It's not entirely simple to describe Ella's Deli to someone who's ever been there. It feels a bit like what would happen if Willy Wonka retired and opened a Jewish Deli in America's Dairy State.
The Madison restaurant started out as a small deli serving the Jewish community, but they opened a second location and that has grown to become a staple of the city and state landscape. No Wisconsin childhood is complete with a meal at Ella's.
The place is filled from top to bottom with animated and animatronic displays - many built by the owners and their employees. There's so much stuff packed inside Ella's, it's difficult to know where to look. Each table is different, featuring glass tops with everything from trains passing through to magnetic mind games.
It's a children's dreamland, complete with a two-page kids menu and a 12-page dessert menu. But parents will leave full and satisfied by scratch-made dishes.
Three seasons a year, no trip is complete without a ride on the carousel.
Please note, Ella's Deli is permanently closed.
Situated on one of the main streets in and out of Madison, Ella's is hard to miss.
Before you even park, you can tell a meal here is going to be something special.
I remember longingly staring out the window every time we drove into Madison and didn't stop at Ella's.
A Madison - and Wisconsin - institution, Ella's has made every top list Madison has to offer.
While a place like this could rest on their kitschy decor to keep people coming back, Ella's also just so happens to have some of the best food in the city.
Ella's has been under the same ownership for nearly 50 years.
Most everything that comes out of the kitchen is scratch made, from matzo ball soup to roast beef and gravy.
From hearty sandwiches or homemade soup to whimsical slushies topped with cotton candy, Ella's will satisfy the young and the young at heart.
Ella's dessert menu is 12 pages long. Seriously.
There's unique and inventive stuff like the Zanzibar chocolate floating in espresso sauce, but there are also 27 different flavors of ice cream to enjoy on its own or in any number of different sundaes, including a bunch featuring grilled pound cake.
If you're going to Ella's, you have to ride the carousel.
Open in Spring, Summer and Fall, the carousel is the cherry on top of Ella's whimsical sundae.
A 1927 Parker Carousel, it's been painstakingly restored.
Every year when the temperatures drop, Ella boards up their carousel to protect it from the elements and make sure it's around for kids to enjoy for years to come.
Ella's is chock full of entertainment from wall to wall and floor to ceiling.
One of the best things at Ella's is watching young children be entranced by the types of toys their grandparents played with.
You might have a hard time getting your kids to sit still or focus on their food.
There aren't video games or tablets here, just old-fashioned moving parts to delight and entertain.
Every tabletop is glass and each diner gets a different expereince - at this table, use a magnet to move shavings around until your meal comes.
These little piggies might give you nightmares, but they sure are unique.
More than one cuckoo clock moves and chimes the hour.
Even the Beatles make an appearance.
A trip to Ella's really needs to be on every Wisconsinite's to-do list. It's a step back in time and a step into a storybook. I'd be hard pressed to name a more unique restaurant in Wisconsin.
Looking for other odd Wisconsin places to grab a meal? Check out 10 Uniquely Themed Restaurants That Will Transform Your Wisconsin Dining Experience
Update: Ella's is currently closed and up for sale.
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