Brunch, bloodys and biscuits—oh, my!
Weekends were made for brunch. And biscuits. And bloodys—and even mimosa parties… or a coffee because you swore off spirits after a revelrous weekend. A portmanteau of breakfast and lunch, brunch is the best of both—swapping the haste of the two for the one leisurely meal in your week truly made to savor, whether as a hangover savior while decompressing the night before, post-church with the fam, or just an excuse to sip Champagne in the morning. And like dinners out, brunch is a vibe—the right food, service, atmosphere and views make it worthy of a rez and a set calendar event.
So, here, we present the 10 best brunches in Raleigh—bar none. … And, for more morning fare, we’ve got you covered with weekday brekkies, on-the-go biscuits and more to boot. Resting brunch face: on.
Presented by Got to be NC
Beasley’s
If Ashley Christensen is wrong—we don’t wanna be right. The two-time Beard-winning “Darling of Raleigh” puts brunch on notice with this delish recently expanded den of fried chicken + seasonal Southern sides. Keep it classic with biscuits and gravy or go ham with red bean rancheros… and always a side of grits. Plus chicken, obv. After all, birds of a feather cluck together.
Our pick: Hot chicken eggs Benedict over buttermilk biscuits (pro tip: don’t fear the (Carolina) reaper sauce—but if you do, try it on the side) + Lively Brunch rum coffee number. Sat. & Sun., @beasleys_raleigh
Photo by Lauren Vied Allen
Hummingbird
Forget “Bumble”—the only buzz we need in cuffing season (and all seasons) is Hummingbird. Find us chained to this year-round Dock 1053 porch—aka chef/owner Coleen Speaks’ always-buzzing masterpiece—for the alfresco brunch affair always worth swiping right for a la staples like banana bread French toast, steak and eggs, and seasonal quiche; adventurous ops like brunch pizza, smoked oysters and huevos rancheros; and Nola riffs on classics like the Peacemaker Po’boy.
Our pick: Chicken & waffle (buttermilk brined for two days (!) and served with maple and hot honey herb butter) + gin & jam. Sat. & Sun., @hummingbirdral
Photo by Jamie Robbins, courtesy of Hummingbird
Cucciolo Terrazza
Italian for breakfast? Say less. Treat yo’self to the likes of spicy rigatoni and pesto campanelle before noon (you only live once, after all)—or stick to the (elevated) basics, including eggs Benedict, steak and eggs, and brioche French toast that’ll send you into the best kind of food coma. … While the stunning surrounds will make you think you jet setted to NYC. While you’re living out your best life, you may as well grab a seat at the bar—and tell the bartender to keep the cocktails coming.
Our pick: The Monte Cristo sando is everything you want at brunch: savory, sweet, creamy and oh-so-delightful. Sat. & Sun., @cuccioloraleigh
Photo courtesy of Cucciolo Terrazza
Whiskey Kitchen
Whiskey business, meet brunch business—because a midday grub + bevs sesh on the weekend is always a serious(ly joyous) affair. Nothing but green flags fly at this open-air oasis where the indoor-outdoor vibe—and 365 patio (umbrellas! heaters!)—provides the perf perch to while the day away. Pro tip: Swap the Sunday scaries for a Mimosa Party. Then keep the party going with hearty selects like biscuits and gravy and the Nash Square breakfast sando, or kick off your healthy weekday eating via the chorizo frittata or veggie bowl.
Our pick: For the sweet tooth, we guarantee you’ll leave no crumbs from the pull-apart monkey bread—and the Irish coffee is an obvious pairing. Sat. & Sun., @whiskey.kitchen
Photo courtesy of Whiskey Kitchen
NOFO @ The Pig
If ever there were a reason to ~pig~ out, NOFO’s bangin’ brunch menu is here for it. Chef Dan Gray’s local-leaning Southern farmhouse-fresh selects are worth waiting in line for (because you may—and should). Don’t sleep on the country breakfast—or that stacked breakfast burrito. … And don’t worry, you can sweat off with a lil shopping cardio in the curated upstairs market. It’s called balance, sweetie.
