I love this place and the fact that it has been in the same family for nearly 50 years. The burgers are as fresh and delicious as you can get. Best honest burger in town. read more

Cute local place! It reminds me of what and how a grandma would make and serve lunch. No frills, reasonable prices and a filling lunch. The burgers come with fries, the hot dogs don't. read more

Penders Cafe is an amazing hidden gem in downtown wilmington! They are open from 10-2 Tuesday-Friday. Hours are not for long because of how business has been so come check them out before it's too late! My food was absolutely incredible the burger is hand made and absolutely to die for! The service was fantastic! The sweet lady that served us made sure we liked everything we got. I'll definitely come back! read more

Cute atmosphere! Loved the old coca-cola memorabilia! Excellent burgers and cheesesteak sandwiches. Definitely worth it.

Fairly busy on a Wednesday at lunch, good prices and great food. Will definitely be back

Great little restaurant for homemade burgers and bbq. Also great place for a quick bite to eat. read more

Pender's Cafe - Front Counter - Cafes Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Great little greasy spoon diner! Burger & fries with a good old fashioned Coke in a glass bottle; classic! read more

Pender's Cafe - a checkered floor and a jukebox - Cafes Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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We were up visiting Downtown Wilmington from Florida and were looking for a place we couldn't eat back home. Spotted this one while driving along and decided to give it a try! Great place, really know how to make a burger. The food was outstanding, especially the crinkle fries. The burgers were handmade to perfection! The hand squeezed lemonade was also terrific. The staff was very pleasant and courteous. All-in-all, I would recommend this place to anyone wanting to try hometown burgers. read more

Pender's Cafe - "Pender Burger" with side of fries. - Cafes Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

Although not certified, I consider my self a Cheeseburger aficionado. And I most certainly have to say, that, the Pender double burger is at the top of my list for an EXCELLENT rating!! The burger is hand made from fresh purchased meat on a daily basis! The burger comes with your choice of toppings, I had them all and nothing took flavor away from each other!!! If you're in to burgers this is one of the places to stop!!! Bravo Pender Cafe!!!!! read more

A luncheonette - not a diner. Menu is more limited than a typical diner - usual breakfast items, sandwiches, burgers, a few entrees - fried flounder, a seafood combo for $8.95 was the most expensive menu item. Counter on the right as you enter, booths on the left - red vinyl. Decor is very dated - maybe circa 1980? No music, no TV. One server and one short-order cook at breakfast today - both older Southern ladies. Only a few customers - this town sleeps in late - I saw very few people downtown at 8:30 on a weekday. I did not see this place open on the weekend. I believe that they do breakfast and lunch only weekdays. I had eggs, bacon, toast, grits, coffee - less than $6.00 with the tax. Food was good enough. Service was friendly and food came out quickly. Good place for cheap eats. read more

Pender's Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

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They were literally out of everything we wanted to order or try. They couldn't even supply mustard for a burger. Place is dirty, they didn't wipe our table and the other tables were loaded with dirty dishes, must be understaffed. I was hoping for an old classic American diner experience, but this is just bad. We ended up leaving without read more

We stopped in for a quick burger and it was juicy and dressed perfectly. I would recommend this cafe for a fast fix. The waitress was a sweety pie. We appreciated her quick wit. read more

Service was extremely slow. Unbelievable! Honestly I'm a very patient person... But the lack of concern for a customer waiting at the cash register to be seated was unbelievably slack. read more

Food was decent. Husband didn't like the F french toast. Son didn't like the pancakes. Tried them to find out why. They tasted like pork sausage like the grill needed to be clean. The lady their was not friendly to us although she was to all the men went in. She made the experience bad. Took 40 minutes to get our food and we were the first and only in the building at the time until individual men started coming in and she tended to them read more

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Don't be fooled by this place. Not fresh or tasty, just an old tourist trap downtown Wilmington. I think the hamburger patties were frozen disks, if they weren't they tasted like it. You will leave this place hungry and angry. read more

Closed at 9am when they supposed to be open at 8am. Such a shame and a waste of time.

