Elliott Bay Cafe

Elliott Bay is an awesome hidden treasure in Pioneer Square. It’s an underground café that serves some excellent pastries and coffee. At lunch time you can get some very creative sandwich and salad options. They always have the classics like tuna, grilled ham and cheese, Cuban, etc. They also offer specials that seem to be whatever the chef is craving, like a Moroccan steak sandwich. The best thing about the sandwiches is that there is always a different option for the side dish: homemade potato salad, pasta salad, quinoa salad, chick pea salad.
Their actual salads are great too because they always have fresh, crisp ingredients. The salad dressings are homemade and compliment the salads very well.
If you go there in the morning for coffee, look in the basket next to the register for day old pastries. If you can find a day old scone or cheddar-​chive biscuit, grab it! They are still great the next day and half price

I just unwrapped my panini and a dang fly flew out of the wrapper!
Ok, perhaps a mistake that can be forgiven. Then I bite into the «hot panini sandwich» and its cold. All four coworkers also have cold paninis.
Really?
So, I just spent $ 18 for a cold panini, tastless tortilla chips, a coke and a cookie.
For this price, the food should be a LOT better.

Awww, I really enjoyed my lunch at Elliot Bay Café.
The day I visited it was a rainy, gloomy day in Seattle (rare, let me tell you) and we ducked in to get out of the damp. Down the stairs into the warm, adorable Elliott Bay Café we went. Very happy we did.
It was spacious with ample seating; I love my booths as you may know from my other reviews, which they had, and the environment was calm and clean. I had the scrambled eggs, a muffin and a coffee. All were delicious.
I definitely plan to visit again next time I’m in the neighborhood.

I came here for the first time with my friend Leslie S. during our recent trip to Seattle! I was well aware that Seattle is known for the excellent coffee so we made it our mission during the trip, to have at least one latte a day at a café, indigenous to Seattle. While planning for our first day in Pioneer Square, we highlighted this place in Zagat and decided to have a big breakfast here before the Underground Tour that’s nearby.
The place was easy to find and upon descending the stairs, we noticed the old stairwell that was covered up (found out earlier that they just relocated their bookstore to Cap Hill). Being a petite girl with a huge appetite, I got the EBC morning sandwich (eggs sandwich with tomatoes and cheese on a bagel) AND a brioche french toast with chocolate and bananas. To top it off, I ordered a hot skim vanilla latte. The food was excellent, french toast was so filling and bursting with flavors, and the latte was strong but good. The dishes each came with a fruit cup. I love well balanced meals so that’s a plus for me.
We sat at a corner table with plenty of space around us and happily ate our meal and wrote in our notebooks. The service is friendly albeit a little frazzling at first, since the girl that took my order down thought I was ordering for my friend too and didn’t ask what she wanted. This confused the guy at the register who rang us up, when my friend asked for her latte, which was not on the slip.
Loved the food and lattes here and enjoyed the open layout and brightly lit space. You can chatter amongst yourselves and have a pretty private conversation. I would definitely hit up Eliiott Bay Café again on another Seattle trip!

Elite eats!
At their best!
Cool bookstore. I feel cool, my IQ has risen 5 points for parking, walkign the wild street and getting in the door of the bookstore!
I am still alive after asking the price of a cup of soup!
I have a tea. GADS

White people like expensive sandwiches. It’s true, I read it here:
So it should be no surprise that I really enjoyed the Moroccan Steak sandwich. The sandwich and a soda came out to be about $ 13 and it was delicious. As I walked back to our table I said out loud, «Isn’t this a fancy fuck sandwich?»
Everything about it was great. The meat was very flavorful and the bean salad that came with it was fantastic. While full I didn’t feel bad. This is not a place will come to frequently, but I will be here again.
Zipzap Zubidy Bop!

I go here all the time, but I don’t tend to give EBC enough props. They have some freaking awesome seasonal dishes, like a «green risotto» with peas, morels, and crème fraîche. *swoon*
Their desserts aren’t cheap, but they are gooood (the voluptuous cupcakes? the peanut butter cup cookies? the cobblers in mini cast-​iron pans? oh em gee).
You can follow them on Twitter (@elliottbaycafe) or on Facebook for up-​to-​the-​minute info on specials, and that usually is what lures me in for lunch. (A thousand «social marketers» just got the chills.)
The staff are super friendly, the space is cozy, and they are also a CSA spot for Full Circle Farms! Could they get any more awesome?

