The best brunch in Raleigh

Brunch in Raleigh splits into two camps: century-old Southern breakfast counters and chef-driven kitchens doing something more ambitious with a Saturday morning. This list takes both, ranked on the 2025 Indy Week Best of the Triangle reader poll for Wake County, Michelin Guide recognition, and how long each place has been doing it.

The brunch windows matter more than the general hours here, so they are listed separately where a restaurant runs one. Three of these serve brunch only on a Sunday.

Hours below were taken from each business's own published information and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

Irregardless Cafe

Farm-to-table on West Morgan that has been feeding Raleigh since long before farm-to-table was a phrase anyone used in marketing. The tofu scramble is the dish vegetarians drive across town for, and the bread and scones arrive without being ordered.

Hours: Brunch Sat-Sun 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Lunch Tue-Fri 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner Tue-Thu and Sun 4:30 to 9 p.m., Fri-Sat 4:30 to 10 p.m. Closed Monday.

Address: 901 W. Morgan St., Raleigh, NC 27603

Why they made the list

• Won best brunch restaurant in Indy Week's 2025 Best of the Triangle reader poll for Wake County, which is a vote by locals rather than a critic's pick.
• Complimentary bread and scones come to the table, which nowhere else on this list does.
• The strongest vegetarian brunch in the city, not an afterthought section.
• Live music most nights, and the dining room was built around it.

See the full directory listing

Hummingbird

Chef-owner Coleen Speaks opened Hummingbird in the Iron District in 2017 and it has been the critical favorite ever since. New Orleans influence done seriously: charbroiled oysters, the Peacemaker po'boy, and French toast under a praline crumble.

Hours: Brunch Sat-Sun 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Dinner Tue-Sat 5 to 10 p.m., Sun 5 to 9 p.m. Closed Monday.

Address: Dock 1053, 1053 E. Whitaker Mill Rd., Suite 111, Raleigh, NC 27604

Why they made the list

• Indy Week's 2025 runner-up for best brunch, behind only Irregardless.
• Chef-owned and chef-run since 2017, which shows in the consistency.
• Charbroiled oysters at brunch, which almost nobody in Raleigh does.
• Inside Dock 1053, so there is parking and other things to do after.

See the full directory listing

St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar

Sunny Gerhart's Moore Square restaurant, named Raleigh Magazine's restaurant of the year and recognized by the Michelin Guide. Brunch is where the kitchen shows off: crawfish hushpuppies, fried oyster hotcakes, and beignets made to order.

Hours: Brunch Sat-Sun 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dinner Sun-Thu 5 to 9 p.m., Fri 5 to 10 p.m., Sat 4 to 10 p.m.

Address: 223 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Why they made the list

• The only restaurant on this list carrying both a Michelin Guide recognition and a Raleigh Magazine restaurant of the year title.
• A four-hour brunch window on weekends, the longest here, so a 3 p.m. table is realistic.
• Fried oyster hotcakes and crawfish hushpuppies are genuinely unusual brunch plates.
• Beignets made to order rather than sitting under a lamp.

See the full directory listing

Madre

Smoky Hollow, open since 2023, and the brunch that gets recommended when someone wants something other than biscuits. Hot honey Calabrian chicken served with a housemade churro is the signature, and Turkish eggs and pork belly hash back it up.

Hours: Brunch Sunday from 11 a.m. Regular hours Mon-Thu 4 to 10 p.m., Fri-Sat 4 p.m. to midnight, Sun 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Address: 518 N. West St., Raleigh, NC 27603

Why they made the list

• Hot honey chicken with a churro on the same plate, which is the most-photographed brunch dish in Raleigh right now.
• Sunday-only brunch, so it never has the Saturday crush.
• Turkish eggs, a dish almost nowhere else in the city serves.
• Open to midnight Friday and Saturday if you would rather go at night.

See the full directory listing

Mala Pata

A Michelin Guide-recognized kitchen on Crabtree Boulevard that mills its own masa daily from Oaxacan corn. Sunday brunch is the only daytime service they run, and chilaquiles verdes made on fresh masa is a different dish from the version you have had.

Hours: Brunch Sun 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Sunday is brunch only. Dinner Tue-Sat 5 to 9:30 p.m. Closed Monday.

Address: 2431 Crabtree Blvd., Suite 102, Raleigh, NC 27604

Why they made the list

• Mills fresh masa daily from Oaxacan corn, which nobody else on this list does at all.
• Named to Axios Raleigh's list of the Triangle's 30 best restaurants and recognized by the Michelin Guide.
• Sunday is brunch service only, so the kitchen is not splitting attention with dinner.
• Carnitas and grits is the dish that explains the whole restaurant.

