Ellis Gourmet Burger in Rotterdam

Not often do I go to a restaurant that leaves me so disappointed that I feel like I should make an account on a food review app just to be allowed more words to properly elaborate my issues regarding the dining experience.

Let me say right away that the staff did a good job, and they're in no way responsible for the feelings I have in this review. They earned their tip.

I used to love this place since the first time I went years ago and they had some risky special burgers of the season available and advertised on little cards. One of those at the time I went, back in Belgium, was a snail burger. It was so weird, I had to try it. My friends called me crazy, but it tasted delicious and it was reasonably priced to boot. I don't know if they still have a burger of the season anymore, it wasn't advertised anywhere at all. That was my first clue something was off. Perhaps, my previous wonderful experiences every time I have gone to an Ellis establishment as a rare treat has colored my view a little top much, but a man's gotta say what a man's gotta say.

Two of my siblings and I ordered the Black Lamba. It seemed interesting enough, being lamb meat. The burger I got was accompanied with a garnish of crumbs which were apparently bits of cashew. They had more flavor than the actual burger patty. It was as if they thought the nice savory sweet pulled meat stacked on top would make up for it. It did not. Each bite, I was left wondering why you decorate your establishment based on the American immigration going through Ellis Island and then you use zero of the spices made historically more accessible through ship trade. The burger bun itself was fine, but understably not much to write home about. I got nothing to say about that, you would of course want the burger toppings to come through more than the bread. The only greens on the burger were some little rocket greens. I thought that might work. It did not. They were entirely lost in there. This burger felt too safe. So safe, in fact, that it became dangerous. Dangerously bland.

The drink I got was called "Rumble In The Jungle," but it was far from a rumble. It was a leisurely stroll through a citrus orchard on a spring morning. A refreshing drink, for sure, but not worth the price and not doing justice to its name. In fact, it didn't taste much different from a Radler, which would have been the far cheaper choice. In fact, all the cocktails were shockingly underwhelming. It is like Ellis has grown afraid of flavor. It needed more rum in that RUMble. The big lemonade from before they changed location from closer to the Bijenkoorf was far better and far more affordable.

The onion rings were fresh out the oil, which was very nice. Sadly, the oil had stuck to them a little too much. While fresh and with a nice taste to the dough, the onion itself was not playing along. It was perhaps a little bit too thin. The barbecue sauce that came along with them was also a bad fit. It was far too sweet.

The most flavorful thing in my meal was the poutine, which had what tasted like a basic gravy. The poutine was the star where the burger should have been, and there was just a bit too little of it when I'm expected to pay extra for it compared to other side options. The sweet potato fries weren't bad either, and they came in a pretty normal portion size

I understand that working with limited space makes them unable to diversify their menu as much as is listed on their website, and I understand recent events made many establishments have to increase prices to be able to pay their overhead costs, but I honestly feel like I could have gotten a more flavorful and more generous experience at another more local American-inspired non-gourmet burger place called Johnny's.

All in all, it was food, but we traveled a long way expecting the old Ellis. Sadly, it either changed or my memories of it were a little too rose-tinted. Ellis no longer stands out to me.

I remember they had an old ad campaign they wanted to run, where they'd ask "Who the f*ck is Ellis?" Good question.