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    Early Bird Donuts

    4.2 (203 reviews)
    Closed 6:00 am - 2:00 pm

    Early Bird Donuts Photos

    Business Info

    EARLY BIRD DONUTS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed

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    Blueberry donut
    Meghan M.

    These might be the best donuts I've ever had. Heck, if I got a cavity from them, I don't think I'd even mind - that's how good they are! It was my first time there and the cashier was very kind and recommended several including the chocolate glazed donut filled with Bavarian cream and the blueberry donut. The blueberry donut was fantastic! It was the perfect level of sweet and the inside was so fluffy and yeasty in the best ways possible. The inside of the store is clean and the service was fast. Overall, would highly recommend for a great donut in Durham!

    Donuts!
    David B.

    Came in on Saturday for some donuts and coffee to get my day in Durham started. This is so easy: service: awesome! Coffee: awesome! Donuts (glazed and chocolate iced): if not the best donuts I've ever had in my life, easily in the top 3. Treat yourself!

    Egg biscuit and coffee
    Dia T.

    Ambience This has a little home town diner feel. I feel if you came in 3 times, they would know you by name and give you hugs. Or maybe that's my own fantasy revealing way too much about my childhood fantasies. Music was a vibe too. Some old school Latin music in the background was where it's at! Service Not over the top, because they got work to do and seem serious about their business. But friendly and patient. Food It's really good fast breakfast breakfast food. Not healthy, come on it's a donut shop for crying-out-loud ( what does that phrase mean anyway). But the donuts were fresh and soft, not overly sweet. I had a maple glazed. The Vietnamese coffee was strong and smooth- the way I like coffee. I've never had Vietnamese coffee but it was on my list and I did see the the wonderful woman making it and it looked like she was doing some extra steps so it's probably authentic. I'll try it again somewhere else for a comparison. The egg biscuit was good. It's not a down south, beautiful Black grandma biscuit... but it's a close 2nd. I loved it! The egg was cooked perfectly on the griddle w a little brown crisp and a light saltiness- YUM! Only down sides- 1. Sour cream donuts are my favorite and I was here at 9ish- none today! Boo. 2. They have reward points, I spent 11 bucks and it said my purchase didn't qualify. Can I get one point for morale please... Boo.

    Tova B.

    OMG my gf and i went on a donut adventure today and we went somewhere else with better reviews but this place was so much better!! and should have better reviews. we came at 1pm on a Saturday and got caramel, sugar, glazed and crumb. they were all 10/10s fantastic. the glaze was melt in your mouth, super fluffy and amazing. i would totally drive the 20 minutes to get them here again and maybe next time go earlier to see what else they have

    DON C.

    Delicious! The donuts were warm and being made in small batches so they were constantly providing fresh warm donuts. This takes a ton more time but with donuts it's worth it! Sooooo good. The apple fritter and cinnamon bun were my favorites. The savory croissants were just ok. The sausage one, had lots of sausage in it but I think it needed some melted cheese, sauce or something to be less dry. Also, the savory croissants did take a bit longer to make, so if you're in a rush, I'd suggest sticking to the sweet stuff!

    Andrea L.

    Was gifted various donuts and pastries by a coworker, and must say was very impressed with the high-quality, and how delicious each of the pastries were! Additionally, I have tried there, biscuit and croissant, breakfast sandwiches that are always delicious and fresh.

    Michael's English Muffins sold here!
    Elizabeth W.

    Arrived around 9:45am and had selected half a dozen donuts over the phone in case they ran out as there was some buzz about that happening on occasion. They were not as fresh or light as I'd have liked. Tried warming them up at home - didn't help. Truly the only one worth ordering was the Maple glazed, and it was inhaled by the two of us. I would get a dozen of just those and skip anything with oddly rock-hard teeth-cracking nonpareils. Would have given four stars if everything had tasted like that one maple donut., but there are just so many outstanding donut options in the Triangle... Nice friendly service and some outdoor eating areas but inside was sort of sharing picnic tables with delivery boxes and not welcoming. Possible the breakfast sandwiches are a category worth trying if you happen to be around here, but we didn't sample those. Just okay. Wouldn't revisit or make a special trip here.

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    1 month ago

    The food there and the donuts are second to none . The staff is very friendly and professional

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    8 months ago

    best donuts in durham; great egg sandwiches too! Highly recommend a visit. Can't go wrong with anything there!

