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    Elmer's Kitchen

    4.1 (324 reviews)
    Open 6:30 am - 2:30 pm
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    Elmer's Kitchen Photos

    Business Info

    ELMER'S KITCHEN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Elmer's Kitchen

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    Timothy C.

    Always wanted to go to this place. Have lived in Boise for many years. Finally went. Major letdown. The waffle was almost $12!!! THAT MUCH FOR A WAFFLE!!! with JUST BUTTER!!!! absolute...INSANITY!!!! I will never go here again. These diners are supposed to be affordable. How does a family eat here? Ok so yes, it's located on Capitol, super close to BSU and basically is downtown....so they will always get the business. But DAMN!! $12 for a waffle!! ONE. WAFFLE!!! just...one! This place is obviously NOT for the locals. It's for the parents of BSU students. They basically know that they can hella over charge and somehow get away with it. Just crazy. Again...it's like a diner. So there is absolutely NO need to be charging what they do. Waitress was very nice tho. Ill give her/this place that much, but yeah...for a restaurant I was excited to try after so many years bc I love old school places like this...I can 100% say...I will never go here again. Thanks for reading, YelpElmers!!! GO. SOMEWHERE. ELSE!!! You will get more food and won't get robbed. Cheers!

    An absolute SPREAD
    McDaniel P.

    For a busy Saturday morning these guys handled service amazing. Walking in I was hit with the nostalgia of breakfast joints back east from when I was a kid. I ordered the "Hungry Rancher Breakfast" and man were they not lying. Maybe I've been watching too much Yellowstone. I couldn't finish it. Rainey was our server and she did wonderful. Highlights were the sausage gravy and the coffee.

    The German cake combo!
    Kevin K.

    Food was awesome! The service from Rosemary beyond amazing! Definitely will be back again & again!

    Good food.
    Greg S.

    Very good service. Clean. Food was not greasy. Veg omelette had fresh veggies. Photo sums it up. Not much else to say other than it is a good idea to come here.

    German pancake ham steak eggs over medium
    Becca C.

    Had the German pancake with the ham steak both were amazing. Service was great, coffees stayed full.

    Fresh cut flowers in the ladies restroom!

    My friend and I ate brunch at Elmer's this week. The owner greeted and welcomed us as we walked in and we were seated promptly. Our server was very sweet and efficient as well. I had an omelette with hash browns and a biscuit. The menu said that the biscuits were from Pillsbury and I assume they were frozen, but mine was really good as were the omelette and hash browns and coffee. The coolest thing was that they had a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers on the counter in the ladies restroom; they were just gorgeous! We told the owner how pretty they were as we were leaving (while he was sweeping the rug) and he said he cut them himself that morning! That was such an unexpected and pleasant surprise! I'd definitely recommend Elmer's!!

    Chris Y.

    What are the great things about getting to see family is they always do the best breakfast spots luckily one of my uncles took me to Elmers and we got lucky and got really good parking but that wasn't enough. I had to have what I thought would be the French toast sandwich but instead I got an omelette with pancakes. The service was incredible. I had to Say Jeff was a lot of fun had a really good outlet in all his is a lHe's a careful and throw eat or do you want to give yourself time and the family restaurant this isn't the quick in and out. You need to have time to enjoy the conversation appreciate the atmosphere and make sure that the food gets there. And give it every chance to be appreciated before you turn it into an empty plate. .

    Farmer's breakfast
    Jason S.

    Today while moving in our youngest to her new place to attend Boise state we walked over here for a late breakfast/lunch...I hadn't eaten at an Elmers for over 20+ yrs since we left the state of Washington. But when we used to live in Washington we had one blocks from our place and have fond memories as a young family eating here. Walking into this location it brought us back in time. A little outdated but super clean inside and the host at the front was super welcoming and friendly. Upon being seated our host brought over some waters and took our drink order. Heads up they do have adult beverages for brunch as well like champagne, wine and beer selection. After a very short wait our waiter Jeffery came to assist us. This to me was the game changer he was super friendly, attentive, informative and made this whole experience one that I would come back for. For food I had the crabacado omelette which consisted of lots of fresh Dungeness crab, bacon, sliced avocado and metered cheese. This omelette was very delicious and filling. I haven't had this good of a crab omelette since being in the Northwest. The crab was so fresh tasting and if you haven't ever had bacon and avocado with this flavor profile you have missed out. My daughter had the chocolate chip pancakes with eggs and bacon on the side. These pancakes could've fed a family of 5 they were so big, but so delicious with great fluffy taste. My daughters BF had the farmers breakfast which was 3 eggs with sliced ham, bacon, sausage links, hash browns and homemade biscuit. We loved everything and glad we stumbled across this place. I hope that more locals and visitors give this Boise staple a try. It's hard to find great food like this and the portion size vs the price. I really enjoyed our visit and food. We will for sure be back!

    This was horrible. Cold food, small portions that you can tell come pre-packaged. Four dollars for a child size soda. Four dollars for one cup of coffee. Ten dollars for a tiny piece of shoe leather (ham) and a side of cold hashbrowns. We ordered "STRAWBERRY" pancakes and were charged for them but also charged an extra fee for the strawberries. Forty-three dollars for two people. It was disgusting and expensive for the quality and portions.

    Bacon avocado omelette with fruit and a biscuit

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    3 months ago

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    27 days ago

    great hospitality and excellent quality of service. Rosemary needs a raise! Hope to come back soon

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    6 months ago

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    7 months ago

    My husband and I love this place! Great breakfast, great service, great atmosphere! Cozy seating with a fireplace nearby.

