Elephants Bagels One, Edinburgh

It's a cool idea but I wasn't blown away with elephants and bagels. I was a bit disapointed with their selection of fillings and they're always out of soup when I go. However, my husband thinks they do the best BLT bagels in Edinburgh. The decor is awesome and the elephant pics will keep you entertained. It's right in the student hub so great for grabbing lunch after lectures. The cafe is tiny and securing a seat can be difficult so always go along with a plan B!

I have had two very disappointing visits to this establishment. The only positive remark would be that the décor is different and certainly keeps you entertained. However the tea tasted like milky water and the staff members most definitely need some sort of customer service training as their methods with dealing with negative comments should be to accept and improve the situation not proceed to laugh in the customer’s face and then walk away. The management should be ashamed of themselves, as they were not much help either. As I work in the travel industry, I often advice tourists on places to visit while in Edinburgh, I can guarantee that the Elephants and Bagel will most certainly not be one of them.

Lots of folks enthuse about this place but I've always been disappointed here. I >like< Bohemian untidiness, but Elephants and Bagels always seems a bit less clean than I would like. The coffee is very uninspiring and the snacks, although sometimes good are not always consistently so. I usually leave feeling my visit could have been so much more pleasant if only the staff paid a bit more attention.

I love this place too. A range of drinks. Free wifi (to customers!). A cosy little cafe with a collection of wooden chairs and tables that wouldn't look out of place in your granny's living room. And the bagels. Well. I got there at 4pm today and there were 3 left. But first thing, you can choose from sesame seed, poppy seed, onion, multi-seed, tomato, cinnamon and raisin, plain (why would you?) and the list goes on. Fillings galore also.

I would recommend roasted peppers, cream cheese and pine nuts. But I'm a terrible creature of habit.

I love this place!
The smaller sister of the eternally busy Elephant House, Elephants and Bagels sells, well, bagels.
But oh the choice of bagels! Fruity, oaty, plain, savoury.. my favourite is a spinach bagel with cream cheese. But a blueberry one for breakfast wouldn’t go amiss. Or a cheese and jalapeno bagel with some chicken and sundried tomatoes. Oh and they do a lovely hummous and pesto filling too.

mmm, I’m off to buy a bagel.

A really unique coffee/bagel shop. It is right next to the university campus so has a lot of students frequenting it, and also means that it can get quite busy at lunchtimes so it might be hard to find a spare seat.

The decor, as the name of the establishment suggests, has a lot to do with elephants and you will find little statues and drawings of elephants inside.

There is a range of bagels to choose from, and then there are lots of topping to choose from and you can also choose whether you want to have it hot or cold. There are also cakes and different beverages on offer.

I really love this place, it is different and unique compared to some of the larger names and I really like bagels. Just time your visit carefully so you get a seat!

Terrific little bagel & coffee shop right off a main line of bus routes, so relatively easy to get to. I’ve been searching Edinburgh for a good bagel and coffee shop and have finally found one that’s worth the weekly trek. The bagels are freshly made and absolutely delicious - much better than anything else I’ve had in the UK. There’s a variety of toppings for your bagels (including full bagel sandwiches) but I would definitely recommend a fruit bagel (blueberry, raisin, etc) with peanut butter - you can’t go wrong! The prices are fairly reasonable.

Atmosphere is great - you can come here to get a coffee and bagel to go, come to sit and chat with friends, or just come to enjoy a little time to yourself and read a book over coffee. The decor of the place is very unique with all the elephant pictures all over and has a nice, quaint feeling.

Staff are very friendly and willing to accommodate any requests you may have. Can get a little busy at time, but the line still moves fairly quickly.

All in all, if you are looking for a great bagel and coffee - definitely make this your next stop!

This is truly a great place for a Saturday morning leisurely breakfast. It reminds me somewhat of Einstein’s Bagels in America, before they got all corporate and lost their soul.

They have a wide selection of bagels and and even wider selection of what can be put on them. From bacon to cream cheese to sandwiches made out of bagels, toasted or not, the list seems endless.

But they also have excellent coffee, hot chocolate, and tea. They do good soup as well. And there’s a wide range of vegetarian and vegan options.

