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Founders Restaurant

4.0 (70 reviews)

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FOUNDERS RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

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Touristy
Intimate
Romantic
Classy

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Recommended Reviews - Founders Restaurant

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Reviews With Photos - Founders Restaurant

Cherry bomb
Sandy B.

I attended a special event here recently and it was amazing all the way around! The food was on point, creative and tasty. I also visited the bar and bought a cute little drink called a Cherry bomb. It was made from prosecco, strawberry juice and served w a "cloud" of white cotton candy balanced on a cocktail stick like it was a cloud over my drink. The bomb part was when you dropped it in your drink. Fun. Staff is on point and eager to help. I'll tell you more in a few days as I was so impressed with the surroundings, food and staff that I made reservations for brunch!

Omelette with sweet potato has and bread of choice the croissant.
Kristen C.

The food was amazing! Our server Brandon was great very personable. The menu has something for everyone. Located in a downtown inn the restaurant is quaint and felt like a family run cafe. I would most definitely go back. They have a full service bar.

Shrimp And Grits without sausage and bacon
Divya A.

Beautiful old house turned into an inn and restaurant, there was live piano music playing while we had brunch at around 10am on Sunday. Our server was quick and cheerful! Lovely vibe, but the real reason for 5 stars is the shrimp and grits which I requested to be made without bacon and sausage. It is served with 2 crostinis. Excellent dish, highly recommend. Other notes: They don't serve espresso drinks here. We called up to say we couldn't find parking and were instructed to park across the street at another parking lot. They do take reservations.

Beignets
Meena P.

Finally made it to Sunday brunch ! Been dying to try this place after all the reviews I'd seen. Set in a historic bed and breakfast inn in downtown Winston Salem, Founders is a neat gem different from all the usual Sunday brunch spots. Yes the menu is pretty standard with a few exceptions but just nice to be not in a A typical restaurant setting. The house itself is beautiful! We got there right at our reservation time and had to wait a bit for our table. I've seated we had the freezing AC vent under the table which is under pretty much every table. We put stuff on it to keep the air down. Noticed a lot of others had done the same! This was the only part I didn't love . Suggest bringing something to wear to not get cold or wear pants !!! They have some neat mimosa choices on the menu but I stuck with the Prosecco by itself! The flight looked really nice though. We got the truffle fries as an appetizer even though technically it's a side ! Yum ! I love the double coating on these ! I ordered the smoked salmon Benedict. This was really good. Nice amount of house made hollandaise, eggs were slightly over done but still good. Came with a little fruit too. The salmon was really nice. My friend had the fried oyster salad. She loved it and it had more oysters than the 6 they say on the menu. Looked really good and fresh. We had the beignets as our dessert. These were nice and hot served with caramel and raspberry sauces. Not the cakey kind more flaky. Delicious! A total must order! Our server was really nice and the place was just a nice old time place. They have parking and overflow parking across the street. Glad I finally got here. Hope they open up for more dinners soon !!

Shrimp and grits, Mermaid Mimosa (green)  Shaffner Mimosa (orange).
Jewel E.

Last week, I met my girlfriend for Friday breakfast/brunch. Neither of us had been and were drawn to the breakfast menu. I didn't realize the restaurant was a B&B that used to have a different name, so I initially passed by it. Circled the block and pulled in to park. Upon entry, I was greeted but wasn't asked how I could be helped. I located my girlfriend who had arrived before me and had already been seated. Once seated, the server returned to the table and asked if we'd like anything other than water. They answered our many questions about the food and drinks. We ultimately both ordered the Shrimpn and grits based on the description, online reviews, and the server's recommendation. I also ordered the Mermaid Mimosa, and my friend ordered the Shaffner Mimosa. The Mermaid Mimosa was just ok. It was very pretty, but again, it was just ok. I could taste all of the additives and artificial flavors of the mixers and liquor. Although I drank it slowly, it gave me a headache. My friend enjoyed her drink. The shrimp and grits came out fast!! We only got like 3 or 4 shrimp with the dish, but there were also slices of sausage. I wish the temperature was a little warmer, but the flavors were excellent. It had a little bit of a spice kick, which is how I prefer my shrimp and grits. The overall serving size was just enough, and at $13, I had no complaints. After eating and paying the check, the server invited us to freely tour the rest of the space as we may consider staying at its B&B or using one of their spaces for an event. I will go back and try another breakfast dish or for lunch.

Tonight was my first time at Founders Restaurant in Winston and the food was absolutely AMAZING!!
Michaela H.

Tonight was my first time at Founders Restaurant in Winston and the food was absolutely AMAZING!!

Mike O.

We decided to do an anniversary brunch instead of our usual dinner and my wife chose Founders. Located DTWS It was a little tricky to find due to the one way streets and is located on the other side of Cherry Street. There is a small lot for parking and a nice water feature as you walk up. The restaurant is in a converted old home from the looks and had several dining areas but we were on the glassed in porch which was a nice sitting area. Our server Gary came and took our order and made sure our drinks were filled. I ordered the Texas Pete chicken and Waffle (not waffles...came with one) for $14 at the time. My wife ordered a classic eggs Benedict (that came out incorrectly the first time). She said her dish was only warm and salty. My dish was better but should have had another waffle I mean seriously how much is a waffle to add to the ONE waffle served with the dish. It was okay, but my wife liked it better than I did.

