Asa L.
Yelp
OVERALL/WHAT TO KNOW:
-High quality and delicious classic foods in a welcoming atmosphere
-They get very busy during peak meal times so be prepared to wait in line.
-The majority of the seating is outdoor and shaded, but still pretty hot in the summer.
-Will definitely come back to try their lunch/dinner menu if I'm ever in town again.
ARRIVAL:
-I read about this place on multiple different websites with lists of good places to eat and good places for breakfast in Durham.
-My partner and I came here for a late breakfast on a Friday morning in early June.
-It was surprisingly busy for a weekday morning. There was a line out the door of people waiting to order. I'm not sure if it's typical, but it seemed they were only doing counter service.
-We only had to wait about 10-15 minutes before we got to the front of the line to order. They gave us a number at the counter which we took to our table inside.
FOOD/DRINK:
-I had the iced coffee, cinnamon bun, and the Buckster's Hash Bowl. My partner had the Rocket Breakfast plate.
-The cinnamon buns were huge and perfect. They were fresh, warm, soft, sweet, and with just enough icing. Truly just right. I was only surprised by their size because the woman who took our order asked how many I wanted so I assumed they might be small and ordered two only to find that each was almost as big as a softball.
-The Buckster's hash bowl was absolutely delicious. Potatoes were the lightly fried, crispy kind. The corned beef was extra savory, not too salty, and cut into nice bite sized chunks that spread its flavor through the whole dish. The green onions, cheese, and tomato's tied everything together by adding some extra flavor to the bites without corned beef and some moisture to the dish as a whole. I also appreciated that the cheese was layered throughout the bowl rather than just on top. I also got it with an egg on top (an optional addition). I felt it would not have been quite as good without the egg's yolk acting as a savory solvent to the whole mixture.
SERVICE:
-The woman who took our orders at the cash register was very friendly and efficient as was the person who brought our food to our table.
-When we arrived, it seemed like they only did counter service, but later I thought I saw one of the servers taking orders so I'm not sure.
-We were given our cinnamon rolls right when we ordered, but did not get any silverware or anything. We thought it would be messy to eat with our hands and there were no other staff around so we took it upon ourselves to take some silverware and napkins from the server station by the kitchen.
ATMOSPHERE/LAYOUT:
-We got a table inside with the air conditioning. The inside was laid out a lot like a classic diner. There were a handful of two-top tables and chairs, a couple booths, and a lunch counter.
-There is lots of Durham specific decorations and natural light from the big windows.