Ellen’s Bagels Hoagies & More

We went here on a whim for a weekday breakfast, expecting nothing special. To our surprise, the breakfast burrito was the best my husband has ever tasted (high praise!). Similarly, my breakfast of eggs, hash browns, sausage, and a bagel was very good – above the quality of most diners. My only complaint was the lack of coffee (and espresso drinks would have been nice). Also, the décor feels like you’re in an airport, but that’s not the main draw there!

Definitely the best lunch option in the Bellevue. The Southwestern sandwich is out of this world delicious. If you eat the whole thing in one sitting, be prepared for a food coma afterwards. Their Cordon Bleu sandwich is pretty tasty too. The staff are pretty pleasant and the service is fast. My only complaint is that their sandwiches are pretty overpriced– if you get a sandwich and a bag of chips, you can’t get out of there for less than $ 10, which seems pretty crazy.

Ellen’s is in the has been in the Bellevue (200 S Broad St) food court. It may not necessarily be on your radar because of its off-​street location, but it should be.\
Here’s some of what we sampled:
+ The Southwestern — this sandwich features chipotle dressing, bacon, sundried tomatoes and romaine. This sandwich was served with grilled chicken, which really spotlights the fresh flavors used in this sammy. But keep in mind that you can choose either crispy or grilled chicken for any sandwich, in addition to steak, low salt roast turkey or Portobello mushrooms. The Chipotle dressing had just a hint of heat that worked well with the sundried tomatoes.
+ Tomato Bisque — A light, creamy take on Tomato soup, this is a perfect treat for the Fall and winter months and would pair up great with a grilled cheese!
+ The Ellen — this is their signature sandwich and for good reason! We had The Ellen prepared with their crispy chicken cutlets, sharp provolone, romaine, tomatoes, onions, homemade marinated long hots and their house dressing. This packs a spicy punch with the long hots (although they may be substituted for roasted red peppers if spicy isn’t your thing) but the star is the tangy house dressing. A take on dijionnaise, I could see this being great with any sandwich or even as a salad dresssing.
+ Smoky Chicken Salad — a classic flavor but not too heavily dressed chicken salad which we had served on a whole wheat wrap, another more healthful option offered, in addition to having the ingredients put in a salad if you so desire.
[You can see my full review on my website:

I usually go to Ellen’s for breakfast and never really thought to post a review until now. Breakfast here is pretty standard and I have a go to of egg and cheese on a bagel, nothing over the top special about it but good.
However I just had their Italian Tuna hoagie and I’m in love. I thought the combo was interesting for a tuna hoagie but that I’d try it and if I didn’t like it hey I had a $ 2 discount via levelup. Anywhoo I’d asked the cashier if the tuna had any celery and she broke down the spices which I thought was interesting until I got to my office and saw the hoagie, no mayo in it just all tuna. I typically don’t like celery based tunas which is why I’d asked and it didn’t dawn on her I’d asked assuming it was mayo based. Thankfully I was being fat and asked for mayo on my roll but I’m pretty sure with the flavors of the provolone, broccoli rabe, roasted peppers and tuna i would have survived without it and I’m glad she didn’t realize why I was asking because I may not have tried it. I’ll actually try it without mayo next time and spare myself those calories and I feel the flavors will hold it’s own. Obviously different from your corner store tuna hoagie but very good if you can go for something a little different than you may be use to.

What a little gem in an otherwise drab food court. It was the only shop open at 10AM on a Monday and it was a few people ahead of me anxiously awaiting their orders. I had a hankering for lox and bagel for some odd reason and after looking on Unilocal for a spot close to me, with good reviews and less than $ 10, I settled on Ellen’s.
The staff was so friendly! The lady with the locks greeted each person with such warmth, I felt like I’d been coming here for years (this is my 1^st visit).
My food was warm, perfect (just the right amount of cream cheese and lox and not a half an onion) and delicious. I really don’t have one negative thing to say. I will definitely be back for one of their breakfast options or maybe even lunch.

I love this place and I miss it so much now that my office moved. Every time I am in the city I now make it a point to go there either for breakfast or lunch. the food is amazing!

Stopped in for a bagel based on reviews and was very disappointed. Bagels looked like they came out of a bag like squishy bread. Did not have the sheen or a real boiled bagel. Used philly flavored cream cheese out of philly tubs. Any good bagel place uses philly cream cheese but adds their own flavors. Sorry about the negative post, but just trying to help others avoid the disappointment.

Great breakfast and lunch spot. I work next door and come here several times a week. Their breakfast sandwiches are amazing (try to wheat everything bagel) and instantly get me ready for my day ahead. I’m a creature of habit and haven’t strayed too much on the hoagie list, but several friends have and the look great. Not to mention the staff is funny, friendly and quick.

Ellen’s is one of the few places in the Bellevue that I actually enjoy eating from. Their hoagies are really good. I usually get a grilled chicken hoagie with sweet peppers, and their house sauce. The chicken (grilled or breaded) taste good and seems to be seasoned really well.

Came here from out of town. Looked at the review on Unilocal.Came in and guess what they are closed on Saturdays.

My job gets its bagels from here they are okay, being from NYC I know good bagels. There spreads are really good.