I come from a small town, and this place reminds me of that dive diner kind of feel. There aren't a lot of bells and whistles here- just homemade cheap comfort food. Cheap burgers and breakfasts, and there is always a daily special to follow. I like that an older crowd goes here- not just the college kids. I love a diner that has a token old lady drinking coffee and running out for a cigarette in between the daily conversations with the cook. I like watching a couple of old men eat fried bologna sandwiches while talking about cars and retirement boredom. This place reminds me of home and it makes me happy to go here. I think my only issue is I wish when we ordered our drinks we would get them sooner than right before our meal. I'm a thirsty girl... read more

Cute, cute, cute. Southern hospitality with a huge dose of southern charm. The lady waiting on us was cooking, taking orders, ringing up our check, talking to us about all that Wilmington had to offer. A classic old-fashioned diner in the heart of downtown Wilmington, which just seemed like it was a staple that belonged there so perfectly and comfortably. Over easy eggs, rye toast and really tasty grits make for a good breakfast and a great way to start a day of sightseeing. Very good coffee, too! read more

What's not to love, a place that's been around for a long time....serving the basics. The burgers are pretty damn good, better then places that state they have the best. What makes institutions like this great is their story, the same family owning it for generations. The prices are low, food was good, and the service was acceptable.....just be warned, your not going to get quinoa and coby beef here. read more

My husband and I enjoy having a breakfast out on the weekend. We decided to go to Pender's Cafe. It is a classic old time diner decorated in mostly red and featuring Coca-Cola memorabilia. The cafe was staffed by one lady who did everything.....cooked, took orders, ran the cash register....everything! She was definitely on the move. Pender's does not have decaf, so I had to forgo my half and half. But, they feature hot tea. The cup was a bit small, but the lady kept that hot water coming. My husband's first cup of coffee appeared weak, but the next cup was an improvement. I ordered the cheese and egg biscuit with hash browns and onions. My husband ordered two eggs over easy and a pancake. That was one big pancake! My hash browns were crispy and plentiful, so. I shared them with my husband. I enjoyed my biscuit as well. Because there was only one staff member, it took us awhile to get our food. But, the plates arrived warm and accurately prepared. read more

Great food and great prices! Great place if you're looking for a simple lunch. The lemonade was super delicious and so were the fries and cheeseburger! read more

Lunch here hit the spot! We went in wanting the perfect burger and we got it! With in house squeezed orange aid and crispy fried onion rings to top it all off. Everything we ate was cooked perfectly. We even met the owners granddaughter and she was a fountain of information about the history of the place. From breakfast to lunch you there's nowhere better! You truly can't beat a great meal and great history! read more

Pender's Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Wilmington, North Carolina

One of my top breakfast and lunch spots in downtown Wilmington. Burgers are cooked fresh to order as with everything else on the menu.

A year ago I went with my friends and we took our lunch to go because we had to go on the bus, and my friend order two of the hot dogs. While we were starting to eat are lunch my friend tasted one of her hot dogs and it tasted like completely horrible. She let me take a bite, and the meat and bread was completely horrible, it taste nothing like a hot dog. We visited before that time and the food was pretty good but the second time, to go, it was disappointing. That was the last time we went. read more

A great way to start your morning off in Wilmington if you aren't looking to have a large or expensive brunch that will weigh you down all day. I was able to come in for some hard boiled eggs, a banana and a coffee and get a well balanced meal for under $4. I call that a win. read more

This place is pretty bad. My wife and I went here looking for late breakfast/early lunch. There was only about 4 or 5 other people there, so they were in no way busy. They took over 20 minutes to make a simple cheese burger and a breakfast biscuit sandwich that was the smallest I've ever seen. We ordered sweet tea for drinks and we got old barely sweetened tea that was almost undrinkable. Basically its an over-priced novelty diner that has slow service. We won't be going back. read more

Great little place with excellent service. I loved my special order of bacon and hard boiled eggs for lunch!

