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    Esmeralda's Cafe

    4.5 (14 reviews)
    Closed 6:00 am - 3:00 pm

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    French toast, scrambled eggs, sausage
    Jodi Q.

    This is one of my favorite diners in the state of North Carolina. The staff is very kind and attentive. Service was fast and the food is filling and delicious. Lots of space, super charming and has a "home-y / comfortable" feel. Looking forward to coming back whenever I'm in town again.

    Carmel Lotte
    Melonie B.

    The service is really great and the food is amazing. I had a a creasont sandwich and a Carmel Lotte. Both were delicious!!

    This is my FAVORITE place to eat in Butner. Me and my friends come here to eat breakfast before work and it is very good. Services amazing, food amazing, vibes amazing. You need to come here. Order a black coffee:)

    Salchipapa (Kid's Menu)

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    6 days ago

    Service was wonderful. They are very attentive. Loved the cozy home atmosphere and they have many choices. Great for a breakfast!

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    7 months ago

    Delicious each and every time. Pleasant service and the atmosphere is great during the AM.

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    Review Highlights - Esmeralda's Cafe

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    McLean's Ole Time Cafe - Beef tips over rice with sweet potato side

    McLean's Ole Time Cafe

    4.0(252 reviews)
    32.4 mi
    $$

    Some of the best homemade Southern country cooking you will eat. They offer a variety of meats,…read moreincluding steaks and other beef dishes, poultry, pork, and seafood, all cooked any way you like. You get your choice of two sides with your meal, plus homemade biscuits and hushpuppies. McLean's offers 19 side dishes, 20 if you include the one-trip salad bar. As a side salad, there may be an additional charge or you may choose it as your main meal. Be sure to save room for their delicious homemade desserts, including cakes and pies, and cheesecake with various toppings. Don't miss the hot fudge cake, topped with vanilla ice cream, hot fudge sauce, whipped cream and a cherry. This is generous enough for two to share! The cuisine ranges from country meals to burgers, Italian, and Mexican dishes. The servers are attentive and ensure you have everything you need, making your dining experience is an A-plus. The atmosphere at McLean's gives you a feeling of home, from the front porch to the inside seating and decor. Plus, they can accommodate large groups. They are open 7 days a week, from 7 AM - 8 PM; however, you will need to check on their breakfast, brunch, and their lunch specials cut-off times. McLean's also provides catering and bakery services for your special events.

    I wanted to take a friend to a nice spot Friday June 12, he had never had the pleasure of…read moreexperiencing. I've been here many times however it was his 1st visit. I let him know the food was great, home cooked and good portions. The one thing that ruined the evening was the RUDE waitress, he walked up to the table and before he could sit down she bought my drink out, she asked what will you have to drink, he's looking confused and responds still standing, well what do you have? She rambles all the options so fast I'm not sure he understood all but made a choice. Then he sat down. She came back and slid it on the table like a fly by.. Soon she bought a hush puppy basket they were cold, I dare not complain she was so nasty and distant. Next she came back, order book open and I was like it's his 1st time, she didn't say anything, she just looked out the window and waited, so we just knew we needed to order, so I named my meat before I could finish SIDES??then he simply asks did they have bone in chicken ( I didn't know he was going to ask or I would have told him beforehand) she says no we have , fried chicken breast tenders, sisco chicken etc, she named every chicken dish on the menu without taking a breath.. I can give her props for knowing that..we both were looking at her confused and she never looked at us it was always "looking out the window " He said just give me "Flounder " one piece or two??? He replies one, SIDES??? Like we needed to be on point. She took the menus and left. She asked the questions she needed but was mean, not engaging and just rude. The WAY she asked.. When our food came this waitress walked by and literally slid our food on the table in a way that was like HERE! And kept walking I don't even think she stopped when she put them on the table she may have slowed down. We had to reach towards the end of the table to slide our plates in front of us. We both looking at each other in agreement she just nasty! The next time she came back she walked by and sat down a half glass of refill for his drink, she hadn't asked she just did it, suppose he wanted a glass of water? When we put our forks down she came over to get his plate and bought me a to go box as I still had half my food on my plate and she left the ticket. She didn't say is there anything I can get you or anything the entire time. He put his pymt with the ticket and put it on the edge of the table, I hadn't been in a while so I forgot we would pay on the way out. She was cleaning the floor near us and slid our ticket/pymt farther on our table, as if it was in her way, again he's confused so he said this is ready and she let him know to pay up front. I have never experienced such a nasty waitress at this restaurant and because of this I probably will never go back. I don't like not feeling comfortable and welcomed in a place where my money and time is going into. I started to complain before I left but in reality I don't think it would have mattered, and we left a tip not as much as we would have if she was more pleasant. I don't know whether she was having a bad day, a long day or to take it personal but I can't deal with attitude like that and won't take a chance on it again. This man drove a hour to experience this was just unbelievable!!!!