After hearing the history of this area (the underground and all), going to a place in a basement seemed that much cooler.
This seems to be a pretty standard coffee shop, which for seattle is good, but for anywhere else would be awesome.
However, as I’m not really a coffee drinker, I went with something more palatable (caramel iced latte or some nonsense) which destroyed me. I’m not normally caffeine sensitive, but. my god. I was sick for the rest of the day.
So, I don’t know. I probably shouldn’t be going to places like this. If you’re a caffeine pansy, be careful.

Discovered this lovely (not so) little café in the basement of the famous (but never visited by me) Elliott Bay Book Company in Pioneer Square.
Tons of variety in the soup and sandwich department, all cooked reasonably freshly (can’t tell how much is Sysco these days). You can get something resembling breakfast (eggs) all day. And for you non-​meat-​loving peeps out there there are plenty of vegemetarian (and some, shudder, vegan) options too.
The space itself is pretty charming, all basement-​y and bookish. Gets a little warm around lunch time, so hopefully you layered appropriately. I think there’s wheelchair accessibility from within the bookstore, but the direct stairs are super steep (typical for buildings of this era), so be forewarned if you’re not able to handle that.
At any rate — a delicious breakfast/​lunch option that’s local, unique and reasonably speedy. Definitely recommended when you’re in Pioneer Square.

I’ll give a 3 star rating, although its based on multiple visits. Prior visits would yield 4 stars, but on Saturday, I was really disappointed.
GF had the pot pie, which was the last one, and actually cold. I wanted the pot pie also, but changed to the pasta due to availability. The pasta was $ 8+ and was simply 20 pieces of rigatoni, 4 meatballs and some decent sauce. No bread, nothing on the side. Lame. I left hungry and grabbed a slice down the street.
Also, the bathrooms were disgusting on this night.
I’d write it off as an off-​night, but the manager needs to do better to avoid the wheels falling off during these times.
Like i said, other visits have been great. But not on this night.

Oh I like this place! as great as the bookstore is upstairs, admittedly I usually come here for the café downstairs! The Café has a nice atmosphere and is fairly spacious. It also boasts many outlets to plug your laptop into to crank out some work or to languish on facebook (they have wifi). The food at the café is also of very good quality and a bit suprising for a ‘café bookstore’. They have changing menu and everything always tastes very fresh and home made. Also, for being a Pioneer Square location, you might expect a bit of the rough around the edges crowd (they have a nice and clean bathroom!) but for the most parts its bookish/​business types lounging around. The people working the counter have always been very nice and very helpful with selections.

We visited EBC 3 times during our short trip to Seattle. Why? For it’s cookies! They are thin and crispy and really just to die for, especially to pair with your caffeine. The environment is good for single or a couple to hang out, enjoy the coffee and just talk or read something. We brought our daughter here while she took her 3-​hr afternoon nap and my husband and I spent some quality time talking, use the internet and read a magazine. All other patrons were also pretty quite sharing the large space and have their own personal space to ponder or just relax.
Their coffee and cookies are great! But the lunch is just so-​so depending on what you order. The soup is pretty tasty but the sandwich is just ok. I will post upload some pictures soon.
I don’t find this place too expensive coming from the Bay Area and Vancouver. The only slight complaint I have maybe is that they can improve on the ventilation.

I came here yesterday for lunch & coffee w/​my girlfriend. I’ve always wanted to try the EBC, and since we were in Pioneer Square, I suggested we stop by. I ordered an iced Americano which was really quite good. It definitely gave me that perk I was hoping for. My girlfriend ordered yerba mate tea. She said it was good, but too much liquid, and therefore couldn’t finish it. I finished what was left and I thought it was good, but I’ve never had yerba mate tea before, so I can’t make any comparisons.
For food we decided to split the salad & sandwich combo. I chose the tuna sandwich, she chose the nearly raw salad (I think that’s what it was called). We each had a bit of both, and were both very happy with the food.
The atmosphere is nice. I like all the spacious seating. The service was also good. The woman that took our order seemed quite nice and knowledgeable.
I intend on coming back here if I’m in Pioneer Square during the day and feeling hungry or tired.

