Elm Street Diner
463 Elm St.
Stamford, Conn.
It took Instagram — and moving images of a particularly succulent amalgam of eggs, bacon and sausage — to finally get me up to a brunch mecca I’d long dreamed of hitting.
It wasn’t the first time I’d seen tempting videos from Elm Street Diner. The eatery’s frequent viral videos showcasing absurdly decadent culinary creations like the “WOW Waffle Tower” and the “OMG Birthday Bowl” have lived rent-free in my mind for over two years. The Stamford eatery is centrally located right in between my previous home, New Haven, and my new home, New York City, but always just far enough away from both for me to resist the temptation of what FoodTok has dubbed “The craziest diner in the world.”
Until now, that is.
Over the weekend, my friend Mathew was visiting me from New Haven. Since July 2021, Mathew and I have been trying to make plans to go to Elm Street Diner, but each time the plan has fallen apart for various reasons. It was a solid “maybe” on our list of potential excursions for this visit, until the ‘Gram struck like lightning once again.
Cue the Churro Brunch Pancake Burrito, featured in this video that came across my feed on Saturday. To summarize: eggs, bacon, and sausage are cooked into two pancakes, which are rolled into a two-tortilla burrito, which is then deep fried (technically making it a chimichanga), covered with cinnamon-sugar churro mix, and served with chipotle hot honey sauce.
It was a monster, but I knew immediately that it was a monster made for me.
At brunch, I despise having to choose between sweet and savory options. As a Texan transplant, I feel like I’m on an eternal quest to find good breakfast burritos in this part of the country. If any burrito could deliver me, it was this one. So Mathew and I decided to finally make the trip to Stamford.
The first thing we learned about Elm Street Diner upon arrival is that while its business address is on Elm Street, the entrance to the diner, around back, is actually on Halloween Boulevard. Timely!
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The next revelation, after a brief wait to be seated, was that Elm Street Diner’s menu is HUGE. The “Social Media Superstars” section alone would’ve put me in a crisis of indecision if I wasn’t so strongly resolved to get the ridiculous burrito, which lived on a wholly separate “Sunday Brunch Specials” Menu.
Mathew, wisely, wanted to know if the “craziest diner in the world” was also up to the task of preparing regular food. He ordered three scrambled eggs, home fries, and toast ($12). I, of course, ordered the Churro Brunch Pancake Burrito ($23). Our food arrived in less than 20 minutes.
The pleasant scent of the cinnamon-sugar filled the air, and I was staring down the brunch behemoth of my dreams.
Interestingly, the presentation wasn’t quite as instagram-worthy as the video. Mine didn’t come with the iconic sauce syringe injected into it. And the sauce, which I assume was some amount of hot honey and chipotle aioli mixed together, could’ve used a more thorough stir before getting to me.
Thankfully, I prefer to eat with my mouth, not my eyes.
The first bite was everything. The perfect, sweet crunch of the churro-fied tortilla shell, the soft, fluffy pancake around the inner edge, and the tasty, savory egg mixture in the center were an irresistible brunch combination that was exactly what I was hoping for. The burrito itself was very sturdy (even when I reheated the leftovers!), and not as greasy as I was afraid it was going to be. And the chipotle hot honey sauce tasted better than it looked, creating a trinity of balanced sweet, savory, and spicy flavor when I dipped the burrito into it. I often preach that no one can be all things to all people, but maybe this burrito knew something I didn’t.
This was, without a doubt, the best breakfast burrito I’ve had in the Northeast U.S. But I still have notes: The innermost part of the burrito could’ve used a little more moisture to support the drier eggs, sausage, and bacon that made up the filling. More/meltier cheese, a little mayo, or perhaps even some salsa could’ve made a difference there. And in terms of the mechanics of eating the burrito, the fried cinnamon-sugar exterior, while delicious, did lead to the slightly unpleasant sensory experience of getting a bunch of sugar granules on my hands as I ate. I did eventually shift to using a fork and knife, which I do consider burrito sacrilege.
To quote Mathew on the eggs, home fries, and toast: “It was good!”
After being satisfied by the diner’s savory offerings, Mathew decided to satisfy his sweet tooth as well and ordered another one of their Sunday brunch specials, the Oreo Cheesecake Waffle ($18). I, being unable to complete brunch without one, ordered a mimosa ($10). Both arrived promptly.
Mathew on the Oreo Cheesecake Waffle: “I love how they combined four of my favorite things: Oreos, waffles, cheesecake, and vanilla ice cream.” I had a few bites of it and would have to agree: I tend to be a little suspicious of any waffle that’s trying to do too much, but this one maintained its shape, crunchy exterior, and fluffy interior even while stacked high with toppings, including cheesecake pieces so smooth and yummy I was surprised their purpose was just to accessorize a waffle.
Mimosa Check: Elm Street Diner offers mimosas and bellinis made with Santa Marina Prosecco and choice of orange, mango, peach, or passionfruit juices. They have a $25 60-minute bottomless mimosa option, for the standard OJ mimosa only. My standard OJ mimosa leaned more prosecco than orange juice and more tart than sweet, but still within acceptable mimosa range.
Overall, Elm Street Diner did live up to the social media hype, providing a fantastic brunch that I hope to experience again soon.
The heartburn I was dealing with six hours later? Not so much.
Up Next for Elm Street Diner: They’re opening up a new location in Norwalk, Conn., later this year.
Up Next For Me: I’m going to Nicole Cardoza’s Halloween Magic Show at Neuehouse NYC.
