Gilbert's on Main - Restaurant

I'll have to admit, I'm a fan of Gilbert's when I'm in the mood for a great bagel sandwich. It's a Deli and a popular one. At lunch time, the lines are long, seating is limited and service is... well, when it backs up like that... they can only go so fast. So grab a menu and make a decision fast if you happen to get there early as they have a great variety of sandwiches and several soups each day. Not only your tuna melts, turkey bacon and ham and American cheese with tomato and lettuce either. They have sandwiches with avocado, sprouts and cranberry relish... Hmmm... just the thought of the Turkey with cream chease and cranberry relish on an asiago cheese bagel is enough to make my mouth water. I'll reiterate... the portions are huge... when I get the bagels, the other half goes home with me for dinner / supper. They do have some half sandwiches and soup and sandwich combos. I love the ambience. There's playbills on the walls, old magazines like those you'd find in a Dentist's from a Norman Rockwell painting, "eclectic" chairs (they don't match) There's also sidewalk seating which is pleasant on a sunny day as Main Street in downtown Bellevue isn't what I would call busy. The only cons (apart from being so popular that it's always crowded) is that it is a little on the pricey side. But well... I've spent the same at The Other Coast in Ballard, and they don't even have bagels or crepes. Oh yes! Crepes are available for afternoon tea. I'll have to check that and breakfast out some time. more

Okay this is not in Seattle but as soon as you walk in you're gonna forget about the Posches, Hummers and Mercedes Benzes parked outside the street. I worked in Bellevue for about a year and I have to say it was pretty hard to grab good grub in this town sure they have Zizo Market, Byblos Deli and other Teriyaki places but sometimes you just need to have something other than Salmon Teriyaki or Whole Wheat Falafel. This is when Gilbert's on Main shows up. The deli looks pretty out of place in this part of Bellevue, all the other stores are so antiseptic and oh-so pretty I almost didn't want to get something to eat in this place. Interiors: very quirky, the walls are covered with posters of plays, concerts and the like. The tables have mismatched seats, there are outdated magazines and newspapers stacked everywhere it's just a glorified chaos so to speak. Food: Unbelievable menu. You want eggs, they've got eggs. You want Lox, they've got Lox. Tuna Melt? check. Veggie sandwiches? check. They even have Crepes too (only during the afternoons though, for a limited time only!) Cons: everything is expensive. food runs from about $5-$20 although the portions are grotesquely huge, but still... What you do is when you walk in, grab a menu because if you stand in front of the counter and stare at their big menu posted on the wall you're probably gonna get attitude from the staff or the people lined up behind you. Most of the sandwiches are made with Bagels (they have a huge selection) but they do have breads as well. If you order breakfast it comes with a tiny canister of fruit, for lunch items, a scoop of potato salad or chips if you'd like to substitute. WARNING: if you can order half a sandwich, do so. I ordered the Tuna Melt on wheat bread and it was huge. After my first slice I couldn't eat anymore, it was just too much. Good Stuff: The first time I went there I had a Whole Wheat Bagel with coleslaw, jack cheese, avocado and tomatoes. It was so good, to this day I still recreate that sandwich when I feel a little down. Perfect pick me up. Another Warning: don't go there for lunch because they get attacked by a hungry crowd. Literally. But if you go there after lunch they're out of bagels. I went there at about 230 pm and they had about 4 bagels left... I don't work in Bellevue anymore and I miss Gilbert's. It's expensive but it's good food and you can't beat the atmosphere too. more

Gilbert's has been around I think since the mid 1990s, and it is a wonderful place to stop for breakfast or lunch and watch the fancy cars drive by to and from Medina. For a healthy breakfast I order the granola (very heavy on the dried fruit) or an egg white omelete (still very large). more

Seattle IS without a good New York Deli! The Other Coast and Roxy’s are poor at best. You are going to have to venture across 520 to Gilberts in Bellevue. It is not 100% authentic but trust me, it is worth the drive. The monstrous sandwiches with heaps of corned beef and pastrami are fantastic, the rye bread is the real deal, and the pickle right on! All sandwiches are served with macaroni salad. Matzo ball soup is on the menu as are breakfast dishes, which we did not try. Overall everything looked fresh and the portions were generous. The food it is overpriced- due to our shortage in good deli’s I’m betting bake the bread themselves and pay extra to ship some ingredients cross country. Labor in Bellevue is not cheep. Order a half sandwich if you are price conscious. Generally this place is packed with a line out the door and weekends are worse. The wait for our to-go order was lengthy but not excessive. The clientele waiting in line was very impatient and fairly demanding (seriously people, make a decision, move the line and step aside. It is a Deli not a full service restaurant). more