Went to a wedding in Durham and the list the couple gave us looked great at first glance, Google…read morereviews and all. Then I remembered from a previous Durham trip that a lot of buzzy spots here draw for being fun and for good bread/butter combos, not on quality food that will keep me full and gut happy. Doubling back through the menus and reviews, my instincts were right. That's what sent me on my own search, and it's how I found Queen Eggxpress - which is WOW for the quality of the meal! It's a food truck in a line of options sitting in a nice shaded area underneath a train platform. There's a separate indoor cafe for drinks and pastries; I grabbed coffee there, but it wasn't review-worthy. Queen Eggxpress has a small but perfect menu built around meat + egg + flavor. They're friendly and run it more like a cafe that happens to be on wheels and will bring your food over if you go sit down. The steak and egg was phenomenal from the first bite, with a sauce that had the right kick-to-flavor ratio: a complement, not a show-stealer. I inhaled my burrito and then ate half of another one, this time with sausage instead of steak. I liked the steak slightly better, but that may be personal preference. The burritos are large, by the way... I just kept going because they're that good. Easily a top 3 breakfast burrito I've ever had, and I live in Arizona and frequent California and New Mexico. Honestly this review is less for you, if you made it this far, and more so I have this bookmarked for next time I'm in town.

Nicely filled burrito (steak and egg) and I had a lot of expectation based on the review. Tbh, it…read morewas very salty. The potato was hard to identify and I love potato in a breakfast burrito but it had to have texture. Like deep fried tots. However this was mush and not identifiable. So my review (food is subjective) is that this is a pass for return visit.

I worked hard in the sun for this packed peppery BLT. I chose their double portion to save half for…read moretravel tomorrow. Merritt's is a place on my list (and my mother's) for a while, and now we have a chance to visit. We made small talk with the staff. They were thrilled to learn my mother bookmarked this place when she worked at UNC Hospitals some years ago. The staff treated us well. They call out orders by name, so listen closely for your name. It was too hot to eat outside, though I imagine their bamboo patio out back will be delightful to sit at in the cooler months. The inside tables along the window have a view out to the street. There's a display case featuring fresh made desserts and other sweets worth checking out. I loved the fresh tomato, lettuce, and crispy bacon on this sandwich. I'd enjoy coming back, though I think I'll take my sandwich home next time. BLTs are the specialty here, and they do a great job making them.

We ordered food to go. It took all of 5 minutes! They sent me a text to tell me the food was…read moreready. Super easy check out process. The outdoor patio has a lovely atmosphere, but we took out food back to the Carolina Inn where we were staying. The BLT was excellent, and this is in early March not in tomatoes season! We also had the chicken salad sandwich. My son had the cheeseburger which he disappeared in seconds. We had to have the banana pudding--fabulous!! And.c it was such a great deal...like $10 for each sandwich. We will be back for sure!!

The sandwiches at Alimentari were so flavorful! One was a caprese with prosciutto and the other was…read morea meat with arugula (I don't remember the name). It was so delicious- I will be back for another sandwich! One thing to note is that they bring you a large jug of water for the table, so you refill your own water.

Bottom line: Great little cafe/bistro brunch stop here, I enjoyed my visit to Alimentari at Mothers…read more& Sons. The frittata I had did the trick but I really enjoyed the follow up items of the biscuit and the polenta lime cookies with my coffee afterwards as well. Very helpful and friendly service. The Deets: I looked on my trusty Yelp app to see about a good place to catch breakfast before going to the Durham Amtrak station to start a Saturday of adventure with some friends. I found Alimentari at Mothers & Sons and saw that their weekend brunch started at 9am, perfect. I had experienced a wonderful dinner at the main Mothers & Sons right next door to Alimentari so I had a good vibe coming into trying it out. The outside is pretty nondescript except Mothers & Sons on the windows. Upon entering, Alimentari gives a great casual but nice feel as a combination cafe and bistro type impression. I was greeted quickly and cheerfully with water and menus as the server took my drink order to start. I decided on this visit to go with the frittata with prosciutto, caramelized onions, and Caciocavallo cheese. I liked this choice a lot, perfect portion and delicious but I wish I had more of the prosciutto flavor coming through. Throughout this meal, my servers were very positive, helpful, and always made sure I had what I needed. I decided to investigate the pastries items I saw on their bar. There are pinwheels they have on a plate they offer as a free treat, I sampled one and liked it a lot. The large cookies under the glass cake cover caught my eye. My servers described the polenta and lime cookies that were one of the selections and I had to go with those with some coffee, as well as trying one of their plain biscuits from the menu. The biscuit was large, still warm, and baked perfection (not overbaked or underdone). I would not call it a strictly "Southern style biscuit" but it was delicious and I think I would love one here with sausage and egg on future visits. I could have done with less salt on the top though, again a small thing to me. The polenta and lime cookies were a great surprise, I enjoyed these a lot with my coffee and so glad I tried them...very soft and flavorful with just a hint of crunch here and there from the polenta. I recommend them to round off your brunch experience here. I'd say 4.5 stars for food but the great service I received while here rounds them up to an even 5 stars, good breakfast/brunch stop!

TL; DR: A no-frills, cash or cashapp only neighborhood staple with affordable and tasty food…read more Tater Bread Cafe is a "hole in the wall" in a pretty literal sense. As far as I could tell, the whole little building was the kitchen, with a window where you stand outside and place your order. My food came out quickly; the main wait was for my turn to order. There's a menu of lunch/dinner plate options painted onto the building, and there's a little paper list of other foods taped to the window. There are some prices listed on the piece of paper, but it's not super clear how much everything costs. I got a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit and a side of hash browns, and it all came out to $8. No credit cards, so have your cash ready, or you can pay via cashapp. The biscuit was fluffy and delicious, bacon was crispy but not overdone, the eggs were eggs, and the cheese was probably some sort of Kraft single. I expected the hash browns to be fried, but they were instead maybe boiled or steamed? They were cooked with onions and some sort of seasoning - super flavorful and filling. It's interesting to see this neighborhood spot just around the corner from Golden Belt and the area around Ponysaurus that's getting increasingly developed/gentrified. As much as I liked the breakfast sandwich at Aaktun, this place is waaay more affordable!

