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    Early Bird Donuts

    4.2 (203 reviews)
    Open 7:00 am - 12:00 pm

    Early Bird Donuts Photos

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    EARLY BIRD DONUTS ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

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    Blueberry donut
    Meghan M.

    These might be the best donuts I've ever had. Heck, if I got a cavity from them, I don't think I'd even mind - that's how good they are! It was my first time there and the cashier was very kind and recommended several including the chocolate glazed donut filled with Bavarian cream and the blueberry donut. The blueberry donut was fantastic! It was the perfect level of sweet and the inside was so fluffy and yeasty in the best ways possible. The inside of the store is clean and the service was fast. Overall, would highly recommend for a great donut in Durham!

    Donuts!
    David B.

    Came in on Saturday for some donuts and coffee to get my day in Durham started. This is so easy: service: awesome! Coffee: awesome! Donuts (glazed and chocolate iced): if not the best donuts I've ever had in my life, easily in the top 3. Treat yourself!

    Egg biscuit and coffee
    Dia T.

    Ambience This has a little home town diner feel. I feel if you came in 3 times, they would know you by name and give you hugs. Or maybe that's my own fantasy revealing way too much about my childhood fantasies. Music was a vibe too. Some old school Latin music in the background was where it's at! Service Not over the top, because they got work to do and seem serious about their business. But friendly and patient. Food It's really good fast breakfast breakfast food. Not healthy, come on it's a donut shop for crying-out-loud ( what does that phrase mean anyway). But the donuts were fresh and soft, not overly sweet. I had a maple glazed. The Vietnamese coffee was strong and smooth- the way I like coffee. I've never had Vietnamese coffee but it was on my list and I did see the the wonderful woman making it and it looked like she was doing some extra steps so it's probably authentic. I'll try it again somewhere else for a comparison. The egg biscuit was good. It's not a down south, beautiful Black grandma biscuit... but it's a close 2nd. I loved it! The egg was cooked perfectly on the griddle w a little brown crisp and a light saltiness- YUM! Only down sides- 1. Sour cream donuts are my favorite and I was here at 9ish- none today! Boo. 2. They have reward points, I spent 11 bucks and it said my purchase didn't qualify. Can I get one point for morale please... Boo.

    Tova B.

    OMG my gf and i went on a donut adventure today and we went somewhere else with better reviews but this place was so much better!! and should have better reviews. we came at 1pm on a Saturday and got caramel, sugar, glazed and crumb. they were all 10/10s fantastic. the glaze was melt in your mouth, super fluffy and amazing. i would totally drive the 20 minutes to get them here again and maybe next time go earlier to see what else they have

    DON C.

    Delicious! The donuts were warm and being made in small batches so they were constantly providing fresh warm donuts. This takes a ton more time but with donuts it's worth it! Sooooo good. The apple fritter and cinnamon bun were my favorites. The savory croissants were just ok. The sausage one, had lots of sausage in it but I think it needed some melted cheese, sauce or something to be less dry. Also, the savory croissants did take a bit longer to make, so if you're in a rush, I'd suggest sticking to the sweet stuff!

    Michael's English Muffins sold here!
    Elizabeth W.

    Arrived around 9:45am and had selected half a dozen donuts over the phone in case they ran out as there was some buzz about that happening on occasion. They were not as fresh or light as I'd have liked. Tried warming them up at home - didn't help. Truly the only one worth ordering was the Maple glazed, and it was inhaled by the two of us. I would get a dozen of just those and skip anything with oddly rock-hard teeth-cracking nonpareils. Would have given four stars if everything had tasted like that one maple donut., but there are just so many outstanding donut options in the Triangle... Nice friendly service and some outdoor eating areas but inside was sort of sharing picnic tables with delivery boxes and not welcoming. Possible the breakfast sandwiches are a category worth trying if you happen to be around here, but we didn't sample those. Just okay. Wouldn't revisit or make a special trip here.

    Andrea L.

    Was gifted various donuts and pastries by a coworker, and must say was very impressed with the high-quality, and how delicious each of the pastries were! Additionally, I have tried there, biscuit and croissant, breakfast sandwiches that are always delicious and fresh.

    Nicole J.

    Oh, I was excited to see that there was a place open on a Sunday so that I could grab some donuts for my road trip. This is located in a residential commercial shopping plaza so you have to drive around to the back of the main building. It was a Sunday morning and there were plenty of parking spaces. I got lucky again, and there was only one person in line before me and many other people showed up slightly after me. They are more than a donut shop and also do breakfast sandwiches and beverages I would put this on the same level as a Krispy Kreme. Nothing really Artisanal or fancy but just good basic donuts. It was essentially the same. Donut yeast base with different toppings and fillings. I decided to go for a just to glaze donuts. I'll bypassed the jelly donut as soon as I saw the gelatinous goo machines . The glaze were super fluffy and not too sweet, so it was a good donut experience. Nothing extraordinary, but not awful. It is a casual setting with both indoor and outdoor seating.