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    1 year ago

    Best breakfast spot, great staff, quick service. Loved the omelette and French toast!

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    9 months ago

    The best service, and the best crapes Iv ever had. Our waitress was the sweetest girl they all were highly recommended

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    1 year ago

    I just love Elmer's! Best food! Very personable staff. I've had great experiences at all the locations I've been to!

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    1 year ago

    Good food and good service. I have a difficult time deciding on what to order because there are so many delicious choices.

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    1 year ago

    Jordie was an absolute legend this morning; quick, efficient and charming, food was fantastic and the vibes were very home-y

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    Page 1 of 9

    Ask the Community - Elmer's Kitchen

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    Eddie's Restaurant

    Eddie's Restaurant

    3.9
    (164 reviews)
    3.0 mi
    $$

    Came in for dinner and had biscuits and gravy. I was worried what kind of quality of food I was…read moregoing to get beans that I saw the chef use the microwave. From what I've gathered they make their own biscuits and they're gravy was definitely not from a box. The bacon was cooked almost perfect and the hashbrowns were also good overall a good experience good 1950s feel to the restaurant and the staff is very polite.

    Before Christmas, my friend wanted to meet up for a quick bite so she suggested Eddie's. We both…read morewanted breakfast for lunch so Eddie's sounded like a great place to eat at. I arrived first. There was a server behind the counter not really acknowledging me. There were also a couple other servers hanging out by the breakfast bar that were in their own little world. So, I just stood there for a while. Finally someone who was actually serving a table who wad walking by greeted me and got my sat. I got some coffee started while I was waiting for my friend. I told me server about my new kidney and that I couldn't use the creamers on the table that had been handled by previous guests. She was kind and got me a new bowl of creamers. I kicked it, enjoyed my hot coffee and waited till my friend showed up. After my friend finally showed up, we breezed over the menu and decided on some grub. I did have a meal a little before our lunch date so I got something off the smaller menu. I decided on the hamburger patty with onions and 1egg meal. I thought it was going to be the perfect amount. Everything came out quickly. I did ask for a side of brown gravy for my hamburger patty, it was looking kinda dry. The side of fruit I got looked fresh and my egg was cooked perfectly. My patty was smaller, it would be comparable to a patty you would use as a slider. The gravy and onions did add nice flavor to it. Unfortunately the gravy was sitting for a while in the back cause it was lumpy and cooler. The egg was fresh and the fruit as good. My coffee was always topped off by our server which I really appreciated. My friend and I didn't realize what time they closed. We just thought that we came at an odd hour so no one was eating and it was slow. We hung out for a while and chatted. Finally another server told us that she was going to go paint the bathroom and she would be in there if we needed anything. Finding that to be such an odd comment, I googled to see what time they closed. It was 2:15 and they closed at 2. I thought a simple "is there anything else we can get you cause we are closed" would have been sufficient instead of beating around the bush. I served for over 30 years and have never told my guests I would be in the bathroom if they needed me. It was an interesting meal here. The venue was fun with the lights and vintage decor. The food was decent. Our server did a great job but service outside of her was non existent or questionable. I have my favorite breakfast joints and I wish I could have added this place to it on this end of town. I love supporting local but it's hard to support this joint when the service and food was just 50/50.

    Photos
    Cute place.
    Cute place.
    Egg, sausage & pancakes combo.
    Egg, sausage & pancakes combo.
    Inside

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    Inside
    Merritt's Family Restaurant

    Merritt's Family Restaurant

    3.8
    (242 reviews)
    5.1 mi
    $$

    Came here for the first time this morning, a Wednesday. The restaurant was not crowded. It was seat…read moreyourself, and we chose a booth. Karinna was our server, and she did an excellent job of taking care of us; friendly, attentive, and helpful. That are known for their scones. To me, they weren't really like the scones I'm used to. They're big pastries of fried dough, and you can get them covered with cinnamon and sugar, fruit, cream cheese, and more. I had the three egg Jalapeño and cheese omelet (spicy/good) with hash browns and upgraded to the cinnamon and sugar "scone". My wife got eggs and sausage, hash browns, and the same type of scone. The food was all good, but the scones were delicious! More like a large pastry churro, and with butter on top it was amazing. My problem was with the men's bathroom. It was disgusting. Dirty, paper on the floor, toilet--well, you get the idea. This caused me to look around and see that the place was not all that clean. So, the next time we would come, and that would be for those scones, we'd do takeout.

    If you look over my reviews then you will see I love breakfast restaurants and especially home-made…read morechicken fried steak. So when the menu specifically says home-made chicken fried steak I get excited. And it is possible that I came to Merritts with too high expectations. That being said the chicken fried steak was very bland, no flavor. Salt and pepper couldn't save it. The scone was cooked perfectly but whatever honey butter they are using was waxy and not much flavor. My wife also said her omelette just didn't taste right. She also had the Boston shake which was basically just ice cream on top of milkshake, didn't really look or taste like a sundae. She also said the chocolate tasted stale. The service was fine for having few customers. I'm not a huge fan of going to a restaurant and having Dr Pepper in a bottle. So yes, a cup of ice was appreciated. The restaurant itself is what you would expect for a roadside family dinner. It actually added to the excitement of what I expected the food to taste like. There are just so many good breakfast restaurants that I could not give this a 3. I would not come back and I cannot recommend for anybody else. Sorry Merritts.

    Photos
    Interior plus a great shirt: "I got sconed"
    Interior plus a great shirt: "I got sconed"
    The rancher
    The rancher
    Juke box and counter area.

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    Juke box and counter area.

    Elmer's Kitchen - diners - Updated August 2026

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