First time there so initially confused on ordering when walking in; order at the counter and then pick a table. Normal breakfast food. My group ordered the ham and cheese omelette and salmon benedict. Omelette was okay, ham and egg had a decent flavor. Benedict was not good; very little salmon and drenched in a flavorless sauce. The side hash potatoes were okay; slightly over cooked but good seasoning. Service was not bad and food came out promptly. read more

Farmhouse salad was delicious! Meat was yummy! Vegetables fresh (just cucumber was bitter)! But if i have option to go there again I will choose it again :) Biggest surprise was Diet Coke without caffeine.love it! read more

Breakaway Cafe - Farmhouse salad - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Food andatmosphere are good, but it's too expensive for what you get. We can't recommend anymore. We now go to Town Hall 3 doors away.

I'll repeat others' alerts: CLOSED MONDAYS! I got stung a couple times by this (out of towner) and it's SO disappointing wanting to start my day with friends and family sharing their morning pastries and coffee and...well, not being able to.... Speaking of, great place for cinnamon rolls, seasonal scones and muffins-all made by hand, I think all in-house, if I overheard correctly. Then, they switch their sweets case out to pie. You can't be a cafe in the South and not have pie, especially Pecan, Chocolate Chess and Buttermilk Pie. If you love chocolate, their Chocolate Chess is something you really have to try. Beyond sweets, I love their burritos and how thick and fluffy the eggs are. it keeps me satisfied well beyond lunch, and yes, this place is ideal for brunch. Anytime I'm in Chapel Hill, it's my go-to for all the above! read more

See all

Delicious and the staff is always wonderful! The restaurant is fairly large and they are careful with my gluten allergy.

Poor customer service. The poached egg was undercooked to the point that the whites were not runny and still translucent (completely raw - not even white yet). When I took the plate back, I was told that they could not take the plate back and all they could do was bring out new eggs, leaving me with a plate with clear egg whites still on it. After much discussion, in which they whispered about me while I was standing there, passive-aggressively asking if I wanted fully cooked eggs (No - I just wanted the whites set), they agreed to remake the plate. However, afterward, the staff checked on every other table on the patio except mine. I understand that mistakes happen, and if they had just said, sorry let me remake that for you, I would not have left a review. This is entirely about the customer service missteps from trying to leave raw egg whites on a plate, gossiping about a customer in front of them, and then ignoring their table. read more

I have had breakfast and lunch. Service is excellent & food is very good. On pretty days you can eat in the patio too read more

This place is amazing! We grabbed some brunch before the game. Every item was delicious. The best avacado toast I've ever had!

This was our first and last visit to the breakaway cafe. When we walked in, we did not realize we had to order from the counter. The menu was limited, confusing and expensive. When we were seated we saw a "Black Lives Matter poster in the window. A Cafe is no place for political discourse! I understand now that this is a WOKE cafe. I suggest that they pay more attention to the quality of service, food and value than making political statements. When we paid the check we were offered to add a tip. We would never not leave a tip, however, the minimum tip was 18%. We could have opted for no tip, but that is not an option for us. Staff is independent from management. Our solution is to never go back. read more

Probably my breakfast favorite spot in all of Chapel Hill! The servings are always a great size, food comes out fast, and the cafe itself is so cute inside! read more

I've eaten at Breakaway more times than I can count but today might have been my favorite. The lemon ricotta pancakes are DELIGHTFUL. I also saw they have the grits bowl back on Saturdays and that was a longtime favorite. You can't go wrong with anything you get (the breakfast burrito is also a solid choice). The coffee is delicious too -- and the staff is incredible. Lucky to have this spot so close by! read more

This place (Carrboro location) was great in every respect. Food, service, atmosphere. They are new so trying to make the best impression and they did. Nice seating area and vibe. They have both breakfast and lunch items. Staff was a bit inexperienced but attitudes were great and made their best effort at a good customer experience. Food was delicious. Prices were reasonable. I will definitely return and looking forward to it! read more

Delicious food and great outdoor sections gets very busy so get there early! The food is delicious!

