Don't let "Java" throw you off...the food at this cute little house-style restaurant is awesome. This is our go-to spot for weekend brunch. The food is fresh, portioned well, and the service is great. Your coffee cup will not go empty here. Be prepared to wait if you hit it with the Sunday church crowd but the food will make up for it. Try the black bean benedict for a "healthy" breakfast. Then grab a muffin on your way out to reward yourself. read more

YUMMY! I was in wilmington for a week and went to Jester's twice. I wish everyone was as serious about iced coffee as Jesters (listen up Dunkin Donuts!). They have frozen coffee cubes instead of ice cubes! Don't mess with this girl when she needs coffee and it is fast approaching 100 degrees out! MMMM! Fresh side salads, delicious lox bagels, tasty quiche and more! Also cool artwork to keep your attention while you munch solo. The waitstaff were so friendly if I was sad I would go to Jesters to make me happy! read more

Good food. Different than most places, it's inside a old historic house. The keshe isn't bad but the portions or smaller than average. I'm an healthy fit male so maybe that's why I feel like I never get enough or I'm hung over and starving. Either way it's good stuff and I recommend it. The blest sandwich is always a good choice. I always get the mimosa bottle in peach flavor because....why not. Promise I'm not a drunk but it's a better value than paying 9 bucks for one drink. The servers are all nice , helpful and responsive. Just need something else to make me want to give them five stars. Maybe I'll try lunch read more

Customer service not a priority here. At least not for the host lady that seats people. Condescending.

My husband and I like to find random places to eat at and this cafe is amazing!! Between the cozy home feeling and great food, you have to try it. The employees there are AMAZING as well. They are very friendly and welcoming. Trust me I am very picky as my husband tells me and I will come back when I am in town. read more

Came here for breakfast Saturday. Liked it so much came back Sunday. Ordered the eggs florentine Benedict with cream spinach sauce and the black bean Benedict with chipotle hollandaise. Both were good. Different spin on eggs bene. I liked it. A little too much feta on the florentine but it didn't go to waste. My husband took care of it for me. The coffee was good too. $25 w tip. Sunday we got the broc, Tom, cheddar quiche and crab scallion quiche. Both were great but broc, Tom, cheddar was the best. $24 w tip. Prices very similar to others in town. Good location (across from gravity records right in the heart of the antique district) cute space. It's an old house. Overall, very charming place for breakfast. I'll def be back. read more

Jester's Café - Eggs florentine and blak bean Benedict. - New American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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What a lovely place for lunch!! It was mobbed, but our wait was a short one and well worth it!! The Cobb salad is delicious as was the shrimp salad... Just keep in mind it is small as it used to be a home which adds to the charm...and there is not a lot of air conditioning but we loved it and would go back!!! The wait staff is so sweet and could not do enough for us!!! What totally amazed me is that when the bill came they highlighted in orange three times that I had an onion allergy and when the meal came out made sure it was perfect!!!!!! Way to go Jesters!!!!! Thank you!!! read more

Something about this place reminds of Greenwich Village which means very good! Ambiance, food, service, décor.... you feel like it's your place and you're a local. It's the kind of place you'd enjoy with a book... no pressure to leave. I'm not sure that I would agree with those who thought it was good for groups... I guess it depends on how big a group it is. read more

Nice little place in Wilmington. Stopped by for Sunday brunch. We got there a little late on Memorial Day weekend so they were out of a lot of menu items...however, our server was more than happy to suggest items on the menu that they still had. 10/10 would stop by again! Food was fresh and delicious, service was incredible. read more

Loved this place! Only reason I gave it 4 stars and not five is because it was soo hot inside! It made it a little difficult to enjoy. Also I believe because this use to be an old house at one point the ventilation really wasn't that great in there. My eyes burned almost the entire meal but my husband didn't have any problems so maybe I am just more sensitive. Anyways the food was delicious and the service was great! I would definitely come back when its little cooler outside. Definitely try the French toast! read more

We went there on a Sunday for brunch at 11:45. They have 9 breakfast options and they were out of 4 of them. Instead of telling us that when we arrived she waited until I was ready to order to tell me they were out of what I wanted. Then they were out of my second option. We decided to leave because I had specifically wanted something sweet for breakfast. On the way out the hostess stopped us and said "what did you have to drink?" We both ordered water, but she wanted to make sure that if we'd had 2 sips of something we were going to pay for it- we had only been there for 3-4 minutes. Needless to say, we won't be back. read more

Very good. Wife 2 kids and I. Great, friendly service. Coffee is excellent. Highly recommend. read more

