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Elliot Bay Cafe

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1521 10th Ave (at E Pine Street)
Seattle, WA 98122

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(206) 624-6600
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Elliot Bay Cafe - Seattle, WA
Elliot Bay Cafe - Seattle, WA
Elliot Bay Cafe - Seattle, WA
Elliot Bay Cafe - Seattle, WA
Elliot Bay Cafe - Seattle, WA
Elliot Bay Cafe - Seattle, WA
Elliot Bay Cafe - Seattle, WA
Elliot Bay Cafe - Seattle, WA
Elliot Bay Cafe - Seattle, WA
Elliot Bay Cafe - Seattle, WA
Elliot Bay Cafe - Seattle, WA
Reviews
( 35 )
( 21 )
( 6 )
( 3 )
( 0 )

Best

Lots of books for kids and adults at decent prices. Near some great eateries and they have a fun castle for smaller children to play in...

Worst

Everyone *loves* Elliot Bay Bookstore. But they don't let you bring books into the coffee shop and I find their store hard to navigate. However, I have been to quite a few readi...

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really nice cafe 3/26/2014

great shop more
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A good bookstore 8/26/2009

This is a good place to find the interesting books. There are a lots of different books. It is suitable for us enjoying reading. more
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Best bookstore for browsing 11/28/2006

I love Elliot Bay's huge selection of books, and cozy atmospher. What makes this bookstore great is that the employees actually enjoy reading and are happy to make recommendations or help find what you are looking for. more
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Elliot Bay Books is the best in Seattle 7/25/2006

Elliot Bay Books is fantastic. We all get lazy sometimes and find ourselves at a chain bookstore, but try to resist. Try hard. We are blessed with one of the country's best bookstores. Let's support it. And afternoon spent at Elliot Bay Books is a pleasant and memorable afternoon. more
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stop me before I break the bank! 5/7/2006

Elliot Bay Books is a hard habit to break. My favorite vice is buying books. This one is on my way home and open late. Trouble for the bank account but wonderful for my library. If you are shopping at B&N and you live in Seattle -- shame on you. Support this local treasure. more
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Portland has Powells, Seattle has Elliot Bay 4/23/2006

I enjoy a little over-stimulation now and again. Being a bibliophile can often get a bit overwhelming (sometimes while I am scanning one book, my eyes are searching for the next interesting cover to pick up)...I try not to go to Elliot Bay when I am in a rush. And I try not to read as much as I can in 30 mins...They carry all kinds of books, even obscure ones, or can get them easily for you. TONS of literary magazines and each section has a wide variety (books on homesteading instead of just green design). They have readings and book signings (it's THE place for the popular authors) and the staff is HELPFUL. I'd work here if I could, but I would probably be fired from reading all day...or maybe they think it's a good thing...:) more
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Elliot Bay Books...a great place to get lost... 4/21/2006

This is a wonderful book store with a staff of knowledgeable people and a fabulous selection. Specials orders done with no fuss...The more rare finds to the best sellers...you just can't go wrong here....If you love books...you'll love This store!!! more
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The best book shop in Seattle 4/14/2006

I love Elliot Bay! The moment you walk in the door you are greeted with the warm smell of books and the cozy feeling of floor to ceiling books shelved on wood cases, and the sound of the creaky wood floors. They have an amazing selection and the staff here is really passionate about their books and helpful too. The downstairs cafe is a seperate business (so it stands to reason that they don't let you bring the books in here before purchasing!) It has a nice selection of lunchy foods and coffee and is really a great place to spend a rainy afternoon with a new book. more
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The high art of browsing 4/1/2006

It's such a pleasure to come in and look around without being after anything in particular. The space is inviting, the selection first rate, and the staff is good for recommendations. Adding used books to their collection a few years ago has made a good spot even better. more
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Cool bookstore, but not all that many used books 3/28/2006

This is a fun bookstore, with a big selection and a great atmosphere. You can get a coffee and the employees are very friendly. I am disappointed by the small selection of used books, however, as I had heard that they had a good selection. If you are looking for a bookstore to browse and spend some time, that isn't a chain, definitely check this place out, but don't make a special trip just to find a used book. more
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I'd move in if I could. 3/26/2006

This is hands-down the best bookstore in Seattle. I love the cafe downstairs and the non-pushy staff. My Mom works near Elliott Bay Book Co. and they're so in love with her dog, which makes her feel good every time she goes in. I like reading the staff recommendations of different book genres, I've read some great books that way. more
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Elliot Bay Book Co. 3/19/2006

The name immediately suggests more charm and intellect than a thousand B. Dalton's or Barnes & Nobles or Borders (notice all the B's?) could offer. And to visit this store will not disappoint. The store is enormous, feeling like a carved out wooden warehouse, with that musty book smell that the chain-stores are missing, here fully intact. Books are stacked so high that it seems astounding there could be such an abundance of human expression available (and considered to be valuable enough to buy/sell.) The sections are labeled clearly enough and, if you enjoy book-shopping, it could be several hours well-spent to wander the aisles. They also carry a nice swath of magazine titles, including back-issues of many that might be otherwise difficult or impossible to obtain. If you wander far enough, you'll find the used-book area. I always check here first, but rarely find what I'm looking for. Still, there are many gems available for a few dollars less than retail. The staff are abundant and knowledgeable. They appear to have a genuine appreciation for the written word. more
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Wonderful bookstore 3/9/2006

