Rise & Shine
At some point in this land of plastic-wrapped breakfast bars and drive-through coffee chains, the most important meal of the day became the most ignored. Sure, there were some adamant followers — the regulars who slid into diner booths with their morning papers or the politicians who deliberated public policy over pancakes. But it’s only recently that the first meal has become a Charlotte obsession, with lines spilling out of the city’s top restaurants before noon on weekends and weekday breakfast spots serving as informal boardrooms.
To help you navigate the city’s ever-expanding breakfast and brunch scene, we’ve organized fifty great spots by neighborhood (because when you’re just out of your pajamas, you’re not in the mood to travel far for eggs). Whether you’re craving a decadent Benedict on a sunny patio or thick-cut bacon in a place where the waitress calls you "honey," consider this your indispensable guide to getting your day started right.
Text by Carrie Campbell, Sarah Crosland, Lindsay Emeigh, Mike Giglio, Jenn Grabenstetter, Nicole Meacham, Blake Miller, Benjamin Neumann, Richard Thurmond, Leah Worthy, and Christine Yarbrough
Photographs by Chris Edwards – Illustrations by Steve Sanford
Breakfast Spots by Location
- Uptown / Midtown
- NoDa / Elizabeth / Plaza Midwood
- Southern ‘Burbs
- Myers Park / SouthPark
- Dilworth / South End
- Northern ‘Burbs
Side Orders
