Elmer’s Family Restaurant

I got charged .99 cents for a cup of Hot Water with Lemon. They didn’t even tell me of the charge before it was given to me. My suggestion is to be sure you ask the waitress for any special charges before you order.

This my 3^rd time been there wow it’s improved more and mor the price is great and the service is the best I had in a while
It’s cleaner and very tasty it’s old fashioned place with old fashioned service

I came here because I have heard good things about the place many times. It took the waitress about 10 mins to bring me coffee and then another 15 to take my order and it wasn’t even busy. I ordered my food and it also took forever ! I had 2 eggs with ham and hash browns. My hash browns were under cooked and soggy, I asked for the hash browns to be crispy. Do you know what they brought me. Greasy chips ! I was very unsatisfied. I don’t recommend this place at all.

I tend to know about the newest places opening in town. My boyfriend knows about all the places that have been around a while… the classics, if you will. Elmer’s is a classic. Not exactly blow-​your-​mind, but good ol’ 70’s Mom ‘n Pop vibe.
I’d love to have been able to see Elmer’s in its heyday, but it isn’t hard to imagine because every inch of Elmer’s is pretty much original. There are certain things that could use updating, in particular a lot of the booth tables are slanted so much that it’s noticeable before even sitting down. They could definitely make improvements without running the risk of becoming modern.
But I do enjoy the overall atmosphere. The wood paneling on one wall, the sun room (completely covered with shades though), the neon Budweiser sign, the wood clock that hangs on one wall, candy sold at the register, and the patrons that are clearly regulars. Good diner feel.
This is the kind of diner where you get one dish. One dish, that becomes your own, your «usual». I haven’t found mine at Elmer’s yet, but I’m sure I will eventually. The extensive menu is the only real obstacle I see, but since prices are so dang cheap, I might be able to knock out two dishes a trip. I’m not a fan of the menu as a whole and here’s why: Find what you’re good at. Is it American? Mexican? or Italian? Those are three very different cuisines and it’s simply impossible to serve multiple cuisines with the best quality. I’ve noticed that diners in El Paso simply refuse to choose one type of cuisine and that’s pretty unfortunate because instead of serving the BEST American diner food or the BEST Mexican diner food or whatever it might be, they serve OKAY American and Mexican diner food. Find what you’re good at and perfect it.
I ended up choosing the pork chops with applesauce and mashed potatoes. My favorite part of the meal was the gravy on the mashed potatoes so that tells me my «usual» will be something smothered in their brown gravy. There were certain elements of the dish that led me to believe most of what’s served isn’t homemade, fresh… but at the same time it was okay food and it didn’t burn a hole in my pocket so you can’t really be mad. But the gravy… it had a nice rich flavor with a hint of clove. It kind of tasted like Thanksgiving. Thoroughly enjoyed the gravy. The mashed potatoes were creamy, but overly starchy. Kind of like what you get when you make instant potatoes. Not a big fan, but it was okay as a side. The side salad looked very fresh and vibrant, but I wish it came with a dressing of some sort. I wouldn’t order the pork chops again, but that’s not to say they were bad. Again, these were okay. It came with two that were a little larger than my fist. Pretty thin and had quite a bit of fat on them. I did like that they were a touch browned because I love that flavor so really it’s the cut of the pork that I didn’t like. The lentil soup that I got on the side was a grade above okay. I liked their use of cilantro, onions and tomatoes in the soup.
Elmer’s is okay. It’s not the best anything I’ve ever had, but it’s okay. Really good prices, awesome 70’s diner feel, happy faces… okay.

I use to visit this restaurant back in ²⁰⁰³⁄₂₀₀₄. I did again today with my girlfriend since we were in the area. To my surprise, it has not changed… to be quite honest, it probably hasn’t since the 70’s. It is a great place to eat on a budget with many $ 5 meals to choose from. The problem I believe is that the extensive menu doesn’t allow them to be really good at anything but rather ok at everything. Not a place I would go out of my way for unless I was there. Great location! Time for an overall upgrade of facilities and menu.

