The 24 best brunch spots in the Triangle serve up weekend indulgence
Brunch is an occasion, not a meal.
This pairing of breakfast and cocktails is a favorite among Raleigh diners toasting the weekend. In our search for the Triangle’s most popular brunch service, readers favored two giants of the genre as the best: Irregardless Cafe and Ashley Christensen’s Beasley’s Chicken + Honey.
Ultimately Raleigh brunch pioneer Irregardless was named by readers of The News & Observer as the Triangle’s very best brunch, beloved for its care with seasonal produce and vegetarian options, while having a taste and flavor for everyone.
Irregardless is now in its third decade, founded by Arthur Gordon, and now in the hands of Lee Robinson and David Meeker.
“I do know that, according to Arthur, Irregardless is the first place in Raleigh to do brunch,” co-owner Lee Robinson said of former Irregardless co-founder Arthur Gordon. “When you’re the first place to do it, 30 years later if you’re not doing it well, something’s wrong.”
At the beginning of 2020, Gordon sold the restaurant to Trophy Brewing co-owner David Meeker and Raleigh restaurant veteran Lee Robinson who operates the cafe. Brunch continues to be the restaurant’s most popular meal.
“Brunch is breakfast food and a cocktail,” Robinson said. “It’s the best thing in the world.”
Irregardless does as much brunch business as it can possibly do every single Sunday, Robinson said, roughly 500 meals from the morning to the afternoon as longtime musicians Larry Hutcherson and Gene O’Neill alternate weekends, filling the dining room with music.
Beasley’s Chicken + Honey, Christensen’s ode to fried chicken and family, is one of Raleigh’s busiest brunch spots. The restaurant is famous for perfectly fried chicken, hit with a drizzle of honey for a wondrous salty and sweet bite.
To Christensen, brunch takes the pleasures of breakfast to new heights.
“I think it’s a little more indulgent, versus the kinds of dishes you’re eating for breakfast,” Christensen said. “You might not be having biscuits and gravy if you have something to do that day. So it’s a little more indulgent, has a few more elements than breakfast. Someone having brunch is going to take their time.”
Here are 24 of the Triangle’s very best brunch spots.
Acme
110 E. Main St., Carrboro. 919-929-2263 or acmecarrboro.com
A staple of Carrboro dining for 25 years, Acme serves a wildly popular Southern-style brunch, studded with rich flavor bombs and seasonal twists. That means eggs Benedict gets updated with a fried green tomato, smoked pork with mac and cheese and hand pies filled with smoked salmon and cream cheese.
Alley Twenty Six
320 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham. 984-439-2278 or alleytwentysix.com
While the return of Crook’s Corner is still pending, Alley Twenty Six is the keeper of the flame for one of America’s most iconic dishes of shrimp and grits. As one of the finalists last year for the James Beard Outstanding Bar Program in the country, prepare for fun craft cocktails.
Beasley’s Chicken + Honey
237 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh. 919-322-0127 or ac-restaurants.com/beasleys
Here, chef Ashley Christensen offers many takes on fried chicken and Southern delicacies. The brunch star might be the Hot Chicken Eggs Benedict, a spicy version of the classic Benny with a fluffy biscuit subbed in for the English Muffin.
Capital Club 16
16 W. Martin St., Raleigh. 919-747-9345 or capitalclub16.com
The French toast is made with challah bread doused with syrup and fresh fruit at this downtown Raleigh classic, which is back in the swing of things with one of the most popular brunches around.
Crossroads
211 Pittsboro St., Chapel Hill. 919-918-2777 or destinationhotels.com/carolina-inn/crossroads-chapel-hill
On holidays, brunch at the Carolina Inn is usually booked up weeks in advance. But the famed Chapel Hill hotel serves a brunch spread worthy of a holiday feast every single week. There are buffet stations serving smoked salmon, waffles, omelets, hand-carved steaks and a dozen classic breakfast dishes.
