people in the party ordered ribs and one person got fully cooked, delicious ribs and the other got ribs that were undercooked; alerted the server to a food allergy and still got served food that contained a dangerous food.

Food was good, service wasn’t great. We sat outside and waited long periods of time for our server to bring drinks, food etc. even though the restaurant wasn’t that crowded. If you are a party of two you sit in the alley vs. outside on the street which wasn’t my favorite. Probably wouldn’t rush back.

Great food service felt rushed. Just finished App entrees showed up. Overall B-

Food was incredible!! Best BBQ I have had up here so far. Portions are a little smaller than what I would like but are definitely made up for by the quality of the food itself. Highly recommend!

The Food was outstanding!
We had the BBQ platter with cheese grits. The brisket melted in your mouth and the pulled pork paired well with their vinegar based cole slaw. The cheese grits were so good I wanted to lick the jar they came in. A definate must when in Salem!

Food is very good but the portion is small. Definitely recommend the grits with shrimp and the brisket.

Excellent food and one the best waiters I have ever had! We loved it.

We ate outside at Ellis Square Social in the center of Beverly. The tables are well-sanitized between diners--we watched ours being cleaned, and were told we had to wait 10 minutes to sit down afterward, which we did. The street is fairly quiet and the service and food were both wonderful. It's tough to do a better bbq sauce than my husband's, but they managed, and the chicken wings are fantastic--just the right amount of bite and not too much batter. The cocktails were splendid as well. Oh, and our waiter was fantastic, very patient about explaining menu items and quick to bring us things like extra water and napkins. We'll definitely go back!

The four of us were seated quickly but it took 10 minutes to put in a drink order and another 10 minutes to receive it. Not many people at tables but only saw two servers. We were there almost 40 minutes before we got our meals. The meats were not tender at all. The brisket was a good cut with nice fat; someone doesn’t know about “low and slow” cooking of BBQ. The brisket was just not cooked long enough to become tender. The pulled pork was the same, shredded but not tender. Sides were good - Jojo Fries and slaw were good. Service was really slow. We did get dessert. The server delivered the check and told us they needed our table. We had been there just a little less than 1.5 hours and the website said parties of 4 get 1 hour 45 minutes. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the service was not so slow. Didn’t appreciate getting the “bums rush.” Not likely to return to this place. Not recommended.

Favorite location wanna support during pandemic- but much preferred previous menu. Looking forward to the day when the menu is more varied

Amazing whiskey and cocktail selection. Steak tips were perfectly cooked as well.

This is the first place I have gone where we were seated outside on a main road, so I was ambivalent about whether I'd like the experience. I couldn't have been happier and the food was amazing, and the wait staff was attentive without hovering. I loved being outside, as it was quieter than a busy indoor environment. Nice variety of cocktails and fantastic beer selection.

Food and service was great. Portions are not for a big eater. Very clean place and all COVID precautions have been taken care of. One flaw I noticed was they leave the front door open I guess to make it easier for the wait staff to bring the trays of food out to the outside tables however it lets the inside A/C out and the flies in !!! Just saying.

They’re doing full on bbq now, and it’s the best I’ve had. Plus the shrimp and grits will haunt me in the afterlife.

We had an amazing experience! Service was great and the food was excellent. will be back soon for sure.

New BBQ menu surprised us in a very positive way - loved the beef rib and shrimp & cheesy grits entrees. Very thoughtful menu and fills a gap here in Beverly. Seemed to fit the outdoor setting well. Nice cocktail and by the glass wine list. Matt was terrific server. Just missing a little music outdoors!! Overall unexpectedly awesome experience.

The food and indoor ambience is wonderful but the staff here sends the place above the top. Incredible drinks from knowledgeable and friendly bartenders and great waitstaff. Even during the pandemic, they are par excellence at Ellis.

Inside dining In a beautifully designed boutique restaurant. The service was outstanding and the food was exceptional. We will definitely go back. The bartenders are not just making simple drinks, they are works of art.

The simple barbecue menu was tasty
The meet was savory and soft and the corn muffins were almost like corn pudding.
Todd is the most knowledgeable bartender ever so helpful. His drinks are top notch.

Awesome place with great food and cocktails

Great ambiance and food.

Great place. Love the ambience and vibe. Food and service superb!

I went to Ellis Square Social on a Saturday evening before a show at The Cabot. The service was excellent, the drinks and food were really great!