If you're looking for a wonderful restaurant experience let me tell you about Essence! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted by a trio of smiley faces – the host, one of the owners, and his absolutely ADORABLE little girl. Talk about a warm welcome! Let me tell you, the space was like a dream – meticulously decorated with a bar that had beautiful warm lighting that made everything glow. Now, let's talk about the staff – they were the real MVPs! Going above and beyond, they treated us like royalty, offering impeccable service, fantastic food recommendations, and even tips on how to snap the perfect Insta-worthy photo. Speaking of food, oh my taste buds! Everything we devoured left us utterly speechless. Overall, spending the evening with the Essence team was an absolute delight. Each person exuded joy and enthusiasm, creating an electric atmosphere that kept us smiling throughout. I've already got my eyes locked on that coveted Chef's Table for my next visit! Essence, you've won our hearts and taste buds – can't wait to be back for another unforgettable experience!

To say we enjoyed ourselves is an understatement. As soon as I made the reservation for my birthday the experience was top notch. With a hand written card and a dessert on the house you can’t go wrong. The food was amazing, the hanger steak was unreal. The service, atmosphere, and of course the food was all superb. Can’t wait to return.

The name is fitting because “Essence” truly is the essence of a great dining encounter. From the outgoing and attentive staff to the eclectic menu and top notch drinks and food, Essence embodies a big city dining experience but much more accessible and affordable! Brad and his staff understand the meaning behind good customer service and that is further enhanced by the high quality of the food and drink. Our pre-dinner cocktails were exceptional (can I just say that smoked old fashioned with the walnut bitters is among my favorites) and the oysters on the half shell with the cucumber jalapeño hit it out of the park for me (and we eat a LOT of oysters). Both the asparagus soup my husband had and the cauliflower soup I had were delectable. My beef Wellington was the best I‘ve had and my husband’s Elk Chops were utterly divine. We loved the cozy yet elegant decor and fantastic music, too! If you’re looking for a great atmosphere, incredible service, and top notch food & drink, Essence needs to be at the top of your list for places to try! Well worth the 80 minute drive for us. We will be back (often!). Thank you, Brad, Sebastian, Devon, Joe and the rest of the Essence staff for an amazing night!

5 ⭐️ dining in Elkhart! My fiancé reserved the coveted “Chef’s Table” for our engagement/anniversary celebration and I can say without any hesitation that it was a dining experience unlike anything I have had before. The greeting we received upon entering this beautiful establishment set the tone for the evening: warm, friendly, cheerful and full of excitement. We were then shown to the coveted table located in the kitchen, directly behind the bar, where we found a wonderful hand-written note from Brad (one of the owners). We were immediately served champagne on the house in honor of our celebration, which was crisp and refreshing. From then on, the night was a dream. The uniquely prepared and ever-changing courses of the “Chef’s Tasting Menu” were beyond compare with any dishes I have experienced. The Chef, and co-owner, Juan would explain the art-like dishes in superb detail and have our mouths watering before we took the first bite. Speaking of first bites, the flavor combinations of each course were so beautifully complex yet perfectly paired that we were often literally left speechless. From the sauces and seasonings, to the main components, each course was immaculately prepared and presented. You could truly taste the passion Chef Juan has for preparing amazingly unique dishes. The staff, front and back of the house alike, were all beyond friendly and helpful the entire evening. Being located in the kitchen, we also got to experience how fluidly and cohesively the entire staff worked together. We consistently heard staff speaking words of appreciation to one another throughout the night, without any sense of frustration, regardless of how busy they were. Essence is an amazingly unique, yet definitely much needed in this area, restaurant that should not be passed up. Whether you dine at the bar, a traditional table or at the impeccable Chef’s Table, your experience at Essence will be one you’ll likely never forget. I know it was for us. Thank you to Brad, the talented beyond compare Chef Juan and the entire staff of Essence for providing us with a night to remember. We will definitely be back! 🌺

