There are many great breakfast spots in Raleigh that you can go to for a large variety of delicious food.
From breakfast burritos with all kinds of ingredients to unique omelets to Greek yogurt with granola and fresh fruit, there’s great food at the restaurants in the city for everyone’s liking. At some of the places, you can also get great coffee or smoothies while you have breakfast. In addition to that, some of the city’s restaurants are nonprofits and some are historic restaurants.
I made this guide with great places to have breakfast in Raleigh to help you find the best spot for you.
Best Breakfast in Raleigh
The Mecca Restaurant
The Mecca Restaurant is a restaurant that was established in the year 1930, which makes it the oldest restaurant in Raleigh. You can find the restaurant at 13 East Martin Street in downtown Raleigh.
It is possible to have breakfast at this restaurant from Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM till 11 AM.
At The Mecca Restaurant, you can have delicious food made with traditional ingredients.
The breakfast menu at this restaurant is very varied and there’s something for everyone’s liking.
For example, you can get a variety of great breakfast sandwiches at The Mecca Restaurant. This is an egg sandwich that is served with white or wheat toast, or a biscuit that is made from scratch. You can choose which other ingredients you’d like to add.
Besides that, you can get delicious omelets, pancakes, and other dishes for breakfast.
Address: 13 E Martin St, Raleigh, NC 27601
The Morning Times
The Morning Times is a great cafe to start your day when you are in Raleigh. The Morning Times was founded in 2006, and the cafe has a cozy atmosphere.
You can get breakfast here from 7 AM till 3 PM. The all-day breakfast menu includes a variety of dishes.
One of the best options on the menu is the breakfast croissant, which is a croissant sandwich with scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese.
The morning bagel is another delicious option. This is a homemade bagel with cheddar cheese and scrambled eggs.
One of the best specialties is the breakfast burrito of The Morning Times. This breakfast burrito includes scrambled eggs, black beans, house-made salsa, cotija cheese, sour cream, and some other ingredients.
Besides that, you can get a delicious cup of Counter Culture Coffee at the cafe.
Address: 10 E Hargett St, Raleigh, NC 27601
A Place at the Table
A Place at the Table is a nonprofit cafe where you can have a delicious breakfast in Raleigh.
The cafe has a unique pay-what-you-can pricing model, such that everyone can have a great breakfast here, regardless of their financial situation. Customers have a variety of options to pay for their meals. They can pay the suggested price, volunteer for a meal, or pay less than the suggested price.
You can get delicious food for breakfast at A Place at the Table, which is made with locally sourced ingredients.
You can build your own breakfast platter and choose from 3 breakfast items and 1 condiment.
In addition to that, you can get a delicious superfood yogurt bowl and various other dishes at this cafe.
Address: 300 W Hargett St #50, Raleigh, NC 27601
Carroll’s Kitchen
Carroll’s Kitchen is a nonprofit social enterprise restaurant that creates “healthy employment for women overcoming crisis”.
You can get breakfast a Carroll’s Kitchen from Monday through Friday.
One of the best breakfast items that you can get at this restaurant is the avocado toast. This is a dish that is made with garlic, fresh avocado, lime juice, Himalayan salt, and sesame seasonings.
You can also get a delicious egg & cheese croissant sandwich at Carroll’s Kitchen.
Another delicious dish to have for breakfast is the “Greek Goddess Quiche”. You get a quarter of a whole quiche, which consists of spinach and feta.
Address: 19 E Martin St, Raleigh, NC 27601
Sir Walter Coffee
Sir Walter Coffee is a coffee shop that makes for an incredible breakfast spot in Raleigh.
From 7 AM till 4 PM, it’s possible to have breakfast at this place.
For breakfast, you can get a delicious breakfast sandwich, salmon bagel, or breakfast burrito.
Besides that, the menu of Sir Walter Coffee also includes Avocado Toast, Greek yogurt with honey, fruit, granola, and other items.
Not only is Sir Walter Coffee a great place to have breakfast, but you can also get high-quality coffee drinks here.
The cold brew coffee and the Vietnamese Iced Coffee that you can get at Sir Walter Coffee are amazing.
You can also choose from a variety of tea lattes, including a delicious chai latte and matcha latte.
Address: 145 E Davie St, Raleigh, NC 27601
Good Day Good Night
Good Day Good Night is a neighborhood restaurant where you can get breakfast from Monday through Friday, from 7 AM till 11 AM. This restaurant is located in The Casso Hotel on West Morgan Street.
The restaurant has a plant-forward breakfast menu that consists of dishes made with local ingredients.
The breakfast menu includes a variety of options, such that everyone can have a delicious breakfast at the restaurant.
For example, you can get the “Old Fashioned Oatmeal”, which consists of oatmeal with gold raisins and brown sugar.
You can also get delicious avocado toast with homemade seasoning, queso fresco, grilled corn, and pepitas, at this restaurant.
The “Berry Parfait”, which consists of yogurt, granola, and seasonal berries, is perfect as well!
Besides being a great breakfast place, Good Day Good Night is also a great place for brunch on the weekend as well as for drinks in the evening at the restaurant’s bar.
Address: 603 W Morgan St, Raleigh, NC 27603
Cafe Carolina
Cafe Carolina is a locally owned and operated neighborhood cafe and bakery that was established in 1995. The cafe focuses on freshness and quality, and you can get a delicious breakfast at the cafe.
The breakfast menu of Cafe Carolina includes a great breakfast sandwich, which comes with egg, cheddar cheese, and other ingredients, served on panini bread, a croissant, a honey wheat wrap, or a bagel.
You can also go for the quiche of the day. You then get a slice of the freshly baked quiche with a side of fruit.