Dame’s Chicken & Waffles
530 Foster St., Durham. 919-682-9235
823 Bass Pro Lane, Cary. 919-234-0824 or dameschickenwaffles.com
For years and years, Dame’s has been the hardest weekend brunch ticket to score in the Triangle. Tables required sometimes weeks of forethought, or the patience to wait with the crowd usually assembled at the door. The reward for all that is a meal at one of the city’s best all around restaurants, where fried chicken wings are perfectly seasoned and crispy, and served with airy waffles and a variety of sticky sweet syrups and hot sauce. If you’re not a chicken and waffles believer, Dame’s will make you a convert.
The Durham
315 E. Chapel Hill St., Durham. 919-768-8830 or thedurham.com/restaurant
Brunch at The Durham lives up to its setting, which is one of the most elegant dining rooms in the Triangle. You’ll find light and bright flavors, like citrus soaked French toast and a definitive take on avocado toast, served alongside one of Durham’s quietly ambitious coffee programs, including the cult favorite coffee soda.
Grub
1200 W. Chapel Hill St., Durham. 919-973-3636 or grubdurham.com
On the weekends you’ll always find the rooftop packed at Grub. The crowds are coming for creative biscuit sandwiches, sweet treats like brioche doughnuts and towers of blueberry-studded pancakes. Grub also does a fruity brunch Lassi spiked with Chambord.
Guglhupf Bakery, Cafe & Biergarten
2706 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd., Durham. 919-401-2600 or guglhupf.com
Great patios can be transportive and Guglhupf’s feels like being sealed into a different era of Durham dining. This beloved bakery and cafe hasn’t reopened its dining room since the beginning of the pandemic, instead stretching out its artful patio with new picnic tables and nooks. The menu blends Southern and European delicacies, like French omelets alongside hot honey drizzled fried chicken sandwiches and a spectrum of sweet pastries.
Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant
3003 Guess Rd., Durham. 919-479-8339 or hongkongdimsumindurham.com
The Triangle’s best dim sum makes for one of the busiest brunch spots in Durham on the weekends. As coveted carts of steamed delights weave through the dining room, it’s hard not to order everything at once. Come with a crowd and seek out congee, steamed shrimp noodles and egg tarts.
Hummingbird
1053 E. Whitaker Mill Road, #111, Raleigh. 919-301-8900 or hummingbirdraleigh.com
A sweet and lovely restaurant built in a former truck depot bathroom (the soft green tile is original), Hummingbird is a brunch star in Raleigh. Its best side might be its broad and open porch patio, but a barstool is always the perfect perch to order a plate of the airiest ricotta fritters in existence, which diners must swipe through tart raspberry jam and sweet cream.
Irregardless Cafe
901 W. Morgan St., Raleigh. 919-833-8898 or irregardless.com
The legendary pajama brunch only happens on New Years Day, but every other weekend of the year Irregardless shines with a menu built around seasonal fruits and vegetables. That might mean a waffle topped with fresh berries or a butternut squash frittata. But Irregardless can cure grumbling stomachs as well, with hearty dishes like braised short ribs and cheese grits.
Lula and Sadie’s
2022 Chapel Hill Rd., Durham. 919-824-8341 or lulaandsadies.com
This Southern restaurant recently stretched out and expanded its food hall concept into a full-scale restaurant in Durham’s Lakewood neighborhood. Chef Harry Monds has been in the Durham food scene for decades and today stays on top of the trends while inventing a few of his own, like his popular chicken and red velvet waffles, doubling down on the sweet and savory combo with a Southern delicacy.
Monuts
1002 Ninth St., Durham. 919-286-2642 or monutsdonuts.com
Monuts is now closed on Sundays, but every day of the week it serves up an idealized brunch menu. If you’re craving sweet you probably want at least one freshly fried doughnut. If you’re feeling savory, the breakfast sandwiches and gigantic square biscuits never disappoint. And if you’re toasting Bloody Marys, you’ll get a High Life pony beer back.
NOFO @ The Pig
2014 Fairview Road, Raleigh. 919-821-1240 or nofo.com
This Raleigh brunch destination serves one of the Triangle’s most outrageous (and outrageously delicious) Bloody Marys. But beyond beverages, fans love the North Carolina-inspired pulled pork hash and a rich shrimp and grits, plus a perfect breakfast sandwich of fried green tomatoes and pimento cheese.