Our pick: Fried green tomato sandwich with NOFO pimento cheese and smoked bacon jam on wheatberry + a Carolina Float (Cheerwine, vodka, Luxardo and Homeland Creamery vanilla ice cream). Sat. & Sun., @nofo_at_the_pig
Madre
Your mother could never offer the immaculate vibe this hip Smoky Hollow outpost delivers come Sunday (sorry not sorry). Grab your squad and settle in within the ’Grammable museumworthy dining room, or opt for a sunny seat outside on the newly upgraded patio (think greenery, string lights and umbrellas). The more pals the merrier, as you’re gonna wanna try alllll the dishes—the burger is a fan-fave, and the salmon lox is brunch goals—and split that Mimosarita pitcher, obv. Liquid brunch, anyone?
Our pick: The hot honey Calabrian chicken and Tepuy Donut is the pairing you never knew you needed but won’t be able to get enough of. … And keep the Mimosaritas coming. Sun., @madreraleigh
Photo by Paul Mehaffey, courtesy of Madre
Coquette
Crepes or it didn’t happen. If you’re looking for “Americans in Paris,” look no further than this très chic French institution. Raleighites can’t get enough of the cult-classic quiche and transportive brunch fare—from crepes (natch) to croissant French toast to brie biscuits (!) to eggs Benny—best savored wafting in the summer sun and breeze under the agape floor-to-ceiling windows, or truly alfresco on the patio. It’s giving Emily in Paris—in Raleigh.
Our pick: No matter the time of day, the French onion soup is always worth slurping up + Champs—because France. Sun., @coquetteraleigh
Photo courtesy of Coquette
Relish Craft Kitchen & Bourbon Bar/The Kitchen Table
Roll the dice on two excellent brunch ops at these sister restos boasting Southern classics with a modern twist. For the OG fam-friendly lived-in homey atmosphere, ~relish~ in dishes like country-fried steak and eggs, French toast bread pudding, and the ’Mater Biscuit. Or, for brunch sandos, biscuits and gravy, chicken and waffles, and the like in hip digs, get your crew on board for The Kitchen Table. Feeling spicy? It doubles as Raleigh’s first board game bar—loser buys a round of mimosas?
Our pick: Both Relish’s and The Kitchen Table’s spicy-sweet chicken biscuits’ll leave you saying Bojangles who? Sat. & Sun., @relishraleigh, @kitchentableraleigh
Photo by Kierra Angell courtesy of The Kitchen Table
Wye Hill
This patio lives rent-free in our head. And it serves up supreme skyline vibes year-round within the uberpopular Boylan Bridge brewery and restaurant. Soak up the views while drinking up bloodys and mimosas—and chowing down on superior ops like sweet potato hash, shrimp and grits, and the Wye Hill breakfast sando—or for that one friend who leans more lunch than breakfast, the Morning Glory Burger.
Our pick: That shakshuka will forever have our heart—and stomach. Sat. & Sun., @wyehill
Photo by courtesy of Wye Hill
Irregardless
This ain’t your garden variety Sunday spread. If you wrote off Irregardless as strictly vegetarian—well, fake news. Hands down one of the top services in town, this OG “real food” Raleigh institution is dishing a brunch worth writing home about. From “eggs and bowls” like shrimp and grits and brisket hash to waffles and pancakes to “sandwiches and such” (hey, lox brioche, avo toast—and, yes, a vegan burrito), this super-fresh Raleigh mainstay is living up to its “real good” MO.
Our pick: Crab Benny + cold brew martini. Sat. & Sun., @irregardlessnc
Photo by courtesy of Irregardless
Mimosas 🤝 Weekends
If you pref to go bottomless, you’ll have to go elsewhere (yay, laws!) but buckets and bottles abound. … Catch flights not feelings with these juicy mimosa selects that are guaranteed to make you get fizzical.