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    McLean's Ole Time Cafe - Decorum

    Decorum

    McLean's Ole Time Cafe
    McLean's Ole Time Cafe

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    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar

    It's a Southern thing: Kitchen and Bar

    3.9(725 reviews)
    12.4 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.

    We were driving from Columbia, South Carolina to Richmond, Virginia today and decided to stop in…read moreDurham for some lunch around noon. This place is located in the downtown area of Durham on the second floor of a red brick building. There is plenty of patio, bar and dining room seating. It was a little hot for the patio so we sat at one of the tables in the dining room. The menu offers a handful of appetizers and salads, as well as about twenty lunch entrees. I went with the NC pulled pork sandwich. It also had coleslaw on the sandwich. Side options included fries, salad, Brussel sprouts, or onion rings. I went with the brussel sprouts and they were very tasty. My husband had the patty melt with French fries. The fries were a generous and tasty portion. His patty melt was very salty, though. Service was pretty quick.

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    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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    Metro Diner

    Metro Diner

    4.3(961 reviews)
    19.6 mi
    $$

    My wife and I had lunch here today and everything about it was excellent: service, food…read morerecommendations, ordering, speedy food service, food quality and quantity, price (by 2026 standards) etc. I had the bbq bacon cheeseburger with fries and my wife had the shrimp and grits. Both were excellent. We will dine here again.

    The Metro Diner is always busy, so I did expect a little bit of a wait. I was told 20-25 minutes…read moreand waited that long outside. Then, I moved inside to see what the delay was, and the host tried to seat me at the counter. Really? I'd been waiting 30 minutes, and you won't seat me at the empty table. So I declined and said I'd wait for my table. I never got a notice on my phone either, so what was the point of that system if you need to be inside the small waiting area to be called? I could see the open table, but I was not seated for another ten minutes. They didn't want me at the big table. Then it was interesting to watch all the staff walk by and ask who had my table. How do they not know which tables each person has? Someone eventually came by, asked if I'd been helped, and took my drink and food orders, since I'd been waiting quite a while. I ordered a half-and-half tea. I'm not sure she knew what that was, as she kept saying "unsweet". The first tea was half-and-half, but the refill was unsweetened. I went with the chicken pot pie, as that is what caught my eye. I expected a delicious dish, but what I received was disappointing. The ratio of the chicken, gravy and veggies was way off. I'd say there was enough low-quality processed chicken for three to four people, a little gravy and even less veggies. I had a bowl of processed chicken cubes with a splash of sauce, not what I had in mind. I usually skip the pastry part, but I ate that as I needed something other than chicken. I left some of the chicken in the dish. The waitress didn't even offer me a to-go box. It was that bad that I wouldn't eat it anyway. My check was brought out soon after I got my food. I don't understand the rush, but bringing the check early won't get me out any faster and lowers your tip. This was just a really bad experience, and I don't see myself returning. I have liked the food in the past.

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    Metro Diner
    Metro Diner
    Metro Diner

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    Plum Southern Kitchen & Bar - Plum Southern Kitchen & Bar. Open Thursday - Monday from 4:30-9PM for dinner and drinks.

