Elm Street Diner makes Yelp’s list of ‘outrageous desserts’
Stamford’s Elm Street Diner is home to one of Yelp’s “most outrageous desserts of 2023,” joining a list of “outlandish, outrageous, must-try treats across the US.” Though the restaurant is known for several over-the-top breakfast, lunch and dinner plates, Yelp picked its customizable waffle tower to highlight.
“To scale the WOW Waffle Tower, you’ll need a fork, spoon, straw, stack of napkins, and a few hungry friends,” editors wrote of the “DIY dessert mountain,” explaining that diners can choose their own adventure. Guests first pick their choice of ice cream to sandwich between two Belgian waffles, then select toppings like baked goods, candies and sauces to build their own sweet behemoths.
Elm Street Diner’s social media accounts show versions of the waffle towers built with fried Oreos, chocolate-covered sugar cones and chocolate cupcakes; Nutella with Ferrero Rocher chocolates and whipped cream and another with a slice of red velvet cake.
“But there’s more: The restaurant will top off your creation with a sugary surprise, like a lollipop or Nutella-filled syringe for a chocolate-hazelnut finish,” Yelp editors wrote.
Elm Street Diner was also recognized for its wild breakfasts by Food Network Magazine last year. The “50 Over-TheTop Treats” feature in the publication’s July/August 2023 issue highlights must-try “showstopping sweets” in each state, and the diner’s Nutella s’mores French toast earned the honor for the Nutmeg State.
“You can order this gravity-defying wonder any time of day,” Mariah Schlossmann wrote of the towering breakfast plate, topped with toasted marshmallows and Nutella and chocolate sauces. “The only way to tackle it is from the top down.”
The Stamford diner has been around since 1987, but owner John Moshos and his team have harnessed social media in the past decade to call attention to the decadent waffle towers, sandwiches and burgers stacked with bacon and thick-cut onion rings, and “crazy” milkshakes adorned with whole slices of cake, candies and sparklers. The restaurant’s Instagram account has more than 214,000 followers, with another more than 59,000 on TikTok.
“For us, it’s another great honor and achievement, because it’s very cool to continue to be recognized on a national scale,” Moshos said Thursday of the Yelp mention.
Moshos and his team are opening a second location of Elm Street Diner in Norwalk. The new restaurant, at 515 West Ave. in the Waypointe complex, is projected to open by late May, he said Thursday.