Triangle restaurants make list of best breakfast spots in the U.S.

Restaurants in Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Asheville are among the best for breakfast in the country by Extra Crispy, a website specializing in breakfast, brunch and morning culture.

To make the list of 51 restaurants, establishments didn’t have to fit a particular mold or serve any specific dishes. They just have to be open for breakfast on most weekdays and open to everyone, the site said.

LucetteGrace, a contemporary patisserie at 235 S. Salisbury St. in Raleigh, is recognized for its collection of pastries, especially its “Dixie Cannonball,” a biscuit filled with cheese and sausage gravy.

“Nestled amidst the exquisite pastries, croissants, cakes, and macarons is a breakfast item so clever and excellent, it’s practically weaponized. The Dixie Cannonball is a scallion biscuit loaded with sausage, cheddar, and sausage gravy ready to ooze out at the stab of a fork. Brace yourself for unabashed pleasure,” the site said of the downtown Raleigh fixture.

Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen, a restaurant serving up Southern breakfast staples in the middle of Chapel Hill at 1305 E. Franklin St., is listed – unsurprisingly – for its biscuits.

“I was blindsided by a biscuit in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. During a morning scroll through Instagram, I discovered a picture of a beautiful biscuit sandwich, taken at a place just a stone’s throw from where I was staying. It was called the Sunrise Biscuit Kitchen, and the next day I headed straight there for breakfast. I don’t think I’m being unkind to call the Sunrise little more than a very well-maintained shack, but when I pulled up and studied the menu, I saw that their house-made biscuits could be filled with country ham, sausage, gravy, a fried egg or just plain buttered. Then there were the add-ins: Tomato, cheddar, and randomly, kale (which must have mistakenly wandered over from the menu of a juice bar). I went for country ham with egg and cheese. From the first bite, it was an epiphany (I may have moaned a little),” wrote Extra Crispy writer Carolina Campion in her piece on “How to Make Biscuits Like a Pro.”

Also on the list is Asheville breakfast spot, Early Girl Eatery, at 8 Wall St.

“At far too many places, ‘farm-to-table’ is a confusing buzz term at best. At Early Girl, it’s a guiding principle. The menu is a love letter to the local farmers, artisans and purveyors who provide the restaurant with its meat, eggs, produce, bread, cheese, condiments and more, and if you’re ever in doubt as to where some ingredient comes from, just peek around. It’s probably written on a board or piece of paper right in front of you,” the website said of the Asheville spot that makes its Southern food from scratch with local, organic ingredients.

To see other restaurants across the country that made the list, go to www.extracrispy.com/food/2947/51-of-the-best-breakfast-destinations-in-america.

This story was originally published June 7, 2017 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Triangle restaurants make list of best breakfast spots in the U.S.."