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Shrimp and grits on a plate, next to a mimosa.
Brunch at Alley Twenty Six.
Baxter Miller

12 Stops for a Satisfying Brunch in Durham, North Carolina

From egg plates to Southern favorites to crepes

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Brunch at Alley Twenty Six.
| Baxter Miller

Brunch is a must when in the Bull City. Brunch crowds in Durham run the gamut from bleary-eyed Duke students to retirees out on the town and everyone in between — and the faces sitting down at restaurants across the city have a diversity of brunch options to choose from. The pancakes and eggs crowd will find plenty to be pleased with, but what about dim sum? Sure Southern favorites like biscuits and gravy or chicken and waffles are well-represented, but how about a more sophisticated French bistro affair? Whatever the mood, Durham has a brunch to meet it.

New additions: Alley Twenty Six, Press Coffee Crêpes Cocktails, Parker & Otis, Monuts

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Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant

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Carts of shu mai, chicken feet, radish cakes, and more navigate the tight interior of this former house-turned-Chinese restaurant in North Durham. A traditional Chinese restaurant during the week, Hong Kong transforms into a bustling dim sum joint reminiscent of any big-city Chinatown each weekend. Be prepared to wait for a table, though service is fast and efficient.

The donuts aren’t the only draw at family-friendly Monuts, although they are raison d’être for the whole establishment. There’s also a bagel bahn mi, a chicken and pickle bBiscuit, and a rotating selection of one of the best quiches in town. Though no meal at Monuts would be complete without one (or more) of the donuts that got it started, and the rotating selections of both yeasted and cake donuts often include flavors like apple cider, red velvet, toasted amaretto, and vanilla bean.

Vin Rouge

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Sunday brunch at Vin Rouge is practically a Durham institution. Whether dining inside the cozy bistro-like space or out on the airy patio, diners dig in to dishes like eggs Florentine, ham and gruyere omelette, and fluffy French toast. A classic brunch cocktail menu consisting of a mimosa, a French 75, a kir royale, or a bloody mary round out the experience.

Eggs Benedict with fries.
Eggs Benedict from Vin Rouge.
Vin Rouge Restaurant

Dame's Chicken & Waffles

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Dame’s claims its chicken and waffles are “almost” world famous, and the lines to get in on the weekends attest to that. With four locations across North Carolina now, Dame’s serves up this classic soul food staple in a variety of ways — the Carolina Cockerel comes with three chicken wings, a blueberry waffle, and peach and apricot butter, while the Red Crested Rose Comb is a classic waffle with strawberry butter and pecans. The build-your-own option lets diners choose their style of chicken, waffle, butter, and add-ons, and there is a variety of other breakfast options for the person who wants something other than chicken and waffles (as if that person exists).

Chicken and waffles on a white plate.
Chicken and waffles from Dame’s.
Dame’s Chicken and Waffles/Facebook

The Durham Hotel

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Brunch at the Durham Hotel has been one of the city’s most popular weekend outings since the hotel and restaurant opened in 2015. Whether dining inside the hotel’s airy midcentury modern lobby or on the outdoor patio, diners can choose from dishes like the Asheville omelet (smokey North Carolina sausage and bacon, peppers, onions, cheddar, and Yukon gold potatoes with peppers and onions), Rudy’s chilaquiles (masa tortilla chips, chorizo, black beans, local eggs, queso fresco, creme fraiche, and salsa roja), or the ABJ&Y (almond nut butter, bananas, house-made local blueberry jam on boulted wheat toast, housemade yogurt with fruit and granola).

An egg and cheese sandwich on a bagel.
A bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich from the Durham.
The Durham Hotel

Grub Durham

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Located in between downtown and Duke’s West Campus, Grub serves Southern comfort classics in a colorful dining room or rooftop patio. The menu consists of breakfast sandwiches, bowls, or plates and includes items like the West End grit bowl (stoneground cheddar grits, roasted red pepper sauce, turkey sausage, sunny side up egg, and green onions) and the Country Road (roasted ham, fried egg, melted sharp cheddar cheese, and Creole mustard on a sweet potato biscuit). There is a smoothie menu for those looking for a lighter meal, as well as a rotating pastry selection.

