What's not to love here at Elmo's?! Convenient, clean, friendly, delicious and a bargain. The location is great and parking was a breeze. When we walked in, we were met with smiling faces, warm greetings and the familiar smell of pancakes and bacon before being promptly led to an awesome little table by the window with a nice view of the area. The server was again, super fast and so sweet. She knew the menu well and asked up front if we wanted Texas Pete or Tabasco, a nuance that I was ecstatic about. The coffee was pretty good and kept flowing which was greatly appreciated. The food, again was super fast and well prepared! Those were the absolute crispiest potatoes I ever had and the chef was generous with the bacon and avocado in the omelette, yumm. I couldn't shove it all in my face fast enough. My friend's fruit was fresh, tasty and high quality as well. The prices are incredible for this quality of food and service especially. Everything was so clean, relaxing, friendly and tasty. Will definitely return here during my visit back to the area. Kudos to the staff and a shout out to management for curating an awesome team focused on providing a fab customer experience. Tasted like home. But better because they didn't make me do dishes. read more

Elmo's Diner - A while lotta yumm. California omelette with bacon, cheese and avocado, crispy potatoes and a biscuit made of clouds. - Diners Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Love love love! I am an enthusiastic foodie, but Elmo's takes the cake as far as I'm concerned...and the name of that cake is the pumpkin apple bread! What a great diner! Everyone was super friendly, the place was packed but there was still not much of a wait, and the food was excellent. I had the Santa Fe scramble, which was clearly the best item on a menu filled with excellent options. The Santa Fe scramble features black beans, sweet potato, corn fritters, eggs, feta, and tomatoes. Sweet fancy Moses, it was delicious! My husband got a breakfast burrito, and loved it as well. And that pumpkin apple bread? Out of this world! read more

Elmo's Diner - Santa Fe Scramble - Diners Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Think Waffle House -- on steroids! Elmo's is an old school, no frills southern breakfast and brunch joint -- with old school prices to match. But there is some new school here and there -- from the hipster management to the young servers -- to twists on classic pancakes topped with cranberry/oatmeal relish. Yin and yang. Mine was a southern classic: biscuits with sausage gravy, 2 eggs over easy and a healthy rasher of bacon with grits on the side. Add coffee and fresh squeezed OJ and you're good to go all day. Elmo's delivers what breakfast was invented to be -- I've rarely had better outside my own kitchen. Amazing quantity and quality for under 20 bucks for 2. The old timey regulars seated at the 1950's diner-style counter (where we ate) are the perfect accoutrements to an excellent and authentic southern meal. Highly recommended. Top Tip: Cash only. Catch a squat at the counter if you can. Service is fast and the chatter with the servers and regulars adds plenty of chill vibe. read more

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Went today for my first time and loved it! I really like that breakfast is served at any time. What is different about this diner is that it gives a small-town feel but is located in the middle of Durham. I also liked that they offer drinks, which is not common of a diner. I had the baked French toast and it came with baked apples and whipped cream---YUM. Also came with eggs and choice of meat, which was good to break up all that yummy sweetness. My friend got the vegetarian burrito, which was good--loved her home fries! The mimosas were good too and at less than $7, it's a great price, too! Our service was great--we had a girl in training but she did very well and everything came out quick and just how we ordered it. Never had to worry about refills--waitresses always quick to ask if we need anything. Also liked that it has its own parking lot and parking isn't as tricky as other places nearby. read more

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Came here after a long medical appointment for my BIL at the VA. Super friendly staff, really good food and service. I had a sandwich, really good, chili was flavorful. And salad was fresh. Definitely recommend read more

Ended up here since the other place ended up opening late for breakfast/brunch. They also didn't have a morning rush or anything, got seated right away and order taken quick. Food - Reason for 3 star was the Chilaquiles the chips too stiff, not enough sauce, and flavor was too plain. Not used to having bean on side with the dish and some of the other sauces that should be added. Parking - Decent size lot didn't have any issues finding any. Service - Very nice staff and always quick to help. Prices - Very cheap and reasonable from what I seen on menu items. Venue - Older more dinner feel but cozy for that morning go to spot. Overall wish they made chilaquiles better or if I came back would try something else. read more

