Elephants Delicatessen

Love this place great food and great groceries. I get my favorite balsamic vinegar there

Such a unique little place, serving both hot and cold food, as well as cute little knick-​knacks that I must say are very Portland. Upon walking in your eyes are drawn not only to all the different stations in the room, but also due to the vibrant colors that add to the fun whimsical ambiance of the room (one could almost say all it’s missing are those elephants from the circus.). I’ve eaten dinner from their grill before but tonight’s visit was solely due to their large cookies, which go ½ off after 7. Naturally I got 4. (2) traditional chocolate chip held up to its traditional classic taste, as well as the peanut butter. But the real star was the cowboy cookie-​a combination of chocolate chip and oatmeal (so it’s «healthy», right?). Perfectly chewy on the inside. Definitely worth the short walk up from 23^rd street.

It’s not just the great quality of food that keeps you coming back, it’s the fantastic customer service. I live right by 23^rd so my options are not limited but I chose to eat here probably 3 times a week. All the employees here are constantly going above and beyond their normal duties to ensure customer satisfaction. Actually avoiding moving housing locations because I’ll miss having this right next door.

Customer service is great, they are very attentive and will go above and beyond to please you.
Mainly a brunch and lunch spot, or maybe an early dinner spot. Really cool set up. To order, just go up and someone will ask what you want. Then you can prepay and wait for it. While you wait, feel free to shop around for cheese and meat plates, wine, beer, or some of the hipster spices and condiments they have. Also have a tiny gift shop with lots of cool things.
Food. My recommendations — fish tacos or the pastrami reuben at the grill. Any of the pizzas are good.
Wide variety of coffees.
I usually come here twice a week because it’s so close to me and I’ll be coming more!

My bank account hates this place. I am going to go broke. But my taste buds usually wins the argument and somehow I always end up here. I like to take the mama leone soup to go and add more water to it. It is salty enough and I feel extremely frugal… take THAT, my conscience!

I love this place! It’s so hip and trendy. A fun and casual place to grab a bite to eat. The first time I came here I grabbed a cold pre made sandwich and some salad for a picnic and it was perfect! People come here to grab lunch, meet up with family/​friends, do (home)work, and have meetings. They have a huge selection of food and drinks and pastries! Parking is good, haven’t had a problem. Prices are fair. The service here is awesome! The employees are so nice and patient when you ask them questions (took my mom here for the first time and she asked a lot of questions) I would recommend this place for sure!

This is a really Silly review but I really appreciate good customer service.
Every time we go there we are always greeted and have always had some of the yummiest food.
The fish and chips are to die for!
I went it there a couple of weeks ago just to by a cup of ice.
Although I did give the bar tender a dollar he first insisted that o take it for free!
So nice to see great customer service still exists!!!

Amazing deli with so many different kinds of food to try! They have a multitude of cheeses, sandwiches, soups, salads, pizzas, pastries, milkshakes, beer/​alcohol, and anything else you can think of! You could come in here every day for 5 years and be able to try something new.
My go-​to is the Turkey Avocado sandwich. Everything is so fresh and you can tell the staff puts time and effort into making each meal. I have also tried a tomato & mozzarella caprese salad, the chicken fingers and fries, Chinese chicken salad, and the macarons — they were all fantastic!
There is seating outside and inside, as well as a parking lot, which is pretty hard to find here in Portland. They open early, so I’ve been able to swing by on my way to work and grab a salad and chips for lunch later in the day. All the staff is super friendly, and have no problem answering any question you may have. Only downside is it can be a bit pricey, but some may think it’s worth it for the great quality food.

Cookie samples are too big. Staff is way too friendly and good-​looking. Food is absurdly delicious.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen employees look more genuinely excited to be at work– with such a bustling and busy environment, they’re always laughing and taking the time to talk to each customer with a smile. That’s probably the reason why all of the food tastes like love.
I’d ask for Mama Leone’s soup as my last meal on death row. Or, you know, something slightly less dramatic. But you get the idea.
Everything about this place is heaven.

Typically, a write a really long detailed review after I eat some tasty food but today isn’t that day.
I ordered the bistro sliders, which by the way already made my top five favorite things I have ever ate in my entire life. The blue cheese game on these little juicy burgers with the toasted buns is KILLER. Each delicious bite I could taste the freshness and quality of the ingredients used. Anyways five out of five, I am having a hard time talking about it. It was really, REALLY GOOD.

A really interesting spot. My husband and I were in from Nashville, and we found this place on Unilocal for lunch. It’s not what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised.
The layout can be a bit confusing and it was a little stressful not knowing where items were, especially during lunch time in the week. I would have loved to explore other options during a less busy time.
The food was delicious, though. We had a fish sandwich, fish tacos, garlic fries (yum!), and a root beer float. I would love to go back!