Plates Kitchen
301 Glenwood Ave., Suite 100, Raleigh. 919-828-0018 or plateskitchen.com
Brunch is often the antidote to the night before, which makes Plates Kitchen the perfect spot, situated in the middle of Glenwood South. The menu has plenty of options to soak up any indulgences from the night before, including a sweet crab cake Benedict or a solid shrimp and grits.
Refectory Cafe
2726 Durham-Chapel Hill Blvd., Durham. 919-908-6798 or therefectorycafe.com
Over 15 years, the Refectory Cafe has built a loyal following that spills out onto Durham-Chapel Hill Boulevard on weekday mornings. That loyalty has been earned with lemony ricotta pancakes, a bright turkey and cranberry sandwich and tender biscuit sandwiches with fried chicken.
Relish Bourbon Bar
5625 Creedmoor Rd., Raleigh. 919-787-1855 or relishraleigh.com
North Raleigh loves this neighborhood restaurant for more than just its eight different versions of mac and cheese. There’s also a lot of love for brunch, where breakfast sandwiches and hearty bowls are the stars. Daddy’s Chicken Sandwich might be one of the most brazen breakfast sandwiches in the Triangle, where fried chicken is topped with cheese and gravy and wedged between a fluffy Michael’s English Muffin
St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar
223 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh. 919-322-0359 or strochraleigh.com
This is the big and bold brunch you turn to when the cobwebs won’t shake from your head and you feel like you’re sleepwalking through the weekend. There’s nothing subtle on St. Roch’s brunch menu, from the smoked tomato Bloody Mary, the braised pork tamale or the bowl of alligator bolognese over grits. It’s all life-affirming.
Superica
25 Fenton Main St. Suite 110, Cary. 919-443-0746 or superica.com/cary
One of the newest brunch hot spots in the Triangle, Superica debuted last year as part of Cary’s much anticipated Fenton development. The popular national brand brings Ford Fry to the Triangle, and a Tex Mex brunch menu, with huevos rancheros or pork tamales and runny eggs. For a cocktail, try the tequila-subbed Bloody Maria.
True Flavors Diner
5410 Hwy 55, Suite AJ, Durham. 919-316-7978 or trueflavorsdiner.com
For years, True Flavors has made RTP a brunch destination, serving an unending menu of sweet and savory decadence. Without question, True Flavors serves the Triangle’s most creative biscuit sandwich menu, under its Debbie Lou’s brand, such as barbecue duck and cheese topped with a fried egg and fried duck skin, or a sweet potato biscuit spiced up with habanero honey and ham. Other plates include a key lime french toast or a four-egg salmon omelet.
Vin Rouge
2010 Hillsborough Rd., Durham. 919-416-0466 or vinrougerestaurant.com
During the pandemic, this Durham staple expanded its already lush patio into an all-season covered garden. These days that means breezy weekend brunches are always on the table, possibly accompanied by delicate French omelettes or an A.M. steak frites paired with a mimosa.
Whiskey Kitchen
201 W. Martin St., Raleigh. 919-803-3181 or whiskey.kitchen
One of the elements of brunch is its view and Whiskey Kitchen boasts one of Raleigh’s best — either the backdrop of lush Nash Square, or the bright and sunny dining room, lit by beams streaming through skylights. On the food side, you can’t go wrong with peppery biscuits and gravy or a spicy sausage frittata.
Wye Hill
201 S Boylan Ave. Raleigh. 919-275-5718 or wyehill.com
Home of the most famous view in Raleigh, Wye Hill modernized a famous space (the former Boylan Bridge Brewpub spot) and made it feel new again. The open air patio is packed all weekend as diners meet up and take selfies with a skyline behind them. The menu is dotted with charming tweaks to the classics, like a sweet seasonal bruschetta topped with strawberries and goat cheese and churro French toast, made with a smoky mezcal-chipotle chocolate sauce. On the savory side, there’s a peppery take on shrimp and grits, a rich short rib bowl and a funky kimchi hash.