The EBC is one of those places you would walk right by if you weren’t paying attention which is a good thing if you enjoy having your joe in a low key spot and a bad thing if you own the place. I don’t own EBC and I like to be left alone (sometimes) when I’m reading the Weekly and having my first cup so the EBC is my kind of place.
You walk down the stairs and enter what has the appearance of an European bistro — brick walls, arch entry way to hallway, wooden spiral staircase that leads to the book store upstairs — you get the point. Although the reggae music playing overhead doesnt fit the theme… but no lost of star points for that.
The coffee: way above average. As I was waiting for my cup to be made, the barista was schooling a new barista on how not to let the shot sit. Being that this is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to pulling espresso shots I was already in heaven before the first sip hit my tongue.
The food: They serve donuts from Mighty O (one of my favorite places) and home baked goods made on site.
The service: Well, I told you about the barista already and I’ll add that as I was getting my drink my napkin fell to the floor. Before I could even drop down to get it the barista from behind the counter was getting me a new one. Exceptional!!!
Now it’s time to check out the book store upstairs… enjoy!

I was seriously considering on giving this place a 3 star, but realized 2 was fine. It was recommended as a stop location to check out as one of few who decided to use their «basement» (Underground Tour — the basement is the original main level of Old Seattle). It totally slipped our mind until we came across it and needed to fulfill our java crave. I liked it because it was bright, clean and relaxing. There’s a spiral staircase that leads you to the bookstore.
My friend was seriously upset with his order. He received his coffee, but he didn’t receive his toast w/​butter on the side. He had to wait for them to toast it. I was slightly hungry since we walked around so much, so I ordered the grilled cheese and an earl gray tea. I received all my items before he did. He returned to the table gripping about how his coffee was now cold and that it was a basic item versus what we got, yet it took the longest. Another jab for him was that he didn’t even get an apology. I couldn’t comment on that part because my service was up to par.
Back to my meal. This was no ordinary grilled cheese. It was a layering of goat cheese, cheddar, fontina, tomato «jam», and red peppers. It was all sandwich’d between rosemary bread and lightly grilled. It came with a cup of potato chips. Yum, crisps. It wasn’t bad, since this was something different from the norm for me.
It was a good try, but nothing surely spectacular to make a trip back for so far. If anything, probably a to-​go java grab if I’m back.

Why is it so hard to find a decent breakfast in Pioneer Square? I had such high hopes for Elliott Bay Café. I really thought that with Tamara Murphy taking over the reigns that the food would shine. Alas, it is not so.
The Wife and I had breakfast here prior to the Chelsea match. The menu was quite small so I had the smoked trout and bacon scrambled eggs. Included with the $ 8 price were two slices of baguette, butter and about 8 pieces of diced fruit. I found no bacon in my eggs at all and for the additional cost of $ 1.75 I got 6 halved and roasted baby red potatoes. I finished my meal and my first thought was what was I going to eat at Qwest to satisfy my hunger because this meal did not do it.
The Wife had a bit more luck with the smoked salmon, cream cheese and bagel but for almost $ 9 I really was expecting much more than what was there.
No, I’m sorry. I still have never had a decent breakfast in Pioneer Square. The search continues.

Isn’t it a LITTLE disingenuous, when a customer asks for an iced coffee, to charge her for and serve her an iced americano? I know it sounds like a big white whine, but (a) it happened, and (b) I’m not white.
Anyway, I thought $ 2+ for an 8 oz. iced coffee was a bit much. I grew more suspicious when it took forever for my drink to be called when there was no crowd. My suspicions were confirmed when the barista called my 8 oz. «iced americano.» Look, if you don’t serve iced coffee, just say so. Sure, I’ll take my business elsewhere, but at least then I won’t leave you a stinky review on Unilocal.
Also, the hours here suck. What kind of coffee– and breakfast-​serving establishment doesn’t open ’til 8 a.m. on weekdays?

I’ve been here for both breakfast and lunch.
— Coffee is consistently tasty.
— They carry Mighty-​O donuts
— Breakfast is served all day
— Lunch options include sandwiches, soups, and salads
— In-​house pastries aren’t available for purchase until after 9am (kinda annoying if you’re in there for breakfast)

The old Elliott Bay Café was a dark, wonderful place to get a cup of coffee & read. I have been there since the remodeling & it’s «new» now which means robot clean yuppies have made it a «cleaner & more brighter» safe café which lacks any sense of originality but it’s still a great place to get a cup of coffee & read.
Too bad they had to change though.
Happy people suck.

Soups, sandwiches, the best bookstore in town in immediate proximity. Parking’s a hassle, but the food is just fine if you’re not super hungry. You order at the counter, you try to set things down at the table without it tipping over. It’s that kind of place, that feels like it’s at its best when it’s cold and raining out. Kind of small, below street grade. Good coffee and coffeeshop-​snacks. Very solid. All that said, it’s just a convenient add-​on to the bookstore, but no complaints at all.