Mason’s Restaurant & Grocery — Restaurant in Aberdeen

Listen. I rarely leave reviews, and most of the time they aren’t raving. As I sit here in the ambiance of downtown Aberdeen soaking in the most perfect atmosphere. The music is just right, the sounds of the kitchen, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and delicious entrees fill the air. I don’t even like cinnamon rolls but they have cracked the code, perfected the recipe that will now be a weekly staple for me (assuming I can wait a week to indulge in one of the greatest if not the greatest breakfast pastry I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing). The coffee is smooth and bold, rich in flavor and served fresh and hot. To compliment the atmosphere they have mason jars and milk bottles serving the fizzy goodness- diet dr.pepper on tap because they are fancy. Smiling staff, personable management (shoutout to Katie for being beyond wonderful) and clean. The tables and floors even while busy are CLEAN, spotless and the staff is wonderful. Get the country fried steak, no need for a knife as it’s so tender a gentle swoop of your fork will bring you to country steak nirvana. Complimenting that nirvana is the breakfast potatoes, eggs and biscuits. Don’t debate, order the chicken and waffles, feeling like you need a little kick, do the Nashville hot rub on one, pair it with honey and you’ll forget the Lord’s chicken at CFA and realize the real Lord’s chicken is housed here at Mason’s. If you’ve made it this far without jumping in the car and going then you must enjoy creative writing. Don’t worry there will be more as this will be my regular escaping the toddler madness date spot. I will write a review again but for now friends go treat yourself....

We have not yet had a bad experience at Mason's. Curiously tucked into a little space that faces the Aberdeen rail, it might be easy to miss this breakfast paragon if you were not looking.

Not to be confused with Mac's "Breakfast Anytime" on Highway 1 near the border of Aberdeen and Southern Pines, Mason's is miles away in downtown Aberdeen, what I like to call Old Aberdeen. It boasts both elevated and Southern takes on breakfast for everyone and the options don't stop there. It's hard not to have a great time here if you're either selecting Belgian waffles, a refreshing play on eggs benedict, unicorn grits, or just perfectly toasted breads as thick as an encyclopedia. I have now been five times with my family of four and others and we haven't found anything on the menu that wasn't delicious. It's a little harder on the wallet than most breakfast establishments, but for the price, they'd do it absolutely right.

It is a bit noisy in the echo sense. A person with a hearing impairment might wish to balance that against the promise of a great meal before deciding on this destination. But the place has a very homey, social atmosphere that is unlike any other in the area. If you go to downtown Aberdeen without going to Mason's, you've missed out. In fact, I would maintain that Mason's, alone, is a good enough reason to visit downtown Aberdeen if you...

I cannot say anything about the food, because I never got to that point. I went as a party of 3 on a Sunday and arrived at 11 am. I was told it would be 30-45 mins. After an hour I asked the hostess about how much longer it would be and she said there was one 4 top ahead of us. Then 5 mins later they sat a large party that arrived only 25 mins earlier. I asked about that to the hostess again and she said they sat large parties when and where they could She also showed me on the list that we were next, but there were 4 names crossed out already after us. She never once apologized and just became defensive. After waiting an hour and 15 mins, we decided to leave and the hostess once again never apologized about the misquoted wait time or seating the big party significantly before us. After we left we called and spoke with the owner, who once again did not so much as apologize but said he could seat us in 5 mins. At that point it was just too late and we opted to leave and went to First Watch, where we were sat in 2 mins and the hostess and waiter were delightful. 5 stars for First Watch, highly recommend! As far as Masons goes, I will never attempt to go...