Elmira is not a food destination, but it has a handful of long-standing local favourites worth knowing about. The cuisine is straightforward American comfort food.
M & M Red Hots on Baldwin Street is an Elmira institution, famous for their hot dogs with a rich house-made meat sauce. Regulars buy pints of the sauce to take home. The cheese dogs are particularly good -- they warm the cheese on the grill before adding it to the dog. Note that they are only open Monday through Friday.
Pudgie's Pizza has several locations around town and is a local chain founded in Elmira. The pizza has a distinctive thick crust and a well-spiced sauce. They also do decent Italian subs.