Elmo's Diner Reviews

Great place for some homestyle comfort food. Thanks for the great service and the light atmosphere.

Great turkey burgers service was rather quick. Staff friendly

Staple of Durham dining, Elmo's never disappoints with classic breakfast-all-day and southern comfort classics with lots of pork-alternatives and healthy touches. I had the seasonal pumpkin pancakes with eggs and turkey sausage links on my last visit, and they were delicious. Too many terrific options!

Great place to eat. Relaxing atmosphere and great staff.

Always good. Been coming here for 20+ years. Love it when waiters, waitresses and even the owners stop by to say hi to my wife and I cause they remember us. Food is good. Menu rarely changes...
Just one of those local joints that make living is Durham memorable. When I talk to my parents in NJ, they always ask how Elmo's is doing!!

Went for a Sunday morning breakfast with several of my husband's cousins, all of them visiting from out of town. I think all of us were very pleased with our meals!

Two of them got the shrimp and grits, and one mentioned that she had expected a much smaller portion because it was breakfast, so she was impressed with the quantity as well as quality; she also had not expected to get eggs with the meal, which is another reason it was a larger portion than she expected. I got the two eggs with pancakes and turkey sausage, and all of that was very good - though I have had fluffier pancakes than those, still very good. I don't remember what everybody got, but I know that one person got the quiche, with the sunflower seed toast, and she has decided that she has a new favorite type of toast! At least one other person had that toast with her meal, and it was a hit with her, too.

The service was excellent, also. I don't recall her name, but she was a young gal from Brooklyn and she provided quick service with a smile! As for the prices, they were quite reasonable! Highly recommend Elmo's Diner!

Good food but the wait was long. I really appreciated the free coffee while you are waiting!

Good food, but I would like to see a little more variety on the menu.

Great food, great atmosphere, and awesome waitress. It worth the money.

Delicious, fast, friendly, and reasonably priced! The shrimp and grits looked so good that I took my other food to go so I could order some of my own!

Absolutely DECILIOUS!! Salmon cakes, grits, and 2 eggs over well with sunflower toast.

The food is great and I love how the place looks and feels, but you have to step outside if you want any hope of checking your texts or getting a signal at all. Not always a bad thing though.

Always quick service, great food and a stellar wait staff. The avocado and strawberry salad with chicken is marvelous

Been coming here since I was a kid, great restaurant for the whole family.

Very blah food, decent service, but will not be returning.

Offered healthy options. Large portions. Delicious. Just plain homemade goodness.

One of the better breakfast and brunch options in the area... But small and always busy, plan to have a wait before being seated. Service is excellent even with how busy they are. Food was tasty and well made.

Always a wonderful experience to eat here. Very busy and a very friendly staff. Great tasting food.

Great food. Nice vibe but it is hard to find seats and sometimes you have to wait a long time

Ordered "Lemon-berry" pancakes and didn't regret it!

Having celiacs disease, there's not much I can eat here. My significant other loves it here though!

Elmo's has long been one of my favorite diners. Nothing beats the friendly atmosphere. Over the years I've tried everything on the menu, but what keeps me coming back are the vanilla shakes.

Food was delicious & prompt service, but it's very busy & long wait times since the place is good &, very popular.

Wait for food was unacceptable and it arrived cold.

Classic essential diner in the heart of authentic Durham. Great service, great people, awesome dishes! Get the tacos. You can also color while waiting for your food.

Food was good, not great... Some servers seemed good, but ours messed up our order, which happens, but did not even bother apologizing or rushing the order.

Always a great meal with a huge menu, lots of variety, and fast service. A really good place to bring kids which can be hard to find these days.

Elmo's packs em' in, and for good reason. The food AND the service are awesome.

Yuppie garbage...worst food ever,unless u have a man bun

LOVE THE ELMO's. One of my favorite places for a casual brunch. BEWARE the wait, however. It's also SUPER family-friendly, so if you're looking for a QUIET spot, this is not it.

The epitome of classic, warm, local diner. Elmo s is a Durham staple and a gem. The menu is varied and you really can t go wrong. Breakfast available all day for incredibly reasonable prices and if you re new to the area, trust me, this will become an instant go-to spot.

