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| - Elmer's is a randomly delicious hole-in-the-wall Mexican food spot that has been in downtown Chandler for roughly one million years.
My family started going to Elmer's when we moved to Chandler from Milwaukee, Wisconsin about 20 years ago. I can safely say that it was my first experience of more "authentic" Mexican food, as the stuff we had in the Midwest seemed to have been made by people who had ONLY seen pictures of Mexican food, but had not actually tasted the real thing. (the Mexican restaurant of choice in WI during my childhood was called, unironically and naively, Chi-Chis... no joke)
That said, I have great memories of this place! It is tiny, tucked into a small strip immediately opposite Chandler high school. There is a parking lot in the back that can be difficult to navigate when it is crowded. There is a decent patio, however I never end up sitting out there as the tables and benches are made of concrete, which feels like lava during the hotter 7 months of the year. The interior is not particularly special, but also has not changed a bit since I first visited; the furniture looks like it may have been inherited from a McDonalds or other fast food restaurant from the 80s, the floors are linoleum (I think? Maybe tile), and there are fairly cheesy murals of cartoony animals throughout. There is a wrought iron waist-high fence that indicates where to form a line, and a counter where the orders are taken. The menu is done in old-school marquis style, with plastic letters attached to the backing. If you're looking for something in particular, be sure to look at ALL of the menu boards - they have a large menu that stretches all the way behind the long counter, above the kitchen, it is not very well lit, and it is easy to miss something if you only pay attention to the boards that are immediately in front of you and easy to see.
I have a few "go to" items - the Strips are oddly yummy... tortilla strips (in lieu of chips) topped with unmelted shredded cheese. Weird, right? They're crazy salty and for some reason, in the hot Chandler weather, the cool cheese with the crunchy chips usually hits the spot. Adding a dab of their hot sauce here and there (also very salty) adds a little heat and flavor when needed. The Cheesy Beef Tortilla is basically the one thing that I order here - not because other stuff isn't good, but because the Cheesy Beef Tortilla is just THAT good. It is a large tortilla (probably about 12" in diameter) filled with Green Machaca Shredded Beef, lots of cheese, tomatoes, and onions, then broiled. It is folded first in half, then in quarters and is usually a "knife and fork" sort of thing. In theory it is like a quesadilla, but in practice it is softer, fuller of delicious stuff, and just tastier overall. They do a good job with their Machaca - very flavorful, good meat (not too fatty, which is a problem I often find with shredded beef in Mexican food)
I've also tried tacos, fry bread, burritos, etc - all good, at least standard if not better than most.
Pricing is reasonable in my book. On a recent visit we got a Cheesy Beef Tortilla, Two Tacos, Two Drinks, and an order of Strips for around $12.
The line/order/wait scenario is a bit of a pain sometimes - I visited on a weekend midafternoon and there were one or two people in front of me in line, which was not bad. However, once you order, you have to wait to hear your number called and pick up your food from the end of the counter. I think we probably waited upwards of 15 minutes for our food to be ready, and it was difficult to entertain the baby while also listening attentively for my number. I think they could definitely improve by creating a table-number setup for dine-in orders so that guests could take a seat, snack on their strips, etc while waiting for their food.
The staff are pretty nice - not overwhelmingly friendly but they made things easy and had kind demeanors.
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