Your Guide to Breakfast in Charlotte
Whether or not you believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, these Charlotte restaurants are sure to brighten any morning.
by Liz Logan
Charlotte Classics
Café South
Where: South Charlotte
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 6 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sunday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
With locally sourced ingredients, Café South has an atmosphere “committed to treating every guest like family.” You’ll instantly feel like you’re in mom’s kitchen with the amount of Southern classics on the menu. Make sure to order the grits or corned beef hash.
Eddie’s Place
Where: Cotswold
Hours: Monday-Tuesday, 7 a.m.-10 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 7 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday, 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
Eddie’s Place has graced Cotswold with its presence since 1997. This iconic diner-style restaurant has menu favorites like steak and eggs and breakfast burritos. For lunch and dinner, the hot spot dishes out Cajun-inspired meals.
Landmark Restaurant Diner
Where: Windsor Park
Hours: Monday-Tuesday, 6 a.m.-midnight, Friday, 6 a.m.-1 a.m. Saturday, 6 a.m.-2 a.m. Sunday, 6 a.m.-11 p. m.
The long-standing Landmark Diner has a casual vibe that locals and visitors alike will love. The breakfast menu spans the globe featuring items like challah French toast, Belgian waffles and huevos rancheros.
Midnight Diner
Where: South End
Hours: Daily, 6 a.m.-4:30 a.m.
Open almost around the clock, Midnight Dineroccupies a shiny metal building on the corner of Carson and Tryon streets. You can go light with an egg white omelet and a side of grapefruit or do a complete 180 and order the biscuits and gravy with a side of country ham.
Skyland Family Restaurant
Where: Collingwood
Hours: Open 24 hours
Operating since 1960, Skyland Family Restaurant owner Jimmy Kakavitsas believes in giving customers great service no matter what. The restaurant is open 24/7 and features home-style cooking with items like omelets, buttermilk pancakes, bacon and egg sandwiches among other classic breakfast staples.
Cozy Cafés
Amélie's French Bakery & Café
Where: NoDa, Montford
Hours: Hours vary
No trip to Charlotte is complete without grabbing something from Amélie's French Bakery & Café. Don’t forget to pair a breakfast sandwich or a slice of quiche with any of the café’s famous French treats. On a nice day, head out to the patio – perfect for a meeting or even a morning date.
Common Market
Where: Plaza Midwood, South End, Oakwold
Hours: Hours vary
This neighborhood hub has big personality and a quirky vibe which makes it one of the most distinct breakfast spots in the city. The menu has every breakfast item you can possibly imagine. First-timers should go for the Later Hater, a breakfast sandwich with egg, your choice of protein (even veggie), pimento cheese, spinach and tomato on your choice of bread.
Earl’s Grocery
Where: Elizabeth
Hours: Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Sunday, 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Start your day off overlooking Elizabeth Avenue at Earl’s Grocery. Owners Bonnie Warford and Tricia Maddrey own this gourmet grocer as well as Carpe Diem, located less than a block away. Come for the local grit bowl and stay awhile to crank out some work in this delightful eatery.
Lincoln’s Haberdashery
Where: South End
Hours: Daily, 7 a.m.-6 p.m.
Part retail, part lounge, part restaurant, Lincoln’s Haberdasheryhas an extensive coffee menu along with locally sourced and made from scratch pastries and bread. You definitely won’t leave hungry.
Roots Café
Where: South End
Hours: Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m.
Another excellent fast-casual experience can be found at Roots Café. The café serves brunch all day and features fresh dishes like the BELT (bacon, egg, lettuce and tomato) on sourdough, and avocado toast with beets, butternut squash, clementine and over-easy eggs.
Instagram-worthy Meals
Café Monte
Where: SouthPark
Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
Satisfy your sweet or savory teeth at Café Monte, a French bakery and bistro, which has everything from beignets to eggs benedict. Since breakfast is one of the restaurant’s most popular times to dine, make sure to get there early – especially on the weekends.
Crispy Crepe
Where: South End
Hours: Wednesday-Thursday, 10 a. m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 9 a. m.-10 p. m. Sunday, 8 a. m.-4 p.m.
Not only does Crispy Crepeserve crepes but you’ll also find liège waffles (made with brioche yeast dough and pearl sugar) and an option to build your own omelet. Look out for the eatery’s weekly promotions, like $3 mimosas on Saturdays.
Snooze A.M.
Where: Plaza Midwood
Hours: Daily, 6:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Snooze’s menu has almost too many good options to choose from. We suggest starting with a pancake flight of three pancakes of your choice or Juan’s Breakfast Tacos with scrambled eggs, hash browns, jack cheese and choice of green chile or ranchero sauce.
The Flying Biscuit Café
Where: Montford
Hours: Sunday-Monday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-9 p.m.
The Flying Biscuit Café has been slinging biscuits and Southern fair to the Queen City since 2010. Soak up the sun at the café’s outdoor patio and order a dozen biscuits to-go with cranberry apple butter. Need to walk it all off? Luckily, it’s located right inside the Park Road Shopping Center.
Zada Jane’s Corner Café
Where: Plaza Midwood
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Ordering the Bunny Rancheros (eggs, black beans, home fries, protein, queso, guacamole, flour tortillas) at this Plaza Midwood institution is a must. This cool café consistently gets praised for being one of the best breakfast and brunch spots in town.