Food & ambience couldn't be better, loved it. May have been some problems with service when they first opened but they have fixed that! So there is life after Elmos. Thank you! read more

Amazingly tasty food every time we go--breakfast or lunch. Great location. Reasonably priced. Menu options are unique and fun to try.

I love this beautiful cafe. I feel like it is a community and more than just an amazing cup of coffee. The owners and staff are thoughtful and engaging. Great feeling. read more

We ordered our food and it was pretty pricey so we expected it to be pretty good, the two coffees alone were $9 and were very small. They were decent but definitely not the best. The burrito was alright, I've definitely had better, It wasn't worth $13. The bacon was almost $4 for like 3 or 4 pieces and it was pretty much burnt. However the yogurt was almost $8 but it was pretty good. Everything was definitely overpriced for what it was, but you also had to clean your own table and put your dishes up which isn't a big deal but for that type of pricing for the food and drinks, we thought it was kind of ridiculous due to the workers just standing around and talking. read more

Breakaway Cafe - Breakfast burrito and the granola yogurt - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The food here was pretty okay. I had eggs Benedict which was ok but not spectacular. Same with my boyfriend who had the omelette with bacon, cheese, and veggies. He said it was ok but not the best ever. The service at the counter when we ordered was a little abrasive and maybe that made our food taste not as good. Our dishes plus a coffee were $23 something which isn't outrageous but not really worth it given the service and the sort of blah taste to everything. read more

Breakaway Cafe - Eggs Benedict front & bacon veggie omelette - just ok - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Everything is great about this place from their food, their staff and their values. Love them!! The Buffalo chicken putini is my favorite!

Delicious food, great service, impeccably clean! This place is a gem! We had the sausage scramble and the ham and cheese omelet. So good! We will be back read more

Breakaway Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

INSULTING TO THE DISABLED Tried to meet my medical team for lunch at Carrboro Breakaway Cafe. I suffer from a neurological disorder that makes walking difficult on the best of days. When I arrived, a delivery truck was parked across all four disability parking spots with no driver inside (violating federal law). Rolled down my window and flagged down a waitperson who turned out to be the MANAGER. She insisted that the restaurant routinely uses the handicapped spots for deliveries, snapped at me and insulted me when I pointed out that it was illegal, and handled the situation with zero empathy or concern. Moved our lunch to Tandem, who treated us with utmost kindness and respect. When I contacted the Breakaway Cafe owner, she mouthed a cursory apology but spent most of her time making excuses for the behavior. She offered that it was important that the manager apologize to me, but put so many conditions on it for their benefit, that it was once again insulting. They couldn't bother with even an easy email apology from the manager. After trying to resolve this privately with the owners, I am posting this review. If you are a fan of kindness, Breakaway Cafe is not the restaurant for you. read more

Been, going to Break away for about a 1&2/2 years, St least once a week sometimes more, we kind of enjoyed it up until our last our visit on 4/20...and I do mean last. On that day the assistant manager, told my wife and daughter while I was getting my mother inlaw out of the car.....NO CUSTOMIZATIONS.... And we're told this RUDELY ,which I think was absurd ,the only changed they would ask for is egg on the side , end not to put the lentils in the bread, and please salad dressing, on the side. I don't think that is a unreasonable request to make. So, now they just lost 5 loyal customers. read more

Our go to for EVERYTHING! Service, food and just awesome people. Best place in town with an amazing menu

I've been here a few times and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and food options. I was told today that they serve the entire menu all day, which is great because the breakfast choices look great. I'm usually at work before they open. I also like that there is an open feel and outdoor seating. Some other coffee shops I've been to recently feel cramped and crowded because they are in such small spaces. At any rate, try the chocolate chip scone and macchiato. Both are wonderful. read more

Breakaway Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The staff are very friendly and the food is excellent.Keep up the great work.My favorite breakfast restaurant.