- Rosewater
Bottle + choice of two flavor ops from orange, grapefruit, cranberry
or pineapple - St. Roch
Mimosa Party via bottle of bubbly + fresh-squeezed OJ, grapefruit, pineapple or cran - Salt & Lime
Mimosa pitchers—or go rogue with Bellini pitchers in pineapple, peach strawberry and blood orange - STIR
Mimosa Mason jars for six in orange, pineapple, cranberry or grapefruit - MSFH Arbor Bar
Bottle of sparkling + carafe of juice - Raleigh Beer Garden
Bucket up a bottle + OJ, or catch flights for a cranberry, pineapple, grapefruit and OJ tour - Parkside
Mimosa flight with bottle of Wycliff brut and trio of juices - The Station
Breakfast of champs via Champs bucket
Breakfast Nook
From morning business meetings to on-the-go breakfasts worth skipping cereal for, these six standouts shine.
A Tall Order
Don’t sleep on Plates’ specialty coffee truck, Breadbox Coffee, housed on its patio and offering coffee to-go or as part of sit-down dining. Pro tip: For dessert, snag the authentic Turkish coffee and sweet potato & honey baklava. @plateskitchen
Son of a Biscuit
Risk it for the biscuit—these 5 bangin’ biscuits in Raleigh to be exact.
- Jubala
Too many napkins or it didn’t happen. Highly addictive, these made-from-scratch biscuits bring subtle sweetness to the mix for a choose-your-own-adventure mix-and-match fix—from fresh blueberry compote to housemade pimento cheese BEC and beyond. @jubalacoffee - Big Ed’s
Nothing screams Southern like Big Ed’s great-grandfather’s Confederate mess sergeant recipe—and these biscuits promise to slap, whether in sando form or as a comfy side. @bigedsnc - Madre
Whipped up with leftover charcuterie bits and served with seasonal jam and butter, these bad boys are, well, worth risking your biscuit for. @madreraleigh - State Farmers Market Restaurant
The real deal indeed, these cult-classic homemade fluffy numbers are a staple for a reason. Get ’em with your meal, as a sandwich or slathered in sausage gravy for Southern comfort at its finest.
@statefarmersmarketrestaurant - A Place at the Table
Three words: Buttermilk. Biscuit. Sandwich. Build your own for a bona fide brekkie that never disappoints. Pro tip: Opt for the cheddar biscuit for a ~cheesy~ morning. @tableraleigh
Hole-in-the-Wall Haven
Pam’s Farmhouse Restaurant
The dive bar of breakfast spots—and literally stumbling distance across a shared parking lot from one (s/o The Goat!), this nearly 30-year-old West Raleigh diner is no-frills (blink and you’ll miss it), but well worth the hype. Delivering all the Southern selects you could crave—think fresh country breakfast with the works, omelets, hotcakes, meat biscuits and more—it’s just as clutch for a greasy hangover feast, say, after a night out at The Goat, as a family-friendly weekday morning grub sesh.
Bloody Brilliant
Every bloody wins via this batch of Raleigh’s best.
- Wye Hill
While Wye’s bloody is made from a secret proprietary recipe, there’s no doubt it’s damn delicious. (We couldn’t keep that part a secret, sorry.) @wyehill - NOFO
You can’t truly pig out at brunch unless you order NOFO’s beloved bloody—“housemade to
ribbon-winning standards.” @nofo_at_the_pig - St. Roch
Garnish game: strong. Is it even a bloody mary if it’s not topped with okra, pickles, olives and lime? The answer is no. Housemade mix with smoked tomatoes and spice don’t hurt either. @strochraleigh - The Mill
Where’s the beef (stock)? In The Mill’s Bloody Bull, made with house mix and beef stock with Guinness. Yes, really. @themillraleigh - The Raleigh Times
You can and should order the draft beer sidecar with the RTB bloody—topped with a buffet of ingredients, from housepickled green beans and pepperoncini to candied bacon—because, duh. @raleightimesbar - Tazza Kitchen
Oven-roasted tomatoes are the star ingredient in TK’s bloody-good, ahem, bloody—jazzed up with pickles, hot sauce, Worcestershire, tomato juice and lemon. @tazzakitchen