The cinnamon French toast is a great menu item as well. This is a classic French toast that is made with fresh-baked cinnamon bread that is dusted with powdered sugar and that is also served with maple syrup.
Besides these and more dishes, you can also get a muffin or delicious fresh-baked pastries.
You can also get great coffee drinks at Cafe Carolina.
Address: 2130 Clark Ave, Raleigh, NC 27605
The Optimist
The Optimist Raleigh is a coffee house that opened in 2020. When you go here ain the morning, you can choose from many types of coffee drinks.
There are great traditional coffee options, such as cortado, cold brew, and cappuccino, as well as specialty drinks. For example, you can get the “Mallow Dramatic”, which is a coffee drink with cardamon, maple syrup, marshmallows, espresso, and milk.
For breakfast, which is served daily till 12 PM, there are delicious menu items.
For example, you can get “The Three Amigos”, which is a breakfast dish that consists of three tacos that are filled with egg, potato, cheese, and chili. One of the tacos is topped with bacon, one with chorizo, and one with poblano pepper.
You can also get The Fig, which is a Michael’s English Muffin with fig jam, bacon, goat cheese, and mint.
Address: 1000 Brookside Dr STE 109, Raleigh, NC 27604
Watkins Grill
Watkins Grill is a breakfast restaurant in Raleigh that was established in 1947.
Breakfast is served all day at Watkins Grill.
For breakfast, there are many delicious options to choose from.
For example, you can get the breakfast special, which consists of two eggs, a choice of toast, biscuit, or English Muffin, and a choice of meat. You can also get pancakes or French toast.
Besides that, there are great breakfast sandwiches, you can get delicious pancakes, and there are other options for breakfast.
Address: 1625 Wake Forest Rd, Raleigh, NC 27604
Sosta Cafe
Sosta Cafe is a cafe that is located on the ground floor of the Red Hat building at 130 E. Davie Street.
The cafe’s name, Sosta, means “a restful break”, and the cafe focuses on providing good customer service. In addition to that, you can get great food for breakfast at the cafe.
For breakfast, which is served from 8 till 11 AM, you can get a three-egg omelet with a choice of filling, which is served with toast. It is also possible to get this omelet made as a sandwich or a croissant sandwich.
Besides great food, you can also get a large variety of good coffee drinks at Sosta Cafe made with organic coffee from the local roaster Full Bloom, including cafe au lait, macchiato, and latte.
Address: 130 E Davie St #1806, Raleigh, NC 27601
State Farmers Market Restaurant
The State Farmers Market Restaurant is a restaurant that is more than 50 years old. You can find the restaurant at 1240 Farmers Market Drive.
At this restaurant, you can get delicious food made with ingredients that were grown in North Carolina.
Each meal includes a biscuit that is made from scratch using self-rising flour from North Carolina, buttermilk, and some secret ingredients.
Address: 1240 Farmers Market Dr, Raleigh, NC 27603
Daily Planet Cafe
Daily Planet Cafe is a cafe that is located inside the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. So when you go here for breakfast, you can also visit that museum, which is one of the best things to do in Raleigh.
At the Daily Planet Cafe, you can enjoy a variety of dishes for breakfast.
For example, you can get the classic breakfast. This menu item consists of 2 eggs, bacon, sausage or veggie sausage, and a variety of other ingredients.
The “Yogurt Parfait” is also a great option. This is vanilla Greek yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, and granola.
You can also get the avocado toast of the Daily Planet Cafe, which comes with 2 eggs, a cucumber salad, and feta cheese.
Address: 121 W Jones St, Raleigh, NC 27601
Happy + Hale
Happy + Hale is a restaurant that makes for one of the best breakfast spots in Raleigh. It has several locations in Raleigh and Durham. Happy + Hale focuses on creating fresh, fast, and healthy food, made with simple ingredients.
The restaurant offers a few all-day breakfast items.
One of these is the breakfast wrap, which is a spinach tortilla that comes with two scrambled eggs, a choice of two veggies, cheese, quinoa, and bacon.
You can also get a delicious açaî bowl for breakfast at Happy + Hale. This bowl consists of a variety of berries, granola, banana, blueberries, coconut flakes, chia seeds, and honey.
When you have breakfast at this place, you can also get one of the vegan smoothies. A great one is the Big Green, which is made with spinach, kale, mango, pineapple, mint, lemon, banana, and coconut water.
Address: 200 Park at N Hills St #101, Raleigh, NC 27609
Rye Bar & Southern Kitchen
Rye Bar & Southern Kitchen is a restaurant that is located inside the Raleigh Marriott City Center in downtown Raleigh. You can have a great breakfast, lunch, or dinner at this place, and the breakfast menu includes many delicious items.
For example, you can get different types of omelets at this place. One of these is the “Garden Omelet”, which is an omelet with mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, and breakfast potatoes.
You can also get delicious Belgian waffles with berries at Rye Bar & Southern Kitchen.
Besides that, you can choose from a variety of freshly baked pastries, such as a “Raspberry & Cheese Danish”.
The cafe also serves fresh fruit juices, including fresh grapefruit juice.
Address: 500 Fayetteville St, Raleigh, NC 27601
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Raleigh Breakfast Spots Tips
Want to have breakfast in Raleigh, but are you in a hurry so you don’t have enough time to sit down to have breakfast at any of these restaurants? Then, you can order breakfast for pickup at several of these places. That way, your breakfast will be ready once you will arrive at the restaurant.
Some of the places that I mentioned also offer delivery, such that you can enjoy their delicious breakfast items from your own home!
Breakfast Spots in Raleigh Map
Thanks for reading my guide to the best breakfast spots in Raleigh! As you see, there are many amazing places for breakfast in the city.