I have been eating at this establishment in the food court at the Bellevue since I was a young lad. This place has the best bagels, bar none. The ingredients of everything they make are on display at the counter and you can see that they look clean, tasty, and high in quality. The owner and his staff are passionate about what they do and about offering their customers a personal experience that is simply pleasant. While you are waiting for your food you come to realize that many of their customers eat there on an almost daily basis and they are not even customers to them, they are friends.
I am not ashamed to admit that I eat at Ellen’s everyday, and have probably been there close to a thousand times. It is the most consistently excellent place that I have ever frequented, not only in the qaultiy of the food but in the overall experience as well. Everything on their menu tastes awesome and looks exceptional. From something as simple as a toasted bagel to their soups, sandwiches and other breakfast and lunch items, there is not a single choice that doesn’t satisfy you.
I recommend this place to people who care more about good food than gimicks and who want the best ingredients possible in whatever they order. I am glad this place exists because whenever I don’t fee like thinking about where I am going to go for breakfast or for lunch, I just head to Ellen’s because I know what to expect; good food, quick service, and overall satisfaction. I am excited to eat whatever I get from Ellen’s everytime I go there.

An unsuspecting gem in the Bellevue food court. Awesome bread! Nice variety with some (relatively) healthier choices. Staff is always friendly and there’s never too much of a wait. A solid breakfast/​lunch to-​go spot!

I was excited when I first found this place. I had just made the move from queen village to center city and I was missing my bagel spot. I need to have a go to place for breakfast. This never became that place, but it’s not exactly bad.
The bagel I had was ok, but it’s not really about the bagel, it’s just a standard place to get some breakfast food, but just within a couple blocks there are much better places.
Coffee wasn’t particularly memorable either, and it wasn’t exactly cheap so… not really a surprise that I haven’t gone back.

This place is great! Delicious gourmet hoagies, seriously so so good! Highly recommended is the «Spicy B,» «Southwest» or «Turkey Sicilian.» Also, their long hot peppers are to die for — pack a serious punch!
Yes, it’s s little pricy & there are long lines during breakfast & lunch rush, but that’s because the ingredients are fresh every day & people love this place!
BEST KEPT SECRET OF CENTER CITY

I had a sausage, egg, and cheese (should’ve been more adventurous) on a bagel. In a way, I was wowed, but at the same time I’m like eh… sausage, egg, and cheese.
Wow: The cheesiness of it was great, but I forgot how much I dislike mixing American cheese with eggs. I meant to ask if they had some other cheeses, but really the eggs were rockin. It was a good mashup of textures. I also forgot to ask for ketchup. (next time)
Eh: The bagel has that same problem as the sarcone-​esque style rolls. Too tough on the outside. I’d go to bite and almost squeeze out half the sandwich. Crusty outside and slippery inside can ruin a sandwich hot off the grill. Maybe if I had gotten it to go it would be a different story.
I also got an apple danish and it was cool, more crusty than I would like and less fluffy than I would like. Overall, I’m willing to give Ellen’s another shot maybe for a lunch sandwich/​wrap. And they did offer to make whatever if I was interested despite it being ~8ish. The breakfast sandwich was fresh and juicy, but I would’ve liked more flavor. I was really eyeing the vegetables behind the glass. I should’ve gotten some of those with some ketchup and I think the sandwich would’ve been RIGHT! The staff was indeed friendly and the menu had a great selection. If you go early enough the food court is empty so it’s great to eat in especially on a cold day.

An old friend who used to work in the Bellevue raved about Ellen’s, and I never knew exactly why. I guess because the Bellevue food court is still a food court, so it just seemed average in my mind. After searching through Unilocal reviews for the best bagel suggestion, I saw that they get theirs from South Street bagels so I decided to give them a try.
When I walked up the first thing I saw was that they had whole wheat everything bagels. WIN! Whole wheat everything bagels are like unicorns, you hear about them, but you can never find them. At least outside New York, but that’s true for a lot of things. I held my breath as I asked if they had low fat veggie cream cheese. They did! I was so excited to try it that I embarrassingly power walked back to my office. The verdict? Definitely not an NYC bagel (shout out to Pick-​a-​Bagel, my true love) but it came very close! Closer than any other boiled ball of dough I’ve tried in Philly. My bagel and a coffee only ran me $ 4.85. The employees are super friendly too!
I will be back!

I’ve only been going here for a few months now. I work in the area and like the variety of choices at the Bellevue. Already the staff know my order and also my name. All nice stuff. The food is excellent and very fresh and yummy. It actually tastes like food as opposed to preprocessed plastic. (do you hear me saladworks???)
But what really got me was how they treated me today. I got my usual buffalo chicken wrap and large soda. Payed. Sat down. Book out ready to read. Dumped said soda all over myself, Chicken wrap and floor. Very embarrassed I went back to them to get napkins and possibly something to wipe up my mess, and they immediately made a fuss over me and then remade my order. refused any money as well and didn’t want the tip I shoved at them. This is customer relations. This is customer appreciation. Great food. Even greater staff. Thanks

Be it breakfast or lunch I’ve never had a disappointing item from Ellen’s. Bagels come fresh every morning from South Street Philly Bagels and everything is super tasty. My recommendations are:
— bacon, egg & cheese on whole wheat everything
— egg white & veggie wrap
— buffalo chicken w/​blue cheese, tomato & onion
Their buffalo chicken cutlets in particular are fantastic either on a seeded roll, whole wheat, or wrap. Definitely check this place out.

Yes, the food is delicious. Yes, it’s mostly double the price of the same thing you could get at a lunch truck. Yes, it’s in The Bellevue (hence that higher price tag).
But it’s pretty good food (I’ve only ever had breakfast food from here but all of their sandwich ingredients are right up front for you to see and they look fresh as can be!). The employees are nice. For some reason, their breakfast chalkboard with their specials/​menu items make me smile cause they draw hearts on it. A local band I know sells their CD here, which is random, but sort of makes me give this place more points.