I will start by saying that I can absolutely appreciate the impact of the pandemic on restaurants. Having said that, putting up posters claiming that there's a 'labour shortage' is just bad practice. Had we noticed that prior to ordering, we would have walked out. We were pretty hungry from driving on our road trip and wanted a decent sit down meal and found pretty good reviews for this place. Upon ordering, it was immediately clear why there was a 'labour shortage' for this owner. The person taking our order at the counter (no table service currently), was the most surly old hag I've ever met. If I wasn't already so hangry and didn't have to wait another hour for one of the other restaurants to open, I would have walked right out. She was crotchety and just seemed generally angry to have to be doing any work at her own establishment. It's really too bad because the food was pretty good here but we couldn't get past how awful of a person this owner was. When the one and only staff member came out to ask us how our meal was, we had to ask if that lady was the owner and what her problem was. We told her that we were surprised anyone would run their business like that and she agreed by shaking her head but almost afraid to say anything. I really regret coming here and would not recommend it solely on the terrible attitude of the owner and the very obvious horrible working conditions for staff working here. read more

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The crepes were absolutely amazing! Although it is very confusing because we walked into an empty place and the person behind the counter said nothing. We had to ask if we should sit down or not. We ordered and we were only told our total not spoken to at all. I also never got my drink but was too afraid to say anything. I would definitely come back for the crepes though! read more

We had the savoury crepes...eggs, ham, cheese and onion. The crepes were very tasty but expensive ($19 each). Coffee was excellent.

This little Mom and Pop cafe and coffee shop is a hub within the beautiful town of Mahone Bay. Not much to dislike in this place; Eli and Trixie will treat you like an old friend who has popped in unannounced, but very much welcome. Mark and I headed down here last Sunday with our tummy's rumbling in hopes of the feast we had here last July. He was just as impressed with the cheese and ham omelette as he had been with a similar variant almost a year ago. I decided to try something brand new even though I LOVE the waffles at Eli's (and Trixie's). The Panini with cucumber, cheese, tomato and their own sauce left a little to be desired although Mark gobbled down my leftovers with relish (enjoyment, he didn't add relish) so i'm likely just a picky brunch goer. A very quaint little stop off all in all! Icecream flavours are advertised on a hand made sign as: 1 scoop: $1, 2 scoop: $1.75, 3 scoop: $2.50 and 4 scoop: $3.25. Is it just me or is 4 scoops a tad excessive?? Needless to say, you can get your fix at Eli's. ps: This cafe is (Dame) Judy Dench approved. for real. read more

Eli's Espresso - Mark smiling awkwardly while I take pictures of him buttering toast. - Local Flavor Near Me - Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia

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I love Mahone Bay, it has been a stopping point for me on my South Shore adventures since I was a kid. In recent years a number of new places to eat have popped up - most appear to be of pretty high quality and were quite busy the day we were in town. I should mention that we had planned on eating at the Kedy's Inlet Cafe while in Mahone Bay, but sadly they went out of business (too bad, I really liked their seafood chowder). My parents had been to Eli's before, however, this was my first time. I liked the vibe of the place - dark wood, modern furniture and big, bright paintings. The drink selection was pretty standard for a cafe, however, the sandwich menu was very interesting. I was intrigued by the Croque Monsieur w/pineapple and my wife was all about the Reuben. I have had a few Croque Monsieur in my day, some very good and some not so good. The sandwich I had at Eli's was not a Croque Monsieur, but rather a ham sandwich with pineapple. It was tasty for what it was, piled high with lean ham, swiss cheese and juicy pineapple. The whole wheat bread was hearty and thick. My wife's Reuben was also good, piled high with smoked meat (Eli's touts rather loudly that the smoked meat is from legendary Montreal restaurant Schwartz's, but I couldn't really tell the difference from any other quality smoked meat). It had a decent amount of sauerkraut, hopefully from Tancook Island down the road, and was relatively light overall. Both sandwiches were served with fruit, which was nice. I had a mocha from the drink menu and it was quite acceptable - smooth, yet not to sweet chocolate with steamed milk and espresso. My only real knock against Eli's that kept my review to 3 stars is their prices - drinks were priced about the same as Starbucks ($5 on average for a medium sized drink) and the sandwiches were in the $13 - $15 range. Lunch for the four of us was $80, really steep for a cafe on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. read more