    National Donut Day!

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    4 months ago

    The food there and the donuts are second to none . The staff is very friendly and professional

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    11 months ago

    best donuts in durham; great egg sandwiches too! Highly recommend a visit. Can't go wrong with anything there!

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    7 months ago

    Some of the best donuts I've ever had. Big, fresh, yeasty. Yum! The breakfast croissant is good, too.

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    2 years ago

    Delicious donuts and breakfast sandwiches. My husband loves the ability to choose his filling and I love the old fashioned donuts.

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    PRESS Coffee Crêpes Cocktails

    PRESS Coffee Crêpes Cocktails

    4.4
    (412 reviews)
    2.6 mi
    $$

    I used to go to Amorino's but they were packed one day so I chose here and OMG French toast love…read moreit. Crepes love even more. Fast service and it was somewhat crowded inside.

    Ordered breakfast to-go because the reviews had me bracing for a 45-minute-plus wait to sit. Turned…read moreout that wasn't necessary, as there were plenty of open tables at 9am on a Sunday. The reviews were glowing, and repeatedly warned about the wait, that my expectations were probably set too high going in. I got the steak and eggs crepe and added avocado, extra steak, and kale. The eggs sit on top, and mine came closer to over-hard than the over-medium I asked for -possibly from sitting in the to-go box for 15 minutes, so I'll give some benefit of the doubt there. The crepe itself was tasty, and honestly I'd come back to try something off the sweets menu. But the fillings didn't land. The steak was a little chewy, and the mushrooms were cut too thick for a crepe -- they made it hard to cut cleanly and felt out of place. The add-ons I'll leave alone since those were my call. Overall the dish felt fairly run-of-the-mill against the hype. One note: this might be a dish better served by not allowing customizations, to keep it consistent to its intent. What threw me is that "steak and eggs" is the menu item, yet they also offer a carne asada crepe with no eggs ...so the only real difference is eggs placed on top, which doesn't change the crepe itself. Felt clear as mud after unboxing my meal. The latte I got was standard. Nothing wrong with it, nothing memorable. TL:DR this read as a solid fallback breakfast more than the must-try the reviews promised. The dogs I saw at the outside tables kept this closer to a 3.5 than falling on the other side of 3.

    Photos
    Inside/bar, Nov 2024.
    Inside/bar, Nov 2024.
    Lavender latte
    Lavender latte
    Salted Pistachio Mocha

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    Salted Pistachio Mocha
    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar

    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar

    3.9
    (725 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    This is a decent four-star Southern bar near the Duke campus. We were driving through town, and we…read morestopped here before visiting the local botanical garden. There's plenty of paid street parking in the area. The interior is a bit dark inside, minimal ambient light from the outside, TVs around the bar. Lunch arrived quickly, I had the patty melt which was a bit over salted, but not too bad. Service from Makena was overall decent, nothing exceptionally bad or good. Pricing for lunch averaged just over $20 per person, including the "included gratuity." It's a fine Place to get standard bar food.

    So I asked yelp to recommend a place for a birthday dinner. This was the first on the list. So…read moresince I couldn't get a reservation on my birthday to the place I originally wanted to go, we decided to come here. There is plenty of parking on the backside of the building, paid parking out front, and be careful not to park in the apartment spaces on the side...they sounded pretty serious about towing. I had made a reservation but it was probably unnecessary as it was pretty empty when we arrived (it was about 5pm on a Saturday.) The waitress brought a bottle of water to the table and took our drink order. And I know that this place is literally call it's a Southern thing but can I mention how much I dislike drinking out of mason jars? I ordered the chicken n biscuits, my husband got the country hamburger steak plate, my BiL got wings, and my SiL got the crabcakes. We also orders charred jalapeno & sweet corn hushpuppies and frickles as an appetizer. I was VERY excited about my food. Y'all...the only thing that impressed me were the Frickles. Everything else was distinctly underwhelming. I also ordered Blackberry Betta Have My Money which was not that great. My SiL ordered a espresso martini that they said didn't come from a mix but she said it tasted like it was. The bathrooms were very clean. The decor and the vibe were great. Cute even. I really enjoyed that part of it. After dropping off our food, we never saw our waitress again unless we flagged her down for drink refills. It was especially frustrating since there was automatic gratuity added. And since the place wasn't that busy, it felt like she didn't feel the need to earn her automatic tip. Overall I was disappointed in my birthday dinner. I won't be coming back here.

