Eltana

Seriously good bagels! Hand-​rolled, wood-​fired, the real deal. I’m puzzled by complaints here about the service — I’ve been coming here for quite a while & they’ve never been less than friendly. I’m there now; I just finished my everything bagel with butter and an 8 oz. drip, licked my lips and got on line to give them proper props.

I am always down for an everything bagel with cream cheese. If I’m feeling fancy, I get one of the menu items featuring lox and I rarely regret it. And if you’re a fan of cream cheese, you are in for a treat, because Eltana is far from stingy with their cream cheese spreading.
Service has ranged from very nice to «Oh I’m sorry, am I inconveniencing you with my patronage?» But I haven’t seen that lady there for quite some time now, so I’ll round it up to good.

Excellent west coast bagels. About the size of a fist – aka about the right amount of carbs for breakfast. The lox and cream cheese sandwich was great, especially the lox. No surprise there. The Pacific Northwest has got their seafood down.
The atmosphere of the place is nice – open space, with a finished warehouse feel. The vibe fits in well with the rest of Capitol Hill, which is mostly an air of laid back cool that happens naturally.
The prices here are, like everything else, $ 1 – 3 cheaper than in Manhattan. A lox sandwich will cost you about $ 8. They also have kombucha tea, which was a lot better there than some ones I’ve tried in NYC. (Some places in the area have it on draft, too, which is cool/​weird). The service was good, and quick.
The bathroom is hard to find – you go through a door, then down a ways until you get there.
Overall, I would stop in again. Note for other early risers (or people up early for hiking day trips): they don’t open until 7am.

The bagels – delish! I am a bagel-​lover. I even used to make my own.
Eltana makes a great, GREAT bagel. Willing to pay the price for the goods, but $ 3 to slice (mechanically) a dozen bagels – really?!? I get that they need to charge tax on it, but I’ve been there in the past & they gladly popped my bagels in the slicer, free of charge. And, then the girl at the counter claims that they always have charged for slicing… tip-​I don’t think so…

I like the décor of the place but the food is below mediocre. The only thing I liked about my order was the red pepper and walnut spread.
I got the daily frittata which came with a choice of bagel, spread, and frittata. The veggie frittata was not bad but I really didn’t like how they added an extra layer of cheese on it. It just seems unnecessary and makes the frittata greasy. The cheese was also very blend and soggy… Just didn’t add too much to the flavor.
The bagel was also surprisingly blend. I got attracted to Eltana when I saw the words «wood-​fired bagels» — I was expecting it to have a slightly crispy crust and a chewy inside. However, the bagel was just soft and not as satisfying as I’d hoped.

If you’re looking for the world’s thinnest and tiniest bagel, then this is the place to go! My boyfriend and I jokingly call this place «the hipster bagel», because I swear everyone inside looked like they stepped out of an Urban Outfitters advertisement (plaid shirts, boots, beards, beanies). The price to portion ratio is literally a joke. Two plain baby bagels and two 8oz lattes for $ 24, served by the bitchiest barista I’ve ever met (unless you’re a dude– she was nice and flirty with my boyfriend when he went to the counter by himself and asked for a water). Yeah, no thanks.

Reading the reviews of others who had a similar experience to mine, I am left wondering if Eltana prides itself in bad service. Their «Soup Nazi» mentality only worked on the fictional «Seinfeld» episode and not in American real life.

I don’t even like bagels and I love this place. Best bagels I’ve ever had. The toppings with them were amazing. Had something with Moroccan in the name I think and it blew me away. Definitely recommend

I’m not sure what the rave reviews are for. Maybe I just picked the wrong soup to have… chicken with pistachio. Very ‘waterery’. I guess perfect for someone on a VERY low cal diet. Big complaint is that I met someone for lunch & asked if they could wipe down the dirty tabletop next to my friend so I could eat there. They came with a SOPPING wet cloth & did wipe it down but left it so wet I had to grab a handful of napkins to dry it. Honestly.

This place looks inviting to grab a quick bite and coffee in the morning. However, looks can be deceiving. The first time I had mediocre service I was willing to look past it. The second time, the barista was deliberately rude when I didn’t answer right away if I wanted room in my coffee.
Can’t comment on the bagels, but the coffee was bad and the service lacking.

Today was my second time at Eltana. Both times have been on the weekend. Upon entry it was cute and cozy, the crossword puzzle is a cool touch. The line is long, but expected for weekends I’m sure. The line moved quickly both visits. And this is where my experience goes sour…
The staff. I am also in the service industry and have been for 12 years. The person taking my order the first time was annoyed I asked if the lox plate was big enough for two to share. Seemed like a normal question for it being my first time. We also ordered two 12oz lattes. When I picked up our coffees and lox plate I asked where I could grab a fork. The barista rolled her eyes and slammed one down on the counter.
The lox plate was great. We decided to grab a few bagels and schmear to take home. Back into the line. Rude. Again. Why?! I’m literally just buying seven bagels and schemer to go. AND I tipped. Smh.
Welp, today when I got up to the cashier it was a new hire. No biggie at all. I again ordered a lox plate, a breakfast sandwich and two 12oz vanilla lattes. He repeated my order back to me. I paid cash. Tipped once again. Lattes were horrible. Flat and bitter. When our order was called, it was my breakfast sandwich and the lox plate was an open faced bagel, schemer and a sliver of lox on top. I said, «oh, I’m sorry, I think there was a misunderstanding. I order a lox plate». The barista went over to the cash register went through a few receipts, threw her hands up and said, «I don’t see a lox plate, so you didn’t order it» and walked away. Okayyyy. Thank you for another round of superior customer service, Eltana.
I’ll be sticking to making my own lox plate at home in the future. The put out attitudes aren’t worth me go back there.