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I've had a decent latte or two here and one not very good biscotti. The menu is intriguing, but the prices seem a touch high. I haven't sampled much, though, so maybe they're worth it. I like the space itself - the back room is a favourite, with its woodstove in the winter. A covered patio out front allows tourist-watching on Main st. Today, I was happy to discover that they sell free-range eggs for the dirt cheap price of $3/dozen. read more

Eli's Espresso - The back room. - Local Flavor Near Me - Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia

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A friend and i stopped in while out on a South Shore photography run. They serve Kicking Horse coffee, which is one of my favourite brands. I got a 3 shot Americano, my friend got a dark roast. Both were great. The ratio of water/coffee was solid, and they had a few different options for dairy. What i really appreciated is they kept everything in a mini fridge... nice and cold milk.. awesome :) The food looked amazing, I plan on coming back to try an omelette or sandwich for sure! read more

We spent a couple weeks in Mahone Bay during a sailing trip in September, 2017. Eli's is the place for coffee and breakfast. It opens early and has a lively group of regulars that are fun to chat with. We went to Eli's every day we were in town and were never disappointed. read more

Stopped in here for some coffee and pie with a side of ice cream while we were traveling through Nova Scotia. It was the best Strawberry & Rhubarb pie I have ever eaten. We actually stopped by the next day to have another before we left that area. Hope to be back up that way again next year to get another slice. read more

Allowing a customer to sit at the counter for more than 5 minutes not offering to take their order, and then instead directing them to order at the cash register is flat out rude. Please note that the establishment was at 25% capacity when this happened. The drip coffee was burnt as if it had sat on the burner for hours. The blueberry strudel was meh at best. read more

Love this places healthy organic take on food. Homemade. My hubs loves the paninis. Great fair trade coffee too

Sorry, this is the worst cappuccino I have ever had... It is watery and metallic. My guests are not impressed with their hot chocolate or brownie. The washroom policy for customers only, while becoming the norm, is still a dick move.... I'm sure this review won't hurt their business because they are in a tourist town, but that is probably why things have gotten so bad... read more

That was the worst Americano I've had in years. I'm guessing the beans were stale, but it could also be a bad grind setting. To make things worse, they charge 4.50 for an Americano. For a premium price, I expected a premium product, but got worse than average drip. read more

How did this place get such good reviews? Terrible, terrible food. And the service wasn't much better. I ordered the panini with smoked salmon for $11.95. Steep price, but okay if the food is fresh and delicious. So, the panini... The bread was nothing more than a couple of cheap store-bought multigrain slices. Definitely not worth $11.95. And the "smoked salmon" -- surely that means lox, right? No, it was cooked. Okay, my mistake for not checking. Even so, the panini was grossly overpriced and disappointing. But what was truly unforgivable was the pieces of fruit that came with it. They were starting to rot! Who puts a rotten banana and strawberries that are half-brown and mushy on a plate and thinks it's okay to serve it to a customer? Disgusting. As for the service, I asked if there was wireless for customers and the person serving me practically barked, "Yes, but I have to put the password in for you." I felt like a criminal for asking. I'm never going back. read more

I love this place! I went here for the first time with my fiance and we were very impressed with the coffee and pastries :). We are Starbucks drinkers and Kicking Horse coffee is very comparible. The pastries all look delicious! We had a cinnamon bun; I would love to try their blueberry coffee cake, yum! Staff was very pleasant and they have a wonderful outdoor patio area. read more

Mahone Bay is such a lovely town with so many quaint restaurants and bakeries, but unfortunately Eli's isn't one of the many I would recommend. I assumed by the prices and ambience that the food would be stellar. But our group was extremely disappointed when the French toast was as basic as what a first year college student would make. A few of us opted to get just the toast without fruit as it was $5 cheaper. In hindsight I should have gone across the street to the grocery store bought bread, eggs, syrup and a cornucopia of fruit and made it at home. read more