The cafe is cramped, with uncomfortable chairs in a converted house. The food is good, but not significantly so more than than other breakfast places. The prices would be appropriate for other markets, but not Wilmington. The upscale clientele seem to be willing to pay half again as much as they should for food they could make at home, cheaper, easier, and in less time. The brunch is slightly more interesting, but they only serve it for breakfast, which is odd, because the entire point of brunch is that it is available from midmorning to early afternoon. That's kindof the definition. There's another rather large issue - they sell drinks in a bottle/can. Not only is that environmentally questionable, it's also something that is only excusable if you are just starting out your business or you aren't an actual restaurant. Neither of things are true here. I wanted soda water, but alas, that wasn't any more available than something innovative on the menu. Warning: Pepsi products. IN CANS. FOR $1.25 read more

Are you looking for a locally owned coffee shop with fresh breakfasts & lunch? Owner Jamie is there every day to make sure all runs perfectly. Not a local? You will be within 5 minutes of entering. A beautiful back deck, great food, & friendly. And...if you want beer or wine with your meal, Wilmington Wine next door shares the deck and will pair your wine and beer without the big restaurant price bump. Be a local & enjoy! Great retail therapy surrounds Jesters as does Big Dawg theater. read more

We ordered a quiche and the strata and split them Both were so so good! Can not decided which I liked better! read more

Definately gone downhill since change of ownership. Enjoyed this place for several years...and now it is definately changed in terms of customer service. Rude and condescending. Will never return until the new owners fail, and they will, and better management returns that appreciated long standing customers. read more

Really wonderful spot for breakfast! Lots of street parking and the porch is perfect if you come with a dog. Breakfast sandwich was delicious and the French toast was awesome. read more

Came for brunch this morning and had a great experience! My server, Trevor, was nothing short of amazing! He was attentive, knowledgeable and charismatic. The food was delicious- I definitely recommend the strata! read more

Great sandwiches and quiche! Our waitress was wonderful, and the decor was welcoming and cozy.

I went there at the recommendation of yelp for breakfast one morning. That and quiche sounded delicious to both me and my girlfriend. We got to the place, which is a little house on the street kinda out of the way, and I didn't even see it at first. My girlfriend noticed it on the drive by, and we found a place to park, dodged the rain, and quickly got inside. When we got there, we were quickly greeted by a very friendly server, who showed us to a table, and sat us down. One of the most interesting things about this place is that it was, actually, and old converted house, and the decor shows it. You can also look at local paintings and works on the walls that are for sell. We finally decided on what to get, and I ended up with the eggs benedict, and my girlfriend got the french toast casserole. Both were delicious. So good, in fact, that we came back the very next morning again. The second time, she got the same thing, and I tried the Strata, which is a breakfast casserole. It was fantastic, and it came with cheese grits and a small pumpkin muffin. It was great. I highly recommend this place, and if you are into antiques, there is a whole line of shops along the street just next door. read more

The food was EXCELLENT! The service was PERFECT! My new favorite place. I was on a mission to find a great spot for brunch that was off the beach area and I found it. Wahoo! read more

Jester's Café - New American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

So delicious!! So happy we decided to stop in for brunch!! Their shrimp salad sandwich on a croissant was so fresh and light. The pimento grilled cheese with caramelized onions and bacon on Rye was sooo good home fries were done perfectly and service was top notch. We will be back!! read more

This place is absolutely the best when it comes to excellent service and good food. Parking can be a problem when you want to take someone who can't walk far or climb stairs good. But Lawanda and Ernie loves it!!!!! read more

Jester's Café - Absolutely best place to eat. Service is great and brownies are to die for. climbing the stairs can be a challenge but it's worth the risk. - New American Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

The boss/ cook was very rude. He made rude comments about my party and wouldn't serve us. I honestly think he could have said the comments to the hostess in private. He could have been much nicer. The hostess on the other hand was very polite. She apologized and talked to the chef for us. We didn't eat at the restaurant. Overall, I was quite disappointed with the service. If you have a party of 5 people, including infants, you should not eat at this restaurant. read more

Always enjoy my food never disappointed ! I love all of their soups. All of the employees are very nice & friendly. They are the best restaurant on castle street. I'm always telling peoe about this place ! read more

This place is delicious! Very vegetarian friendly too. I went in the morning and got the black bean burger without cheese and it was so good that I came back the next morning and got the exact same thing. Cute vibe, really friendly staff especially our server (I think his name was Trevor?) and the prices are really reasonable. read more

If you are new to our area or just don't know some of the best local places to eat this is for you. Jesters is a great breakfast / lunch restaurant. It is in a house that was converted to a restaurant and on an out of the normal track. If you are here visiting I would recommend you eat breakfast here at least once. read more

This place was quiet small and very good. The food was perfectly portioned and at a good price. I highly recommend the blucrab and bacon quiche. read more

