At La Farm, master baker Lionel Vatinet puts his decades of baking expertise and French technique to work turning out hundreds of fresh baked breads and pastries daily. With three locations in Cary, and a newly opened spot in Raleigh–Durham International Airport, La Farm also offers a Sunday brunch menu that includes creme brulee French toast, eggs Florentine, quiche Lorraine, and more. (The rest of the week La Farm offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner.)

Herons, the Forbes five-star restaurant at Cary’s the Umstead Hotel and Spa, serves what might be the poshest brunch in Wake County. Surrounded by the hotel’s fine art collection, diners can choose from dishes like the shrimp and rice bowl (Charleston Gold rice, charred tomato broth, and country bread) or the crab Benedict (blue crab, Canadian bacon, English muffin, and hollandaise). Lighter options like an acai bowl, yogurt parfait, and egg white omelet are available for those who might be heading to (or coming from) a spa appointment.

A trip to the State Farmers’ Market wouldn’t be complete without stopping in at the on-site restaurant, which serves up Southern breakfast and brunch classics in the form of hot cakes, omelets, waffles, and more. There is an entire biscuit menu (biscuit and sausage gravy, country ham biscuit, steak ‘o lean biscuit, and it goes on), as well as an extensive offering of country breakfasts, like the fried pork chop breakfast with two eggs. The signature dish is Granny Cone’s sampler and comes with two eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, molasses, sausage gravy, spiced apples, three silver dollar hot cakes, choice of home fries or grits, and choice of toast or biscuits.

This long-running Raleigh establishment serves brunch on Saturdays and Sundays with a menu that is heavy on vegetarian and vegan options. A toasted sourdough open-faced sandwich comes topped with guacamole, arugula, tomato, two fried eggs, a balsamic drizzle, and home fries on the side. The vegan burrito is stuffed with a house made vegan chorizo, jasmine rice, black beans, guacamole, pickled red onions, and a salsa rojo. Meat lovers are welcome too, with options like steak and eggs, a smoked salmon Benedict, and a slow-cooked brisket hash topped with fried eggs. The Big Ol’ Cinnamon Roll is a popular table share — and it’s vegan.

Over on Glenwood Avenue, Plates Neighborhood Kitchen complements its weekend brunch service by also offering a breakfast and brunch menu Wednesday through Friday. Main dishes include the North Carolina crab cake and fried egg Benedict, pearl sugar Belgian waffles, and a sweet potato hash bowl, but there’s also small plates and shareables (deviled eggs, charcuterie and cheese Board, and more) as well as a limited number of sandwiches.

Laotian and Taiwanese cuisine meets hip cafe culture at Heirloom, a more recent addition to the rapidly growing Warehouse District. The morning menu is actually served all week long, beginning at 7 a.m., and is a mix of Southern classics with East Asian twists. The sausage biscuit comes with Lao sausage and Kewpie mayo, while the fried chicken biscuit is a scallion biscuit stuffed with Taiwanese-style fried chicken (and more Kewpie). The popular congee is offered in a smaller breakfast portion and topped with fried eggs. A full coffee and tea menu, along with beer and wine, is also available.

Restaurateur Giorgios Bakatsias’s Rosewater Kitchen + Bar serves a globally-inspired brunch in its garden-like North Raleigh location each Sunday. There’s a roasted chicken sandwich with chimmichurri, a chicken fried pork chop with smoked bone marrow red-eye gravy, and a series of tartines and grain bowls, among other offerings. A separate brunch cocktail menu also offers mocktails for those not in the day-drinking mood.

Classic brunch dishes get a Central European twist at Capital Club 16. The Bavarian breakfast comes with grilled Bavarian sausages, sauerkraut, roasted potatoes, a fried egg, and red wine gravy. The G’Roastl is hearty dish of roasted pork, braised beef brisket, caramelized onion, and Alpine cheese blend, scrambled with eggs and pretzel dumplings. There’s a schnitzel sandwich and, in a nod to location, Grandma Bonnie’s sausage gravy served with a biscuit, as well as a beer and wine list that also leans German.

Chef Sunny Gerhart puts on a Cajun-inspired brunch every weekend at St. Roch. Start with mimosas for a group or the Mary Smokes When She Drinks — a smoky take on a bloody mary. Much like the dinner menu, there are plenty of oysters. The fried oyster hotcake is a standout dish, served with sunny-side-up eggs, Creole cane syrup, chili crisp, and whipped ricotta. The massive Sinner Roll is another popular choice, and the gator bolognese from dinner service reappears on the brunch menu as Bolo and Grits — Lowcountry grits with the bolognese, chili oil, and more sunny-side-up eggs.