The whole place is (obviously) decorated with an elephant theme and is cosy and cheerful. If I could possibly say anything negative about it, the only thing I would say is that the location is too small for the number of people who try to fit in on typical Saturday mornings.

just simply amazing bagels. smoked salmon and cream cheese every time

Mr Law is right: the bagels are excellent, the coffee is pretty good, but the staff are miserable, clearly not having born the brunt of serving several thousand students very well. It’s pricey, you’ll be lucky to get a seat at lunchtime but if you want a bagel and you’re around George Square it really can’t be beat. Try to ignore the snotty notice about wifi being turned off at will.

Fantastic bagels, really very good. However it is let down by its grumpy staff. Something that seems to be a common theme with the elephant cafes. They always seem like it is such a chore to serve you.

Other than that, the bagels are great, as is the coffee. Perfect for a quick sit down lunch.

A lovely cafe on the George IV bridge - not the biggest cafe, but the tables are a good size if there are a few of you, or if you want to bring a laptop and do some work. The food is really tasty and while this isn’t the trendiest place in Edinburgh, it is quaint and interesting. The walls have art work which is from around the world, so there is plenty to look at while you are eating. The selection of food, particularly snacks, scones, tray bakes etc is really good, but the coolest think about this place is that it is (apparently) where JK Rowling wrote the first harry potter book - definately worth a visit!

great place for a slightly different lunch, with the mix and match bagels. A bit more expensive than a takeaway sandwich, but less than a pub lunch

The elephant themed cafe (sister to the elephant house) is the perfect place to chill out. The laid back staff and bright elephant themed decor make this a welcoming and homely place to be!
Be amazed by the enormous selection of bagels (my faves are spinach or cheese and jalapeno) and the inventive selection of fillings (can i recommend cream cheese and pesto? amazing!!!)
Then sit back and marvel at the number of paintings and drawings of elephants all over the walls (or even draw one yourself with the provided art materials!)

Being an American, I have been in search of a good bagel shop ever since I moved to Edinburgh. I have found it! I went there based on the reviews on this site. It was everything I hoped for...a large selection of bagels, cream cheeses and bagel sandwiches. Though most reviews say it is, I didn't think this place was pricey for Edinburgh. The place has a nice feel to it. It is definitely a place to go.

A strange name, but a really cool place. Elephants and bagels cover the walls, in such a small enviroment this creates a real homely vibe.

Well, if you like bagels, that's a good start. If you like elephants that's pretty good too, cause you get plenty of both here.

While it may not have the JK Rowling-induced fame or the stunning view of its sister-cafe on the bridge, i personally think the atmosphere in here is great, and the food even better. The bacon brie and mango chutney combo is a particular favourite of mine, but i'm not too fussy when it's all so delicious. Slightly steep on the pricing scale is my only negative, but other than that, i love it.

I just wonder how much time you can spend not working and trying to read every single elephant-related poem up on the wall...

Love this place, but can't afford to go there regularly! The bagel menu is amazing, just think of a filling and they probably do it, however bizarre. There are some delicious combinations suggested on the wall (alongside hundreds of elephant pictures!) and they do pretty scrumptious cakes if your bagel doesn't fill you up, which it probably will!

Elephants & Bagels could never be done for false advertising. As soon as you walk in to this relatively tiny bagel shop you are encountered with hundreds of elephants and an entire wall of bagels. Fortunately for food lovers the bagels are real, the elephants are not.

This place is positively charming and I’ve spent many hours here drinking the excellent coffee with a lovely home-made cake. The walls are adorned with pictures of elephants that customers of all ages have proffered to the eatery making it a colourful and cosy place where you can pass the time reading all the messages and taking in all the elephants.

The bagels are a whole different thing. There is an extensive menu, including breakfast bagels with scrambled eggs and the like, and you can choose what kind of bagel you’d like with whatever fillings you’d like. From simple options like plain with butter to as deliciously complex as an olive & jalapeno bagel with pesto, melted mozzarella and salami. Almost everything is less than a fiver and it’s ruddy luscious. The only problem is that I always want more, and oh, if you don’t like bagels you probably won’t find much to your liking.