    Plum Southern Kitchen & Bar

    4.4(165 reviews)
    12.1 mi

    I came to visit Durham for the first time in a long time And was pleasantly surprised to see all…read morethe new and exciting restaurants. A friend suggested we try this place. We made a reservation and were seated upon arrival. Our host was Anthony, I think his name was, with a keen interest for ginkgo trees. He was very attentive, friendly and extremely helpful. He took her order and had some good suggestions. I was craving shrimp and grits which was probably the most unique shrimp and grits. I've had ever. Very distinct flavor and still very rich and familiar. The shrimp were large and juicy as well as remained crunchy overall cooked very well. We also had the summer tomato and burata salad which was really refreshing and delicious. My friend ordered the mac and cheese which is a hefty serving size. Definitely a shareable side or a main for one person. Our host came to check on us frequently, our Waters never went empty. Other hosts were also helping check in on us which was nice. The restaurant itself is large. Booth tables available, which made for a cozy environment. We ended the night with some brownie a la mode, which was the perfect dessert to have on a hot summer day. Overall the experience was amazing, great food and incredibly nice people. Definitely Miss miss the southern hospitality of Durham. Definitely recommend a try here at plum Southern kitchen & bar.

    Stopped by for dinner and sat outside with our dog- VERY dog friendly, relaxing classical music…read moreoutside, with some cute decor- including flowers and lights. The menu had recently changed so we got to try quite a few new items. We tried the panzanella- sweet corn, red beans, heirloom tomato, patty pan squash, pea tendrills, and a roasted red pepper vinaigrette. This dish was my favorite of the night- small but shareable, entire dish was refreshing and all the flavors and textures went together so well. For dinner I ordered the roasted chicken and the baked mac and cheese with bacon. The roasted chicken was juicy and tasty, and a bit sweet with the bourbon ginger and plum reduction, but the mac and cheese seemed dry and overcooked. We also ordered the buttermilk cheddar biscuits- that taste slightly undercooked (in a good way), so the texture was soft and chewy (and amazing). The honey butter and large maldon salt granules made the biscuits perfect. They were so good we ordered a second order!! I would definitely return to Plum, for both the food and hospitality.

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    Plum Southern Kitchen & Bar - Big bar, small plates.

    Big bar, small plates.

    Plum Southern Kitchen & Bar - Monday night special. Honey-smoked ham, Brussels sprouts, sweet potato succotash, southern cheese grits.

    Monday night special. Honey-smoked ham, Brussels sprouts, sweet potato succotash, southern cheese grits.

    Plum Southern Kitchen & Bar - Beef stroganoff with a mushroom cream sauce, pickled onion, & mustard seed.

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    Beef stroganoff with a mushroom cream sauce, pickled onion, & mustard seed.

    The Goat Brier Creek - THE NACHO PLATTER

    The Goat Brier Creek

    3.6(287 reviews)
    16.8 mi
    $$
    Happy hour specials
    Casual dining

    Great cocktails and appetizers. Had the Gin Lavender Smash and pizza rolls - delicious! Service at…read morethe bar was great. Was not happy when we approached the hostess, we were placed on a wait list because of kitchen staffing shortage with tons of open tables. When we sat at the bar, we asked if the kitchen was backed up and she said, no. Setting that aside and giving 4 stars for the bar service and quality of food and cocktails.

    It's been a while because I debated leaving a review here. Been here 2 times and the service is…read moreSLOW! Not only slow but some just flat rude. We wanted to give them the benefit of doubt and saw they had love island watch parties. We came early to secure a spot. Told the host why we came and he sat us right by the TV. We waited for it to begin. We tried to order the theme drinks and were told no because it's only when the show begins. (Mind you this was 10 mins prior to show time) Then the show was supposed to begin and none of the tvs were on the show. We watched them play with remotes for 15 mins. Still they didn't put it on the half of the bar were 4 groups were waiting. 30mins into the show we didn't see our server, no one told us it was only showing in the pool area. Us and another table had to get up to see it was on the other side of the bar. Mind you, there was no sound for a WATCH PARTY! So people were reading subtitles. Finally our server came and apologized about it not being on our side. We asked for the check and she charged us for those drinks WE NEVER GOT! That were sitting at the bar for 30mins. (That if you remember we couldn't order?!?) Then she hands us the drinks when we asked, now melted and still we had to pay for them even though we were literally leaving.

