They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. in Greenville, it’s also the most popular meal of the day. Every weekend, the streets of downtown Greenville are flooded with visitors willing to wait in long lines) to get into the hottest breakfast restaurants. As trendy breakfast restaurants are most popular today, there is no shortage of interesting options.
Greenville, an emerging foodie destination in the Upstate South Carolina region, is becoming one of the most popular tourist destinations in the South. The quaint Main Street, lined with over 100 unique restaurants, draws tourists from all over. Before embarking on your outdoor adventures in the Blue Ridge mountains, fill up at one of these great restaurants! You will need the energy for your long drive!
Here are a few of the top breakfast spots you will want to check out!
Stax Omega Diner
Best for: anyone who loves hearty traditional breakfast fare & an old school diner ambiance.
Highlights: Home-cooked food, excellent coffee, old-fashioned diner style atmosphere, locally owned, diverse menu including vegetarian & GF options, away from the crowds downtown
Stax Omega is hands down the best place to treat yourself to a great breakfast in Greenville. First off, it’s not downtown, so you can skip the hassle of finding parking and maneuvering through big crowds. Second, the menu is huge with choices for the pickiest eaters. Third, the dining room is huge, clean, and attractively decorated. There is also a nice patio for the warmer season. And last but not least, the service is always super friendly.
The Stax menu is huge with options for everyone, a rare find in a small city like Greenville. Those needing gluten-free and/or vegetarian fare should be pleased. From savory skillets and omelets, to crepes and waffles, there are abundant choices for everyone here.
The omelets are amazing – the only place in town to make them right! The breakfast potatoes are the best in town!
I recommend the Market Skillet, loaded with eggs, veggies, potatoes, and cheese, and served with a biscuit/toast -a satisfying and extremely filling dish.
Those with a sweet tooth may want to indulge in Ghiradelli Chocolate Chip pancakes or Strawberry French toast. And, rare for a diner, Omega serves excellent coffee, and thus, there is no need to make a separate coffee run.
Southern Living rated Stax as one of the best diners in the South. This ward comes at no surprise given the excellent food quality, great ambiance, and top notch service.
- Location: 72 Orchard Park Drive
- Hours: 6:30am-9pm
- Full Stax breakfast menu
Sully’s Steamers
Best for: foodies not afraid to try something new!
Highlights: unique steamed bagels not found elsewhere, plenty of dietary friendly options, delicious coffee, quick service
Sully’s is a unique place where instead of ordering a standard bagel with cream cheese, you can try a steamed bagel topped your choice of condiments. When you steam a bagel all of the flavors mesh together nicely for the perfect tasty, albeit extremely messy treat. Sully’s offers a number of creative selections, so you can try something completely different on your next visit.
Sully’s offers a wide range of bagel sandwich varieties, from breakfast, to meat lover’s, to veggie loaded. They even offer a vegan hummus option. My personal favorite is the Green Vegas (veggie cream cheese, sprouts, avocado, lettuce, & honey mustard). Bagels themselves come in a variety of styles (multi-grain, plain, everything, sesame, cinnamon raisin etc.), and they even offer a millet/flax gluten-free version for anyone avoiding wheat.
The Green Vegas
Bagels are a bit pricey at 5 to 7 bucks a piece, although you are paying for the creativeness. Bonus: Sully’s serves Methodical coffee, the best coffee in town, and one that frequently ranks as the best in the state. Treat yourself to a cup of this wonderful coffee while you are here and save yourself the extra hassle of hitting the Starbucks drive-thru.
If you are in a hurry, Sully’s is a great choice as you can get in and out of here in less than 30 min, thus this is the best quick choice downtown.
- Location: 6 E. Washington Street
- Hours: 7am-8pm (M-Th), 7am-3pm (Fri & Sat), 8:30am-3pm (Sun)
- Full menu of Sully’s unique bagel creations
Biscuit Head
Best for: Biscuit lovers! Jam, honey, gravy, doesn’t matter how you like your biscuit, Biscuit Head has you covered!
Highlights: super affordable, the most delicious (and biggest) biscuits in town, awesome jam bar with over a dozen creative flavors, a frequent diner card (buy 10 meals, get 1 free) a trendy, hip ambiance not found elsewhere in town.
Biscuit Head is an extremely popular Southern style breakfast place known for its’ huge biscuits (“as big as a cat’s head” as their slogan goes). Biscuit Head opened in the foodie haven of Asheville, NC back in 2014. A great business decision to open in Greenville, as this place is bustling every weekend!
The humongous biscuits can be paired with a gravy flight (choose amongst several creative options including a vegan mushroom gravy), served alongside several breakfast sides (try the moon fries!) , or simply topped with any assortment of jams (over a dozen flavors are available) from the self serve bar.
Biscuits with fried chicken gravy
The famous jam bar – All sorts of fun homemade flavors on the lineup…apple pie, mixed berry, blueberry to name a few
The best deal here is the Half Breakfast special, which includes a biscuit and 2 sides for just 6 bucks.
Vegan or gluten-free? Don’t worry there is still a biscuit for you. Although the dairy-free/gluten free version isn’t quite as tasty, it’s decent enough, especially when topped with delicious flavored jam or honey.
Half Breakfast special – An amazing deal!
The line is often super long, so if crowds bother you, you may want to get here right at opening, or better yet, avoid weekends altogether. Fortunately, they usually have tasty coffee out while you wait!
- Location: 823 S. Church Street
- Hours: 7am-2pm (M-Fri), 8am-3pm(Sat & Sun)
- Full Biscuit Head menu
Crepe du Jour
Best for: anyone seeking a romantic breakfast experience
Highlights: creative crepes, gluten-free options, excellent house coffee, a quaint atmosphere
Crepe du Jour is a charming French cafe conveniently located in the center of Main Street. It’s easy to miss as it tends not to draw as much traffic as the more popular eateries. If you are looking for a laid-back dining experience, Crepe du Jour is a great choice.
