The best brunch in Cary

Cary takes brunch unusually seriously for a town this size, and it has the receipts: one dining room made OpenTable's Top 100 Brunch Restaurants in America for 2026, one of only four in North Carolina, and another has won the local best-brunch vote two years running.

The practical thing to know is that only four restaurants in Cary publish an actual brunch window. The rest simply open earlier at weekends, and where that is the case we say so rather than inventing a time.

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

Peck & Plume

The restaurant at the Mayton in downtown Cary, open since August 2021 with chef Steve Zanini, previously of Jimmy V's and Midtown Grille. It has won best brunch in the Maggy Awards two years running, which settles the category locally.

Hours: Mon-Thu 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fri 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sat 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Brunch Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m.

Address: 301 S. Academy St., Cary, NC 27511

Why they made the list

• Won best brunch in both the 2025 and the 2026 Maggy Awards, the only place in Cary to do it twice.
• Chef Steve Zanini came from Jimmy V's in Cary and Midtown Grille in Raleigh.
• Inside the Mayton, so it is a hotel dining room that locals actually use.
• Opens at 7 a.m. on weekdays, earlier than most of this list.

See the full directory listing

Herons

The Umstead's dining room runs a weekend brunch from seven in the morning, and OpenTable put it on its Top 100 Brunch Restaurants in America for 2026, one of only four North Carolina restaurants on that list. This is the most decorated brunch in Wake County.

Hours: Brunch Sat-Sun 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Breakfast Mon-Fri 7 to 10 a.m. Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dinner Tue-Sat from 5 p.m.

Address: 100 Woodland Pond Drive, Cary, NC 27513

Why they made the list

• Named to OpenTable's Top 100 Brunch Restaurants in America for 2026, one of four in North Carolina.
• Also Michelin Recommended in the first Michelin Guide American South, November 2025.
• A six-hour brunch window on both weekend days, from 7 a.m., which is the longest here.
• Forbes Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond, so expect the pricing that goes with it.

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Brigs at Maynard Crossing

A Maynard Crossing breakfast house that has been doing this for three decades and won best breakfast in the Maggy Awards two years running. Seven days, seven in the morning to half past two, and no dinner service to distract the kitchen.

Hours: Daily 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Breakfast and brunch menu served all open hours.

Address: 1225 NW Maynard Rd., Cary, NC 27513

Why they made the list

• Won best breakfast in both the 2025 and the 2026 Maggy Awards, and was a best brunch finalist in both years too.
• Brigs bills its Cary restaurant as Cary's best brunch for thirty years.
• Open all seven days with no dinner service, so breakfast is the whole business.
• The second Cary Brigs, at Tryon Village, has closed. This is the one that is open.

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Lucky 32

Southern brunch on Tryon Road with a published window on both weekend days, and by review volume the most popular brunch in Cary: 4.8 from more than 6,600 OpenTable reviews. Sunday service starts at ten.

Hours: Brunch Sat 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Sun 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tue-Thu 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fri-Sat to 10 p.m. Sun to 8 p.m. Closed Monday.

Address: 7307 Tryon Rd., Cary, NC 27518

Why they made the list

• First on OpenTable's Cary brunch list at 4.8 from 6,686 reviews, the largest brunch review base in town.
• Won best date-night restaurant in the 2026 Maggy Awards.
• A published brunch window on both weekend days, running until 3:30 p.m.
• Twenty-four years on Tryon Road.

See the full directory listing

Scratch Kitchen & Taproom

A Maggy best brunch finalist in both 2025 and 2026, and the Chicken and Pancake is the reason. They open an hour early at weekends without publishing a brunch window, so the 10 a.m. slot is the brunch in practice rather than on paper.

Hours: Sat-Sun 10 a.m. onward. Mon-Thu 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fri 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sat 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sun 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 160 E. Cedar St., Suite 100, Cary, NC 27511

Why they made the list

• A finalist for best brunch in both the 2025 and the 2026 Maggy Awards.
• Won best appetizers in 2026, which is the other reason to go.
• The Chicken and Pancake is the dish, and it is unique to them here.
• No brunch window is published. They simply open at 10 a.m. at weekends, so call if timing matters.

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Pineapple Sol

A Waverly Place cafe that opened in March 2022 and now sits first on TripAdvisor's Cary brunch ranking with a 5.0 from 216 reviews. All-day breakfast rather than a brunch window, and the lavender pancakes with mascarpone are the order.

Hours: Mon-Fri 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat-Sun 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. All-day breakfast, no separate brunch window.

