It's Elephants! It's a quaint and welcoming space that has predictable staples that are perfect for a casual meal from a local establishment. It's not fine dining... think more like upscale casual. They serve stumptown coffee, sell prepackaged foods and have a deli case. There are wine bottles for sale and a grill on site. They have a spectacular happy hour with five dollar pints available. Parking is easy out front and the staff is nice enough. Service is fast and it's definitely family friendly. Probably not a place I would spend a long amount of time but it's good for a casual and affordable meal with basic bistro staples. read more

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We spent years going to the elephant deli downtown Portland. My daughter moved to Lake Oswego and it appears this is an extension of the original? Just a little smaller. Such a great little place, with a little bit of everything. And flavorful. I had what I think is their signature soup, but I forget the name of it. Delicious. And my husband had the turkey chipotle sandwich. He really liked it, but it's very small for a man that's 64 and meaty lol I also attached a copy of the receipt so you can see what the price of these items are in their size. Overall, a great little place, outside seating, which is nice. read more

Elephants Lake Oswego - 5'26 - receipt to show prices to size - Cafes Near Me - Lake Oswego, Oregon

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3.5 seems to be fitting. We don't really usually go to a 3.5 star but we didn't have much time and needed some lunch. I would give their tomato soup 4.5 stars. We actually used it as a pasta sauce and it was really good. I've never had this flavor combo before, very interesting and unique. I had a tuna melt and it was good. My wife had a BLT and was wasn't very good. Their fries were good, garlicy. It's pretty bad when a BLT isn't good. She said it had one piece of thin bacon for each half, and that just isn't right, come on. We tried chocolate chip cookies too, and they were ok. I wonder if this place used to be really good, with love put into their food. It wasn't really bad, and wasn't really good, other than the soup. You should try that. everyone was friendly to me. read more

I honestly like this place for some niche candy, cute wine, and maybe a baked good, or their absolute top notch Macrons which are amazing. But heaven forbid someone needs to go in for an affordable quick lunch. The grilled cheese has an exact singular piece of cheese, they charge 10 bucks for a skimpy turkey sandwich... you can get turkey and bread at the store a block down for $5 and it's better. As an avid cook I know their heat and serve dinners are wildly over priced and not as fresh as advertised. So yeah... wine, candy, baked goods is about it. Also their staff is nice. Super friendly read more

Elephants Lake Oswego - $18 wine. It was yum - Cafes Near Me - Lake Oswego, Oregon

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My sense of this place is that it has a bit of an identity crisis--is it a bakery? A cafe? A diner? All of the above and more? From breakfast sandwiches to soups to grab and go lunches, there is plenty of variety here--almost too many options. However, nothing my family has ordered on our couple visits here particularly stood out. I had a breakfast burrito and my wife had a bacon egg and cheese sandwich, which were both serviceable. We had a bowl of chicken soup that had some odd textures. Their bakery's version of a Hostess Ding Dong was fun and big enough to split (but pricey at almost $12). The staff was friendly enough and there is limited outdoor seating. A pretty good place to take kids--even the pickiest kid should find something. (3.5 stars). read more

The food at elephants is fresh and flavorful. I've never had something I didn't like. Great spot for a coffee or a longer lunch. Order at the counter and they'll call your number. Love this spot! read more

This Portland chain has it all! Delicious coffee drinks, hot food, fresh made pizza, sandwiches, soup, scrumptious bakery items, baguettes, gourmet cheese and cured meats, salads, frozen pre-cooked meals - and that's not even half of it! With an area dedicated to wine, lots & lots of pre-bagged sweets & treats, and even gift items, you can stop here for breakfast, lunch, dinner or pick up items to create a picnic or dinner. Need a gift for a friend? You'll find it here. I love that Elephants has expanded beyond downtown and you can now find them in Lake Oswego, Beaverton, the South Waterfront and more. If I'm going in a hike, I pick up the ham and cheese in baguette. if I want a special dessert, the ding dong cake is my go-to! I've even had Elephants cater gatherings at my house and the food has always been exceptional and the service impeccable. read more

Stopped in for lunch after a morning hike at nearby Tryon Creek State Park! After perusing their offerings, we decided on burgers and garlic fries from the grill and a cowboy cookie for dessert! They offer so many options! There are sandwiches, soups, salads, cookies, gelato, mini cakes and mousses, macarons, candies, and hot items from the grill like burgers, fish tacos, chicken strips and breakfast items. They also offer complimentary ice water by the door with beverage cups. The burgers were delicious! Love their burger sauce! The burgers were cooked perfectly and the buns were toasted...love that! The garlic fries were so yummy...just the perfect amount of garlic flavor. You order at the counter and wait for your name to be called to pick up your food. The employees were helpful and friendly. Very clean inside. Lovely tables and chairs are available outside with bussing station. Would highly recommend! read more