I have passed by here SEVERAL times without really even noticing because it looks like a house. Well, it technically IS a house but no worries! The owner/chef's mother acts as the hostess (at least for lunch) and she was very friendly. Went here for lunch, it was yummy, and I left as full as a tick. I had the pimento cheese sandwich and the black-eyed pea salad. Both were good. There were several other items on the menu that looked good and were recommended that I will have to try in the future! Looking forward to it! read more

Had the veggie breakfast sandwich. It was very good. Not greasy at all. Had mine on a bagel. Everyone in our party enjoyed their breakfast. The French Toast was delicious and it was topped with very fresh berries. The BFF sandwich was also a hit. This place has a great breakfast with very smooth coffee. read more

We walked here for breakfast from our airbnb. It is a charming home repurposed into a delightfully charming restaurant. We had county French toast and quiche of the day with Fresh fruit. The food was great. Wish we could return next week! read more

Been eyeing this place for the last year. The only thing I regret is not coming here before today. My expectations were beyond exceeded. I got the spinach feta and tomato quiche, my boyfriends mother got the sausage cheddar and onion quiche, and my boyfriend and his father both got the strata. There wasn't a single thing we could even remotely complain about. The home fries were cooked perfectly. The grits were cheesy and delicious. Definitely recommend this to anyone visiting or residing in Wilmington. Definitely will be coming here more regularly. read more

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Best local breakfast. Go here for fresh, yummy food that doesn't leave you feeling gross (like the greasy breakfasts down the block). I've eaten here for 5+ years for the best eggs benedict in town!! read more

Nice little breakfast / lunch cafe near downtown Wilmington. We dined for breakfast and had the Classic Eggs Benedict and the Black Bean Benedict. Both were very good. It seemed to be busy in there but not packed. The hostess was rather unpleasant to us as well as several other customers. She seemed like she was bothered every time a customer walked in the door. Perhaps she was having a bad day or it's just her personality, but luckily our server made up for the poor first impression with very friendly (and quick!) service. Overall a solid option for breakfast if you're downtown. read more

Holy hipsters batman! If you can get past the guys in rolled up skinny jeans handle bar mustaches and suspenders, the food is good. I had a bacon egg and cheese on a bagel which was the closest to NYC BEC on a bagel that ive found down south. Unfortunately, the prices of this place are also comparable to NYC. I got home fries on the side and they were delish. If you're willing to spend a little more than what most places charge for brunch for some pretty tasty food, I say go for it. read more

Food was good but portions could have been a little larger for the price. Service was great!

The black bean Benedict was good. The 1/3 cup of grits was perfectly cooked and seasoned but for 10 dollars at least make the portion of grits... the cheapest thing in the menu, enough to enjoy. I don't know that the open kitchen concept works here... I would move the serving window. The dining area is quaint and had lovely art.... where as the fluorescent lighted industrial kitchen just detracts from that space. The food is good but it's still hard for me, at my age, to wrap my head around a 10 dollar meatless breakfast with these small potions. A spoonful more of grits and a piece of fruit go a long way w/o hitting your food cost bottom line. I would recommend but it wasn't a wow. read more

I've never written a really bad review but I was in shock today. I just moved into an art studio next door. A fellow artist & I went in for lunch. 2 people were in front of us waiting on them to clear a table. We walked around & sat at a 4 top table. The waitress came over & told us we had to get up b/c the table was reserved for 4 people. We said there was no one waiting for a 4 person table & all others were full. Could we sit in the other room? No. It's closed. So we were supposed to stand in the doorway & wait for a 2 person table to open, when there was no one else waiting & there was an open table. I was speechless. The artist friend I was with was so irritated we left. Apparently they go there often, & won't be back. A paying customer was asked to get up from the table, put back the menus, & wait for a smaller table. Wow. I'm sad that I'm their new neighbor. I'll be taking all of my clients to another location & would have brought in a large crowd of artists, dealers, & corporate clients. They missed the boat. Big time. read more

Great breakfast for a great price! Great specials as options. Creative dishes! I got one of their Benedict specials and it was the perfect size with a side of home fries and sausage. Staff was nice and helpful. The cafe is such an adorable place inside and out. Would definitely recommend to anyone. read more

Jester's is a nice spot to grab brunch or lunch. The newcastle pimento cheese sandwich is one of my favorites. They have several sides and after trying them all I have to say the seasonal fruit is probably the best. I like the bean salad also but you need to salt and pepper to taste imo. The decor is cool and it kind of reminds me of the cafes you used to find uptown nola. I haven't been too adventurous with their menu but my girlfriend loves the quiche which they normally have a couple of a styles of on a daily basis. All in all a solid cafe and I would recommend. read more