I like how this place is never crowded on a weekday morning. Just a bunch of old timers takin it easy.
They have some good 50s and 60s tunes playing and it’s very relaxing. I like that about this place.
The quickness that my breakfast came out was surprising. Maybe two minutes.
I don’t k ow what they do to their bacon but it’s different and extremely tasty.
Great place for breakfast.

Let me start with the cleanliness of Elmer’s. This place is funky! Some of the booths smell like baby poop, and the bathrooms are the worst I have ever seen in my entire life! The floor is in a constant state of wetness due to the overflowing toilets and urinals. God only knows what in that floor water. Trashcans full of used toilet paper accompany the stalls, along with toilet seats that are not properly secured and stall doors that do not close or lock. The service has always been pleasant, the food alright, but an unsanitary environment makes me not want to return… ever! If the front of house is to this level of neglect, I can only imagine what the back of house looks like. I might consider returning if the entire interior of Elmer’s was gutted down to foundation, complete sewer redone and kitchen was more of an open design to allow the public to see the state of it. Come to Elmer’s if you would like Salmonella, E. Coli, Ebola, Dysentery, Staff infection… take your pick and ENJOY!

On my most recent visit, I ordered the biscuits and gravy with a side of over easy eggs. I had been craving biscuits and gravy for awhile and was really excited to try them here. This is possibly the worst biscuits and gravy I’ve ever had. The gravy was super watery and had zero flavor and about two minuscule pieces of sausage. The biscuits had zero flavor as well. The biscuits tasted like someone mixed flour and water together and then threw it in the oven. When I asked for the check, the waitress asked how the food was. I told her the biscuits and gravy were awful and I couldn’t even finish them. Her response was «maybe it was the gravy because biscuits are biscuits» and didn’t offer to take them off the bill or even reduce the bill. I basically told her the food was awful and I had to pay full price for the food. This is the last time I will ever go to Elmers. Their other food is decent but this experience ruined it for me.

What a great name for such a deceitful restaurant? I ate fried chicken that I could make at home. It’s «home cooked» family food but in reality? A poor excuse of an attempt to make quality food. Service was poor. I’ve worked as a server and my experience was a joke. I do not know how they train servers but they are pathetic. Restaurant smelled like my OCD Mexican mothers’ restroom. You’re better off supporting big chain restaurants like Denny’s that’s about a quarter mile away.

Fried chicken was great so was
The salad bar, but the service was something to be desired. The waitress was rude and came to the Table a total of 3 times. Once to take our order another to bring our order, and the last time to bring the check. Is the bad service offset the good food? I think that’s a matter of opinion, but
For me I’m going to be supporting big chain restaurants because at least there if I get bad services there is accountability.

Classic diner with a great vibe. There are very few like this anymore. The wait staff is very pleasant and on point. Food is as good as the feel of the place. Get the King’s Breakfast. It will not disappoint.

Elmers is an old reliable favorite. Best known for their fried chicken, they do a pretty decent inexpensive breakfast, including really good huevos rancheros. But sadly they fall short on the one thing I expect excellence — chicken fried steak. The steak is a cisco special — pre breaded and frozen and shipped in from somewhere. CFS should be made from scratch and hand breaded in house. Breakfast potatoes are bland .A lunch or dinner meal of fried catfish or the open faced chile burger won’t disappoint. Service is always quick and friendly, a la Mel’s Diner.

