Old Town Scottsdale continues to welcome a new generation of restaurants, and Ella on the Park is among the fresh additions. Located inside Hotel Solaya, the restaurant introduces an ingredient-driven Modern American menu rooted in Southern flavors and traditional smokehouse techniques while embracing the vibrant energy of its Scottsdale surroundings. Overlooking Scottsdale Civic Center Park, Ella on the Park combines thoughtfully sourced ingredients, an inviting indoor-outdoor design, and a lively social atmosphere, making it equally suited for date nights, celebrations, happy hours, and leisurely dinners.
What is the atmosphere like at Ella on the Park?
Designed to feel bright, welcoming, and connected to the park just beyond its doors, Ella on the Park at Hotel Solaya seamlessly blends indoor and outdoor dining into one cohesive space. The restaurant accommodates approximately 150 guests and is anchored by a dramatic 360-degree bar that naturally becomes the dining room’s social centerpiece. Floor-to-ceiling openings connect the interior with an expansive patio overlooking Scottsdale Civic Center Park. As temperatures cool, the patio is poised to become one of Old Town Scottsdale’s most desirable places to dine outdoors. Inside, the design favors understated sophistication. Curated artwork adds playful moments throughout the restaurant, while warm finishes allow the food, cocktails, and company to remain the focus.
What is on the menu at Ella on the Park?
Leading the kitchen is Executive Chef Brian Paskvan, whose culinary philosophy centers on craftsmanship, heritage ingredients, and traditional cooking techniques. During his time at Momofuku Ssam Bar in New York City’s East Village, working with products such as Benton’s country ham helped shape his appreciation for thoughtfully sourced ingredients and process-driven cooking. At Ella on the Park, that influence is evident throughout the menu, where Southern flavors, smokehouse traditions, and carefully selected products come together in dishes that balance comfort with refinement. Drawing on relationships with specialty producers across the country, Chef Paskvan has also introduced several heritage ingredients and small-batch products that are rarely found elsewhere in Arizona.
That commitment to sourcing extends throughout the menu. Ella on the Park is Arizona’s exclusive partner for Bill-E’s Bacon, while its rotating selection of artisanal cured hams comes from renowned producers in Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina. The meal begins with shareable starters that showcase the kitchen’s thoughtful approach to familiar flavors. The Smashed Avocado Dip pairs creamy avocado with green tomato chow chow and charred jalapeño, served alongside crisp chips for dipping. The Hog Heaven offers a rotating selection of Southern hams accompanied by house-made pickles, red eye gravy aioli, and benne seed crackers, while the Steen’s Braised Pork Belly combines tender Beeler’s pork glazed with Steen’s cane syrup over silky cornbread purée. Rich, savory, and exceptionally tender, the pork belly is one of the menu’s standout dishes.
Signature Smoked Meats and Southern-Inspired Entrées
The entrée selection continues Chef Paskvan’s ingredient-first approach while showcasing the restaurant’s signature smokehouse techniques. For a lighter option, the K’s Cobre Salad combines slow-smoked pulled chicken with avocado, Medjool dates, goat cheese, candied walnuts, and a bright pink peppercorn vinaigrette. Guests looking for a classic steakhouse experience can opt for the New York striploin, featuring 1855 Prime Black Angus topped with herb butter and served alongside creamy mashed potatoes and charred carrots.
One of the menu’s defining sections, appropriately titled All the Smoke, highlights proteins prepared using traditional smoking methods. The BBQ beef ribs sourced from Arizona’s K4 Farms are paired with chayote, green apple, and celery root slaw, pickled red onions, and charro beans. The jidori half chicken is brined for 24 hours before smoking, resulting in exceptionally juicy meat served with crispy smashed potatoes, charred leeks, and smoked garlic. For a more casual option, the Pulled Pork Sando layers slow-smoked Beeler’s pork with Carolina Gold sauce, bread-and-butter pickles, slaw, and Tabasco onions on a Noble milk bun, served alongside fries. To finish the meal, the Kentucky Bourbon Butter Cake arrives warm with local Cracker Jack gelato and Buffalo Trace caramel, providing a rich Southern-inspired ending that complements the restaurant’s comfort-driven menu.
Signature Cocktails, Wine, and Beer
The beverage program complements the restaurant’s Modern American menu with a selection of handcrafted cocktails, wines, beer, and zero-proof offerings, all centered around the striking 360-degree bar. Among the signature cocktails, the Devil’s Peach is a stand-out, combining jalapeño-infused Pueblo Viejo Reposado tequila, Cointreau, fresh lime, and peach purée. It is perfectly balanced, allowing the subtle heat and sweetness to complement rather than overpower one another. Guests will also find an approachable wine list, local craft beers, and creative cocktails that make Ella on the Park just as appealing for happy hour or an evening on the patio as it is for a full dinner…