GPT tells me the food is very good, but be advised this is a walk up window only, no drive-through…read moreand no indoor seating.

Foster's has a super cozy atmosphere. I love the decor and farmhouse/market environment. Lots of…read moreoutdoor seating and novelty gifts to peruse. I've seen a cute cat out and about nearby that likes scraps (hopefully adopted and taken care of now). Big fan of their 7 pepper jelly grilled cheese and I always take one of their brownies home. SEVEN peppers in one jelly! The only critique might be the ordering process when its busy, there's not a great way know who is in line or who is next. The servers have to yell quite loud to find you to bring your food out. Parking and traffic is not the best but that's not something they have control over. They're busy for a reason. :)

I've driven past Foster's many times on the weekends and there's always a large crowd, so when a…read moredear friend suggested going for brunch I jumped at it. We arrived around noon on a busy beautiful Sunday! There's plenty of seating both inside and on their outdoor wrap around patio. Foster's has an old rustic charm, kind of like a general store but on a larger scale. So, you order at the counter with one of their many staffers, they call your name when it's ready if you ordered to go, or they walk around to the tables calling out your name if you choose to dine there! I had the Farm Plate, which was 2 eggs your way, a meat, their famous herb biscuit and your choice of grits or potatoes. I chose scrambled hard with cheese eggs, chicken sausage patties and cheese grits. It was just ok. The food was good, not like OMG! My friend had the Breakfast Burrito and it was again, just ok. They have a variety of options to choose from. Maybe we just picked the most basic ones. Nothing is out of the ordinary. Everything looks delicious and we really should have tried a dessert, but didn't. I would go back to give them another chance, but I'm not rushing. They have local goods, like honey, jams, chocolates, sauces for sale as well as wine and lots of other goods. It's super family friendly and a great place to sit and enjoy someone's company or your own, o just didn't have a spectacular experience.

Was looking for a spot in the middle of Raleigh and North Durham to meet a business colleague and…read morestumbled upon Chelsea's. When I suggested it, I didn't realize it was in an office building. But don't let that stop you! This place is set up with lots of windows filled with plants, as well as lots of space for people. You place your order at a kiosk - they appear to have an extensive menu - and then pick up at a window. Very simple process and quick. I ordered a southern breakfast burrito - eggs, bacon, and a hashbrown wrapped in a tortilla. Twas delicious! Not too extensive a coffee menu - your simple drip coffee, latte, Americano, etc but good all the same. Well-priced too! For two lattes and two breakfast burritos we paid $22. The burritos were hefty and delicious. Good spot for a work meeting.

Talk about a hidden gem! I'm always scouting for new breakfast spots, and this one caught my eye…read moreduring an airport run. It's tucked away at the far end of an office building, so keep your eyes peeled or you'll miss it. I started with a lox sandwich and struck up a conversation with the owner. When I asked about the corned beef, I fully expected the standard "Boar's Head" answer you get everywhere else in the state. Instead, he told me they make it themselves. Sold. I paired the corned beef sandwich with a Dr. Brown's Cream Soda--a total nostalgia trip that brought me right back to my youth. The lox was a perfect breakfast, and the sandwich hit the spot for lunch later. Both were excellent. I'll definitely be back soon. Highly recommend!

Amazing Bakery, Deli, and Cafe. Fresh housemade cinnamon rolls and poptarts which are excellent!…read moreGreat coffee, friendly staff. Nice selection on breakfast and lunch menu. Cute local merchandise, honey, beer, ice cream, and other goods. Onsite parking. Highly recommend!

A friend and I were driving to Charlotte for a concert last night and stopped at Steve's Market &…read moreSmokehouse for our dinner. My buddy had been here before and insisted we eat there. It was a great suggestion as my food was very good. We ate on the Smokehouse side (there is a deli side as well that share the space and a unique speciality market as well). I ordered their "2-Meat and 2-Sides" meal, and chose the smoked Prime Beef brisket and pulled pork with scalloped potatoes and baked beans. Many other meats were available. The portions were good but the price was rather high but to be expected for this kind of restaurant. It was all excellent. The brisket was smoked and cooked perfectly and melted in your mouth. It was not too fatty. The pulled pork was great too as were both my sides. It came with three hush puppies about the size of golf balls or slightly larger. There was plenty of seating despite it being very busy. They have a selection of adult beverages and several unique hard liquor drinks that looked interesting but I just had water. I'll eat here again. I would have liked to have explored the market area further but we did not have time.

I absolutely love this place! The service is great, everyone is friendly and helpful, and most…read moreimportantly they are SO fast! You can order online or in person in the cafe. The cafe also has seating if you want to eat there. I've only ever done to go but I can assure you it's just as good! They have loads of different menu items from salads to more classic sandwiches and then the spanakopita which is in a whole other ball game. They make everything fresh in house with good ingredients and the flavors work beautifully together! Highly recommend the salmon, spanakopita, the orzo side and roasted veg! So yummy.

Went here for lunch one day and wasn't impressed. I got a chicken cutlet and it was ice cold. I'm…read morenot sure if the compartment the chicken was in wasn't warming anything up or if the employee needed to heat the chicken up before serving it, but it was topped with a pico like situation and made it so cold and not edible. The service was fast though.