Elmo's Diner Reviews

Great dinner. Often busy, but they have coffee in case you have to wait.

Food great, service superior and price very reasonable. Recomend highly.

I always get the best service here and the food is consistently delicious. Try the Greek grilled cheese with chicken.

Great Staff, wonderful food, it's hot, inexpensive and delicious! A true American diner experience on 9th street and the food really cant be beat. I've been a few times and everything from the specials, perfect pancakes, to breakfast staples and lunch items it's some good old style down home cooking that always keeps us coming back for more! :D

Good food and beer selection. Can get very busy in the evening.

Excellent comfort food that never disappoints. We were encouraged to spend time relaxing between appointments.

My wife and I love Elmo's (it's "our" restaurant). Pretty much everything on the menu is worth ordering, but my favorites include their chicken burrito and their salmon cakes square meal. Friendly staff, quick service, and low prices make this one of the best restaurants in the Triangle.

The locals seem to love this place. The wait was very long and the food was good but not unique or extravagant. If it was easier to get a seat I would say this is a great place for a quick bite but the food wasn't worth an hour wait. If you can get in quick its definitely worth it but if you have to wait a long time I might suggest an IHOP

Too big for a good small town diner feel and the food was just okay.

I understand why people rave about this place. It seems Iike the kind of traditional place that would stick in your mind and become a tradition. Problem is, on my one visit it just wasn't that spectacular. I had corned beef hash and my friend had a BBQ chicken sandwich. We both remarked "eh." The corned beef was more of a cubed variety and had cheese smothered on top with scrambled eggs. I've traditionally had it with more of a shredded hash and smaller potatoes, no cheese, and some sort of fried or poached egg situation. I didn't want to order my way though, best to give them a chance, especially when it's on the sizable "specials" menu. Just okay. I put a lot of Tabasco on and ate the whole thing.

They were good about bringing more coffee and nice. Checked in more than once. But generally felt a little rushed even though the place wasn't completely full.

For the experience described, the prices didn't make it a good value. It wasn't super expensive but it's also not a dirt cheap greasy spoon.

I'll probably go back at some point. But I won't be super pumped to do so.

the breakfast is as advertised and meets the reputation. tasty and ample. every possible item and they are super accommodating. the staff is excellent. fast and efficient.

Staff is slow and not very welcoming. But the food is excellent.

Solid breakfast place. Expect some wait time on the weekend (but they already offer coffee if you wait in the front).

Typical American Diner and all is as supposed to be

So far this is my go to place for biscuits and gravy, and I've been in the hunt for THE BEST BISCUITS AND GRAVY! Only recommendation would be that I wish they had eggs benedict as an option, even if it was just a limited weekend option.Dont let the long line scare you away, it moves quickly and the food comes promptly after ordering. Awesome place to take a group of friends. Highly recommended!

Our waitress was pure magic. Thank you all- chefs, hostesses, wait staff. The Soyburrito is the best, but my friend who had the shrimp & grits said the same.

Yummy dinner. We eat here every time we re in town.

Nice place to lunch. Food is above average. Service was very good

Over hyped. Everything was kinda bland and it all tasted the same. They also skimp really hard on the meats.

This place is always a good choice. Greasy spoon diner atmosphere but healthy meal choices. And you can get slightly unhealthy stuff if you want too. Staff is always friendly. Not great cell phone signal inside the restaurant, but I consider that a plus personally. Always go here if you can.

Great service. Good at social distancing. Breakfast specials are good. However, I ordered tea and an extra tea bag was $2.00. A little surprised. I have never been charged before.

Came back for a birthday dinner..had not been here in many years due to other reasons. From the front door, to the superb bar, to the dining room.

Enjoyable menu that evokes memories of traditional times list long ago. The food adds both old and new menu items for young and old to enjoy with an enjoyable craft beer selection

Wonderful diner with attentive staff. Though the place was crowded for a Sunday morning brunch time, the wait time wasn't too long. The food was absolutely amazing. Best Apple Cinammon pancakes that I've ever had!

Spinach zitti and red wine.mmmmm didn't tickle anyone tho.

Really good food. Just make sure to call before because it s pretty busy

Great friendly service and good food . Sweet Potato pancakes delicious

We go frequently. Only thing better than the food is the service!

