Elmo's Diner Reviews

First time at this location. Good food, fast service! Our server was very efficient :) we will definitely be coming back!

Get here early because it gets busy quick! This place is family friendly with really cute 50s atmosphere. they have new specials everyday, have lots of vegan and vegetarian options including sausage and burgers! They have everything from pancakes, eggs, and grits to milkshakes, burgers, and steaks. Both locations for Elmos are always busy! Perfect spot for food! Cheap too!

Service is great and very family oriented atmosphere!

Staff was really nice. Our waitress was always on the ball and attentive. Side salads (especially the homemade ranch dressing) was disappointing. The pulled chicken BBQ was supposedly homemade sauce but tasted just like red hot. really wasn't special at all.

Great food if you want breakfast or lunch or dinner, and great people!

The best breakfast spot in Bull City. Hands down. They have something for everyone, and it's all good. The customer service is top notch. The food is amazing. The place is very clean. And the line moves quick.

The food is Always Fresh and Gooodddd . Sometimes there's a little wait IT'S werth it

I went here since it was highly recommended by my hotel staff. Well, I won't say its bad because its not. However, I will say different strokes for different folks. I'm not a fan. I gave three stars for Stephanie, who when my first waitress placed a piece of sliced cheese on top of my eggs and then nuked my eggs in the microwave, quickly corrected this. She made me fresh eggs the correct way. Thanks Stephanie!

Food was aweful, but service was good room for improvement for sure

The food is great. The service is just excellent! I go there every two weeks on a Friday. Even if they are busy. I don't mind waiting for a place to sit. Cause the staff make you feel like you are welcome and they are very sweet. I recommend this place to everyone I know!

Great service, great food, beautiful presentation.... made me want to eat my burger.... huge burger, fresh baked bun....yummmmy!! I had the California burger!!

Old-fashioned diner food for eating breakfast any time of the day or night! Good, home-style food with reasonable prices

Cute place. Good food. Parking is difficult though. Good prices. Great for a quick bite when you're visiting someone at Duke Hospital in Durham.

It was the first restaurant that my family visited in Chapel Hill 20 years ago when we were house-hunting here. It was wonderful then and has remained wonderful even 20 years later!

Solid diner breakfast.
Portions a little small, but delicious

The food and the atmosphere are both excellent here. I love the variety of food to choose from.
The staff are very friendly and whether it is your first time or your 20th time you feel like a regular and quite at home

Best family diner in the area, expect long waits at the weekend for breakfast, but so worth it!

Great lunch spot I've enjoyed eating at both locations

Wonderful diner style food. The service is always great too. They seem to care a great deal about Elmos

One of my families favorite places to eat. Great food, great service, great prices!

A dinner through and through. Lots of options, good for any meal wether breakfast, lunch, dinner, or you just want a milkshake. However the food isn t spectacular. Don t get me wrong the food is good. But if you are going there just for a burger go someplace else.

Very happy with the customer service. Food is great and authentic. Will be back soon.

Great staff, but food and diner seem to have hit high level yrs ago.

Love the atmosphere at Elmo's Diner. Real friendly folks, fast service and great food. They really know how to do it right!! Best French toast ever.

Great food and service. Very busy and go on weekends for the brunch specials - they're not served during the week.

Great customer service, one of the best coffe in town

Love it. Great salmon cakes. Pumpkin pancakes...yummm.

Go. Eat. Enjoy.

Extensive menu with breakfast anytime - always plenty of unique choices for all tastes and dietary needs. I'm especially partial to the spicy vegan chili.

Elmo's is a diner with great, consistent food and service. I have always had a very good experience there. They also have soy sausage, which is nice if you don't eat meat. Though I cannot recall her name, my server yesterday, April 16 around noon in the elevated seating area, was wonderful.

Friendly staff. Quick service. Consistent quality food.

Great variety, casual atmosphere, kid friendly. Elmo's has something for everybody.

I'm not from the area but I make sure to visit every time I'm even remotely close. I love this place and the Baked French Toast is to die for, omg.

Sandwich was phenomenal, fries less so. Opt for a different side.

Good breakfast place and a great place to take young kids

Great old diner atmosphere. Friendly staff and welcoming to everyone. Amazing blueberry pancakes. The best veggie burger I've ever had.

Second time coming here and both times the service and food have both been excellent. If you go during peak hours there may be a bit of a wait. Haven't been in the area too long but so far this is my favorite place for a diner experience and I'll definitely be coming back soon!

