Elmo's Diner Reviews

Breakfast was really good. Ordered salmon cakes (2). Had I known how filling the plate would be with 1 cake, I wouldn't have ordered the extra cake. Yummy
Only thing I didn't care for was the grits. They were bland.

Extremely busy. Worth it though for a great brunch.

Best Hamburger I've ever had & the Banana pudding & Mud Pie for dessert #ToDieGor ! Very great place to stop and get a bite to eat! Seriously it's a must have

To be honest this place just gets way too much hype. Anyone who eats here and says the food is amazing just hasn't really had great food or know the potential that ingredients have. The restaurant has a nice atmosphere and friendly staff, but the food is just not worth the money. For a much cheaper price, fresher ingredients, and a more satisfying meal, I would suggest you walk across the hall of the mall and go to Carrboro Pizza Oven. Just because a restaurant has a lot of hype and a large following, doesn't always mean the food is worth the price. It's mostly filled with college students who googled where to take their parents for brunch. For really great food, go to Durham. The drive is worth it. I'm just over Elmo's getting way more hype than it deserves. No this is not from a disgruntled employee, or a customer that had a terrible time there. I just truly believe there is much better food for the price and people should break out of what they think is "good food" and go out and challenge their palate. Hopefully Elmo's will change their menu up or at least use better ingredients.

Excellent food and variety of dishes along with fantastic service!

Its a great local restaurant. The food was comforting and Heather provided great service.

Enjoyed the experience each time. Told the pancakes are delicious.

The breakfast was good, the person that took our order just over look us and went to the table across from us, when they was seated way after us. We was given a excuse. In my mind I'm like what ever.

I Absolutely Love Elmo's! The food is always really good and the service is Excellent. I haven't been able to go there for a quote awhile, though, unfortunately. Hope to change that soon!

Elmo's is always a good place for breakfast and they have a great selection that they serve all day. Look for the specials also. Had a great chilaquiles dish today. Coffee is ok and service is just right and very friendly. I've had many items at the Chapel Hill location and I think that the Durham location is perhaps a bit tastier and definitely faster. Come early for breakfast/ brunch on the weekends or it'll be a long wait. The parking is challenging as it's a narrow lot. Great for the whole family especially those with small kids.

Classic breakfast stop. Casual, laid back atmosphere. All your breakfast favorites.

Always something good to eat here. Inexpensive comfort food with good service and breakfast all day.

Fine food, great service and very reasonable prices. Good place for dinning with kids.

Food was delicious, service was great. The place itself was pretty dusty but otherwise really nice!

I love Elmo's! The soyrrito was amazing! It was crowded but the service was excellent as well.

Good food and variety. Accommodated a walk in of 11 without blinking an eye. Great server. Pancakes looked delicious and the Elmo burger was excellent.

It was my first time dining at Elmo's. The food was good and so was the service. I will definitely go back and will recommend this place to my friends.

I love how friendly everyone is and that even though there are assigned waitstaff for each seating area they ALL take care of you. From the hostess to the cooks and bus people they will help each other. It makes it feel less like they want your money and more like they care....

Parking sometimes is a challenge for this place while nice to dine at they are usually busy. Best creamiest grits anywhere.

Hmmm...I've tried Elmo's on 5 different occasions in order to give a fair review. I have sampled a variety of options and, I must say, this place has the absolute BLANDEST food that I have ever tasted. If the goal is simplicity, then okay...but that doesn't mean the food should be void of all flavor. There are much better options on 9th Street.

This place is the ultimate diner experience! Had the Pasta Salad lunch special and it was delicious! The service was great, the portions are enormous. Really good atmosphere....great little gem tucked away in Durham's downtown.

I want to write a good review, but I've been here several times in the last 3-6 months and the food is just sub-par. On the bright side, the people who work there are great. They've screwed up my order several times. No big deal, I just run with it. But the food is bland. In particular, the breakfast bread is awful. Every time it comes to the table dry and stale. You can tell it was run through the toaster 15-30 minutes ago and it's just been sitting there. If I put butter on it, the butter doesn't melt. This has happened with rye toast and with English muffins, so it's not just one type of bread or a one-time thing. Sad because I want to like this place, but it's just not good. Used to be better 10 years ago.

Great restaurant any time of day, for family, friends or networking meal. Been going here for 16 years and it s been consistently good.

Manger very rude when discussing a Door Dash order.

Great food and service. The prices are reasonable and they have food for every meal of the day. Been going here for 10+ years and have never been disappointed. Truely a Durham favorite

Coffee was terrible, but food and service were excellent

Dirty tables and floors. Not worth the money for the food you get. I almost had no gravy on my biscuits! If I could give it a zero star rating I would. We will never be back.

First time there. Food was great. Service was quick and friendly

Its a must visit if you dabble in the world of goodness

So. Good. The food was amazing - definitely reasonably priced and all the employees were super nice. I definitely will be back

Great food, casual atmosphere, reasonable prices. One of my long time favorite restaurants. Kid friendly, one of my family's regular stops when the kids were young.