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Came here with a friend to grab cookies and a coffee and it did not disappoint at all! The double chocolate cookie was amazing and went great with the drip coffee they had going. I would recommend you come in either during the early lunch hours or the later lunch hours as they did get busy around 12:30 pm and it was hard to spot an empty table. I'll have to go back to try the rest of the food and the chocolate pudding. read more

Elephants Lake Oswego - Double Chocolate Sea Salt Cookie - Cafes Near Me - Lake Oswego, Oregon

You can order stuff to-go, there is also inside & outside seating. Ordering & bussing tables is self-serve. The staff are friendly & service is good. I ordered a tuna melt & a Rueben sandwich, also ordered a side of fries. The tuna melt was lacking tuna & the Ruben sandwich had more sauerkraut than corned beef was the reason for only 3 stars. read more

Elephants Lake Oswego - Tuna Melt & Fries - Cafes Near Me - Lake Oswego, Oregon

Having a little Affogato with chocolate gelato before lunch. This was my first time trying this tasty treat. I loved the extra chocolatey flavor that this dessert expresso had as it melted just slightly. I ordered the fried chicken sando with sweet potato tots for lunch. The dipping sauce that came with the tots was pretty flavorful and delicious. I love that there are a variety of quick grab items and cold drinks in the market area. There is definitely something for everyone here. The bakery items all looked divine and made it really hard to choose. I took home a raspberry mousse as a treat for hubby that he really enjoyed. Can't wait until the new location opens up in Cedar Hills a little close to home. read more

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Today I needed nourishment. I didn't bring lunch to work and i didn't want to pass out. I took a walk down to the deli on my lunch break. I was just looking for a quick bite. I picked up a turkey and cheese sandwich. I think they call it a "Club" sandwich, but there wasn't potato salad. I don't think Mitch Hedberg would have approved. The bread was ok, kind of a cracked wheat bread. The turkey itself was probably Boars Head, the type I usually make my own sandwiches with, and the cheese was forgettable it was there, but it wasn't really a player in the sandwich. I would suggest including a mayo or mustard packet. There might have been a condiment station in the restaurant, but I didn't have time to look. The sandwich had crisp lettuce, two leaves. Sadly there was just one anemic looking half slice of tomato aside from the poor quality (I would have preferred that it was omited during quality control, there was only one piece so the other half was unbalanced. Finally the price was high. I guess it is Lake O, the town of deep pockets and old money. However, the $4 for a 12 oz soda almost made my head explode. I passed by the refrigerator case. I remembered that I had good old H2O, and that worked just fine. I did get a $3 bag of Jalapeño Kettle chips. You pay for convenience and you definitely pay for it @ Elephant's. read more

Came in to get some lunch. Went up to the hot bar station and the server who. "Helped" me named Adonis was a very short temper individual who talked down to me like I was wasting his time and I was an idiot. I asked if he was OK. He looked at me. He did not respond and ignore me. Free bad experience for the first time coming to this elephant. I get that people experience bad days and everybody's going through their own stuff. Damn, you don't have to be flat out rude. read more

So many things I love about Elephants Deli. The soup & egg salad are my regular favorites. I picked up the grab-and-go entree for St. Patrick's Day, Corned Beef & Cabbage with Herb Mashed Potatoes!! It was so delicious & delightful that I had to write my first review even though I've been a loyal customer for 20 years. Moist and tender protein, perfectly seasoned & not overly cooked cabbage with superb fresh herbs in the mash. I made 2 servings out of it. Fantastic and Fancy!!!! read more

Elephants Deli is a go to for my wife and kids. My wife grew up on it and our kids love the quesadillas & cookies. For me though, I find SOME of the food options a bit underwhelming. If you look at the photo of the chimichurri steak sandwich in the very first photo of their page, you'd THINK it's WAY bigger than it actually is. It actually comes on a rather petite baguette. There's also a lot of other people who've complained about the same thing in other reviews. It would be easy for one to say that if you look in their deli case, you'd see how small it is in advance. However, when I ordered it I did not see that it was already prepared because I had based my choice off of the photo on this very page. If I had seen it, I would have ordered something else like the breakfast burrito or the turkey & chipotle sandwich. I understand the French bistro vibe they are going at Elephants, but now I have buyers remorse after ordering that tiny tot steak sandwich. read more

Very decent they-have-almost-everything on the menu you could want for breakfast/lunch/dinner. Not the absolute best _________ you've ever had, but that is not the point of this kind of place. Good, solid and dependable food is the game here, and they play it well. We will absolutely return. read more