One of the many businesses in El Paso that are just coasting through. The place has a great charm, I thought the design and layout of the place was really unique. The sort of spacey 70s diner vibe going on inside is really cool, and the food was okay.
I’ll have to come back for a second visit perhaps for breakfast, because I’ve heard words of praise for this place multiple times. I think out of a desire to just have a nice casual diner to go to other than Village Inn, Denny’s, or Ihop, more so than because this place is anything spectacular. On our visit, my friend ordered the trout, and her dish was quite good. I ordered the choice ground round with mushroom gravy and bacon and… meh. They could have done more with mine. That being said prices were fair all around. Looking on the menu, I saw a lot of things I wanted to try, fried chicken, catfish, philly cheesesteak, entomatados, so hey menu was offering a bit of all the old classics, which is what I want out of my diner.
If I come back it’s out of a stubborn desire to cheer for small businesses like this one that have so much potential to be awesome. I love diners! They can be a great place to hang. Want to keep the weird space age 70s vibe? LOL okay, but a few things they really need to do. Fix the old smell that wafts through parts of the restaurant. Clean the floors and dark spots around the place. Some old places, can get away with this, by presenting lots of character, and closeness with the community, this place seems to maybe at one time have had that, but is now empty. So they need to earn that back, and for now clean up the place.
There are a number businesses in El Paso, with lots of potential that are just getting by. I know times are tough fiscally, the city council just raised your water bill, property taxes never stop going up, competition is steep. These are things we all face. Never the less we want to cheer for people who find a way to make something spectacular where people want to all meet up at, and have a few bacon & eggs washed down with a pot of coffee. You don’t have to be Crave, just be proud of what your are and show it. El Paso needs more places that serve up a nice place of chicken fried steak and catfish. So I won’t count y’all out of consideration, and may go back, but I hope that when I do, I see an ambition to be something great. You guys can do it!

The inside looks straight out of 1970, which makes for a cool aesthetic. And they keep the dining area extremely clean. I ordered a baked potato and a glass of milk; they cooked the potato properly. As I understand it, the cooking process involves baking the potato at 350 degrees fahrenheit for a specified period of time, so the cooks appear to be competent doing that.
My friends ordered other food, and they said none of it was very good. They asked for maple syrup twice and our waitress never brought any. We also asked for salsa and thankfully the waitress never brought that either (according to other reviews the salsa tastes terrible).

Yea. This place is weird. Took a super long time to get food when there were only 2 other tables. My friend literally had an AWFUL WAFFLE. It tasted like cornmeal. They messed up our order and gave us to much food then charged my other friend for changing the meat on her sandwich. Such a disappointment. Don’t believe the 3 ½ star rating.

I don’t understand why everyone give 4 stars for this place. This place sucks… The food is bland, the waitress does not speak English and she was easily confused. We ordered the veggie omelet no cheese, end up being just eggs. Watermelon was not fresh. But the one Star is for the waitress at least she is nice.

M and I eat breakfast here often for breakfast. I usually get bacon and eggs, breakfast potatoes (I can go on and on about these) and pancakes. The coffee is good and they keep your cup full.
M gets tampaquena steak with scrambled eggs and refried beans.
We usually come Sundays around 10 or 11 am and find plenty of seating. Before and after these times it gets pretty packed.
Bonus: the waitress knows our order and we always feel welcomed.

«Want some fucken freeenncchh tooast» MOVIE TRIVIA!!!
One of those old school diners you see on tv you wish you could go to, well… YOU CAN!!! Elmer’s has kept up with tradition and stuck with that old american restaurant feel. Takes you back to the 50’s-60’s even though i wasn’t even a twinkle in my daddy’s eye at that time. Staff is always friendly treat you like family. Food is made fresh but comes out fast. These cooks know whats up. I have had almost everything on the menu since i was a kid till now and loved everything. Kid friendly menu, and can host for big groups. I stand by the french toast here, i put my nonexistent reputation on the line people! These are the bees knees!!! Hands down best french toast in town or anywhere in the southwest. Hand battered deep fried goodness. The taste is equivalent to gorgeous angels sent from heaven twerking on your taste buds… Yeah i went there… That good

Not my type of place. Have visited a few times as my husband seems to really like it. The salsa is horrible. The buffet not so good, so the last time I visited I ordered a tuna sandwich. Not bad but then, who can mess a tuna sandwich? Is the type of place that makes me wonder «what would Gordon Ramsey say?».

Home cooking style diner type place — small buffet open till 2 pm. Their chicken enchiladas are very good, as is the service.
Not great food but cheap and filling. Good when I want comfort food. Reminds me of the places back in Alabama.
Convenient location on Montana.