A biscuit, egg, and bacon.
A plate from Grub.
Grub Durham

Alley Twenty Six

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Alley Twenty Six, a 2022 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Bar in America, added a Sunday brunch to its schedule, complete with signature cocktails. Pillowy beignets, an Alley breakfast plate (eggs, choice of meat, toast, and home fries), and eggs Benedict are some of the offerings. The Jersey roll (Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese) is a nod to chef Carrie Scheiffer’s New Jersey roots, and the Fat Elvis (fried banana, bacon, Nutella, and peanut butter sauce on challah) is truly decadent.

Spanglish

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Brunch heads to San Juan at Spanglish, a Puerto Rican-inspired eatery with locations in both downtown Durham and Raleigh. The morning menu of pressed sandwiches include the Menorca (ham, fried egg, cheddar, pressed brioche, dusted with powdered sugar) and the Spanglish Cubanito (slow-roasted pork, black forest ham, Swiss cheese, stone ground mustard, dill pickle, sobao bread). There are also artisanal toasts, breakfast platters and omelets, coffee, and beer.

Parker and Otis

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Durham’s beloved Parker & Otis has settled in nicely to its new home in the American Tobacco Campus. On weekends, diners can grab one of its signature sandwiches like the green goddess tuna salad or the turkey and mango chutney to enjoy at the many tables that dot the green spaces of ATC. There’s a full coffee bar and coolers of beer and wine for those who want to booze up their brunch.

Press Coffee Crêpes Cocktails

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Press serves up both sweet and savory items for breakfast, Its list of crepes is extensive, with fillings ranging from turkey and brie to classic Nutella with bananas. On the weekends, a special brunch crepes menu is available, as well as hash brown waffles, steel-cut oats bowls, specialty toasts, and a range of coffee, tea, beer, wine, and cocktails.

Guglhupf Bakery, Cafe & Biergarten

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The South meets Germany at Gugulhupf, a Bavarian-inspired bakery, cafe, and beer garden. The menu has a large selection of egg dishes, sandwiches, and plates. The pork schnitzel can be brunchified with the addition of a sunny egg, or choose Holstein style, which comes with caper brown butter and white anchovies in addition to an egg. The bakery offers an ever-changing selection of fresh breads and pastries, and there is a menu of brunch cocktails as well as a rotating tap list heavy on German favorites.

True Flavors Diner

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True Flavors has had a few different locations over the years but its current South Durham iteration still serves the innovative Southern comfort food that it has become known for. A variety of omelets like jerk salmon, Cajun chicken, and North Carolina lump crab can be found on a menu that also includes biscuit sandwiches, spicy shrimp and grits, and country fried chicken and eggs. A sweet biscuit menu is a surefire kid-pleaser, as is the standalone mac ‘n cheese menu (although adults might also want a bite of the crab or roasted duck versions).

Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant

Carts of shu mai, chicken feet, radish cakes, and more navigate the tight interior of this former house-turned-Chinese restaurant in North Durham. A traditional Chinese restaurant during the week, Hong Kong transforms into a bustling dim sum joint reminiscent of any big-city Chinatown each weekend. Be prepared to wait for a table, though service is fast and efficient.

Monuts

The donuts aren’t the only draw at family-friendly Monuts, although they are raison d’être for the whole establishment. There’s also a bagel bahn mi, a chicken and pickle bBiscuit, and a rotating selection of one of the best quiches in town. Though no meal at Monuts would be complete without one (or more) of the donuts that got it started, and the rotating selections of both yeasted and cake donuts often include flavors like apple cider, red velvet, toasted amaretto, and vanilla bean.

Vin Rouge

Sunday brunch at Vin Rouge is practically a Durham institution. Whether dining inside the cozy bistro-like space or out on the airy patio, diners dig in to dishes like eggs Florentine, ham and gruyere omelette, and fluffy French toast. A classic brunch cocktail menu consisting of a mimosa, a French 75, a kir royale, or a bloody mary round out the experience.

Eggs Benedict with fries.
Eggs Benedict from Vin Rouge.
Vin Rouge Restaurant

Dame's Chicken & Waffles

Dame’s claims its chicken and waffles are “almost” world famous, and the lines to get in on the weekends attest to that. With four locations across North Carolina now, Dame’s serves up this classic soul food staple in a variety of ways — the Carolina Cockerel comes with three chicken wings, a blueberry waffle, and peach and apricot butter, while the Red Crested Rose Comb is a classic waffle with strawberry butter and pecans. The build-your-own option lets diners choose their style of chicken, waffle, butter, and add-ons, and there is a variety of other breakfast options for the person who wants something other than chicken and waffles (as if that person exists).

