Elm Diner

This diner was pretty good!
My friends and I found this place at 10:30 on a Saturday night. We had just done a 5K and were starving.
For my meal, I had the Greek panini. It featured grilled chicken, tomato, mozzarella, olive oil, feta and tzatziki sauce on pressed panini bread. It was pretty good, not the best sandwich I’ve ever had but not the worst. The flavors were a little mushed together. My friends enjoyed their meals as well. They had a grilled chicken sandwich (the fries were yummy), a Philly cheese steak and a Cesar salad. They all enjoyed their meals. For a late night bite, this is a pretty decent place!

Was great until they sold to these new owners now the food is different I’ve been going there just for the soup but now it taste different.

Best diner in West Haven! Great food and great people. The staff and the owners are the friendliest people you will ever meet, try this place!

You can’t go wrong here. I often eat with picky people although I myself am not. Nichole was out waitress and she was really great. Try one of the greek specialties on the menu. They are sure not to disappoint you. For many of the dinners, you will be taking some home which is what I like about eating at diners. After watching this place on tv when the long island medium came in I keep hoping she would walk in at any minute.

I’ve gotten in the habit of stopping here when driving through New Haven on I-​95. I endorse others’ comments about the friendly service and good food. On my last visit, I had a delicious veal piccata with plenty of capers and artichoke hearts. The veal was moist and tender, the sauce flavorful, and the portion big enough to split (or take home half for a second meal, as I did). The key was they they used real egg batter, not a breaded coating.
As with most diners, the menu is extensive and varied and supplemented by a long list of specials. Based on how many customers are greeted familiarly by the staff, owners, and other patrons, this is clearly a favorite with locals.
The main downside is ambiance. It is in a strip mall so it doesn’t have the feel of real, old diners. The space is big and wide with suspended ceiling and fluorescent lights. They have dressed it up with colorful paint and wainscoting, but that just feels like a not-​quite-​successful attempt to be trendy. It is a storefront with booths and tables. That is no reason to stay away – the food is worth it. Just don’t expect a real diner experience.

Really fresh delicious food. Waitress was really nice and recommended great food. This was the best diner I’ve ever visited.

I have only visited this place once but I must mention that this restaurant was extremely clean and felt brand new! The food was outstanding and I will definitely be going back. The prices are great too!

Love this diner! Always friendly owners and staff, super clean, good food for fair prices, big portions… locals will all tell you the Elm Diner is a no brainier great choice for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or late night bite to eat! My family and I just love John’s place!

When my husband, son, and I come, the service is great. The food and portion, is worth the price. My son always ends up leaving with a cookie given from the owner.

I have been here many times over the years, tried many different meals including breakfast, lunch and dinner. The owner John remembers us every time and welcomes us like it is his home. The staff is friendly and efficient. I really like this place. The portions are enormous, perfect for a large appetite or to share and are consistently good. What more is there to say?

This is a great diner. They have fresh squeezed orange juice, and all the food is solidly good. A step up from your average diner fare. Service is always friendly and fast. One star loss for terrible coffee.

Best diner around, go there every weekend. Very clean, descent food and good service the owners are great people

I don’t like or will not eat at a place that does not give free refills. I ate here once, got charged for a refill, have not been back.

Tonight was our first experience with Elm Diner tonight for dinner. Husband and I were astounded by the scale of the menu-​huge and covers all areas of food. This made us a little nervous, thinking that the possibility of happening upon a needle in the menu haystack would be scarce, however we were pleasantly surprised.
Husband had the chicken caesar wrap-​his standby that he gets almost everywhere. He said this was very good, actually tasted like a chicken caesar salad, not just some caesar-​ish dressing on chicken in a tortilla.
I got the special french onion soup (loved) and the chicken tenders platter. My chicken tenders were very good, fresh, not overly fried or battered. On both of our plates we got steak fries, which were crispy and hot.
Place was PACKED and we were in and out of there in 40 minutes, and never felt rushed. We will be back for the breakfast! Our new favorite CT diner.

I’ve been here a few times for breakfast. Never have had to wait more than five minutes to be seated even though the place is always crazy busy. Servers are friendly as well.
Not the best diner I’ve ever been to but they serve consistent good breakfast food. I particularly enjoy their french toast — its made with challah instead of your typical bread.

What to say about elm diner.
Breakfast breakfast sweet breakfast. They have all you need for a wonderful and low priced breakfast meal.
If you are hungry (and like to overeat and hate yourself) they do have breakfast lumberjack meals which i highly recommend. Lunch is also good but i would say this is one of the top breakfast places in the area!
If you see a line do not worry because they have a very fast turn around and you wont wait any more that 15 minutes.

I’m visiting West Haven and I’ve been to a couple of other diners and I would rank this one the best, above the rest.
The inside décor is very pleasing to the eye. It’s clean and updated with a modern look, but still has that diner feel to it.
What a great place to satisfy all of your cravings because it has an extensive menu. I ordered the chicken soulvaki platter, which came with the chicken soulvaki, greek salad, and a side. The portion was a bit over whelming and that’s not a complaint because I ended up making two meals out of it. The price was right as well.
After I was done eating, I took a stroll over to the dessert case and everything is freshly made by the in house baker and it all looked delicious. I went for the carrot cake and again I was able to make it into two desserts. The carrot cake was moist and sweet and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I know when I come back to West Haven, I will definitely make this place part of my itinerary!

Love this diner.
Great food, great prices, great portions.
They lose a star for the one item that totally disappointed me in the 5 years we have been going… the chicken quesadilla.
It literally had a tiny piece of chicken per triangle and a sprinkling of cheese for I think $ 7.
Awful. I should have complained and returned it, but every other meal we have had there has been so good I was going to chalk this up to a bad day for the chef. I pray they don’t make it like this everyday or maybe I am the only person who orders mexican fare at a mom and pop diner!!!
It truly was THE WORST quesadilla I have ever eaten.
I expected it to be loaded with meat and cheese and maybe some extras.
Obviously we will never order that again, but you can’t go wrong with anything else they offer.

I had breakfast here because it was very close to the motel that I stayed at. Ordered the corn beef hash with two eggs. The eggs were find and the toast that came with it was good too. What I looked forward to eating was the corn beef hash and that was a disappointment. It had a very bitter taste and salt didn’t help at all. The waiting service was exceptionally friendly, but the food was the main turnoff.

This is not the Elm Diner (aka White Trash) of my childhood, but it’s pretty close. Relocated from their original location to a strip mall, the new version of WT boasts the same classy waitstaff (when we arrived one of the waitresses was brushing her hair — behind the counter) and mediocre diner food, but it’s just a bit too… nice now that it has moved — even as it exudes that classic diner feel all the same.
Highlights include waitress conversations with regulars about how knocked up seventeen year olds will not be served, as well as 5 dollar pancakes + sausage. The waitstaff are very friendly and gruff at the same time — just as they should be. Drawbacks include now not being open twenty four hours a day, and the lost memories of my disaffected youth which live only in the old location.