Service was great. Food always has a unique twist. A little too trendy for me.

The prices are good, the server was good, but the food is just ok.

Nice place for homemade breakfast! Friendly staff, good food, close to campus (Duke east campus).

If you, like me, enjoy breakfast food then I can't encourage you to visit Elmo's enough. They have stellar pancakes with an ever-changing assortment of different flavors and ingredients. Everything else I have tried has also been flavorful and well prepared. The wait staff are friendly and helpful. The prices are low enough I feel like I've underpaid. They are also very family-friendly, but get busy so be prepared to wait if you have a large party.

Always good food and good service! We try to eat breakfast here everytime we are in Durham.

I love their stuffed French toast! It can get busy (a great sign bc the breakfast/brunch food is amazing!) So be patient & prepared to wait, especially if you go on the weekends. Staff is always super friendly and helpful.

Great food... amazingly small place but that right there is such an overrated point... but boy do they service you well... I loved it!!!! You will too...

Alawys a good meal at Elmo's. Service is spectacular. If there is a problem with the order, they are super fast to fix it.. Can be packed on a Sunday morn.

It was delicious & the waitress with the sign language mask was extraordinary.

Been going here for breakfast for overt a decade! Food is delicious, wait staff always friendly and prices are cheap for the amount and quality of food. I usually get here at 0715 hrs and habe never waited. It starts to get really busy after 8 though. Also, parking can be a hassle and what ever you do, do not park at the bar next to the restaurant, they will tow!

We have always enjoyed this Elmo's and been a regular over the years. Since the separation from the Elmos in Carborro, we have seen a noticeable decline in the food & cleanliness of the restaurant. We asked to be moved because of ants on the window, table & seat the last time we went. After that incident, my daughter would only sit at the tables. The quiche comes out stuck to the plate because it has been microwaved... the plate is not warm enough to come out of the oven (this has been the same for a number of the items). If this would've happened once we would not say anything, but this has been happening for over a year. We have decided to make the trek to the Elmos in Carborro. Please make a change!!

There are a surprising number and variety of vegetarian options!

The food was not up to my usual expectations. I ordered the apple pancakes my little 5 year old could have made better. Plain apple's,cold pancakes, and the coffee was just colored water. Poor waitress and waiters. Table turning is all there about now. I would not recommend this place again. I was bragging on Elmo's how Fabulous the food is. I lost points on my restaurant picks because of the sorry food. I should have made another choice

Solid diner fare. Good portions, good food but nothing fancy

The salmon cake is always delicious and the dill sauce is yummy. But, my English muffin was burnt and hard as a rock. I have been there many times and enjoy it usually.

They are super nice folks working there and very quick with their service.

Live, laugh, and love by this place breakfast served all day its never a set time to eat breakfast.

Spectacular food and exceptional staff but parking is hit or miss. Great vegetarian options! I especially loved the Chilaquiles with cheddar instead of feta. We also appreciated their attempt to cut down on plastics and wastefulness while still respecting the needs of those who must use a straw. My mom required one and they happily complied. I love how happy their staff is, and I hope they know how much that can make or break a meal.

Parking was manageable, the food was good but service a little slow. Desert was delicious, cherry cobbler with a scoop of ice cream. Elmo's can accommodate wheelchairs.

I like the atmosphere real nice food good, good breakfast spot

Used to be better, but the service has gone down. They've done some menu changes, so don't expect to see any real dinner options. Lots of salads and sandwiches, and breakfast all day. I had baked French toast, which was more like eating a plate of bread pudding with a side of cinnamon apples. Not that it was bad, just that it felt more like dessert than breakfast...

Love Elmo's and have been there regularly for years. It is a good place to take visitors who want a low key local dining experience. Especially good for pancakes, waffles, burgers (ask for fries extra crispy!) and veggie plates (broccoli casserole is the local fav). Also marvelous biscuits. Usually not a long wait except for prime brunch times on the weekend. Not great for gluten-free. I'm surprised they don't offer any gluten free bread options. Gluten free waffles or pancakes would be a hit with my GF people!

Great food, handles large groups with adults and kids brilliantly. Everyone enjoyed their meal and the great service

Great diner and excellent food! I recommend the shrimp and grits.

Good food. Good prices, especially on the kids menu. Would recommend reservations for parties larger than 5.