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Our new go to breakfast place when visiting Durham. Service was great. Filled my coffee cup often. Food awesome. read more

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Delicious food, good menu with lots of choices. Service was good, with great attention to customer satisfaction. Restaurant facilities were clean, retro/modern with local flavor and atmosphere. We greatly recommend you dine here. read more

I absolutely loved this place! Came to Raleigh area for a short stay, Elmo's wasn't listed on any of the must try places but if you love diners and great food, you must stop by for a meal. Sat at the counter, had great service by Meagan, got the onion rings which were fantastic, a Greek salad and cornbread. The Greek salad was perfectly executed and delicious, saved the cornbread for the trip home and it was divine! read more

Elmo's Diner - Eggs over easy, biscuit and breakfast potatoes - Diners Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Yummy food. Friendly service. Warm atmosphere. What else do you want? 85 characters? OK Yelp. Satiating. Satisfying. Scintillating. Happy ? Yes, happy. read more

Always a solid choice. Delicious food, speedy and great service, and nothing beats the classic diner experience! By far the best classic breakfast in the area! read more

Food was good, customer service is great and the ambiance is nice. We are looking forward to another visit.

Great diner , old school but is decently sized! Usually when I think of diners I think of good food but small cramped places. Theres also a parking lot. Very cute ambiance & vibe. I'd return! 5 Stars to Casey! read more

Solid diner! Great service. Food is what you expect for a diner. Expect to wait about 30 min.

The food is delicious, I love the ambience and the service is great and the prices are good.

dropped into this cute little diner for a quick breakfast and I'm sure I will be back... It's everything you want from a diner. I don't think the food is especially remarkable but the coffee was good and I was a happy camper. read more

Truly Disappointed How can you louse up breakfast? How difficult is it to make an egg over easy? Completely raw runny yolk and burnt whites. Dried out hard over cooked potatoes that they call home fries and burnt toast. The salmon cake was different than what I've ever had in the past but it was acceptable. And it wasn't at the kitchen was overwhelmed with multiple requests; I was the first of three customers in at 7 AM. My first visit to Elmo's and most indisputably my very last. read more

I was on my way to Duke Garden and decided to try this place, i ordered the baked french toast but they didn't have it , so I ordered eggs pancakes and soy sausage (soy sausage was delicious) my daughter had bacon waffle and it was good as well. Food was good, service quick and coffee was really good. I will come back another day to try the baked french toast. read more

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My go-to place to eat, always good and something for all tastes. Completely reliable and in the middle of everything.

I'm not used to being up early, but I've needed to be lately. And I needed some breakfast, and caffeine, around dawn in Durham. Luckily Yelp pointed me here. Call it a slightly-upscale diner. Nothing fancy, but cozy, with great service and great food. And super cheap. For $10 I got a massive order of huevos rancheros, and a drink. Sweet tea, because when in Rome... and it was very good, very sweet tea. I love huevos rancheros, and went through a period where I ordered them all the time and often made them at home. Hadn't had them lately, and this was a good re-introduction. Perfectly cooked eggs, fresh veggies, black beans, good tortilla. Semi-healthy. To balance that I had to get sausage gravy, and spooned some over a good, local-style biscuit. Very good combo. Parking right next door. And why would you go to the Waffle House down the block when this is here? Everything was fresh and tasty. Prices are great. Service was great. And it all came out pretty fast, so I was on my way. It was bustling at 7am, and everyone seemed happy. If I lived nearby, I'd be back often. Later in the day. read more

Elmo's Diner - Huevos rancheros. - Diners Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

One of my favorite restaurants. So many great options, very nice workers, and just a great place to take a family or friends. I love the chicken enchiladas and the California omelette. read more