Address: 302 Colonades Way, Suite 109, Cary, NC 27518

Why they made the list

• First on TripAdvisor's Cary brunch ranking with a perfect 5.0 from 216 reviews.
• Lavender pancakes with mascarpone, which Cary Magazine singled out when it profiled the cafe.
• Open seven days from 7 a.m., and until 5 p.m. at weekends.
• Ownership has changed since it opened in 2022, so the founding story and the current owners are not the same people.

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La Farm Bakery - Downtown Cary

Lionel Vatinet trained through Les Compagnons du Devoir, the French artisan guild, and founded La Farm in Cary in 1999. The downtown shop on West Chatham is the one to sit in, and it won best bakery in the 2026 Maggy Awards.

Hours: Sun-Thu 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fri-Sat 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Address: 220 W. Chatham St., Cary, NC 27511

Why they made the list

• Won best bakery in both the 2025 and the 2026 Maggy Awards, and was a best breakfast finalist in 2025.
• Founded in Cary in 1999 by Master Baker Lionel Vatinet, French-guild trained.
• Third on TripAdvisor's Cary brunch ranking from 862 reviews.
• Open seven days from 7 a.m., which makes it the easiest breakfast on this list to plan.

See the full directory listing

Colletta Italian Food & Wine

One of the very few Cary restaurants that publishes an actual brunch window, Saturday and Sunday from eleven until half past two. A Roady Plate of eggs, polenta, bacon and biscuit at sixteen dollars, and a steak hash at twenty-nine.

Hours: Brunch Sat-Sun 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mon-Thu 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5 to 10 p.m. Fri-Sat 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sun 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Address: 1 Fenton Main St., Suite 170, Cary, NC 27511

Why they made the list

• A published weekend brunch window with its own dedicated menu, which most of Cary does not offer.
• Won best outdoor dining in both the 2025 and the 2026 Maggy Awards, so the patio is the place to take it.
• A 2026 finalist for best Italian restaurant.
• At Fenton, so parking is a deck rather than a street hunt.

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Brunches

A Crossroads Plaza brunch specialist trading under the Mimosas Made Me Do It banner, with chicken and waffles as the signature. Half past seven to three, every day, and brunch is not a window here because it is the entire business.

Hours: Daily 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Address: 200 Crossroads Blvd., Suite 100, Cary, NC 27518

Why they made the list

• A 2026 Maggy Awards finalist for best brunch, tied with Scratch Kitchen.
• A dedicated brunch concept rather than a restaurant that adds brunch at weekends.
• Open seven days, 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Their own site and ordering page do not publish full hours, so these come from a single listing. Call if you are cutting it close to 3 p.m.

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First Watch - Bradford

The Bradford location of the daytime breakfast chain, and a 2025 Maggy finalist for best breakfast. Seven days, seven to half past two, with the A.M. Superfoods Bowl and the Tri-fecta as the plates the company puts its name to.

Hours: Daily 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Address: 1325 Bradford View Dr., Suite 110, Cary, NC 27513

Why they made the list

• A 2025 Maggy Awards finalist for best breakfast, against independent competition.
• Daytime only, so the kitchen never splits attention with a dinner service.
• Open all seven days at identical hours.
• The A.M. Superfoods Bowl is the reason it lands on healthy-eating lists as well as brunch ones.

See the full directory listing

Frequently asked questions

What is the best brunch in Cary, NC?

Peck and Plume at the Mayton won best brunch in both the 2025 and the 2026 Maggy Awards, which no other Cary restaurant has done. Herons at the Umstead has the stronger national credential: OpenTable named it to its Top 100 Brunch Restaurants in America for 2026, one of just four North Carolina restaurants on that list.

Which Cary restaurants have a real brunch menu?

Only four publish an actual brunch window: Peck and Plume, Herons, Lucky 32 and Colletta. Scratch Kitchen and Taproom has a brunch reputation and opens an hour early at weekends but publishes no window, so call if the timing matters.

Where is the best breakfast in Cary?

Brigs at Maynard Crossing won best breakfast in both the 2025 and the 2026 Maggy Awards. It is open seven days, 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., with no dinner service at all. La Farm Bakery downtown and First Watch at Bradford were both finalists.

Can I get brunch in Cary on a weekday?

Yes. Brigs, Pineapple Sol, Brunches and First Watch all serve their breakfast and brunch menus every day of the week, not just at weekends. Peck and Plume opens at 7 a.m. Monday through Friday.

Is Brigs at the Village in Cary still open?

No. The second Cary Brigs at 1040 Tryon Village Drive has closed and no longer appears on the company's own locations list, though its old phone number still circulates on some older pages. Brigs at Maynard Crossing on NW Maynard Road is the one that is open.