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    3 years ago

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    5 months ago

    Some of the best donuts I've ever had. Big, fresh, yeasty. Yum! The breakfast croissant is good, too.

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    1 year ago

    Delicious donuts and breakfast sandwiches. My husband loves the ability to choose his filling and I love the old fashioned donuts.

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    1 year ago

    Delicious apple fritters. I'm so glad they are 30+ minutes away from where I live otherwise I'd eat them way too often

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    Page 1 of 6

    Early Bird Donuts Reviews in Other Languages

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    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar

    4.0(719 reviews)
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    I love this place for consistently tasty food and a warm, inviting atmosphere. Every visit feels…read morerelaxed and welcoming, and the service is always on point. It's one of those spots where you can walk in anytime and know you're going to have a good experience. If you're looking for recommendations, the wings are a must‑try, and pairing them with a Bloody Mary never disappoints.

    So I asked yelp to recommend a place for a birthday dinner. This was the first on the list. So…read moresince I couldn't get a reservation on my birthday to the place I originally wanted to go, we decided to come here. There is plenty of parking on the backside of the building, paid parking out front, and be careful not to park in the apartment spaces on the side...they sounded pretty serious about towing. I had made a reservation but it was probably unnecessary as it was pretty empty when we arrived (it was about 5pm on a Saturday.) The waitress brought a bottle of water to the table and took our drink order. And I know that this place is literally call it's a Southern thing but can I mention how much I dislike drinking out of mason jars? I ordered the chicken n biscuits, my husband got the country hamburger steak plate, my BiL got wings, and my SiL got the crabcakes. We also orders charred jalapeno & sweet corn hushpuppies and frickles as an appetizer. I was VERY excited about my food. Y'all...the only thing that impressed me were the Frickles. Everything else was distinctly underwhelming. I also ordered Blackberry Betta Have My Money which was not that great. My SiL ordered a espresso martini that they said didn't come from a mix but she said it tasted like it was. The bathrooms were very clean. The decor and the vibe were great. Cute even. I really enjoyed that part of it. After dropping off our food, we never saw our waitress again unless we flagged her down for drink refills. It was especially frustrating since there was automatic gratuity added. And since the place wasn't that busy, it felt like she didn't feel the need to earn her automatic tip. Overall I was disappointed in my birthday dinner. I won't be coming back here.

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    Dame's Chicken & Waffles - Sweet potato waffle, two drumsticks, peach schmear

    Dame's Chicken & Waffles

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    Dame's chicken and waffles is pretty good. The smears are delicious with so many options. The…read moresyrups also have options and would have loved to try the Calypso syrup but they ran out. We did get there at 3pm for a very late lunch so that's on us. Definitely recommend getting there earlier to make sure you get the sides and syrups you're interested in trying. The service was a little on the slower side but that's kind of what I expect with a popular place like this. It was still plenty of diners despite how late it was! There's a decent amount of seating and it's definitely on the cozier side with squeezing folks in. We are happy we were able to try this place and would definitely love to try it again in the future.

    Dame's is in a new setting, serving tasty food and kind service…read more Maria was a helpful and friendly server who brought me the Buff Brahamas dish. Two large slightly-spicy and well-breaded chicken cutlets sat on my good waffle. The whiskey cream drizzle (syrup) added some gentle, earthy sweetness and I put the apricot shmear butter to brighten my waffle. I also got some collard greens to balance my flavorful meal. I also tried the Orange-Speckled Chabo chicken and waffles dish on sweet potato waffles with honey Dijon mustard that added mustard tang to complement well the chicken. For a treat, (we had lamented that we hadn't tried the gingerbread waffle), a kind staff person brought us some yummy gingerbread waffle for dessert. Yum!

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    Elmo's Diner - Delicious bowl with sweet potatoes and other yummy treats.

