North Carolina Breakfast Cafes That Live Up To The Hype
Morning hunger pangs in North Carolina can lead you to some seriously epic breakfast spots. From fluffy biscuits drowning in gravy to French pastries that transport you straight to Paris, the Tar Heel State knows how to start your day right.
I’ve eaten my way through countless breakfast joints across the state, and these spots aren’t just good… They’re worth setting your alarm for.
1. La Farm Bakery: Where French Traditions Meet Southern Mornings
This place will ruin regular bread for you forever. Master baker Lionel Vatinet creates crusty, chewy artisan loaves that make basic toast seem like a sad joke.
La Farm’s breakfast sandwich on a croissant should be illegal. Buttery layers holding fluffy eggs and crispy bacon.
The cinnamon buns are bigger than your face and worth every sticky bite. Weekend lines stretch out the door, but trust me, watching the bakers work their magic through the open kitchen window makes the wait part of the experience.
2. The Dunes Restaurant: Beachside Breakfast Bliss
Where else can you watch dolphins play while demolishing a plate of seafood Benedict? The Dunes isn’t trying to be fancy, and that’s exactly why it’s fantastic. Their shrimp and grits recipe hasn’t changed in 40 years because perfection doesn’t need updating.
Crab cake breakfast is what you should order, lumpy with actual crab meat, not filler. The coffee comes in those thick white diner mugs that somehow make it taste better, and the servers call you ‘honey’ regardless of your age or gender.
3. Joey’s Pancake House: Mountain-Sized Pancakes Worth The Drive
Though it opens at 7am, you’ll still wait in line with half of Maggie Valley for these pancakes. Joey’s serves flapjacks so fluffy they practically hover above the plate. The blueberry ones burst with fruit that stains the batter purple, none of that frozen pellet nonsense.
Locals know to order the apple pancakes, which are basically dessert masquerading as breakfast. The maple syrup comes warm in little pitchers, and the butter melts instantly into perfect golden pools. Even the bacon is exceptional, thick-cut and crispy-edged.
4. Café Monte French Bakery And Bistro: Parisian Elegance Without The Attitude
Did someone teleport a chunk of Paris to Charlotte? Café Monte’s croissants shatter into buttery shards that will cover your shirt, the mark of authenticity. Their croque madame sandwich sports a sunny egg that oozes golden yolk when pierced.
The French press coffee arrives in individual pots, strong enough to grow chest hair. Weekend brunch brings out Charlotte’s see-and-be-seen crowd, but the staff treats everyone like royalty.
Bonus points for the pastry case that will haunt your dreams with geometric fruit tarts and chocolate éclairs.
5. The Asbury: Farm-Fresh Feasting In Uptown Digs
When a restaurant names dishes after local farmers, you know they’re serious about ingredients. The Asbury’s deviled eggs change seasonally, I once had them topped with pickled watermelon rind and nearly proposed to the chef. Their biscuits arrive hot, crusty outside and cloud-soft inside.
Chicken and waffles here aren’t basic, the chicken’s brined in sweet tea before frying. The Bloody Mary bar lets you build your own morning cocktail with pickled okra and candied bacon. Even their grits have pedigree, stone-ground from heirloom corn grown an hour away.
6. Baker’s Kitchen: Butter Syrup That’ll Change Your Religion
Are you sitting down? Baker’s Kitchen serves pancakes with warm BUTTER SYRUP. Not maple, not fruit, liquid gold that tastes like melted butter candy. People make pilgrimages to New Bern just for this syrup, which should be regulated as an addictive substance.
Their Dutch potatoes come loaded with everything good in life, cheese, bacon, sour cream, on a foundation of perfectly crisped spuds. The restaurant itself feels like your grandmother’s house, if your grandmother had seating for 100 and a professional kitchen.
7. Bantam Chef: Blue-Collar Breakfast That Puts Chain Restaurants To Shame
However you like your eggs, Bantam Chef will cook them perfectly while calling you ‘sugar.’ This no-frills diner in Littleton serves breakfast platters that could feed a small family for about what you’d pay for coffee at fancy cafes.
The country ham is salt-cured and sliced thin, with that perfect pink hue. Biscuits arrive by the basketful, crusty and ready for drowning in pepper gravy.
The waitresses remember your order from last time, even if your last visit was months ago. Cash only, friend, but there’s an ATM if you forgot.
8. The Basics: Southern Classics With Chef-Driven Twists
When a chef who could be working at fancy big-city restaurants chooses to make breakfast in Wilmington instead, you pay attention. The Basics elevates southern morning classics without making them pretentious. Their sweet potato biscuit with sorghum butter changed my understanding of what breakfast can be.
The shrimp and grits include local catch and a sauce that balances spicy, tangy, and rich.
Located in Wilmington’s historic Cotton Exchange, the brick walls and wooden beams make every forkful feel more authentic. Even their coffee is from a North Carolina roaster.
9. Betsy’s Crepes: Handheld Breakfast Magic In Every Fold
Are you team sweet or team savory? At Betsy’s, you don’t have to choose. The crepe menu runs longer than some restaurants’ entire offerings. Their signature “Thanksgiving” crepe wraps turkey, stuffing, and cranberry inside a paper-thin pancake. It sounds weird, but it tastes like holiday genius.
The crepe-making station sits front and center, so you can watch your breakfast being swirled into existence on circular griddles. Southern Pines locals pack this place on weekends.
Pro tip, the gluten-free batter is actually better than the regular, with crispier edges and more flavor.
10. Stick Boy Kitchen: Bakery-Fresh Breakfast That’ll Ruin Your Diet Plans
Though the display case will seduce you with cookies bigger than your palm, stay focused on breakfast at this Boone institution. Stick Boy’s breakfast sandwiches come on bread baked literally hours before you ordered it.
The egg and cheese biscuit uses local eggs with yolks so orange they look Photoshopped. Cinnamon rolls here are the size of softballs and properly gooey in the middle.
The mountain location means you’ll share counter space with Appalachian State professors, hiking guides, and local celebrities. Everyone is equal in the face of carbohydrate perfection.
11. Yana’s Restaurant: Nostalgic Diner Vibes With Elvis On The Side
When a restaurant is covered floor-to-ceiling in Elvis memorabilia, the food better live up to the spectacle. Yana’s in Swansboro delivers with breakfast platters that would make The King proud. Their home fries are actually crispy, a rarity in breakfast potatoes that usually steam into mush.
The western omelet bulges with peppers, ham, and cheese that stretches when you pull your fork away. Don’t miss the homemade pimento cheese, they’ll add it to anything if you ask nicely.
While you eat, count how many Elvis photos watch you from the walls. I got to 87 before giving up.
