elm café

fun lunch, exceptional catering. i've been walking or stopping into elm not-regularly-enough since the opened. i have had many sandwiches i loved and a few that i didn't. i don't like the torpedo rolls, too dry. but everything else hits the spot and it's always exciting to see what they have come up with next. the hot chocolate is made with actual chocolate, and they offer almond milk which i like to have instead of normal milk (wish places would offer organic milk). also love that they use bows & arrows coffee.i just wish more of their muffins were chocolate based, but that's just me. i wish they had jacket/bag hooks under the bench inside.
i've had their catering on a number of occasions and i'm just so impressed by their quality and creativity. what a great edmonton success story.

amazing sandwiches. i had the cubano and my wife had the bbq chicken. always changing menu with fantastic sandwiches. small spot with little seating inside but worth it. highly recommend!

a nice little place just a couple of blocks from me and a sister business of district coffee; i knew if it was affiliated with district, it had to be good. my first visit, the staff were friendly and helpful with explaining the different coffees they had for the day. even though, elm cafe has a smaller selection of baked goods that district has, everything still looked yummy and fresh. i went with my husband and we ended up getting 2 brew coffees (daily special), a muffin and 2 of their daily breakfast sandwiches. the coffee was a light roast which didn't suit my taste at all. the muffin, berry almond, was really moist and bursting with lots berries and a nice almond streusel on top. the daily breakfast sandwiches were awesome, a fair size and delicious. the bread was really good too and could only imagine what their daily lunch sandwiches were like (btw, the reubenesque at district coffee is awesome). being that it's nice and close to my house, the great service and most important, the great food, i will definitely be back.

addicted. i can't stop eating sandwiches here for lunch :s i have a problem. this would have to be my favourite place on the north side of the river to grab a sandwich for sure, always fresh, good quality ingredients. definitely also get a cup of coffee here, great coffee from victoria. i recommended this place to all my friends and have been thanked multiple times.

the falafels and tahini combined to make and incredibly creamy, well spiced filling, while radishes and cucumber salsa provided a fresh bite.

delicious. i wish it was open on sundays. i work too far for the weekday lunch and saturdays are great. but sundays would also be awesome.

great sandwich. a must try for those in the neighborhood and needing a sandwich to fill their belly. yes, it is a little expensive, but you are paying for quality ingredients as well as more than just a blt on toasted bread.

great food and friendly faces to serve it to you. this place has a real local vibe and just feels like your neighbourhood gem. nobody rushes you out if you want to spend a weekend afternoon sipping and reading.

exceptional service, and fresh, delicious food and beverages. they support local, and places like elm cafe make it a pleasure for us to do so too. i’ll be going back. see you there!

this is our favourite go-to shop to get a hot-pressed breakfast sandwich to start off the weekend right. the menu changes regularly so it never gets old. in the morning there's usually two choices and by lunch they add a couple more. there's never been a time where at least one of the choices wasn't delicious (usually both choices look delicious to be honest). the scones and coffee are also pretty tasty. i will keep coming back here as long as they're open! great food, good price, fun staff - what else do you need?

on a slow summers day the elm café is a great choice for a light lunch or breakfast. the are the king of the sandwich makers, in my opinion. today i had a mac and cheese sandwich which is a twist on the blt. it was delicious. the problem with elm café is that there is really no seating except for a couple of outdoor tables with no rain protection. so if the day is fine this is a five star café. if it is cold or wet outside, i would suggest somewhere else.

elm café has been on my list for forever to try but it’s a bit too much effort to try and get downtown to eat during the work week. it’s one of those shops that closes early. well, i finally made it out and met up with my boy g for lunch thursday. the inside is tiny (it’s oddly similar in size and layout to farrow sandwiches). there’s exactly four stools to sit at inside so most people were taking their goodies to go. there is some bench area outside where a few tables are put out for the summertime.

this is a divine sandwich place. super small but oh so good. check out their twitter on a daily basis for what they offer because it changes on a day to day menu. i know $9 for a sandwich seems like a lot, but if you value local shops and good ingredients, you won't blink twice because it's so worth it!
i always like meat in my sandwiches but i blundered up an order once and the guy gave me a veggie sandwich. while i was driving away i realized that he gave me the wrong one (can't blame him though, i just had some teeth work done so my jaw was a tad numb - i was difficult to understand). but i was scrunched for time and starving, so i decided to eat it. hello tingling tastebuds. i never ever thought i'd eat a sandwich with no meat but there it is. i'm a changed woman. so whether you're vegetarian or not, go. just go.
the one thing that would be nice is if they had a 10 minute customer parking spot, long enough for you to wait for them make your sandwich.

i have been going to elm cafe since it opened. during this time, i've noticed the steady deterioration of quality and value of their offerings. i'm not sure if it correlates with the burgeoning elm cafe enterprise, but i suspect elm cafe has been a casualty of the business phenomenon of 'growing too fast' at the expense of other nate box businesses.  simply put, elm cafe has lost what made it special in the first place and ceded that position to the likes of farrow sandwiches.

the final straw was being charged $9 for a lackluster parmesan chicken sandwich the other day. the green in the sandwich was limp and the chicken was dry and stringy, and overall lacking in flavor. i suspect the $7 pricing of sandwiches during 12 and 1pm is meant to offset the poor intrinsic value of elm cafe sandwiches. 

once upon a time, elm cafe used to put out quality sandwiches for better pricing. now they put out mediocre sandwiches for premium pricing. as a result, i will not be going back.

love the coffee -- i usually get the americano. small spot but nice little patio. the sandwiches are amazing too ! can't go wrong with anything here.