Chicken and waffles on a white plate.
Chicken and waffles from Dame’s.
Dame’s Chicken and Waffles/Facebook

The Durham Hotel

Brunch at the Durham Hotel has been one of the city’s most popular weekend outings since the hotel and restaurant opened in 2015. Whether dining inside the hotel’s airy midcentury modern lobby or on the outdoor patio, diners can choose from dishes like the Asheville omelet (smokey North Carolina sausage and bacon, peppers, onions, cheddar, and Yukon gold potatoes with peppers and onions), Rudy’s chilaquiles (masa tortilla chips, chorizo, black beans, local eggs, queso fresco, creme fraiche, and salsa roja), or the ABJ&Y (almond nut butter, bananas, house-made local blueberry jam on boulted wheat toast, housemade yogurt with fruit and granola).

An egg and cheese sandwich on a bagel.
A bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich from the Durham.
The Durham Hotel

Grub Durham

Located in between downtown and Duke’s West Campus, Grub serves Southern comfort classics in a colorful dining room or rooftop patio. The menu consists of breakfast sandwiches, bowls, or plates and includes items like the West End grit bowl (stoneground cheddar grits, roasted red pepper sauce, turkey sausage, sunny side up egg, and green onions) and the Country Road (roasted ham, fried egg, melted sharp cheddar cheese, and Creole mustard on a sweet potato biscuit). There is a smoothie menu for those looking for a lighter meal, as well as a rotating pastry selection.

A biscuit, egg, and bacon.
A plate from Grub.
Grub Durham

Alley Twenty Six

Alley Twenty Six, a 2022 James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Bar in America, added a Sunday brunch to its schedule, complete with signature cocktails. Pillowy beignets, an Alley breakfast plate (eggs, choice of meat, toast, and home fries), and eggs Benedict are some of the offerings. The Jersey roll (Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese) is a nod to chef Carrie Scheiffer’s New Jersey roots, and the Fat Elvis (fried banana, bacon, Nutella, and peanut butter sauce on challah) is truly decadent.

Spanglish

Brunch heads to San Juan at Spanglish, a Puerto Rican-inspired eatery with locations in both downtown Durham and Raleigh. The morning menu of pressed sandwiches include the Menorca (ham, fried egg, cheddar, pressed brioche, dusted with powdered sugar) and the Spanglish Cubanito (slow-roasted pork, black forest ham, Swiss cheese, stone ground mustard, dill pickle, sobao bread). There are also artisanal toasts, breakfast platters and omelets, coffee, and beer.

Parker and Otis

Durham’s beloved Parker & Otis has settled in nicely to its new home in the American Tobacco Campus. On weekends, diners can grab one of its signature sandwiches like the green goddess tuna salad or the turkey and mango chutney to enjoy at the many tables that dot the green spaces of ATC. There’s a full coffee bar and coolers of beer and wine for those who want to booze up their brunch.

Press Coffee Crêpes Cocktails

Press serves up both sweet and savory items for breakfast, Its list of crepes is extensive, with fillings ranging from turkey and brie to classic Nutella with bananas. On the weekends, a special brunch crepes menu is available, as well as hash brown waffles, steel-cut oats bowls, specialty toasts, and a range of coffee, tea, beer, wine, and cocktails.

Guglhupf Bakery, Cafe & Biergarten

The South meets Germany at Gugulhupf, a Bavarian-inspired bakery, cafe, and beer garden. The menu has a large selection of egg dishes, sandwiches, and plates. The pork schnitzel can be brunchified with the addition of a sunny egg, or choose Holstein style, which comes with caper brown butter and white anchovies in addition to an egg. The bakery offers an ever-changing selection of fresh breads and pastries, and there is a menu of brunch cocktails as well as a rotating tap list heavy on German favorites.

True Flavors Diner

True Flavors has had a few different locations over the years but its current South Durham iteration still serves the innovative Southern comfort food that it has become known for. A variety of omelets like jerk salmon, Cajun chicken, and North Carolina lump crab can be found on a menu that also includes biscuit sandwiches, spicy shrimp and grits, and country fried chicken and eggs. A sweet biscuit menu is a surefire kid-pleaser, as is the standalone mac ‘n cheese menu (although adults might also want a bite of the crab or roasted duck versions).

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