Elbasha Cafe

average coffee, friendly staff, slow service, crappy food. i ordered a gyro there, and it was pretty pricey for what you get. also, it was kinda cold. i think the lady making the food was using a chincey little panini press. btw: you do not put louisiana hot sauce on a gyro. that’s so ghetto.

First, the addy is currenly wrong. It’s on Blanchard, in Belltown, between 3^rd and 4^th.
I’ve never been there in the morning for coffee, but the lunch is great. I usually get one of their platters, which is an entre (usually over rice) with two salads. I suggest the hummis and one of the turkish vegie salads. Beware that the meat is spiced with a hot sauce — its not bad, but kinda like tabasco.
All-​in-​all a neat little hole-​in-​the-​wall for lunch in Belltown.

This is a great little place if you either work or live nearby, but it isn’t «trip worthy»; meaning if you have to get on the bus or in your car to come here, it’s probably not going to be worth it.
While the food is absolutely delicious and the prices can’t be beat, seating isn’t great and it seems like they are still trying to work out the order process. If you ever find yourself here though, I recommend the Greek Salad and the Falafels.

Elbasha Café is a nice change of pace for lunch in the south Belltown area. My co-​workers have already become regulars; even the die hard «meat and potato» guys.
The falafel sandwich is very nice — good seasoning with nice crispy falafel and fresh veggies. I would love it they added some feta to go with the vinegarish sauce, but I would put cheese on just about everything if I could… Others have raved about the beef and lamb gyros.
The two people who work there are nice as can be, and the place is pleasant and clean. The only oddity has been when we requested water — all three times we were given just one cup for our group of four people, even though we individually requested one. Makes for a comical situation when dining with co-​workers :)

When I used to work nearby I went here every day for a solid few months. Because the coffee is really great and yes — it’s true — Mahmoud will remember you forever… but then there was the dark day, where they’d had a lot of turnover, and this new guy (a relative, I think?) was working in the morning and he was on the phone the entire time and didn’t make eye contact with me for about 10 minutes. I had to leave because it was super awkward since my ceo was in line in front of me and I couldn’t think of any more «small talk».
Mahmoud CALLED my extension at work and apologized profusely then and also sent over a free pastry! That was pretty great of him. Unfortunately — I was already over El Basha. Just too many weird incidents. They were just too slow for morning coffe all the time. And it seemed like EVERY time I went in there was some threatening incident outside with the street folk. It started to creep me out.
But…I have heard nonstop wonderful things about their food.

Going to Elbasha reminded me how much I liked Turkey. Elbasha has a good, hospitable vibe and it’s clean and orderly. The guy today was very friendly and made me feel welcome in his narrow little coffee shop /​café. But it also reminded me of how in Turkey, the food and coffee really wasn’t to my liking.
I had an Americano and one of those rolled baklava things. The Americano tasted so-​so; just not to my liking, I guess. And when I thought I’d add cream to it, all I saw was the powdered cream stuff at the napkin station. Weird. And the baklava had a pasty, doughy consistency on the bottom that again, just was not to my liking. (Double Americano and baklava: $ 5.41)
They have a very extensive menu of Mediterranean salads and sandwiches. Apparently most of the food is cooked in their off-​site kitchen and then it is microwaved on site — but the guy assured me all the food is very fresh, which I have no reason to doubt.
This place is definitely far better than the generic coffee shop it replaced, which always seemed to have a desolate feeling to it. While I was drinking my coffee and nibbling at my baklava small groups of people came in who were regulars, enthusiastically greeted, coming back for sandwiches and coffee, so the food must be good.
One thing I don’t like is food establishments that encourage dogs. At the counter Elbasha sells packages of locally produced organic-​y dog biscuits and even has samples out. While sitting there a customer came in with her dog and it was allowed to roam the café. I love dogs, and this one sure was cute, but I wish people would leave their dogs outside of food establishments.
But since it has such a friendly feeling to it I’d like to go back to try a sandwich. Stay tuned.

Looking for a quick lunch, but you don’t feel like resorting to take out? I would stop by Elbasha Café for something delicious. Great soups, sandwiches, and pastries. The people here are friendly and very eager to please, it makes for a nice break in the day.
It’s also a good place if you are feeling anti-​social cause your Falafel or Gyro is packed with garlic and is gonna make you stinky for the rest of the day. Perfect excuse for not interacting with anyone.

Mahmoud will take care of you. The logo is an old photo of one of his relatives.
So the best falafel I’ve had in town is here. They have some magic hot sauce that is the key. Even if you dont like spicy its a must… Somehow it ties the whole huge sandwich together and despite the size of your stomach you will eat it all. Gyro’s here are also great and they have some strong coffee as well.
Tell Mahmoud hello and he will remember you forever.