My family moved to Carrboro from Brooklyn, New York, when I was 4. On our first night in North Carolina, we got takeout from Elmo’s Diner, which used to be located in Carr Mill Mall. We sat on the empty floor of our kitchen, surrounded by boxes, comforted by the warm tomato soup and delicious french fries.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, that location closed, to my family’s dismay. I knew that the remaining location of Elmo’s Diner was located in Durham, but I had never been. That is, until now.

Last week, fellow Durham Voice writer Brian D’Aguanno and I set out to taste-test the still-standing Durham Elmo’s. I was curious to see if it was the same as I had remembered, and Brian was just hungry and opinionated, as per usual. We were joined by other Durham Voice writers Abby Miss, Daneen Khan and Beckett Brantley.

Ambience

Lola: 8.5/10

The diner itself is wonderful, but it lacked the old mill smell of the Carrboro location, and for that, I had to deduct a few points. Still, sitting down in those green booths felt incredibly nostalgic, as did seeing the children’s coloring pages of the Elmo’s mascot pasted to the wall. An old man who referred to himself as “Triple Trouble” came up to us and talked for a long time. Apparently he’s there every day. I couldn’t really make out most of what the guy was saying and he did spit a little bit onto Brian, but nevertheless I adore him.

Brian: 7.9/10

The outside was that of a classic diner. When I imagine a diner in a movie that everyone goes to in the local town, the outside of Elmo’s is what I picture. Inside was more modern and very busy for a weekday afternoon. The people were nice, including the random toothless man that came up and started talking to us. I couldn’t understand what he was saying, probably because he was toothless, but he seemed nice.

Caesar salad

Lola: 7/10

This is a go-to for me. I’ve probably had Elmo’s caesar salad over 50 times in my life. However, I will admit it could have used some more dressing. It was delectable, though, and tasted even better with lemon on it. It is safe to say it is perhaps one of my favorite caesar salads ever, mostly because it’s not too rich. However, it was served on a plate, which is always weird to me — salad belongs in a bowl. Also, the plate was clear and plastic, which was a bit disorienting. I respect it though.

Cheese fries

Lola: 5/10

The fries were dry and there was a startlingly little amount of sour cream and cheese on them. As a kid, I remember this being the most indulgent, hearty, delicious food ever. This time it was pretty good, I guess. I don’t know. It was fine. I got one really long fry that was the same size as my head, though, and I have a pretty big head.

Brian: 5.3/10

The fries had an elite crispness combined with an unmatched firmness. The combo made for a solid fry. The cheese and the sour cream complemented it well. All fries are dry, but these ones were extra dry. Other than that, it was a solid appetizer.

Southwest chicken salad

Lola: 10/10

This was quite literally incredible. Like, show-stopping. The dressing on the chicken was unbelievable. I didn’t even know this existed at Elmo’s but next time I’m back, I may have to get it for myself instead of just stealing off of Beckett’s plate, which is what Brian and I did today. Also, the presentation was awesome, with four huge tortilla chips sticking out of each corner of the bowl.

Brian: 6.1/10

It was very solid. I’m not much of a salad guy, probably because I’m a dude, but this one wasn’t bad. The chicken was great and the chips were a nice added touch. Shoutout to Beckett for this one. The lettuce was top-tier, from the standpoint of regular lettuce. Overall, a solid salad coming from a salad hater.

Santa Fe bowl

Lola: 0/10

I was not expecting it to be sweet, nor was I expecting it to be basically mush. It had beans, sweet potato and what I assume was some sort of cornbread at the bottom, as well as cheese and eggs on top. It did not make much sense to me, and overall, I am sorry to say that I was not a fan.

Brian: 5.7/10

An explosion of flavors. Every bite I found a new one, it seemed. I didn’t even know that many flavors existed in the world. The chipotle sauce made it a little spicy though, and as people know, the great Brian D’Aguanno doesn’t handle spices very well.

Pancakes (chocolate chip and regular)

Lola: 7/10

The plain pancakes are subpar and a bit dry, but the chocolate chip pancakes are incredible. Interestingly enough, the chocolate chips are on the bottom of the pancake. I’m not sure how that happens, but it made for a pleasant surprise and also a really awesome extra bit of chocolate to scrape off the plate post-pancake. Everybody — except me — made fun of Daneen for scraping the chocolate off her plate before she even finished the pancakes, but I respect her method.

Brian: 5.1/10

The best way to describe these pancakes was that they were pancakes. Hear me out. There was nothing special about them and they were a little dry. The syrup kept disappearing into them no matter how much I used, so I must’ve ended up using the whole bottle they gave the table. I’m a huge pancake guy, and the plain ones just didn’t do it for me. The chocolate ones were a little better, probably because chocolate is delicious.

Tomato basil soup

Lola: 1000000/10

Creamy. Tart. Not too sweet. Salty. No huge pieces of tomato, but not completely liquid. This is my favorite tomato basil soup in the entire world, and I haven’t had it in years. I was worried it wouldn’t be the same, but I was comforted to find it tasted exactly like it did when I was a kid. Pro tip: dip fries in it. Or pita. It’ll change your life. For some reason Brian had to ask me how to eat soup before trying this one.

Brian: 6.2/10

I don’t know if I’ve had a bowl of soup in the last 10 years, and due to that fact, I’d almost forgotten how to eat it. Luckily it turns out there hasn’t been much innovation in soup-eating techniques during that time frame. I thought it was a good, classic creamy tomato soup. One that you sit by the fire and enjoy with a nice grilled cheese sandwich.

Bacon and eggs

Brian: 6.8/10

The eggs carried hard on this one. They were great — amazing, even. I’m a sucker for a great egg, and Elmo’s makes a mean scrambled egg. If you are coming for breakfast, it’s well worth it to order eggs. As for the bacon, it’s hard to mess it up. They didn’t, but it did get close for a second. All together, solid platter and please go get the eggs.

B.L.T.

Brian: 6.5/10

I love BLTs. I remember when my mom introduced me to them in third grade. Actually, I don’t really know if it was third grade, but that’s what I’m going with. My life was changed immediately. I didn’t know a sandwich that went by an acronym could be so good. Elmos’s BLT was solid, not life changing like my experience in third grade, but nonetheless a solid sandwich. I guess, for the most part, that sums up our time at Elmo’s — solid.