Elmo's, while basic, is definitely a staple. It's pretty cheap as well, however, the food isn't mind blowing in any way. (Also their hot chocolate is really small for the price you pay). Their breakfast burrito, while messy, is good! And their French toast is just fine/good. For COVID, everyone wears masks, expect while eating, and the tables are spaced apart- but the booths aren't. If I remember correctly, each booth (back to back) is occupied by a group. While it doesn't seem particularly dangerous, although my, and your judgement isn't the greatest (because COVID is rarely expected), it doesn't seem particularly safe either. To top it off, they're frequented by college kids (who yell and stuff) that walk up to the door, then put masks on. read more

Elmo's Diner - French Toast - Diners Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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A favorite. Their breakfast menu is diverse, and never fails to satisfy. The enchilada (I like the chicken) is excellent, and they may have the best salsa in the triangle area. Always good soups, especially when paired with a tasty sandwich. The staff is always friendly, fast and attentive. An excellent place to take your kids, too! read more

Exactly what you're looking for if old school dishes prepared with a modern flair is what you're after. This place was packed and it's obvious why. Very good food, excellent service and fair price. read more

Affordable American food. Super crowded but have seats. I enjoy eating here. Maybe coming back next time. read more

Elmo's Diner - Diners Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Recently relocated to Durham and seeking restaurants. Came to Elmo's and loved it. We were greeted with a smiley hello like she was happy to see us. I choose to believe she was. Our server, I think Nathaniel, was terrific. My omelet (with a substitution and light cheese) was perrrrrfect. My wife was very happy with her choice. Now, I'm not a coffee snob. I just like it black. My order at Starbucks does not take 6 minutes. Elmo's coffee was terrific. Anyway, great atmosphere, nice people and terrific food at a very reasonable price. read more

I came into town for a tournament and decided on breakfast at this diner! The food and service was awesome. Dante was our waiter... he was nice, professional and our food came out promptly. The food was absolutely delicious. The restaurant was huge on masks and practicing social distancing. I can appreciate in a time such as now. I will keep this restaurant in mind when I come back into town. read more

I am from out of state and I'm so sad that I won't be able to come back every day. I am a vegetarian and I tried the Santa Fe breakfast bowl from the specials menu, it was AMAZING. SOOOOO delicious. The fried corn fritters, mashed sweet potato, avocado, black beans, eggs, cilantro, feta cheese... Everything was so yummy and worked so well together. The waitress was also really attentive and nice. The food came out super fast! My meat eating friend loved her breakfast plate as well of which the biscuits and gravy were the star. read more

Elmo's Diner - Santa Fe Breakfast Bowl - Diners Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Great little breakfast/brunch spot. Attentive service and the food was great and reasonably priced. Will return!

We are all entitled to our own opinions, right? Well here's mine: Parking: 4 Location: 5 Decor/ambiance: 5 Customer Service: 5 Elmo's caught my attention this weekend as we left church looking for a Sunday brunch meal. When we arrived, the first thing we noticed was the location. I love this area of Durham. There is lots of cools shops in the area. you can just park your car and walk and see all sorts of amazing things. Elmo's is cool. Our server was really nice and he made some amazing suggestions on the meal. It was our first time so he allowed us to read through the menu and gave us time to decide. The menu is extensive as they have a lot to choose from. The greatest thing about this menu is they have TONS OF VEGETARIAN OPTIONS!! They even have lots for VEGANS as well. I REPEAT... VEGANS & VEGETARIANS, this place is LIFE!!!! If your a traditional eater and love meats, they have you covered as well. The decor is really neat. Its busy for Sunday brunch so call ahead (if they allow). read more