We read other Yelp reviews and ate here anyway. Cutest place ever. Friendly staff. Egg cooked right and unlimited timely refills of coffee. Everything we need in a breakfast nook. Back tomorrow? read more

We went to Penders for breakfast - wow! Great eggs and bacon cooked just right. The service was excellent as well. Loved the atmosphere - great old fashioned diner appeal to the place. We are going back for lunch to check out the burgers, but we can tell you the breakfast is outstanding. read more

Classic Diner with decent Grub. This is your basic "lunch counter" with a row of bar stools and several booths in an old-style diner atmosphere. They have a standard menu with the kinds of dishes you'd expect for breakfast and lunch. I had the Pender Burger plate and my better half enjoyed a classic chicken salad sandwich. The "Pender Burger" consists of a two hamburger patties on a lightly grilled bun and a slice of American cheese. It comes with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and pickle - about as classic as a hamburger gets. I don't know how they are every day, but on the day we were there the burgers were juicy and delicious. The cheese was nicely melted but the lettuce and pickle was crispy and fresh (I had them hold the tomato). It came with perfectly cooked crinkle-cut fries. While this isn't a particularly unique burger, it was a very tasty and satisfying. It's what you would expect from a classic diner. My better half didn't say a whole lot while she was rapidly consuming her chicken salad sandwich (on wheat bread), which generally means she's really enjoying it. After asking her how she liked it, she said, "It was out of this world!" 'Nuff said. If you are looking for some upscale, fancy bistro or a chain-style restaurant with pre-cooked rapid-delivery dishes, don't bother stopping at Pender's. But if you want to get a decent burger or other classic diner fare, you'll be satisfied. If you're downtown on front street and you're hungry for a good burger, do yourself a favor and stop in at Pender's Luncheonette! read more

Stopped by for lunch with the family. Everyone had something they liked for lunch. Burgers were made fresh and the chicken salad platters were enjoyed very good. They kept the cups sweet tea filled. The price was right. I would go back. read more

Went today for lunch . Awful experience . We arrived there right about 2:30 thinking it would be ok for a quick lunch . While we were waiting for food a huge roach was crawling on the floor. Also the person who took our order was cooking the food and working the register. When our food finally was served they had already started to clean the floor with a very strong cleaning product. My husband couldn't even eat his food and the owner never apologized. Very unprofessional. Definitely would not recommend. read more

awesome burgers. fast and friendly. oh and free wifi!!! not to mention great prices!!!!!

Fast service, nice wait staff, good basic diner breakfast food in a place with fun diner decor. Price is right too!

Nice little place to go for lunch or breakfast. The food is okay, a bit overpriced for the quality. Waitstaff is generally nice.

I'm new to the city and one of the things I set out to do once I moved here was to find some great local spots to eat at. Well, I'm positive I found one of those places today. The atmosphere reminds you of a small town diner and the burgers are AMAZING! The staff is very friendly and the price is hard to beat. This place will totally be in my rotation. read more

my second review for penders café. I am always looking for the best burger s I travel up and down the east coast in the marine industry. the best burger so far was rated an 8 in Eastchester ny at pipers kilt. but a close, very close second now is the pender burger. I tried one today and it was fantastic. cooked med it was two hand pound patties that were juicy to the last bite. plenty of sides to add too. and the cheese, I would have liked chedder. was American and they didn't skimp on the amount. very cheesy. the fries were crinkle cut and cooked just right and the best was they were to hot to eat as fries should be. A+++ to penders and we will be back... read more

We went in looking for breakfast, however we should've just waited for lunch and gone to another restaurant. Wilmington does not seem to have very many breakfast spots. At this place we got the egg and sausage sandwich for five dollars. That is overpriced for what you get, it should have been around three dollars. It was standard wheat or white bread toasted with an egg and sausage patties. Coffee was not that good. Overall we were left very disappointed. read more

Our group of 2 adults and 5 children went to Pender's for a Friday afternoon lunch and had wonderful service from Jade. She was so patient with the energetic kids, even after a hot sauce bottle was accidentally dropped and smashed. Everyone was happy with their lunch, and I especially enjoyed the Pender burger and fresh lemonade. So simple, which is appreciated when a lot of places constantly change with the trends. Wish I lived closer so I could go back and try breakfast! read more

Good, simple economical breakfast. Service good, and quick. Friendly customers who were probably regulars, several spoke to us. Looking forward to going back for a burger. read more