This bookstore has all the nooks and crannies to feel you are alone with the books! It's Elliot Bay Bookstore in Pioneer Square. Unfortunately, it is no longer independent, but it still maintains the same feel. The staff are everywhere, and very helpful. I've spent many a lunchtime ibrowsing n there, losing track of time. It has a good kids section, too. more
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I'm not in love with Elliot Bay 3/2/2006

Everyone *loves* Elliot Bay Bookstore. But they don't let you bring books into the coffee shop and I find their store hard to navigate. However, I have been to quite a few readings there that are awesome and I did once buy an awesome children's book there. and I know they have an amazing selection. There just aren't a lot of places to sit and read. more
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Get there before its all gone... 2/26/2006

What a terrific place. A traditional locally owned bookstore. I highly recommend you frequent it before it really disappears. It like Powell's in Portland are really unique institutions. The cafe downstairs is also wonderful and on a cold winter day, nothing quite beats buying a book and then heading for a coffee downstairs. Truth be told, I hit the Bailey Coy on Capital Hill much more often because it is closer and parking is easier, but if you downtown, Elliot Bay isthe place to be! It is the antidote to Barnes & Noble in the same way that Greenlake Cycles is the antidote to Performance Cycle or the Bert's Apple is to Safeway. more
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Best Book Store in Town 2/23/2006

Do yourself a favor and skip the bland cookie cutter corporate booksellers and brave the parking hassles of Pioneer Square to visit the best independent bookseller in the Northwest (with a nod to Powell's in Portland): Elliot Bay Book Company. While you won't find discount prices, you will find a treasure trove of books from a wide variety of subjects and authors, a truly knowledgeable staff, excellent recommendations, and frequent author readings held downstairs in the basement cafe. more
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Elliot Bay Book Company is a Seattle Institution 2/22/2006

Elliot Bay Book Company is the best bookstore in Seattle. It really is a Seattle institution. Independently owned (I think) and operated by people that really know their books, it's a terrific place to while away a weekend afternoon with coffee in hand. It even smells like a bookstore should. Another thing I love about the place is the distinctive sound. Hundreds of people walking around on creaky wooden floors. Oh yeah, the selection is pretty darn great as well. more
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Books for everyone... 12/30/2005

Elliott Bay is a Pioneer Square fixture. (and includes the dreaded Pioneer square parking!) They have an incredible selection of books. It is a very large store with a funky layout that adds to its charm. They have a great children's area with a place to play and read. The magazine selection is wonderful - lots of art magazines. Downstairs is a book lined cafe with wonderful food. This is a must visit store. more
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One of the last... 12/20/2005

Often times I ask myself "Why spend FULL retail price at this bookstore when I can go online and get up to 40% off the same item?" Of course online you don't get to feel the book, be surrounded by a certain warmth that only an old bookstore provides, nor can you be assisted by very knowledgeable staff -- Elliott Bay Books is all of this and more. I have came in here looking for a whole host of items. For example, I was going to NYC for the first time a few years back. The staff hooked me up with this woman there, who was formerly from NYC herself and she recommended a great travel book and even places to visit. Then a few weeks ago I was rushing about looking for a birthday present, when Elliott Bay again came to my rescue. I called, they knew immediately what cookbook I was talking about, and we even discussed the nuances between the different versions. Then she put the book on hold for me, and offered to wrap it once I got there. All this, and I didn't even need to be transferred to another person. A must MUST see if you ever have 15 minutes to spare, or want to stroll through a one-of-a-kind locally owned bookstore. more
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Bookstores Don't Get Any Better 11/25/2005

Elliot Bay Books is one of the Great Bookstores of the World. It has a huge selection of both used and new books, magazines, literery journals, local zines and even journals and notebooks. The interior maintains a sense of rough-hewn intimacy despite the impressive size of the place. Here and there odd staircases take you up to nooks and crannys off the main rooms, and in the basement there is a comfortable cafe (though the restrooms leave something to be desired) serving excellent coffee, salads and sandwiches. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, and the store publishes its own monthly newsletter. They also sponsor regular readings by interesting and well-known writers (sometimes both!). Maybe not quite as comprehensive a selection as Powells in Portland, but it wins hands-down on literary atmosphere. more
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Menu for Elliot Bay Cafe


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Editorial

  • This Seattle landmark has settled comfortably into its new location, looking as though it’s been here for years between Pike and Pine among Capitol Hill’s many coffeehouses, taverns and boutiques....

  • 5/20/2010 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Hours: Mon-Thu 10am-10pm Fri-Sat 10am-11pm Sun 11am-7pm
  • Payments: American Express, Cash, Discover, Visa, Master Card
  • Neighborhoods: Pioneer Square, Downtown, Capitol Hill, Broadway
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