The food is fine but apparently if you go to brunch on a Sunday after 11 you should be prepared for them to be out of numerous things. The silliest part of this is they have their ice creams listed on a chalk board (you know, easily updatable) but when out of half of the flavors, they just leave the entire list intact. Less of an issue in a restaurant with table service, but here you have to order at the counter, so if anyone has stayed back at the table you'll need to go back and get their second choice... and there's probably a line behind you, so, annoying. read more

Best place for brunch, or early morning work meetings, or a quick break on a trail run/ride. Lots of good healthy fresh options

Yummy breakfast! The blueberry pancakes were perfect . We were going to buy some maple oat scones on our way out, but they must be good because they were sold out! Guess we'll have to go back. read more

Limited selection on the menu. This is truly a coffee shop and should stick to coffee and a light menu. Not a place I'd recommend for dinner. Service is good. read more

We come down to the area a lot from DC and this was our first time at Breakaway Cafe. We absolutely loved it. From the casual and fun biking themed atmosphere to the incredible food, this is the go brunch spot in the area. My boyfriend ordered the Salmon Eggs Benedict and there are fine dining restaurants in DC that don't even come close at double the cost. There is a great little hiking trail right from the parking lot if you are so inclined to burn off your lunch as well. I don't give 5 star reviews often but this place hit the spot. Casual, extremely good, and quick place to stop for a bite or hang out and drink a coffee. read more

Breakaway Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

See all

Visited Breakaway for the first time since they opened. Nice location, decent food and friendly staff. If you drink coffee, they do charge a $1 refill fee. Seemed to be quite a few people unhappy with that. Eggs Benedict was good. read more

Breakaway Cafe - Eggs Benedict - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Started out pretty great in Briar Chapel. It's now a hit or miss for us. Sometimes great sometimes not so great. I think their standards declined when they focused on their Carrboro location. read more

I really wanted to be able to give 5 stars to a new local business and truly expected to considering the near perfect ratings but they're not there yet. I'm okay with giving it a 3.5 at this time and believe with time it could very well achieve another star easy peasy. I've tried this place twice, once for lunch and once for dinner and have concluded that this just isn't a comfortable dinner place considering the cost of the food. I'm totally okay paying a $20-$25 entree but the ambiance for a nice dinner is lacking. If only they could take their food and put it in a different setting all would be well. We walked into glaring bright lights, and coffee bar seating. Sure it's a coffee bar but the multitasking of this place just felt off for a elevated dinner menu. We came in and they said sit anywhere so we went over to a darker area not knowing that's only for coffee drinkers were told we had to sit somewhere else. The place was nearly empty so I'm not sure why that was a big deal so we asked if they could maybe reduce the light since they have megawatt track lighting everywhere which they did. Thank you. The table and chairs were pretty utilitarian as most coffee bars tend to be but it wasn't congruent with the nice, higher priced dinner menu. It's what I would expect for eating lunch because of it's casual concept. The food was very good and there was definite thought put into the dinner menu. I wanted to order a sandwich since on the website it said they were available from 11:30 to close but they said it was a mistake which they did correct on the website the next day. Thank you. I ended up ordering the $20 chicken with farrow, fennel and cranberries. I wasn't sure how the cranberries would be incorporated but was definitely impressed with the cranberries somewhat melted into a delicious cream sauce. The chicken was tender and overall I would give this dish 5 stars. My husband had the $24 short ribs with celery root, broccoli, Rabe/Onion/Potato. He was pleased with it and I tasted the sauce and potatoes and thought it was good too. We had lunch there and basing it on our last experience we just sat down but this time at the counter not realizing you had to go to the register to order since we were told last time to "sit anywhere" and they took our order. The girl at the counter saw us but it wasn't until my husband asked five minutes later that she said she didn't realize he was waiting on her. We ordered sandwiches to go and liked one out of the two. The tofu bahn mi ($9) was delicious with Crispy Tofu, Pickled Vegetables, Cilantro, Sweet and Hot NC Peppers and Kewpi Mayo on Baguette would definitely eat this again. The ILombardi ($11) was not very good to me. The fried chicken patty was dry and the arugula pesto plus more arugula leaves and roasted red pepper that came from a jar just made it too bitter to enjoy. I will probably go back at some point to get the bahn mi ands try a few other things but overall it just doesn't seem congruent for a place that is billed as a bicycle enthusiasts hang out. Kudos to the chef. He's got some winners on the menu! read more

