Elmyr is one of the more popular and highly rated restaurant-bars in Little Five Points. This grungy little Mexican joint fits in nicely with the neighborhood and seems to have a strong local following. It's a popular place, located right next door to the historic Variety Playhouse. As thousands of others have done before us, we stopped here before a show to grab a bite to eat.
The food at Elmyr is surprisingly good. The restaurant serves a decent variety of tacos, burritos, nachos, chips and salsa (and guacamole and cheese dip), and salads. I think they're best known for their huge burritos - the Green Burrito being one of their famous ones. It's made with spinach, broccoli, green chilies, guac, jalapenos, beans, cheese, and salsa, all wrapped inside a spinach tortilla. Most burritos, quesadillas, and taco and nacho plates cost no more than $6-8 each. A nice value for sure.
We tried a few different plates:
* Elmyr Nachos - Grilled Steak
* Soft Tacos - Grilled Mahi
* Quesadilla - Grilled Chicken
In general, the ingredients were fresh and flavorful. The Elmyr Nachos were tasty. The crispy flour tortilla chips were smothered in lots of yummy Monterey Jack cheese with thick, appetizing chunks of savory steak, chopped red onion and pickled jalapeno, and topped with chopped green leaf lettuce, salsa fresca, and a dollop of sour cream. Additionally, a ramekin of salsa was served on the side. This is simple and gratifying Mexican comfort food.
The Grilled Mahi Soft Tacos were served more like a wrap than individual tacos. By default, two tacos come per order (you have the option to order three) and they are served on flour tortillas. The two tacos combine to form one long "wrap" that is packaged neatly inside tin foil. The foil-wrap presentation coupled with the "creamy Mexicano dressing" (reminds me of tzatziki sauce) actually makes this taco look strikingly similar to a gyro wrap. Other ingredients include lettuce and chopped tomato and red onion. I'm not sure what's in the dressing, but it's delicious. The fish fillet pieces are big and meaty.
Satisfying portion size on the Grilled Chicken Quesadilla. Quesadillas can be served on either flour or honey wheat tortillas. We opted for flour. The inside of the quesadilla was filled with plenty of lean strips of chicken plus lots of delectable, melty, stringy cheese. The quesadilla was nicely griddled with a pleasant, slightly crispy exterior. Sides included two ramekins of salsa, a bit of lettuce, and a dollop of sour cream.
This is a casual, seat-yourself type place with a lively, alternative crowd. We sat on the elevated side patio which is enclosed all-around. Despite a couple servers seeing us enter and sit down, we were not handed menus and helped until about 15 minutes afterwards. To boot, our table was dirty and we had to clean it off ourselves. This all the while the tables on the patio were 50/50 taken/empty, so it's not like they were slammed. Not sure what the deal was there, but fortunately once we got our orders in, the food came out quick. The staff seems cool and friendly overall.
Elmyr doesn't do separate checks. If dining in a group, use Venmo.
Free parking is available behind the restaurant. There are spots specially reserved for Elmyr. If none are available, I would parallel park for free along one of the residential streets just outside L5P. Be sure to obey the signs because some of the bordering neighborhood streets may require a permit to park. read more