Breakfast burrito, ham and eggs, biscuit and gravy, pumpkin pancakes, and the club are all personal favorites

Service was good. Its a nice diner. Good ambiance. I ordered the special shrimp and avacodo quiche and soup. My husband had the blue cheese burger. The food was okay...just okay...Its wasn't great or special. I had high expectations from all the good things I hear about this place but sadly I was not impressed enough to return.

Always delicious food with superb service - a Durham classic!

Very comfortable, easy prices, great proportions and food. Highly recommend.

A Durham institution. Great diner atmosphere perfect for the whole family.

I've been going to Elmo's for about 20 years. So has everyone else I know. I think that tells you what you need to know :)

Finding good quality food can be a challenge when in a new city. Lucky to have found Elmo's Diner.. fresh, delicious food and at reasonable prices compared to most all places we tried in Durham. Order was not only perfect on our picked-up order...the mgr Kristen was so nice and accommodating! We ALL Loved our sandwiches!!! This place is a must try..Can't wait to try breakfast.

Quaint little diner, with lots of charm. Very friendly and helpful staff. Food was excellent. (Get the California omelette if it's on the special menu. ) All appropriate precautions are being taken during COVID pandemic. Definitely want to check this place out. I'll be back next time I'm in the area.

Was surprised to find a new menu at Parizade--it's never been dazzling food, but reliably good. Had a hard time choosing as the offerings just didn't entice. The risotto nero is blackened with cuttlefish ink and not very tasty. They no longer offer spice and parmesan with olive oil for the bread, though they managed to find some when one of my dinner companions requested. The wait person was very professional and advised that the restaurant is "going in a different direction, more citrusy and light." None of us were thrilled with the food.

Durham Elmos has bbq chicken plate that I go out of my way for and crave. Durham has a different menu and better ambiance than Carrboro. Diner food is fun.

Elmos is a goto place for good breakfast/brunch food and fast service. There is sometimes a wait on weekends for brunch. Grab a coffee from their waiting area and relax. Worth it!

Best item here is the banana pudding, if fresh. Won't find a better place to buy. And they will prepare a huge portion if you need take out for a backyard party.

Great food like grandma would serve you with a smile!

Great service, delicious food and great vegan/vegetarian choices! No question that we will be back!

Great tasting vegetarian platter, though each serving size was small

Great local spot! Breakfast, burgers, and desserts are all fantastic, and the staff are pleasant and attentive.

Best Diner! Food is always good and tastes like home cooked. Served with a smile and quickly so be prepared to tip well.

This place was a staple for me when I was in high school, and now that I'm back for graduate school in the area, I'm thrilled that I get to come back here regularly. The coziness and ambience at Elmo's makes it feel like a classic diner, and the wait is usually not too bad.

Great food! Good prices! Excellent service!
I ve enjoyed eating here while visiting my wife at Duke Hospital. Very close to hospital. Very clean establishment.
Will be back again!

Great place to dine. Very kid friendly. Staff wonderful. Affordable food!! Will go again when i return to Durham to visit...

Great place, great food! The wait times are a bit long, but honestly so worth it. The food is great and there are so many options. The service was nice too. Wonderful atmosphere.

first time diner, I wish I found it sooner food was good as ( I ) would go back and recommend it to anyone..if you knew me that speaks volumes because I normally do not like Manny places.

I love to eat there whenever I am in Durham at Duke University Medical Center. They have great service, foodd, and outstanding deserts. A must eat at.

Food was good, not great. There was a monsoon happening and they still had someone delivering food to cars which was above and beyond in my opinion.

When I received my food, there was a hair (looked like a chest or pubic hair) on my fries. As for the food, it was bland and tasteless. Would not return or recommend.

This place is AWESOME!! Denise was very nice and helped me enjoy the customer service just as much as my food!!!

Great breakfast and lunch choices. Very generous portions. Excellent veggie and real meat burgers. Breakfast anytime is nice. Wait staff is friendly and super efficient.

The gold standard for Diners in the Raleigh/Durham area, a favorite brunch spot!

Friendly and fast service, great food, lots of vegetarian options.

Favorite of many locals in this diner style restaurant with a large choice of menu selection for all three meals. Breakfast served all day. Southern style and American style choices with some contemporary items also. You'll enjoy the food, service, selection and price.

Family style. Good food. Friendly people. Great prices