Elmo

3 of us had lunch at Elmo today. I ate here before about 11 years ago, probably visited this establishment a couple of times in ²⁰⁰³⁄₂₀₀₄ when they had just opened. Regardless we were in the area and needed a good lunch at 1130 AM. Everyone opens up at 12 Noon; however, Elmo was open and ready for our business at 1140 AM.
The décor is as I recall, cute and clubby. However, today the heat was broken and the joint was really cold. This was the wrong day not to have heat as the temperature was in the teens. The waiters were mediocre, nothing to write home about.
I was a tad sick and hot tomato soup with grilled cheese afloat sounded great. It turned out to be a good (not great) bowl of soup. Not sure if I would order this item again.
For my main course I chose the cobb salad. It was a good sized cobb salad with tons of fresh chicken, avocado and bacon. For some reason it had no dressing? I was not feeling great so I chose to say nothing,. However, there should have been some dressing provided?
The service was lousy as if nobody cared. Not sure if I will return. If I do return it will be for drinks at night, not food.

Went here with a group of friends to grab a bite to eat for dinner on a Saturday night. The place was pretty crowded, but we were able to grab a table right away.
If you haven’t been here, it’s a little bit of a scene, which is fun – so a lot of people dress to impress.
To start off the night, our table split an order of the macaroni and cheese and guacamole. The macaroni was good – when you had a bite with cheese – but for some reason there were a lot of noodles that did not have any cheese on them. The guacamole was also good, but I felt that the portion size was pretty small, especially considering the amount of chips it came with.
For my main meal, I went with the salmon. The salmon was cooked absolutely perfectly, with tasty flaky skin underneath. The fish also had a nice flavor to it as it was marinated and cooked in some sort of ginger and soy sauce. The quinoa and veggies that came with it were also very good and paired well with the fish.
I also enjoyed my fireside margarita, which wasn’t really spicy like I was hoping, but had a great beet flavor to it that was unlike anything I’ve ever had before.
Overall, this place has a great ambiance and nice vibe. The service is friendly, but can be a bit hard to find at times. The food is good and the pricing is decent, especially considering the area. Definitely worth checking out if you are in the area.

Elmo is one of the lose staple restaurants for all people of the community. It’s not that it’s catered to the gays, but it seems their is always a lot of us here cause the food is amazing and the restaurant itself is actually pretty nice to be in.
While this blizzard storm Jonas was visiting NYC, we were looking for a good spot to enjoy the snow show and get some food. It seemed like most favorite brunch spots were closing due to the blizzard as some of the trains would be out of service and we had a no vehicles on street rule during the storm. Well, Elmo saved the day!
While waiting for our friends to join, my partner and I enjoyed drinks form the bar and even made up a new one which included their virgin berry lemonade with ruby red vodka. Loved this drink. we also ordered the house champagne… But did not enjoy that at all so left it at the table.
Once at the table, I ordered the breakfast burrito and they were pretty amazing. My partner ordered a off menu item, tomato soup that came with a mini grilled cheese which really made me want to have ordered as the cold day merited it! He also ordered a salad cause well, he is the healthier one.
My meal was pretty amazing, having the scrambled eggs and steak or maybe it was chorizo with a side of guacamole and spicy salsa (which I gave away cause I hate spicy stuff). This plate is really filling and it was delicious. I tend to try to be healthy so I only ate about 1.5 of the tortillas … But man I scraped the insides from the other 1.5. Hahaha, it was delicious and I was hungry apparently!
Our waiter was actually trying to be nice, but I felt like he was annoyed or not having a good day. I could see he probably did not want to be working. That said, we have had better service, or maybe the snarky snappy attitude was just starting to rub off on him after serving so many Chelsea Queens! That said, again, not the usual service we get when here, most are usually pretty nice and always happy to serve. Might just have been the horrid snow day and having to work, that said, thank you for serving us on such a day and trying your hardest to pull through!
Elmo is not the first date type place. Chances are both have already been here before, this is a local favorite for brunches and dinners in the area. So maybe this is more of a third date type spot, no need to bring the nervousness in here, just enjoy your meal and cocktails.
My one reason for not giving 5 stars, is that many of us agree that the drinks are a bit to $$ and well maybe so is the food. I guess it’s ok, but def agree on the drinks.

