Elk Ave Tavern

This place is awesome! Everytime.Try the specials at least once. Staples are the Burger, Chicken Sando, Cheeesesteak, loaded Shrimp quesadilla and buffalo cauliflower.Came in for a late lunch on New Years Day and had the burger and French Onion Soup.

These are the guys that owned the food truck, Cibi Cibi. They've had this location for about a year. It's located downtown adjacent to a large public parking lot. The food truck no longer operates at Slow Play Brewing.I got there @ 1130a right when it opened & it was full by the time I left about 40 min later.I had the shrimp quesadillas, it had maybe 2 shrimps, it was packed with jalapeño pepper jelly sauce that had my eyes watering. I got two orders to go as well. One was the hot chicken sando, medium hot. It was my 'go to' when they had the food truck. They also had a special, turkey melt with bacon which I ordered as well.I sat at the bar & had good service from a young man named Hunter. Sadly they don't have a web site so you can't see the menu or order on-line.It's in an old building, not much ambience and very dark inside.

Elk Ave is still a hot stop several months after opening - we had to wait a few minutes to be seated. As a confession, I never ate at the Cibi Cibi food truck. However , I can see the reason why people still talk at about it and are cheering for this new restaurant. The food and drinks are excellent and the portions are ginormous "take-out bag" sized.My first impression walking in for lunch was, "boy, is it dark in here". Definitely styled in the tavern spirit - dark wood tables and floors, painted walls with "period" portraits, limited "candle-setting" lighting. I needed my flash for the food photos (a couple didn't come out) and my phone's light to read the menu.My wife has been reviewing the Facebook and Instagram sites for the daily specials. When the house-made pastrami Reuben was highlighted for lunch we had to go. She loved it! (And literally made two additional lunches from it at home.)Our daughter had the Jasmine Rice Bowl with chicken and also raved about her dish. The pickled veggies that came in the bowl were a big hit.The single disappointment was my lamb burger. Sadly, it was overcooked, crumbly and dry. Shame on me, I should've specified its preparation (especially after I heard a couple at another table order theirs well done) and/or returned it. Sidebar - ground lamb should be prepared medium, otherwise you're seriously impacting the flavor and texture of a meat you've paid a premium for. If you're concerned with under preparation I suggest ordering the cheeseburger.We definitely enjoyed our lunch here and plan to return.

Wow what a meal! I was a frequent customer of Cibi Cibi food truck when they were at Slow Play Brewing. Same folks now run Elk Ave. Street parking right out front and plenty of lots nearby. We were seated immediately and the server was there quick. She was very patient with us as we were there for a business lunch so not in a hurry. Started with the beef nachos. Wow! Very good. The presentation was excellent. Plenty of beef. I got the chicken sando (level 3) with Brussels sprouts. It was as good as I remember at Slow Play Brewing and so much spice. The Brussels were excellent. Cannot wait to go back. Highly recommend.

As a new resident of Rock Hill, my wife and I finally made it to Elk Ave Tavern. We had heard good things and those things were true. The operating hours are odd so check with them if you plan on going. We went on Tuesday night around 6pm so it wasn't very busy. We decided to sit at the bar. Very cozy, dark wood environment which we love. Our bartender was Russell who was excellent. We decided to sample a few things. We had the French onion soup, chicken skins (spicy) and the hummus. Everything was amazing and prepared different than we are used to but will definitely have again. Prices were reasonable and the cocktails were amazing. This will definitely be a regular hang out.