Below average food, pricey. Went for the reviews but would not go back or recommend. Note: staff is wonderful

Absolutely delicious!! Prices were very reasonable for how much food you get! We got the baked french toast with eggs and the homemade soy sausage!! It was so so good not to mention a lovely atmosphere and great service!

Perfectly cooked eggs, crispy bacon, the California omelets is good, and the Santa Fe Breakfast Bowl is a mash-up of sweet and savory.

A bit crowded for Saturday brunch, but worth the 10 minute wait! The food is excellent and the prices reasonable.

Elmo's Diner somehow defies the old saying "speed, cost, quality: pick two". I don't understand how food that good comes out that fast and at a great price, but I'm not complaining. I usually get the vegetarian breakfast burrito, which I bet would silence meat eaters who complain of veg food not being filling. This past time I got blueberry pancakes with a side of soy sausage. They make their pancakes thinner than I usually like but they were some of the best I've ever had. I regret only getting two.

Great as usual. The food is good but the staff make the place special.

Great family restaurant. A southern inspired menu as well as great breakfast food all day long. They have lots of daily specials.

The staff is always pleasant and the breakfast is delicious!

I eat here all the time and there are so many great dishes. Perfect consist next, great prices and the friendliest servers in town.

If you want a good old-fashioned hearty breakfast that's a place to go! only complaint is going to the bottom parking space the pavement rubbed my vehicle bumper really bad.

Great Service and Great Food. I understand now why the waiting is normally big :)

This place is our go-to breakfast. When we moved to Durham we decided to try and become regulars here. While we haven't quite reached that status yet, we do enjoy trying to get there. And I've always been told it's the journey, not the destination. This journey involves lots of pancakes, burgers, crinkle fries, chillaquilles, coffee, iced tea, toast. This is pretty much the best journey ever. I highly recommend it.
Just try to eat on the off hours, because you will wait for a seat if you're trying to eat at the typical breakfast times or lunch/brunch times.

This place has awesome food!!! I tried the shrimp and grits and I am in love!

We got there a little early, around 5:30. That was a good idea, because it was packed when we left. The staff was great, as well as the food.

Really delicious food, beautiful setting, reasonably priced. Look forward to going back again.

Good always good and a great value. Wait staff is awesome

Good place for breakfast food, all day. Good B&G, shrimp and grits were good, a little under seasoned. Breakfast burrito was good.

Elmo's Diner is my local favorite for breakfasts and brunches. It's always hard for me to choose between the Turkey Rueben, Shrimp & Grits, Chilaquiles, and Huevos Rancheros - each of these are fantastic.

They are taking great precautions for Covid while still maintain great customer service and experience.

Great fiid, great service, and very reasonable prices!

Service was alright, not overly attentive but not really polite either. Long wait for what seemed to be Waffle House quality food..

A long wait but a comfortable outdoor seating area and a very pleasant breakfast service once seated. Lots of breakfast choices. I enjoyed a traditional eggs sausage toast breakfast but was very envious of one of my dining companions shrimp and grits. Hopefully I will remember that the next time I go there for breakfast.

We don't have any report. We arrived at 2:16 pm and they close at 2pm so we missed out. It looks like a place that we would enjoy. We only make it to Durham for Medical visits to Duke Cancer Center...see you next time.

I went to this restaurant with my family to celebrate my sister's graduation. I ordered the baked spaghetti, which was pretty good, but I didn't expect the sauce to have so many tomato chunks. The soda didn't have a straw, and the ice kept getting in my mouth. The decor was nice. Not the number one experience I've had, but I would go again if given the opportunity.

The people that are giving this place 4 & 5 stars are not to be trusted. I saw the rating and the reviews and people made it seem like this place is a great breakfast place. It was not great. It was the equivalent of eating at IHOP. I give 2.5/3 solid stars. Definitely not 4. The staff was very nice. The place has a cool atmosphere.

amazing place for breakfast. very well priced and friendly staff

Fast service, good selection, good prices. First cup of coffee wasn't hot, waitress quickly made another pot.

Casual, fun, fast, delicious! Great for a breakfast our with the family, amazing diner food!

I'm a regular here, and I love that they pay servers and other employees enough that they stay for years. This is vanishingly rare in a college town.
They also promote, there are many former bussers who are now servers.

Food and service were great! Would definitely recommend. Had a good gf menu as well. Something for everyone.