    Elmo's Diner

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    Delicious food, great prices, and very friendly waitress! we were visiting from out of town and…read morewere so hungry and were so happy to find elmo's diner. the menu is very large and diverse. we especially enjoyed the malts

    We ended up at Elmo's Diner as we were traveling through Durham, and the place we originally…read moreintended to go had a massive wait, so found our way just up the street here. Even though there were people waiting, it's a large place and people were being taken care of very efficiently, so it was only about 15 minutes for us. Walking in, you can tell Elmo's Diner is steeped into the fabric of Durham's culture, and particularly Duke University. Has the vibe of a place that has been long enjoyed but multiple generations. Once we got seated, service was very efficient and we had hot food in front of us within 15-20 minutes which was excellent, since we had a road trip ahead. We both ordered specials, and I can't 100% remember their names for each. Hers was a lemon blueberry pancake platter, which she would have liked with a strong lemon flavor, but I thought was just right. Mine was a breakfast bowl, but unlike any I've been served before. The base was cornbread, sweet potatoes, and black beans and from there you had eggs, sausage, avocado, red chile sauce, sour cream, and pico. It was truly delicious, and a flavor combination I wasn't sure about when ordering, but after the first bite was totally ready to devour. Nary a bite was left. I would definitely recommend this spot!

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    One seat at the back can see all!

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    Omelet with massive biscuit and taters.

    Aaktun Coffee & Bar - Bacon egg and cheese

    Aaktun Coffee & Bar

    4.4(162 reviews)
    3.1 mi
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    English: TL;DR: Beautiful atmosphere, fantastic coffee and…read morefood, thoughtful modern Latin flavors, amazing breakfast/dinner spot, and Fernando, the manager, is awesome. We've been to Aaktun in Durham multiple times for both breakfast and dinner, and it's honestly become one of our favorite spots. I'm Peruvian and grew up with Peruvian cuisine, so seeing lomo saltado -- a classic Peruvian dish -- on the menu immediately made me happy. Having also grown up in Mexico and lived in places like Miami, I really appreciate what they're doing with the menu: a modern, delicious take on Latin flavors that feels creative without losing what makes those cuisines special. The atmosphere is absolutely beautiful. You walk in thinking it's a stylish little coffee shop, then head toward the back and the whole place opens up -- gorgeous bar, tropical touches, cozy alcove seating, really cool vibe. One time we went with friends for a special dining experience they were offering, and it was excellent. The food, drinks, and whole experience were made even better by Fernando, the manager, who has always been incredibly warm, helpful, and accommodating. Highly recommend Aaktun for breakfast or dinner. Still haven't made it there for lunch somehow, but at this point we'd be shocked if it wasn't great too. Spanish: TL;DR: Lugar precioso, café y comida excelentes, sabores latinos con un toque moderno muy bien logrado, y Fernando, el gerente, es increíble. Ya hemos ido varias veces a Aaktun en Durham para desayuno y cena, y sinceramente se ha vuelto uno de nuestros lugares favoritos. Soy peruano y crecí con la cocina peruana, así que ver lomo saltado -- un plato clásico peruano -- en el menú me hizo muy feliz. Además, habiendo crecido en México y vivido en lugares como Miami, me encanta reconocer cómo integran sabores latinos con una propuesta moderna y de fusión. Se siente creativa, diferente y sobre todo riquísima. La atmósfera además es espectacular. Entras pensando que es una cafetería bonita y acogedora, pero luego caminas hacia atrás y el lugar se abre por completo: un bar hermoso, detalles tropicales, mesas tipo alcove... una vibra buenísima. Una vez fuimos con unos amigos para una experiencia especial de cena que estaban ofreciendo y la pasamos increíble. La comida, las bebidas y toda la experiencia fueron aún mejores gracias a Fernando, el gerente, que siempre ha sido súper amable, atento y servicial. Recomendamos muchísimo Aaktun para desayuno o cena. Todavía no hemos ido para almorzar, pero honestamente nos sorprendería mucho que no estuviera igual de bueno.

    **Update 5/12/2026 - I made a reservation to take my mom to brunch on Sunday at 10:15. When we…read morearrived, the hostess said the reservation had been made for outside. I explained and showed her that I booked standard seating and she said that meant outside, which I thought was strange because I was very careful not to book either option that was clearly labeled outdoor. I told her that we wanted a table inside and she said "I have a table that has a reservation for 11:30, can you be done by then?" I laughed and said "sure" but thought to myself that would be up to them! She asked another hostess to seat us, and after we were seated, we waited about 15 minutes and watched staff walk by our table multiple times and no one came by. The original interactions had already put a bad taste in my mouth, so I called another restaurant downtown and asked how long the wait would be for two. They could seat us in the bar area right away, so we got up and left Aaktun to head there. The first two experiences that I had at Aaktun were great. I'm glad I got to try their food because I won't be back after Sunday's experience.

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    Iced autumn blaze latte with cold foam - lifewithhanny

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    Early Bird Donuts - donuts - Updated May 2026

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