The big Elephant’s Deli in the Alphabet District is fantastic. Although their other locations have more than sufficient variety, this has so much to look around, observe as well as eat. There are tables both inside and outside. Various employees help out with making sandwiches as well as managing the bakery.
I went here in search of an inexpensive snack, having been for a good burger a long time ago. The celery soda was $ 1.25 and the baguette was $ 0.55, for a grand total of $ 1.80. There was only one employee managing the line however, and the place does crowd on Friday night. For whatever flaws they have, I got to eat a snack that was a bit fancy, with a glamorous price tag. My bread was noteworthy.
Head on over to Elephant’s if you want to be delighted.

This is one of those places where you just want to say yes to everything!
Totally cliched, but there really is something for everyone here. If you’re visiting PDX with a large group, I recommend stopping by here if no one can agree on what to eat. They’ve got sandwiches, salads, hot dishes, cold dishes, candies, a bakery, a bar, and of course, deli meats and cheeses.
I was really craving comfort food, so I kept it simple and just had grilled cheese with tomato orange soup. The soup is a crowd favourite (on Unilocal,at least) and it didn’t disappoint. While I was waiting for my order, there was a representative from One Fork Farm giving samples of their caramels, and well, he hooked me. I ended up buying their coffee rum horchata caramels, made with spirits from local distillery Eastside Distilling. So Portland.
They also have cutesy home décor items like candles and fancy soaps, but not all of them are locally produced. Still, they’re in good taste.
My parents and I liked this place so much we made sure to stop by their outlet at PDX airport before saying goodbye to Portland.

I am a long time fan of Elephants, all the way back to when they only had one store in the Uptown strip mall.
I still love their happy hour and try and stock up for a few days when I get to it, If you dont know after 630 (earlier on Sundays) they mark all their breads, giant cookies, some salads and usually most of the hot case off. Usually half off.
It is a good place to go with other people because everyone can get what they want in the portion sizes they want, or go with one of the meals. I have never gone with anyone who was unhappy with their meal.
They have both inside and outside seating. You can also get it to go. It is great for picknicks or meals when you don’t want to cook.
Tip if you are going to have company they have ready to bake meals in the freezer.
Besides prepared foods they have a nice cheese selection, snacks, and some stuff for your home (nice things but NOT cheap.)
The service is usually good, It can be uneven. I think this is because they seem to have a high turnover of employees.

I can’t speak for some of their hot-​prepared dishes, but the bagel I bought on a recent trip to Portland was sad sad sad. A whole wheat bagel, barely toasted and an uneven and lackluster application of cream cheese that took 10 minutes to make on a slow morning. And the to-​go packaging was just plain wasteful! A full-​on plastic container with lid and some sad lettuce garnish. For a damn bagel. What a shame!

Known for everything local and made from scratch every day, you’re off to a good start once you walk through the front door. Fresh! Inside it’s a walk in the park. Walk around this large inside food court with your eyeballs bulging out at the grill, woodfired Pizza, prepared hot and cold foods. All looks so delicious. The decision is tuff! We walked around and around. Finally, we selected on the lasagna, shepherds pie in a cast-​iron skillet cooked in the woodfired oven and some really really good baked beans. Then there is baked cookies and pies. Go shopping for cheese, meat, olives, sandwiches, salads, wine another grocery odds and ends to go. Sit in the big open room or find a cozy side room. Liked it a lot and will definitely come back.

Came here for lunch on Friday. Very very popular. The layout is slightly intimidating for a newcomer — it’s not very clear where you go to order and there are maybe 5 or 6 different stations each with their own separate menu.
Although there are plenty of healthy options I was feeling like bad food so I ordered the sweet potato tots, chicken strips and garlic fries. Everything was delicious. Chicken strips came in an awesome coating which was crispy but not dry. Garlic fries weren’t too garlicky — just enough. Sweet potato tots came with a nice dip. Service was fast (prdered and had my food within 15 minutes) and friendly. Portions HUGE (could have easily fed two as you can see from the photo).
With a large soda it came to 14 dollars — bargain! In a restaurant I would have paid double. Would definitely recommend — maybe browse the menu before you arrive as its a bit crazy inside the deli you don’t want to be hesitating!

This place is a great. You can’t really go wrong stopping here if you’re unsure of what you want for lunch or dinner.
When I first walked in, I’ll admit I was pretty confused. But there are stations where you can place orders for certain items, i.e. you order pizza at one counter, you order burgers at another, and sandwiches at yet another. In addition, there is also a market inside, where they have fresh prepared foods, like a deli counter would. And there’s also a limited selection of gourmet groceries. In other words, there’s a lot to choose from.
I’ve had the pizza here and it’s decent, but not amazing. That being said, it’s only $ 10 for a pizza, so it’s hard to complain. Their Portlandia burger is *awesome* but I guess it was a special for April and it’s gone now. I hope they bring it back because it’s the best veggie burger I’ve had in Portland. I’ve gotten cold sandwiches and soups from the refrigerated section and they were all very good.
Honestly, I haven’t gotten anything bad her yet and I’ve been here several times. What’s also nice is that there is off street parking available, and there is a whole separate dining area, in addition to the seating inside the market + outside, which means there is plenty of space too.
My only real complaint is some of the prepared food you can buy off the shelves is overpriced. A small container of guacamole is $ 7.50. At Whole Foods, that same size container would be about $ 5. They sell good quality stuff but the price really reflects that — like their Indian lentil soup is great, but it’s $ 9 for a quart, which is just a little high.