Ok stumbled upon this place waiting for another retailer to ope up. I have to say I never had a fresh wood fire bagel before. It was actually really good and they make homemade cream cheese with different varieties. Just a little pricey, but good for a treat once in a while when you just need to splurge, but like I have said they are worth it. Stop by and give it a try for yourself

Spent time looking at the menu and deciding what to order (soup, the easiest meal to prepare), ordered, and the barista was absolutely rude and publicly informed me in front of a line of 5 people that «we aren’t serving that, we close in 15 minutes.»
As I have work in the industry, I understand the inconvenience but that left a horrible first impression of Eltana’s atmosphere. Won’t be returning or giving them my business again. Too many other great restaurants with well mannered associates to give business to on Capital Hill.

I really enjoyed the lox bagel I had for breakfast! The lox had such a great color. It’s nice when eating food is fun again! I was visiting and stopped by. I think the gentleman who helped me owns the place. He seemed so passionate.

Bagels are still good, still teeny tiny, and still slathered with enough cream cheese for at least two bagels.
Seriously, lay off the cream cheese, Eltana. An inch of it slathered on each half is super excessive. Definitely order it on the side, or just get a second plain bagel so you can share the cream cheese love.
Also, pretty pricey as far as bagels go. Breakfast for two ran about $ 17.

Stopped here for a quick bite for an event with my girlfriends. Loved the uniqueness of this place! Very much a Seattle place.
I am a vegetarian. so I am skeptical to try new places. But this was awesome.
We had their Turkish lentil soup with spicy garlic cheese spread. If you love spicy, you must have that cheese spread on. sesame bun. I even tried red pepper walnut spread, another yummy cheesy stuff!
Pros: casual lively and fun ambience, love their plating and way they serve, perfect place for quick bites.
Cons: very few sweets menu. Could be a little cleaner.
My top tip: must try if you are a veggie and If you like bagels. You will start loving bagel after this.
Will try the sweet bagels next time!

Nothing like swinging in here for a snack! They have a wide variety of bagels and even more delicious kinds of spreads to have them put on!
I had a fig spread on a sweet bagel. I believe it was blueberry if I remember correctly. The combination was wonderful! Steve had an everything bagel with a hot and spicy spread that proved to be a great snack as well!
The bagels here are wood fired and I believe most bagel shops do not bake their bagels in that fashion which resulted in some pretty tasty and unique bagels!

Sunday morning bagels should be a tradition.
Eltana’s is definitely the place a person needs to go to when in Seattle. Wood fired bagels? Apparently it’s a thing.
First off, I just love that there’s a weekly crossword to fill out. This makes the place feel more local and homey than your typical bagel shop. You can sit here and stay a while.
I went for two bagels and two toppings.
1. Cinnamon raisin with almond butter
2. Sesame wheat with scallion cream cheese
Both tasted fantastic and left me wanting to try more. I would suggest, though, asking to put the toppings on the side. Especially if you’re a person who prefers to delegate the amount of smear on a bagel.
I appreciated the variety of topping flavors. But didn’t appreciate the price of those toppings. The bagels are cheap… the toppings are a little pricey. $ 4.50 for a slather of almond butter? Hmmmm. It was homemade, so I guess it’s somewhat appropriate?

Love this bagel place! I’ve tried the honey almond cream one before but my favorite is still the lox spread with the everything bagel. You get 1.5 bagel, with salmon, pickled onion, cucumbers and a slice of orange. Haven’t tried any other type yet because i am convinced this is the best one.
Good for groups of 2 – 4 people since it’s usually packed and hard to find seating.

I am still going through withdrawal from this place after a month. You would think that a place like this would have been elemental in NYC, crossword puzzles, bagels and coffee, but it seems Seattle takes the #1 Best Bagel Joint in my book.
I love the atmosphere of this place. The tall ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, rustic/​wooded décor, oh, and the GIANT full-​wall crossword puzzle that changes weekly. The manager loves crossword puzzles, so there are always extra copies and pencils waiting for the eager brain to get to work. The seating is family style in the middle with seating for small groups along the exterior.
My husband and I happened upon this place one hungover morning in search of a carb-​overload and we met our match. They have multiple types of bagels and schmear list that will satisfy both the sweet and savory palate as you can order a different schmear for each side of your bagel. The staff there won’t even judge you if you order three bagels (but hey, they’re small). The bagels are chewy and don’t need to be toasted, but who doesn’t love a warm bagel on a brisk Seattle morning.
Take a hint, New York — Eltana has perfected the bagel shop.

A bite of these bagels brings you back to montreal instantly. The bagels are dense, savoury and just perfect. I really appreciate the different cream cheese spreads: honey and almonds, fig and abricot. While you can take them to go, they are worth sitting down and enjoying with one of the best coffees I’ve had in Seattle while doing Eltana’s crosswords. The staff is friendly and the place is comfortable and clean. I think i’m addicted. See you soon.