Elmo's Diner

What it is: Elmo's is a restaurant near Duke in Durham with a diner feel and a kid-friendly menu. There are plenty of choices both for breakfast and lunch which keep this place packed with the Duke crowd as well as countless locals. It's a nice low-key place to have a sit-down meal with the family.

What we like: First of all, we like the food. They do great food for both breakfast and lunch and have lots of choices for each. They also have a kids menu with lots of good options for you to choose from. In addition, while you wait for your food they do provide crayons and a picture of a duck to color. If you do a fantastic job on your duck art perhaps they could join countless other ducks hung on the walls of the entryways. Finally, even though has been crowded every time we have come in, the wait seems to pass pretty quickly and they get people in and out pretty quickly.

What we would change: There are two things that we would change if we could. First, there usually is a wait of some sort, so you don't go in and get seated directly. Secondly, parking can be a bit tricky. Their lot is small and crowded, so both navigating around the lot and actually finding a spot can be tricky.

Website and other important information: Elmo's Diner is located near Duke's East Campus off of Ninth St. (There is also a location in Carborro, but we haven't been there yet.)

Address: 9th St. Shopping District, 776 Ninth St., Durham, NC 27705

Website: http://elmosdiner.com/

Hours: Monday-Sunday 6:30am-10pm

Photos:

1. A view of Elmo's from across Ninth St.
(Image from www.elmosdiner.com)