Marie O.

We decided to celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary with a nice brunch. Founders is a beautiful Tudor Revival home turned into restaurant and event place. It truly was very nice inside and out with table linens and beautiful coffee/tea cups. Now the food....wellllllll .....my husband said his chicken and waffles were ok but I was disappointed in my classic eggs Benedict. It was salty, Luke warm with two lifeless English muffins. So very "meh". I took a bite of my husband's waffle and it was a good batter so now I know...when you come here, stick to the pancakes and waffles. They offer gluten free options as well. Service was good. Gary was very friendly and on top of it. I gave it 4 Stars for a beautiful restaurant, good service and food waffle batter. I'd come back with friends for a girl brunch. It was too girly for my man.

Jake P.

Easily one of the best brunches we've had around WS. The server (from Florida) was super nice and friendly. The food was delicious and the drink menu was really fun. I love the old house setting right downtown.

Hannah H.

Got the chance to eat at Founders today for brunch and it was delicious! We got shrimp n grits which were creamy, thick, and had tons of flavor. There were plump shrimp and spicy andouille sausage! YUM! The avocado toast of the day was a Greek style and had feta, tzatziki, pickled red onions, olives and crumbled spices. It was absolutely my favorite! Our table also got the waffles, chicken and waffles and a few other cocktails and overall everything was fresh, had a ton of flavor and large portions. The cocktails were pretty and fun but we're quite sweet for my liking. However, if you prefer sweet cocktails you'll enjoy these! Overall I can't wait to go back and try more and appreciate the amazing service and beautiful building

Shrimp and Grits
Melissa M.

Comfort food- chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, French toast! All cozy comfy food choices that were prepared beautifully and tasted delicious. Colorful- the mimosa selection was fun and colorful (little pricey) . The coffee cups and plates all vintage and mismatched. Secret- ask about the secret cocktail menu!! What a great setting for a rainy day girls brunch.

Brooke P.

A few of my girlfriends and I have had our eye on Founders Restaurant inside Shaffner Inn since they opened, and we finally got a chance to try them this past weekend! I will start the review by saying that our waitress and the manager let us know that their head chef plus other wait staff were sick, so they were severely understaffed. With that in mind, our group was super patient with the service which turned out to be pretty good considering the circumstances. The only complaint is that our waitress said we would get our cocktails before our meal came out and it all came out together. There were definitely bright spots within our visit. The pear and cinnamon mimosa I had was great! The fried chicken with the chicken and waffles was crispy and juicy and the entire shrimp and grits dish was so good. I would definitely order that as my entree upon every visit. I thought the waffle was just okay. Nothing special. The coffee could use a little sprucing as it had a metallic taste that you often times find in diner coffee. The monte cristo completely threw me off. It is a stretch to call a piece of fried ham and cheese on top of a waffle a monte cristo so I probably wouldn't order that again. The space in which we dined was absolutely beautiful. It gave me major "sun room" vibes with the big open windows. I also loved the fact that our food was plated beautifully on vintage dishes. Overall our experience was good! Half of the menu wasn't available because of their staffing issue so I'm definitely open to trying more of what Founders restaurant has to offer!

Avocado toast
Chris T.

We came here on a Sunday morning and, since we weren't sure what time we were going to arrive, showed up without reservations. Pro tip: make reservations if possible. Fortunately for us, a party cancelled and we were able to get squeezed in. Which is great, because as we were waiting to hear from the staff about a table, we saw tray after tray of amazing food walk past and would have been highly disappointed if we had missed out! I ordered the chicken and waffles and, wow, it was amazing. It very well may be the best I've ever had. There was a little kick to it but it wasn't overpowering, and the honey was a great sweet touch. I added a side of grits and they were delicious! My wife got the avocado toast which looked like something out of a magazine or cooking show. She said it was good but not great and would probably order something else next time. The staff was very attentive and super flexible to be able to work us into their busy Sunday morning without a reservation. We can't wait to come back!

Avocado toast of the day

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Ask the Community - Founders Restaurant

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We rented the upstairs space for a corporate event. We had an open bar, a large charcuterie board,…read moreand a full catered meal with burger sliders, roasted brussel sprouts, Mac-n-cheese, crab stuffed mushrooms, and desserts brought in by Cheesecakes by Alex. We had 35 guests. The room had just the right amount of seating for groups of people to visit with each other comfortably. The restroom was conveniently upstairs. We had two bartenders taking GREAT CARE of us the entire time! I really cannot say enough about how wonderful our experience was at Joyner's Bar! If we put on another social gathering, we will definitely rent their space and order their catering again. The open bar was a nice touch everyone appreciated! MOST SINCERELY!

I would recommend spending a few extra dollars and going to a bar that takes customer safety more…read moreseriously. In my experience, this wasn't a place where I felt safe. My husband was assaulted inside the bar, and the people responsible left before police arrived. To make matters worse, we were told the cameras only livestream and do not record, which was incredibly frustrating because it meant there was no recorded footage available to help identify the people involved. Everyone deserves to enjoy a night out without worrying about their safety. Based on our experience, I would choose a bar with better security measures and recorded surveillance instead.

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Bee Man + El Trineo
The best espresso martini!
The best espresso martini!
Espresso martini

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Espresso martini

Founders Restaurant - cocktailbars - Updated July 2026

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