I was definitely not impressed today. I went to Nzingas originally and left for Elmos. The home fries were disgusting. I asked for cheddar grits instead and was given a bowl of grits with a huge piece of unsalted sandwich cheese. I couldn't even eat cheese grits. I should have stayed at Nzingas. Lesson learned!

Very fast, friendly and competent service. Reasonably priced. Parking available. It was packed, but nobody seemed to be waiting long. Everything was very obviousky homemade. Would definitely visit again the next time I'm in Durham.

Good food, good service and a traditional Durham breakfast stop

I'll kept secret between me and you
One of my favorite on side great dinner place in the Caroline's

I have had breakfast there before and was never as impressed as most people seem to be it was ok but not a destination. Went to dinner last night and Elmo's was the place they wanted to go. I got the meatloaf and even though I told the waiter 3 times that I wanted steamed broccoli he kept repeating back broccoli casserole so I gave up and said ok bad mistake inedible but the meatloaf was barely edible so I guess at least they are consistent. I won't be back for more substandard food at slightly higher than regular prices

We are in Durham for RC car race. Found ourselves at this restaurant at 930p. The staff was delightful and v helpful. Food was good too. If you are in the area I suggest you stop by here.

Quick service. Great breakfast. Waitress are polite and very friendly. Good prices

Friendly staff and good food , we had to wait about 15 minutes but we went during a busy time. Definitely a sign that they have good food !

Delicious food, reasonable prices, super friendly staff. Go here.

Food was great. Service was fast. I was on a timeline and they exceeded expectations. Friendly staff, clean environment. Would definitely eat here again if I'm back in the area.

The chicken in the Chicken and Dumplings tasted like it came out of a can. The mudslide was dry and dense. Terrible food, too many kids. If could give it no stars I would.

Food is amazing, always hot. Never disappointed with any dish!

This place is my "go to." Food is always good as well as the service.

The most delicious breakfast. Fast service. Very Covid safe

Excellent food. One of my favorite breakfast spots in Durham.

Great prices, great service, good food, good selection of 'diner food,' friendly staff. Everything you could want out of a diner. If it's open, hit this spot over Waffle House.

Excellent variety of food with good wait staff and nice atmosphere. There is bar, table, and booth seating and you can get a spot with a good view of the street. Lovely.

really great food and nice servers but the wait is always so long. still a good food and service.

Being from the Northeast, we miss the diners that are so prevalent up there. Elmo's does a great job of filling that niche. We've been for both breakfast and dinner, and they have a lot of varied options for both.

always good, even of they did completely forget i ordered french toast and brought pancakes instead? eh, food great anyways even if the servers could use some improvement

I went and TRIED to dine in but there was a 25 min wait so I waited. I continued to be skipped while people that came in after me were seated so after a hour of waiting I just left.

Love this place! Great and friendly customer service, good food and quantity

I got the cheyenne burger. Really disappointed with how under salted and bland everything was.

Love, love, love this place! I worked there for 8 years and loved it!

Absolutely the best Reuben sandwich I have ever had

This is place is okay, but all in all overrated. It's a good post-morning-workout go-to if you're too lazy to make your own delicious breakfast.

The pros:
-The staff cheery and polite waitresses.
-The atmosphere is vibrant with the sounds of laughter and crying children - something I can actually enjoy and even look forward to when going to Elmo's.
-The anachronistic decor is definitely antiquated but warmly pleasant (everything save the restroom).

The cons:
-The food. I will stress that the food is edible. If you're a foodie, save yourself a disappointment. Elmo's take on chilaquiles, for example, is quite off. The tortillas are a soft, regurgitated-looking type of mush and are accompanied by what appear to be heated beans from a can. The egg, sour cream, queso fresco, and touch of cilantro make up for the poor texture and food quality in flavor (again, it's ok). Google chilaquiles and you'll definitely not see what you would typically get here. Other more typical breakfasts are also ok, nothing impressive for the reputation this place has. It's not to difficult to screw up eggs/bacon/pancakes - that sort of stuff.

"Elmos! Elmos! Elmos!" I can't seem to understand the praiseful clamor/advice since this place is simply okay.

First visit, very fast service. Food was average but tasty.

If you enjoy waiting with noisy crowds standing inside or outside in the heat, you'll love Elmo's.

Love their breakfast and the milk shakes. The BBQ chicken was a little too spicy for my wife.

Whenever I am in Durham I go to Elmo's Diner for their delicious food and great atmosphere.

Good food, nice service. Closed to early for a late diner. 10:00 PM

Had a fantastic breakfast after a very long night at work. Ordered the veggie burrito which was HUGE and mighty tasty. The service was top notch and all of the staff made it a very pleasant experience. Definitely glad I found this little Jewel I will definitely be back

Always a friendly place to have a meal. Better quality than most diners. Also very accommodating if you have food allergies or preferences.

Sometimes a little busy, but always worth the wait!

Great place with even better food. Elmo's has been my families "go-to" restaurant for years. Very family friendly and huge variety on the menu. Could not recommend this place more!

A wonderful "throw back" diner. Good old time menu options and friendly service.