Based on the popularity and high ratings for this place, we came early for lunch...and there was already a line outside!The place was quite small and quaint, but had a really nice ambiance...an authentic tavern vibe. They really did a great job decorating the place. Nice music overhead, great A/C, and all that as well.The service was great as well...fast and friendly.Unfortunately, the thing that disappointed me right off the bat was how their lunch menu was so skimpy...and they didn't offer the flatbread pizza, THE thing I came for! We had to resort to the few choices on the menu...my husband got the Cheesesteak with Brussels Sprouts, and I got the Buttermilk Chicken Sandwich with Brussels Sprouts. Well...frankly, I just didn't love it. First of all, the buns were cold!! Huh?!? I can't believe they couldn't take a few seconds to at least microwave the cold buns. The Chicken was thick and crispy, but the toppings (lotsa pickles and radish) were totally sloppy and just didn't make for a great-tasting sando...at least for me. Brussels Sprouts were good, but I wished they were crispier. My husband felt the same...the Cheesesteak wasn't anything to write home about. Just like my Chicken sando, it looked totally sloppy and greasy...and underwhelming. Sadly, we just felt that these sloppy-looking dishes didn't match the price points. If the popularity of this place is based on these hand-helds, I'm totally confused. I know that many customers might have been Cibi Cibi fans...but based on what we ate today, we left scratching our heads.If they had the flatbreads, which actually looked quite good (not sloppy like their hand-helds!), this review might have been altogether different. Just didn't get why they couldn't add the flatbreads to their super-skimpy lunch menu. We were told they only serve flatbread pizzas on Fridays? WHY??Maybe we'll try them at least once more...if only to try the flatbread pizza. As much as I liked the vibe here, it's a shame that the foods managed to disappoint. Hopefully I can upgrade the review...should I be able to try that flatbread pizza, and it's better than their sandos??

This was my time here. I came back to get my exact meal again lol. The loaded shrimp quesadilla with the Brussels. The Brussels are crunchy and so good. I also tried the buttermilk chicken sandwich with a Cesar salad. Both were good. We were enticed to try the baked mac and cheese. It was ok to me, I couldn't put my finger on one of the cheeses but still a solid dish. The service was good and I love the decor . The pricing is moderate so bring your wallet lol.

Everything was great at Elk Ave Tavern. A bit of a wait so grabbed a ridiculously expensive cocktail at Rock Taco while we waited. Elk's espresso martini was duhlish (so says my friend that ordered it), my cosmo was on point. Hard to get a good cosmo out these days. Disco fires were perfection. The double burger. Damn. So good. And the side of brussel sprouts were perfectly charred, roasted, seasoned. Yum! Definitely coming back. One minor suggestion... y'all need a phone number. I'd like to come back for my bday in a couple weeks and want to see if you take reservations but can't find a phone number. My party would be at least 6-10 people so don't want to take a chance having to wait too long on a Saturday night. Help!

I knew this was a 5 star before I sat down. I've been to cibi cibi food truck since the beginning and end and I love what these guys are doing. They know food and it never disappoints. Their new restaurant Elk Ave Tavern is now open for business and everything from the atmosphere, to the music, and to the wait staff; we had Emma (very polite and attentive), was fantastic. It is a little dark inside but that's the only thing I noticed that could be a negative. The food was out of this world good. I had the fish and chips (special) and I beg that they make it a staple on the menu cause it was so good and flavorful and seasoned perfectly. Pizza was also a huge hit, dough is exactly as described in the menu, thick and crispy and soft and airy. Highly recommend stopping by and I will be here frequently for date nights and family night out!

We knew this restaurant had to be good if it was owned by the same owner as Cibi Cibi. And boy, it exceeded our expectations. The ambiance, service and vibe was fantastic. Casual yet still elevated. Started with the jalapeño hummus. Great flavor (very low spice level) and sourdough was perfect . The hot honey pep pizza was so tasty. If you like your pizza crispy I would ask for it to be well done. Now hear me out- The jasmine rice bowl itself was out of this world. The flavors of their sauces with the crispness of arugula and fried chickpeas and cauliflower were amazing. I paired with their salmon which was good as well.All their portions were pretty large and everything was very reasonably priced. Felt like we got a bang for our buck! Can't wait to try their cocktails next time. We will be back (asap)!!