Over a dozen crepes, both savory and sweet comprise the menu. From a decadent nutella filled crepe, drizzled with chocolate and topped with berries and whipped cream, to a savory mushroom, spinach, and cheese crepe, there is an option for every taste bud. For an extra buck, you can make your crepe gluten-free. Try a side of delicious Truffle Au Gratin potatoes or cap off your meal with a delicious creme brulee crepe.
Spinach, mushroom, & cheese crepe – the perfect vegetarian option!
Lots of options for those with a sweet tooth!
The Bananas Foster crepe (Bananas, Chantilly Cream, butter rum caramel and confectioner’s sugar.
The Truffle Au Gratin Potatoes
Asides from great fare, Crepe du Jour serves excellent coffee from Counter Culture, a specialty single origin roaster which started in Durham, NC.
If you arrive early enough in the morning, you can usually score one of the coveted window seats. If it’s nice outside, they have a lovely patio surrounded by shady trees. A delicious crepe, unlimited coffee, and people watching along Main Street definitely places Crepe du Jour amongst the must-try breakfast experiences downtown.
- Location: 20 S. Main Street
- Hours: 8am-9pm (Tues-Thurs,Friday), 8am-11pm (Sat &Sun), closed Mon
- Full menu of breakfast crepes
Tupelo Honey
Best for: anyone seeking to indulge in Southern style breakfast fare
Highlights: Tasty southern style fare, friendly service, affordable breakfast deals, upscale ambiance, within walking distance to numerous shops
Tupelo Honey is a popular southern chain which started in Asheville and has since spread to include many locations across the Southeast. Tupelo is very popular with the weekend brunch crowd, for good reason. Everything is made from scratch here with a focus on local ingredients.
The scratch made biscuits here, which are brought out pipping hot alongside honey as soon as you sit down, are really the main reason to visit Tupelo.
Homemade biscuits, served with jam and honey. Best biscuits in town!
Here you have the choice of going with a traditional classic, or trying out a Southern specialty like Sweet Potato pancakes, Shrimp and Grits, or Pecan Pie French Toast. The Old Skool Breakfast Bowl (eggs, potatoes, black eyed peas, salsa verde, cheddar cheese, and goat cheese grits), is the way to go if you are looking to keep it simple, yet still flavorful.
The Old Skool Breakfast Bowl
The best option here by far is the create-your-own breakfast combo (3 for $10 or $4 for 12). Nine different options are available, so you can mix and match based on your particular craving that day. The Sweet Potato pancakes are definitely worthy of the caloric splurge. Don’t worry -you will easily burn those calories off (and more) on any nearby hike.
Create your own breakfast...one of the best deals in town. Come hungry!
- Location: 1 North Main Street
- Hours: 10am-9pm (Mon-Thurs), 10am-10pm (Fri), 8am-10pm (Sat), 8am-8pm (Sun)
- Full Tupelo brunch menu
Soby’s Brunch Buffet
Best for: Weekend Brunch goers
Highlights: Wonderful Sunday brunch, beautiful ambiance, shady outdoor patio, excellent service, the most delicious desserts
Soby’s is the place to go for Sunday brunch, hands down. No other restaurant in town can match the elegance, number of brunch offerings, and quality offered at this popular weekend buffet. First off, there is a made-to-order omelet station. Second, there are more than enough breakfast and lunch offerings. And most important, the dessert display is incredible including a chocolate fondue and all sorts of tasty treats.
The best omelets in town next to Stax Omega. Croissants, fresh fruit, grits, and French toast are just a few of the breakfast offerings. Salmon, various salads, breakfast meats and more are on the lineup!
Wow what a desert spread! Fortunately, the portions are super small so you can mix and match to your heart’s desire!
The ambiance is perfect for a family gathering or upscale date. Soby’s interior features gorgeous decor. Or, you can opt to enjoy the patio during the nicer seasons. Overall, at a price tag of $19 per person, Soby’s is the best bang-for-your-buck brunch experience considering the upscale ambiance, service, and food presentation. Unfortunately, drinks are not included, although the excellent coffee takes out the hassle of visiting a separate coffeeshop.
- Location: 207 S. Main Street
- Brunch Hours: 10:30am-1:30pm
- Soby’s brunch menu
Passerelle Bistro
Best for: Nature lovers. Check out that view!
Passerelle is a charming French bistro with a prime location right next to Falls Park, the oasis of Greenville. You really cannot miss this one due to its’ attraction location directly facing Reedy River waterfall. Fortunately, the food offerings here are just as great as the view.
The best time to visit this restaurant value-wise is at brunch. At this time, you will find a number of attractive brunch offerings, all reasonably priced, considering the magnificent views. From a Quiche, to a Croque Monsieur, to a Crab Benedict, there are enough interesting options on the lineup to please just about anyone. Although, sometimes the simplest options are best. Consider the Passerelle breakfast, featuring 2 eggs, potato croquettes, and a toasted croissant.
And, if you are up for a real treat, don’t hesitate ordering one of the chef prepared desserts. The dessert sampler pictured below is a real steal for just 13 bucks. You are on vacation – go ahead and treat yourself!And be sure to enjoy an espresso – Passerelle serves excellent regular and specialty coffee.
Great food presentation, friendly service, and an elegant setting make this one of the better date destinations in town.
Make a reservation early in the morning and be sure to request a seat facing in the falls. What a perfect weekend brunch date destination!
- Location: 601 S. Main Street
- Brunch hours: 10am-3pm
- Full menu of Passerelle Brunch offerings