    Photos
    The Goat Brier Creek - GRILLED SALMON

    GRILLED SALMON

    The Goat Brier Creek - BIANCA WHITE

    BIANCA WHITE

    The Goat Brier Creek - HARVEST BOWL

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    HARVEST BOWL

    No Filter Café

    No Filter Café

    4.5(361 reviews)
    37.8 mi
    $$

    No Filter (formerly Ugly Mug) in Garner feels like a great breakfast and brunch spot that also…read morehappens to serve coffee. The drink menu is huge, and it's clearly geared more toward flavored latte lovers than coffee purists. If you like creative, dessert-style drinks, you'll have plenty to choose from. Drinks: I ordered a cortado, but it came out more like a breve. Not a big deal, but not quite what I was expecting. I also tried The Alchemist -- an iced latte with white chocolate, English toffee, and raspberry. It was enjoyable, but definitely flavor-forward, with the syrups taking center stage more than the espresso. Food: This is where the place really shines. I ordered the chicken biscuit with Sriracha hot honey, and it was excellent. Crispy chicken, a great biscuit, and the sweet heat from the sauce tied everything together perfectly. Overall: If you're looking for a great breakfast or brunch spot with lots of fun drink options, No Filter is a solid choice. If you're hunting for a specialty coffee experience focused on the coffee itself, this probably isn't the destination -- but the food alone makes it worth the stop.

    Ate lunch at the new location last week. I had number eaten there food and was pleasantly…read moresurprised. The sandwich was very tasty and the chip cooked to perfection. Great service and location with ample outdoor sitting.

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    No Filter Café
    No Filter Café - German Chocolate Cake - Hot - Medium, Pastries & Cookies - Lemon JP's Gluten Free Baked Goods - GF Banana Nut Bread -V

    German Chocolate Cake - Hot - Medium, Pastries & Cookies - Lemon JP's Gluten Free Baked Goods - GF Banana Nut Bread -V

    No Filter Café

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    Acme Food & Beverage Co - Peach and blueberry cobbler (3/5)

    Acme Food & Beverage Co

    3.8(636 reviews)
    23.2 mi
    $$

    Dinner was delicious. We had the Chile releno and Angel biscuits for appetizers. The red drum fish…read morewith cauliflower rice and mushroom/ corn ragu was wonderful. The jambalaya was also good. The strawberry basil gimlet and the watermelon tequila was very good. I found the food to be extra salty. I think that is for most restaurants compared to home cooked meals.

    This dinner had a full emotional arc…read more Let me start by saying this was one of the best meals I've had in the last 2-3 years. The star of the show in my opinion were the hush puppies and the corn and wild mushroom risotto. There were sooo many different flavors that perfectly complemented each other. I was blown away. And the pig cheek on top was incredible. 500/10. Our server made great recommendations! Then-- chaos and heartbreak ensued in the form of a fire alarm. We were forced to evacuate the restaurant as the fire department arrived , leaving about half our meal on the table. After 30 or so minutes of waiting out in the cold (we were apparently the only guests who hadn't paid out yet) our server came to find us. He asked us if we wanted to just give him our credit card information and he would ring us up later, when the fire department gave them the ok, as he understood not wanting to wait around. It broke our heart to leave our leftovers, but we agreed and went to go get the car. Thankfully we are stubborn.. and optimistic to a fault. And by the third time we circled around the block, the fire truck was pulling away. I ran in and asked if there was any chance our food hadn't been thrown away yet, and it hadn't! The staff was happy we had been able to come back, and they packed everything up for us, even taking the hush puppies off the bill and sneaking in a complimentary piece of key lime pie. I'm so glad we were able to tip our server appropriately for his great service-- and rescue our leftovers. Happy ending. All was well. (And the fire ended up being something innocuous in the unit above the restaurant)

    Photos
    Acme Food & Beverage Co - Outside seating area

    Outside seating area

    Acme Food & Beverage Co - Oysters

    Oysters

    Acme Food & Beverage Co - The gumbo was also super tasty, with a little bit of a kick. Better with even more shrimp ! 9.5/10

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    The gumbo was also super tasty, with a little bit of a kick. Better with even more shrimp ! 9.5/10

    PRESS Coffee Crêpes Cocktails

    PRESS Coffee Crêpes Cocktails

    4.4(412 reviews)
    12.6 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
    PRESS Coffee Crêpes Cocktails - Inside/bar, Nov 2024.

    Inside/bar, Nov 2024.

    PRESS Coffee Crêpes Cocktails - Lavender latte

    Lavender latte

    PRESS Coffee Crêpes Cocktails - Salted Pistachio Mocha

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    Salted Pistachio Mocha

    Esmeralda's Cafe - coffee - Updated August 2026

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