Delicious chicken tacos — so stuffed with goodies I had to eat it with a fork. The food was great — ambiance is great. But tables are super close together. I felt like everyone was staring and listening to our conversation the whole time. Our server never came back to refill my water glass. Since we didn’t order cocktails and only had water, coffee and hot tea he didn’t seem to care as much about us. We wanted more coffee and tea and had to flag down another server… Not cool.

So in love with this place! they have cute decorations up for christmas and it just has the best vibe! It is a bit dark inside as well, could be romantic i guess.
Started with the tomato soup and was pleasantly surprised by the mini grilled cheese inside! The tomato soup was perfectly creamy and tasty and the grilled cheese was the perfect pairing for it. I also had the kale salad which was crunchy and flavorful, so great! I tried to be healthy but then I saw the truffle fries so we decided to share them. They were perfectly crispy and the sauce that came out with it was quite tasty.
I only had two starters but as I looked around I could tell that they give you A TON of food. All of their entrees came out with big full plates! Definitely worth it!

I had an amazing experience with my boyfriend and our friends here on Friday ¹²⁄₁₁. Our waitress name was Cat I believe (buzz cut blonde hair and tats). She was amazing, and really treated us right!!! We spent about $ 300 here and it was the best money I spent in a while. The food was great, the service was great and the restaurant was gorgeous! Thanks again!

Just lovely! The food was great and so was the service. The drinks are a little expensive but well worth it

If you were to ask the me quintessential gayborhood of Chelsea restaurant Elmo would easily come to mind. The cavernous space filled with gay boys to the brim, music pumping like David Barton’s gym and the servers must audition for their role.
The cocktails are always a good start. What is not quintessential is the food. It is clearly comfort food here. The crispy calamari is fantastic with a slight heat from the fried jalapeño pepper. Ribs and meatloaf and juicy burgers with fries or crunchy onion rings if desired are all on the menu. I guess even the gym bunny, rat needs a splurge once in awhile from the protein shake and bland boiled chicken with steamed broccoli.

Food: 3.5
Ambiance: 4
Service: 4
Great place for Sunday brunch! Cute waiters; huge, airy space; comfortable seating. Just a fun place to be, whether you’re with friends, family or on a date — day or night! The Apple-​Walnut French Toast was tasty. It doesn’t rank in my top 5 in the city, but it was good nonetheless.
It’s always busy when I pass by in the evening, so that’s a good sign. I’d definitely come back to try dinner here. Plenty of outdoor seating is also available. BRs are located downstairs behind the bar.

Really good service! Cute gay bar and resty in Chelsea.
Went with two girlfriends last night and had a great time. Drinks are on the STRONG side.
I also got a hummus dish which was a bit small but very tasty. Lots of other good apps on the menu too. This is a good place to come and catch up with friends or have a few drinks and bites to eat before going out.

Those. Truffle. Fries. Tho… Good lord the truffle fries are addicting. Love the atmosphere, love the food, and loved the music they played while I was there :). I don’t know if it was because i was incredibly hungry or they were just that good, but I had the crab cakes and they were amazing. I see things about the servers being rude or unfriendly. My server wasn’t bubbly or rather talkative, but it didn’t bother me. He provided great service. I don’t typically go out for the purpose of chatting with my waiter or waitress. I find that to be awkward…

NYC is filled with places to get a drink or a meal, especially in Chelsea area. In the search for eats and drinks, I have found myself at Elmo a couple of times. Inside the place that is just labeled «RESTAURANT» with a very colorful background lies a pretty cool place to grab grub and a cocktail.
Once inside Elmo, you’ll find a very cool hip venue. Very fashionable light fixtures, interesting photos and art on the walls, and comfy booths/​tables to grab your eats. There is also a pretty nice long bar to relax at, and a good outside patio area as well when weather permits. You can dress up a little bit or come casual, it will do for either mood. Cocktail wise they have a pretty great list to choose from, and from this list I’ve tried the Apermosa, Blood Orange Cosmo, Midnight Whiskey Sour, and the classic Frozen Margarita. The drinks are good, I like their margarita a lot, and the menu is diverse enough to fit any taste (sweet, bitter, potent, etc.). In the eats department, I’d say they do pretty well also. Their guac is pretty solid, I’ve had that each time without disappointment. Entrées I have tried include the classic meatloaf and the chicken fried chicken. Both were very good and satisfying, but I lean towards the meatloaf for a bit of comfort food. There were EXCELLENT mashed potatoes with the chicken, awesome flavor. Service wise, no huge complaints or hiccups, and in fact the bartender when having the first meal/​drinks at the bar was two thumbs up, thanks Adam!
Bottom line: Good find in Chelsea with Elmo restaurant. Great food and drinks in a very nice cool/​hip type of atmosphere. Give them a try if just for a relaxed drink (s) with apps or a good solid meal experience. I am a fan!