Breakaway Cafe - Menu for dinner. Excuse the phone shadow - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

See all

We ordered two coffees and a cookie. They gave us our cookie while we were waiting. We were standing about 20 feet from anyone and ate a bite of the cookie and before I could even pull my mask back up, a young white boy with long brown hair working there yelled at me to put my mask back on. I had my mask down long enough just to put the piece of cookie in my mouth before I pulled it up...probably 3 seconds total. Meanwhile multiple customers had no mask while they were eating. Furthermore, this young boy was hanging out with his friends who happened to come in during his shift and he was standing within 1-2 feet of them. Not sure how to feel about why I was singled out for doing nothing wrong by this kid. Would appreciate if he was taught to enforce rules EQUALLY rather than arbitrarily...and also to remember he isn't above his own workplace rules. Definitely ruined the experience for me and makes me feel unwelcome to a cafe I used to like to go to. read more

Excellent food, attentive service, lovely surroundings. Wide selection of breakfasts and lunches. Specially coffee drinks are prepared properly (I used to own a chain of coffee shops). read more

Pancakes were awesome. Breakfast potatoes tasted old and were served cold. Would have been 5 stars if the potatoes weren't geriatric.

This is a review for the Carrboro location. Today is the second time we've been to this restaurant. This first time was the week it opened. It was extremely busy and it took over an hour to get our food. The food was mediocre.. not bad but not great. We assumed the lengthy wait was due to it being a new restaurant. Fast forward almost a year later. And it doesn't seem like anything has changed. We visited on a Sunday and it was much less busy than the first time. There were only a couple of people ahead of us. But again it took almost an hour for our food to come out. About 40 minutes into the wait we flagged down a server who was nice enough, apologized and told us it would be 5 more minutes. We got a plate of two pancakes and then 15 minutes later the rest of the meal. The food was a bit better than the first time but there's no excuse for the wait. I really really wanted to like this place. It's so convenient and like that there's outdoor seating. Unfortunately we will not be returning. Especially when we can pick up a delicious breakfast from weaver street with zero wait and 1/4 the price. read more

This place is an absolute slice of heaven, wonderful knowledgeable staff, cozy atmosphere, delightful breakfast! The menu is small but very well executed, plenty of healthy choices and no overpowering combination of foods/flavors. They have multiple choices of eggs Benedict, on top of that they have local ingredients, and their kids options are limited but very favorable for any little person. That being said they also have a play corner in the restaurant, I have two small boys and they were beyond thrilled at this aspect, on top it gave me and their dad a little bit of quiet time without worrying about what they were up to. I would go back there time and time again, it has a very homey and rustic touch, but also keeps it classy. It's a perfect place for family but also a great choice for dates. I really enjoyed my experience! read more

Great food. We eat here often. Listed as dog friendly on several sights (not theirs) but you can't bring your dog inside. You can have them on the patio and they provide water dishes for your pet. That doesn't help much though when it is cold outside. read more

I really loved the fun atmosphere of this cafe. It's very unique and happy. The staff was very kind and helpful. I highly recommend their lattes. The menu had too many great options too choose from, though the burritos were definitely worth it. Breakfast potatoes were on point. If we lived in town, I'd definitely be here more often. read more

Breakaway Cafe - Mocha latte with macadamia nut milk - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Chapel Hill, North Carolina