See the full directory listing

Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing

A Boylan Heights brewpub perched at the Boylan Bridge with the skyline view people drive across town for. Banana pudding French toast and a Brewer's Benedict served on a soft pretzel under beer cheese sauce, which tells you exactly how seriously they take brunch.

Hours: Brunch Sat-Sun 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Also Mon-Thu 4 to 10 p.m., Fri 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 to 11 p.m., Sat-Sun 4 to 11 p.m. (Sun to 9 p.m.).

Address: 201 S. Boylan Ave., Raleigh, NC 27603

Why they made the list

• The best skyline view of any brunch table in Raleigh, from covered and uncovered terraces.
• They brew on site, so brunch comes with beer that was made in the building.
• Brewer's Benedict on a soft pretzel with beer cheese sauce is a one-of-a-kind plate.
• Family and dog friendly on the patio.

See the full directory listing

The Mecca Restaurant

Opened on East Martin Street in 1930 and held by the same family for two generations, which makes Mecca the oldest restaurant in Raleigh. Breakfast and lunch in a room that has served state legislators, students and downtown workers for ninety-six years.

Hours: Thu-Sun 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed Monday through Wednesday.

Address: 13 E. Martin St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Why they made the list

• Ninety-six years in the same downtown location, longer than any other restaurant in Raleigh.
• Two generations of one family, still running it.
• Opens at 7:30 a.m., the earliest on this list, so it is the one for an actual breakfast.
• Now a four-day week, Thursday to Sunday, which is a recent change from its historic schedule.

See the full directory listing

Big Ed's City Market Restaurant

A City Market institution for Southern breakfast, served under a ceiling hung with vintage farm implements. Oversized pancakes, country ham with biscuits, and a line out the door on a Saturday that moves faster than it looks.

Hours: Tue-Sun 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed Monday. Breakfast all day, lunch items from 11 a.m.

Address: 220 Wolfe St., Raleigh, NC 27601

Why they made the list

• Breakfast served all day, every day it is open.
• Opens at 7 a.m., tied for the earliest here.
• The City Market building and the farm-implement ceiling are the reason visitors get brought here.
• Closes at 2 p.m. sharp at this location, unlike the Falls of Neuse and Garner stores.

See the full directory listing

Flying Biscuit - Village District

In the Village District since 2009, baking close to 5,000 biscuits a week. The full breakfast menu runs all day every day, which makes it the reliable answer when somebody wants brunch at 2:40 p.m. on a Tuesday.

Hours: Mon-Fri 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sat-Sun 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Breakfast menu all day.

Address: 2016 Clark Ave., Raleigh, NC 27605

Why they made the list

• Roughly 5,000 biscuits a week, which is the entire proposition.
• Brunch menu all day, seven days, with no weekend-only window.
• Seventeen years at the same Village District address.
• Open 7 a.m. daily, so it covers early and late equally well.

See the full directory listing

Boulted Bread

Dupont Circle bakery that mills its own grain, founded in 2014 by Joshua Bellamy, Sam Kilpatrick and Fulton Forde. Not a sit-down brunch in the traditional sense, but the morning bun and the whole-wheat levain are the best pastry and the best loaf in the city and both sell out.

Hours: Tue-Fri 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat-Sun 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Monday.

Address: 328 Dupont Circle, Raleigh, NC 27603

Why they made the list

• Won best bakery in Indy Week's 2025 Best of the Triangle poll for Wake County.
• Mills its own grain on site, which almost no bakery at this scale does.
• The morning bun is the single best pastry in Raleigh and goes early.
• No phone number published, and they direct everything to email.

See the full directory listing

Frequently asked questions

What is the best brunch in Raleigh, NC?

Irregardless Cafe on West Morgan Street won best brunch restaurant in Indy Week's 2025 Best of the Triangle reader poll for Wake County. Hummingbird in the Iron District was the runner-up, and St. Roch Fine Oysters + Bar is the pick if you want the most ambitious cooking.

What is the oldest restaurant in Raleigh?

The Mecca Restaurant at 13 E. Martin Street opened in 1930 and has been held by the same family for two generations. It now runs a four-day week, Thursday through Sunday, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Where can I get brunch in Raleigh on a Sunday?

Madre in Smoky Hollow and Mala Pata on Crabtree Boulevard both serve brunch on Sunday only. St. Roch runs an eleven-to-four window both weekend days, the longest here. Big Ed's, Flying Biscuit and Mecca are all open Sunday too.

Which Raleigh brunch spots have the best vegetarian options?

Irregardless Cafe has the strongest vegetarian brunch in the city and its tofu scramble has a following of its own. Boulted Bread is the best option if pastry counts as brunch.

Is there brunch with a view in Raleigh?

Wye Hill Kitchen & Brewing at 201 S. Boylan Avenue has covered and uncovered terraces at the Boylan Bridge with the best downtown skyline view of any brunch table in Raleigh. Brunch runs Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.