I returned again after a couple years and had another very good experience! It's a pretty popular store - they have just about everything you could possibly want to eat as far as "snack", "half meal", "whole meal", "take it to go sandwich", etc. etc. etc. I only bought some cookies this time, because I know how good they are, but next time I will have to actually get a meal there and see how it is. I remember my first intro to this place was about 20-25 years ago. Somebody I knew bought a loaf of their zucchini bread and it was amazing and I was thinking "I need to visit the store where that came from and buy a loaf for myself." Somehow or other though, I never did. But then I think in 2015 I attended a *wedding reception* at one of their other stores! Yes! If I'm thinking of the same place, it's down on Macadam Avenue, quite a ways from the Oswego store, and they have wedding receptions in their banquet hall there! I don't remember much about the food of that event...as I remember, it was good but not great. Flash forward another 8 years and I went to the Oswego store, and then again today. I'll have to return sometime as I say, as they definitely have enough to feed a hungry elephant. read more

Worst Reuben I ever had. Cheese was so thin I couldn't taste it,meat was over cooked,almost no sauerkraut it was chopped up with the meat and it was dry,no thousand island just dry, and you have no business changing 16.95 for what I had. read more

My wife and I have waited a bit to come visit Elephants. After reading reviews I tend to agree that the cashier lines are haphazard. My Pastrami Reuben was delicious but my dissatisfaction was with the sides. I ordered a large fries for $5 and expected the two of us to be able to share. When the sandwich arrived we asked about the fries and we're told that was a large in their serving ounces. My suggestion is skip the overpriced fried and grab a bag of chips if you want a side of something. I know prices are up in 2023 and I eat out quite a bit but this seemed off in quantity to price overall. read more

Elephants Lake Oswego - Pastrami Rueben - Cafes Near Me - Lake Oswego, Oregon

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This elephants is NOT kid friendly, we came in with our children after a day at the park and yes we had four excited kids but as soon as we would have put food in front of them they would have calmed down. One of the most unfriendly, snobby associates came up to us and said we "needed to use inside voices or leave". We were so caught off guard and stunned we didn't know what to do. We had ordered some food but not all our food so we quickly ate what we had and left. We won't be going back to this elephants again and would recommend anyone with kids to maybe consider going to a different more kid friendly and understanding establishment which we thought a place like this would be. read more

One of the best places to get comfort food at a reasonable price. Delicious egg salad sandwiches, grilled cheese with added tomato and sauerkraut ( my vegetarian version of a Reuban!). Yummy soups, warm sandwiches, salads, and home made pastries. Places to sit inside or out. A real find! read more

Chaotic (granted it was the second or so week open). Line system wasn't clear. I was standing in line and there were 3 registers opened yet no one was policing who to go where. Several people cut me to pay which was frustrating. Price of food is ridiculous. I bought a "large" Mac and cheese that wasn't even full. The gentleman who was at the warm food section and helped the person in front of me with also Mac and cheese had filled theirs completely packed full. When I got there I was lucky if it were 3/4 full. And no they didn't run out there was still plenty of Mac and cheese for my container to be maxed out like the previous person. $9 for a "large" Mac and cheese... NOT EVEN A FULL PINT, how ridiculous! Seems super unorganized and also not much of courteous customer service (especially for the dude at the warm food section). A few tables inside and the sandwiches were small considering how much they cost. Will definitely NOT be coming back. There is nothing special about this place or the food. It's a wonder why LO even opened an Elephant Delicatessen... read more

We tried Elephant's about a week ago. Generally speaking the food was good. I had a BLT and a cup of Squash soup and my wife had a Grilled Cheese with peppers and the mushroom soup. The BLT had too much mayo and the squash soup needed a little more salt. My wife enjoyed her sandwich and soup but said she'd probably just go with the mushroom soup again and no sandwich. Overall not a bad experience. read more

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Very weird. Needs to be rethought. Food seems to have dipped in quality. Service was just okay. Pricey and not much value. read more

Dependable food that is tasty. Some of the portions ( mac and cheese) are small for the price. They offer their foods for purchase in the refrigerated section as well as ordering and eating there. Favorite soup is the tomato orange soup. Wish this store had a bigger gift shop like the one in NW Portland. read more

Elephant's has been a nice addition to Lake Oswego and Mercato Village area. The space is nice with outdoor seating. You could go for sandwiches, a meal, or even cater your Thanksgiving dinner. You could go for some treats like cookies and pastries. You could go for little gifts / knick knacks You could go for a new bottle of wine to take to a friend's house You could go for some salad bar take home items or pre-cooked items to heat up at home I mainly go for a cup of coffee on the way home. They also have some happy hour drinks. Friendly staff. Rewards points (you get points linked to your credit card) could be a little easier to use (or know how many points you have) Definitely worth a visit! read more