This place is so pretty and colorful inside! I’ve always noticed it while walking by, so finally got to try it out for brunch! :P
I had the huevos rancheros, which was just ok. The potatoes were a bit stale as well :/​. My friend enjoyed her french toast, however! The service was really quick and friendly, too.
Ah, and the lounge downstairs looked pretty! :D

While walking on 7^th ave looking for a place to have a quick dinner we stumbled upon Elmo. Ordered tuna tar tar and grilled steak salad. Salad was not bad. I liked the added charred corn pieces to it. Also had fries to share. Even though it was the 2 of us, it was a lot of fries so I ended up taking the rest home.
The waitress was nice and understanding of our limited time.
We sat outdoors since the weather was nice.
In my opinion nothing spectacular but good spot for a quick meal. If ever I come back I would like to experience dinning indoor as the ambiance was cute and seemed romantic.

Elmo did not live up to our expectations. To start, the service was a little spotty. Upon arriving we had to wait 10 minutes for a round of 2 drinks, and the place was empty… really it was early and there were less than 20 people seated and about 5 at the bar. We did get an apology with an explanation that there was a backup at the bar… really…honesty from the server that she dropped the ball in some manner would have been the right thing to do. I really got the sense it was not important and that they are used to delivering this kind of service. I cannot imagine what it would be like when it is packed. Enough of my rant.
Our drinks (when they came) were actually the highlight of the meal. I had the Spicy Mango margarita and my wife the White Peach Sangria. Both were 5 star for taste and unique flavor.
Our meals were generally good but not impressive. I had the meatloaf and enjoyed it but it was not special.
For the balance of the evening the staff was attentive, but did not make up for rocky start and weak excuse.

Came here to grab some post boozing snacks and I do have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. It seems that this place is one of the few places that does not have A Chelsea attitude associated with it.
The service was very friendly and our waiter recommended all sorts of yummy food items and, more importantly, beverages. I settled on the calimari, which was perfectly fried but the marinara was a little watered down. I kind of wished that they had a grilled calimari option but oh well. I had the gin gilmit, which is on the drink menu (one out of about 14 – 16) and it was made wonderfully. Everyone at the table were pretty pleased with their menu selections.
I definitely will be returning to this establishment for a full dinner.

I had the short ribs with sweet potato and it was absolutely delicious. The truffle french fries were good, but not outstanding as they were somewhat oily.
I found the restaurant to be somewhat loud to the point where it was hard to hear what other people were saying, but the waitstaff was very accommodating. It felt trendy, but not a comfortable trendy.

Ate there this evening with my co-​worker. Had:
Drink: White Peach Sangria
Entrée: Chicken Paillard
Dessert: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese
Food was great!
The décor was nice. Great atmosphere for an after work social, noisy. Clean & there are outdoor seating.
The only thing I didn’t like was our waiter abandoned us. First he gave us the menu for the dessert before I can place the order he went to another table across from us to eat. There were about 5 waiters sharing food & our waiter was one of them. After I got my dessert our waiter disappeared.
I’m okay with them being hungry & take a quick break but if you have customers, it doesn’t look presentable for all these waiters to be munching away while guests are waiting. They were not on a breaker.

Came here for lunch and the food was awesome.
Great space
Decent service
A lot of eye candy but they’re playing for the other team
Had the Big Breakfast which consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, mixed greens, sausage, and roasted potatoes. Yummers — check out the picture.
Restroom and lounge are downstairs.
I’ll be back.

Came here for brunch one day with two close friends.
It’s expected that there will be a short 20 minute wait for Sunday brunch service. This is normal. We had cocktails in the bar while we waited.
The brunch was surprisingly good. I’m used to «scene» places having bad food, but I was impressed by the flavorful and tender steak I ordered. The fries were decent and the truffled version was even better.
The service was forgiving and kind. They clearly have experience dealing with drunk clientele.
I would come again. Enjoy!