Elephants Delicatessen (ED) has to be one of my favorite spots in Portland for one main reason: garlic French fries. But really, this deli features lots of delicious entrees and trust me, you’ll have a hard time picking just ONE to order.
My two friends and I went to ED on a rainy Saturday afternoon for a late lunch, and since we didn’t have breakfast that much earlier, we just shared a cup of soup and an order of fish & chips. This was my first visit to ED and my friend said that their garlic fries are a must-​have! While my friends ordered, I was able to walk around and check out the baked goods. There are basically different counters – pizzas, hot sandwiches, etc. – where you can order and then they call your number when your order’s ready. The café also has interior seating (which can get crowded on rainy days), as well as a counter area.
There was so much to take in at this deli that it was almost overwhelming. If I were hungrier, I probably would have had a much harder time deciding on an entrée, but since I was still full from breakfast, I was content just to share whatever my friends ordered. I was tempted to get one of the delicious-​looking peanut butter cookies from the bakery – those large cookies were only $ 2 each – but decided to save those for my next trip. ED even features fresh cheeses, meats and breads you can buy around the store as well … so neat! The café was pretty crowded and claustrophobic when we went; I’m not sure if it’s always like this or if it was like this because we went on a Saturday … during prime lunch hour … AND it was raining outside.
Here’s what we ordered, as well as what I want to try next time:
«Mahi-​Mahi Fish & Chips»: I love a good fish & chips, and the ED version doesn’t disappoint. It comes with tartar sauce and lemon, as well as those famous garlic fries (not sure if you have to pay a slight fee to upgrade to garlic fries, but it’s worth it!!). The entrée came with three pieces of fish and a generous amount of garlic fries. The fish was delicious — soft, flavorful interior and perfectly fried and crispy exterior. But those fries … man! I only dream of those garlic fries. I normally don’t like skinny, thin, shoestring fries, but for these garlic fries, I’ll make an exception. They came sufficiently covered in garlic butter and fresh parsley, and these guys don’t skimp when it comes to seasoning. I got garlic in EVERY single bite. These fries are probably some of the best I’ve ever had … period. I can’t wait to order them again on my next trip to ED.
«Garlic Fries»: GET THIS. Even if you don’t like French fries, you’re sure to love these shoestring beauties that are tossed in garlic butter and fresh parsley. Even if your dish doesn’t come with these fries, order them anyway … you won’t be disappointed.
«Mama Leone’s»: My friend says this is her favorite soup – and one of the best she’s ever tasted – so she got a cup for me to try some. It entails a creamy Italian chicken soup with tomato, spinach and herbs. I normally don’t like things with tomatoes, but I didn’t mind it in this soup because the tomato flavor isn’t overwhelming. I prefer creamy soups over liquidy soups, so this was really yummy. I also really liked the spinach and herbs mixed in … definitely a good choice on a cold day.
«Buffalo Chicken Sandwich with side of Fries»: I love buffalo chicken anything (strips, sandwich, pizza, etc.) so I would love to try this sando that comes with those addictive garlic fries. It includes chicken breast, Frank’s RedHot sauce, tomato, onion, lettuce and blue cheese dressing on focaccia. I would just order my sandwich sans the tomato and onion, but everything else sounds phenomenal.
«Mahi-​Mahi Fish Sandwich with fries and a pickle spear»: If I felt like getting the fish & chips in sandwich version, this is what I would order. This entrée features grilled mahi-​mahi, lettuce, Cuban dressing and coleslaw on a sesame seed bun. I would just get my sando sans the coleslaw, but I’m especially interested to see what that Cuban dressing tastes like.
«Croque Monsieur»: I’ve had «Croque Monsieur» from different eateries, but I’m interested in trying the version at ED. It includes ham, Gruyère, Dijon and sour cream on English muffin bread. I may ask for the sour cream on the side, but the rest of the components sound yummy.
«Croque Madame»: Fried eggs in a sandwich make everything better, so if I want some eggs in my sando, I would probably opt for this version. It includes ham, Gruyère, a hard-​boiled egg, Dijon and sour cream on English muffin bread. It’s basically JUST like the «Croque Monsieur» … but with a hard-​boiled egg, which is sure to result in a savorier sandwich.
«Chicken Pot Pie»: I love chicken pot pie and it’s an entrée that can’t be found on many restaurant menus, so I definitely want to try the ED version one day. It includes chicken, carrots, fennel, celery, peas, potatoes, onion and creamy herb sauce, and it’s topped with a homemade biscuit.

I love everything about this place.
I love the fact that you can take 8 people here and everyone will find something they like, no matter their restrictions or allergies.
I love their soups, hot food sections, cold food sections, meat & cheeses and their fish and chips.
I love their little barista corner.
I love the back area full of beautiful trinkets; candles, cook books, stationary and dishes.
I love their little Italy wall with local pastas, sauces and wines. They also have jams and spices, oils and vinegars.
I love their daily hh from 3 – 6.
Lastly, I love that they decorate for every holiday.