Well this really was a pleasant surprise as I initially called in to get a takeout order of french toast since that's my go to for breakfast/brunch. This time though I was really in the mood for savory grits and they hit it out of the park with their veggie grits. I got it without meat and had an egg and cheese added. Other than that, it was pretty much like the vegan grits that's on the menu. They ask for your make and model of your vehicle and they have designated curbside pickup. I dropped by after 20 minutes when I was told my order would be ready and they immediately knew my order once I stated my name and I gave them payment. It was very swift and parking was super easy since there was a designated spot even during the typical brunch rush around 11am. I had a quick bite of my grits and got some texas pete hot sauce added and it was great!! I will say it's not the best savory grits I've had it's more 4/5 to 4.5/5 but it was definitely good and the service definitely bumped them up considering how friendly the staff were getting my order and giving my food! If you're in town, I would 100% recommend because the prices are super affordable, they are quick, and from what I saw they are maintaining distance between tables and taking all the necessary precautions. If not, just get takeout like I did and enjoy elsewhere like a nice park ^_^ read more

Elmo's Diner - Veggie grits with eggs and cheese ~$9 - Diners Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

This is my husband's all-time favorite place from when he was a student at Duke. Now we live just outside of Durham and have rediscovered Elmo's. The service is the big draw for me, it's always on point! The food is great and super fast. One day we were in for breakfast and the mayor was in a booth behind us while two older gentleman were discussing quantum physics or something and a young artsy couple were beside us. I love the eclectic clientele! Great spot! read more

Elmo's Diner - Apple cinnamon pancakes - Diners Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I went there recently for breakfast before attending graduation at UNC Chapel Hill. I ordered three eggs, scrambled, with a biscuit and sausage gravy. The biscuit was a little larger than I expected, and a little dense, but it tasted fine and the super-thick sausage gravy complemented it perfectly. A cup of piping hot coffee turned it into a nice breakfast, indeed. I noticed a couple of my family members ordered scrambled eggs "well done." Their eggs were pretty cooked pretty hard. Not my taste at all, but the cooks delivered what was requested. Across-the-board, everyone seemed to enjoy their breakfast. I don't know when I'll be back in the area, but if I am I will be thinking about Elmo's and their friendly staff. read more

Overrated! Went here because the locals hyped it up. I got the To-Go shrimp and grits with a side of biscuit and bacon. Absolutely ZERO flavor or seasoning on anything. Very dry food. The grits were cooked well and the bacon was crispy, but overall there wasn't anything that made me wanna run back. Just left me hungry and angry that I wasted my calories. read more

Elmo's Diner - Home fries and a Buscuit - Diners Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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This place was super clean. The staff was very friendly. Our waiter was Dante. He was super nice and was happy to go over any questions we had about the menu. A gnat landed in my mimosa and he made me a fresh one without hesitation. I thoroughly enjoyed my brunch with a friend, and we both loved our meals. I would definitely return. read more

Elmo's Diner - Custom 4 Omelet with a side of grits (with bacon) and English Muffin - Diners Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

This place seems to be a popular diner in Durham. There was a 15-30min wait for Sunday brunch time. The service was quick and food comes out fast. The food was nothing special, just basic. read more

Tasty, Friendly, and real deal. The kinda breakfast spot to successfully appeal to everybody.

These were the best pancakes that I've ever had -- like literally the perfect texture and taste. I also had the California omelet, which was also delicious. The service was great and the prices were some of the best in Durham. I will definitely be back! read more

Elmo's Diner - Lemon Berry pancakes - Diners Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

If you're looking for a diner with diner food, this is the spot. If you come here looking for upscale brunch food, this ain't the spot. The food is here is reasonably priced and tasty, the service is fast and friendly, and the restaurant is clean. I'd recommend this place to anybody who is looking for a diner. read more

Kinda felt over hyped. They were busy on Sunday around noon and our waitress was probably having a bad morning. I ordered the shrimp and grits, which was way greasier that I was expecting. The shrimps were decent sized, only slightly over cooked. Scrambled egg on top and chopped tomatoes gave it a nice balance of flavors. My husband ordered a veggie omelette, it's was ok, wished the veggies were more fresh. The OJ mimosa was ok too. Overall, it's a place I'd eat at, maybe for a basic weekday breakfast or lunch, but not for Sunday brunch. read more