Ela, the Mediterranean restaurant replacing The Original El Taco in Virginia-Highland, opens Tuesday, Feb. 20.
Last March, Fifth Group Restaurants closed its popular Mexican restaurant after 14 years on North Highland Avenue, promising to bring “something fresh and new” to the neighborhood.
Rather than centering on a specific culinary tradition or cuisine, dishes at Ela lean into the flavors, ingredients, and cooking techniques shared among countries throughout the Mediterranean region. (Think Greece, Turkey, and Morocco and dishes of tamarind-date pork, fire-roasted harissa chicken, and marinated lamb sirloin with mushroom shawarma.)
A ras el hanout sauce made from warm spices like cumin, ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon accompanies the Moroccan hot chicken. Pickled cabbage, goat cheese, roasted peppers, and harissa aioli top the lamb kofta burger. The Indian River pompano comes seasoned with togarashi and dressed with capers, olives, and potatoes. Look for a gyro stuffed with feta cheese scrambled eggs, avocado hummus, crispy potatoes, and hot sauce, and Turkish hash made with braised lamb shank and poached eggs during weekend brunch.
The bar features cocktails mixed with aromatized wines, ingredients like sumac shrub, and spices such as baharat. There are also wines available from the Mediterranean region and mead from Monk’s Meadery in Virginia-Highland.
Ela opens for happy hour daily, followed by dinner at 5 p.m. Late-night hours on Friday and Saturday should begin Mar. 1, with weekend brunch starting Mar. 2.
Take a look at the dinner and happy hour menus for Ela below:
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