    Photos
    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar
    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar
    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar

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    Dame's Chicken & Waffles

    Dame's Chicken & Waffles

    4.0
    (2k reviews)
    4.3 mi
    $$

    Although I'm not a fan of sweet with savory, I finished everything on my plate : )…read more We had never tried chicken with waffles before and our server took us through the options and even brought out tasting samples of the different types of butter which were all amazing. It does seem like I'm mixing up brunch and dinner food items though in terms of the flavor profiles. However, the waffles were excellent and the fried chicken had incredible flavor. I'm still not completely sold on the combination but everything on the plate tasted perfect. Highly recommended.

    We have been to Dame's Chicken & Waffles a few times at the old Downtown location, once to the…read moreRaleigh location, and now the "new" Durham location. This new East Durham location is a little smaller than the old one, but they kept the brick aesthetic and the same jazz décor; it has great vibes, but it can get a little noisy with large groups. They now have a small parking lot. The new building has charm, although the surrounding area feels industrial and somewhat run-down. One of the restaurant's windows was boarded up, broken glass had spread into the parking-lot entrance, and barbed wire was visible from our table. The chicken is always tangy and moist. I don't know what they put in the breading, but I'm like a moth to a flame to that stuff. The mac and cheese is some of the best in the Triangle. Our server, Lanyah, was a hustler! While there, she had 9 tables, and one of them was a large group of about 10 people. My wife and I each ordered A Classy Hen with a Baby Blueberry and a Peach Apricot Shmear. I liked the Peach Apricot better. My wife got fresh fruit as her side, which was mostly just orange slices. This, unfortunately, is the end of any positives. Because it was just Lanyah, the service was slow, and it appears from our various times coming to Dame's that slow service is the rule, not the exception. Our server said that it was typical to have just a single server, one cook, and a busser--who was not that helpful. Lanyah was still busing some tables and when there was a loud crash that sounded like dishes falling, she ran and checked on it herself. It took her a minute to get us water and then take our order, but it was understandable. She hugged my wife when we were leaving when we told her she deserved better. The cook was doing their best, but it took 48-minutes and 49 seconds to get our order after it was put in...yes, I timed it. One family walked out due to the long wait. There was another male staff member-I'm not sure whether he was the manager, but he spent most of the evening sitting in the bar area. He was not seating people, bringing out orders or drinks, or helping out our overwhelmed server. They were supposed to close at 7:30pm, but we walked out the door at 8:05pm and the large party was still there waiting for their food, with the other man still sitting in the bar. We want to love Dame's, but slow service just overshadows everything else that is positive. Until they hire an appropriate number of staff, we will not be back.

    Photos
    Dame's Chicken & Waffles
    Macaroni and cheese
    Macaroni and cheese
    Dame's Chicken & Waffles

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    Aaktun Coffee & Bar

    Aaktun Coffee & Bar

    4.4
    (174 reviews)
    3.1 mi
    $$

    If I could give this place 100 stars, I would! From the…read moreoutside, you would never guess what awaits inside. It looks like a small neighborhood spot, but the moment you walk through the doors, you're immediately welcomed by a charming bakery counter filled with fresh pastries, coffee, and sandwiches. Then, as you make your way to the restaurant in the back, the entire experience transforms into something truly special. The ambiance is absolutely stunning--warm, inviting, and thoughtfully designed. I honestly spent half the meal just taking it all in because every detail was beautiful. Now, let's talk about the food... phenomenal doesn't even begin to describe it. Everything was incredibly fresh, beautifully presented, and absolutely delicious. Our brunch came out surprisingly fast without sacrificing quality, and every bite was bursting with flavor. The service was equally impressive. Everyone was welcoming, attentive, and genuinely seemed to enjoy making sure guests had a great experience. You could tell there was pride in both the food and the hospitality. If you're anywhere near Durham, this restaurant is an absolute must-visit. Whether you're stopping in for coffee and a pastry, grabbing a sandwich, or sitting down for brunch, you won't be disappointed. I'll definitely be back, and this has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants in the area. Five stars isn't enough--this place deserves 100.

    I have frequently gone here as it's my favorite place to grab curry mussels. With that being said I…read morecame here today to celebrate my girls birthday and it was one to remember for all the wrong reasons. 3/4 of us ordered the same exact meal and I never received my dish. By the time I was able to waive down the waiter , the table was finished eating and they brought out my meal 25-30 min after the fact. I was hopeful that management would own the mistake, but when my bill came nothing was comped. I had to raise my concern with a waitress and she got a manager. Frankly I am disappointed all around by the experience. "Worse birthday ever" was stated a few times by the birthday girl so idk if I'll be coming back. If I'm going to spend $200 on a meal I at least want to eat.

    Photos
    Iced autumn blaze latte with cold foam - lifewithhanny
    Iced autumn blaze latte with cold foam - lifewithhanny
    Iced dulce de leche latte with cold foam - lifewithhanny
    Iced dulce de leche latte with cold foam - lifewithhanny
    Jerk chicken

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    Jerk chicken

    Early Bird Donuts - donuts - Updated August 2026

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