Attended a private event - Elephant catered - it was fantastic!!! Beautiful display, many options for any special dietary preferences- and Josh, The Head Caterer was professional, friendly and thoughtful. read more

We loved the candy store/deli vibe going on. The Elephants Cure soup was delicious. I expected it to have a more ginger flavor so it was more like regular chicken soup. To make it stand out I'd punch up the ginger and lemongrass. ;-) My mother in law wanted the buffalo cauliflower wrap but they were sold out so she had the heated caprese sandwich instead. She liked it. Hubby and I shared the fish and chips and were shocked to see 3 tiny strips of fish over the mound of fries. I'm not used to fish being served in the same size as mozzarella sticks or fries. Very disappointed in that. It tasted good, just wasn't very much fish for the price. Lastly I ordered an earl grey macaron and it was heavenly. read more

This place is amazing. The food is excellent and the service is stalwart. It has a fun vibe and a beautiful ambiance. Great place for a sit-down meal or to pick up your favorite items and run out. This evening I was served by Cat and she was off the charts - a friendly welcome, helpful attitude, just the right questions, prompt accurate service and a cheerful "have a great evening." She made it fun to be there, and I will be back soon. And, for whatever it's worth - I ordered a pound of crab cakes and she got it exactly right on the scale the first time. That's talent. read more

We went for lunch and ordered soup, croque monsieur, chicken quesadella with sweet potato tots. The ordering was easy and efficient, the soup and quesadella were good but the croque monsieur was just a ham and cheese sandwich slightly toasted...not a croque monsieur by any definition. The sweet potato tots had very little flavor. We were a bit disappointed. read more

The best Deli in town! Always amazing food with great great service! I am so glad there is one in Lake O! Fun for the whole family and everything is made fresh everyday! Yum! read more

Their Mama Leone's soup is my absolute favorite. They have a rad selection of hot and cold salad fixings and sandwiches and a unique array of drinks. There is always a variety of interesting sweets. Each location feels like an adventure. Awesome place! read more

Very average for a high price. Had one of there "fancy" sandwiches. Just not very good. On the other hand, employees were very welcoming & nice. Overall, not worth returning. Don't know why, but can't find a good deli/sandwich shop in the LO/WL area. read more

Amazing food, desserts, and a great wine selection! This new location is big and spacious with good seating and a great overall atmosphere! I love the unique dessert flavors and everyone should try the burgers, they're BOMB! read more

Elephants Lake Oswego - Bistro burger with Garlic French Fries - Cafes Near Me - Lake Oswego, Oregon

Such a great experience! everyone was very helpful and so quick!!! I got cold food togo for tonight as well as a chicken fried sandwich with garlic fries. The fries were so crispy and fluffy inside, and the chicken was made fresh to order. The chicken was so juicy and flavorful. I'd highly recommend for a grab and go or side lunch. will definitely be back read more

Elephants Lake Oswego - Garlic French Fries and Fried Chicken Sandwich - Cafes Near Me - Lake Oswego, Oregon

Nice selection of foods and snacks. Ordering can be confusing at times, sometimes they take your hot-food order at the kitchen area, sometimes you have to order it from the coffee-island area. read more

This place is falling apart. Service is poor. Order soup. No spoons or silverware. . Ask for a spoon and a manager runs to thee back and brings out a handful of forks. . No crackers for soup--if we'd asked for crackers would the woman have run to the back and brought out a pie? This location needs a good manager. read more

This is specific to the take out frozen entrees. I've used these several times to take to homes where someone had surgery, new baby, etc. This time I purchased three in anticipation of my own surgery. So my 3 star rating is based on the fact that one 1 of the 3 was wholly satisfactory & good. That was the macaroni & cheese with smoked bacon. The chicken pot pie!! Not sure what happened in the kitchen that day, but the whole pot pie was tons of onion, some peas. Literally about six little squares of chicken in the whole thing. We ate the biscuits & threw it out. The enchiladas verde tote, we ate it, it was okay, but the seasonings were not as good as remembered. I'm pretty disillusioned for my expectation & for the price. read more

Every meal I've gotten here was really tasty, and I've tried a lot. My go-tos are the bistro burger and the ding dong for dessert (better than it sounds). The line/payment system is unconventional but ends up working well after your first time. I'm hopeful they will get set up with Ubereats soon, since that's how my work manages lunch orders. read more

Just when you think you've been to the worst Elephants, the LO one takes the cake. No service, and extremely efficient staff. Food is not really good enough for them to be like that. One step above a Burger King read more