Our experience was amazing. Avery was a great waitress and had wonderful suggestions on dishes and drinks as well. We were a party of four and spent the whole evening with the staff taking wonderful care of us. Brad stopped by the table multiple times and even taught us how to examine a wine corn to tell if the bottle had any issues in transport or storage. Brad is very proud of the establishment that he and the Chef have created and it shows. He even showed us the “Chef’s Table” located directly in the kitchen! We will be booking that table on our next visit. Now on to our dinner. The appetizers were amazing. We didn’t take many pictures because we were enjoying the experience. The menu changes often, so always ask the waitstaff for suggestions, you won’t be disappointed. The entrees were very good as well. I had the Wellington and the pastry crust was perfectly cooked and not soggy on the bottom as I’ve experienced at other establishments. The dessert course should not be skipped. The presentation of my Apple dessert was enough alone to order again. More on the drinks. We ordered a few different cocktails around our table and every one of them was perfect. For dinner, Avery helped pick out a good red wine to go with our table as most of us ordered red meat entrees. I’m not an avid wine drinker and I had a couple glasses. I finished out the night with a Scotch that was also suggested by Avery and it was very good. Thank you to all the staff at Essence for making our night perfect.

This place is absolutely amazing! I would highly recommend this exceptional place for any type of dining. The decor is fabulous! The staff is fantastic! When you walk in the door, you can immediately tell they care about you, and they make you feel special. the team working at Essence care about every bite of food that goes into your mouth, and every sip of your drink! You will never have a bad meal here! Everything is fresh, the Sea bass is phenomenal, and they frequently change their menu to keep up with the seasons. My favorite items are the Essence Salad, their mezcal cocktails, and the fresh fish and scallops or their special in-house aged meats! The Japanese sweet potatoes are amazing too, just very filling!! This is truly a 5+ star Diamond restaurant in my book! Please support this new venture in the Elkhart area! There's something to eat for everyone and you will not be disappointed!

Wow! Definitely our new favorite restaurant. Every detail was absolutely magical. Our drinks were so creative: we had a chicha morada 🍷 which tasted like a chilled Swedish Glög 🇸🇪 or German Gluhwein 🇩🇪 and also a vanilla which reminded us of the Grand Marnier-based glaze 🍊 on the drunken caramel French toast 🇫🇷 we make at home on special occasions. For our soup, we went with the céleriac, which was awesome. The hazelnuts 🌰 gave it the perfect texture and crunch to complement the creaminess of the sour cream and the heartiness of the celery. 🥣 For our hors-d'oeuvre, we chose the Japanese sweet potatoes 🍠 lightly fried with a touch of Parmigiano and basil in a creamy Italian reduction. It's definitely on our list of the best things we've ever eaten. 🇯🇵🇮🇹 For our main course, Joe chose the Hanger steak 🥩 with a warm kale 🥬 potato salad. When he ordered it medium, he explained to our server Will that he likes his steak tender but without any visible red juices. The chef must have heard what he said because his steak was every bit as tender as a rare steak, but no red juice at all. Talk about preparing it to order. I chose the Chilean sea bass 🐠, which also had the perfect texture 🇨🇱. I loved the Calabrian chili relish 🌶️ -- it gave the sea bass the perfect kick, and for once I didn't need to add any crushed red pepper. The lentils were a nice touch. And for dessert, every option sounded amazing, so we asked Will to surprise us, and he brought us the best dessert on the menu: the baked apple almond ganache 🍎. It was heavenly. It even came inside a glazed candy apple shell. Wow. To finish our date night, Joe ordered a port wine 🍷 and I had a coffee with heavy cream and no sugar ☕ so I could savor the taste of the apple dessert 🇪🇸. Everything was flawless, down to the last drop. The only things that rivaled the spectacular quality of our food and drinks were the friendly, helpful, professional, and welcoming staff (Will, Miss Claire, Miss Sheyanne, and definitely the owner Brad) and the alluring ambiance of the venue. It looked like we were surrounded by trees and grass 🌴 under a moon 🌙 and star ⭐ lit sky. Check out the photos we took: our outfits even matched the colors of the dining room. We are so grateful to Miss Maitlyn and Miss Rebecca for giving us a gift card to this wonderful place. We can't wait to return the favor and invite them to come back with us. ✨

One of the best dinner experiences I've ever had. Everything from the first step in the door and even after you leave. My wife and I have are vegetarian so finding places to eat an actual meal is always the easiest. We made restaurants online and noted we are vegetarian, once we arrived the staff already knew of our dietary limitations and made a few suggestions. Everything we ate had an amazing array of flavors and ingredient combinations. The "Apple" dessert option is something I will recommend to anyone thinking about eating here. It was one of the most unique dessert presentations I've tried. We had even forgotten out leftovers on the table and the owner even made sure to bring them out to us after we left. There's so much thought put into this dining experience from start to finish.