Chanticleer Cafe & Bakery — Restaurant in Cary

We met at noon on Sunday and were really wanting “brunch.” The line was long as this place is similar to a Panera where you wait to order and then receive a pager. We approached the ordering counter after 15 minutes of waiting wanting the breakfast style sandwiches. To our disappointment, they told us they stopped serving breakfast at noon on Sunday. The quiche of the day was chorizo and I’m not a fan, so I selected the Caprese panini.

The panini was disappointing . It was on the cold side and It just lacked flavor. The fresh basil was nice, but it really would benefit from a pesto to kick it up a notch or a side of balsamic glaze might do the trick....I would not order it again. My friend had been here many times (as she works nearby) and said the grilled cheese was great, but she had ordered sandwiches on weekdays and they were “different “ every time (inconsistency). She said the bakery items were amazing and described the brownie as giving her a delightful chocolate “coma.”

I don’t have a sweet tooth, but the cheese danish looked amazing. They also had some delicious sounding croissant looking pastries that likely would satisfy a savory craving. The man next to us had a huge salad that looked very appetizing.

The place was loud and packed with all generations and even the children seemed very satisfied with their choices. They had healthy drink options available in a cold case along with yogurt packed with fresh fruit and granola.

A few downfalls, however, are the very uncomfortable metal chairs and the tables being placed so close together that if you need to get up it’s a challenge to navigate the maze of people to even get to the trash to return the plates and utensils. There are some more comfortable looking small booths near one window side, but it was so crowded you have to sit at whatever becomes available. There were people actually staking out tables the moment they walked in the door, and before ordering, just to be certain they had a place to sit. There was no person that was assigned to cleaning the tables in the dining area, so people were seating themselves at dirty tables which is a real turn off. I saw one lady go into the bathroom to soap up a handful of napkins to wipe down their table. They do have some couches and a coffee table near the front, but I noticed they were stained with foods...maybe frosting? We did decide to get some brownies but there’s no line just for bakery items so we had to wait in line all over again.....and yes, they were delicious.

I’d probably go back at a less crowded time and try it again based on my friends description of the...

We love stopping in during the week for a quick and healthy bite to eat! Since the menu changes, my current favorite is the Autumn Spinach Salad. You get a hefty portion! The ingredients are fresh, dressing is awesome! The service here is always friendly and very efficient! My vegetarian really likes the Grilled Veggie sandwich. The chips are not from a bag! They're really good! The sandwich is served on fresh focaccia with delicious veggies and mozzarella. Great place!

Update: The day after Christmas we dropped in with a family member who had never been here before. I've always enjoyed eating here as a sort of alternative to Panera or the like. Today, however, was not a warm fuzzy visit. I would recommend if you're planning to come within 1-1.5 hours before closing time, DON'T. Many places I've been to, especially ones that aren't open for long in a day, they are reasonable and leave drinks available for the customers. I've worked in restaurants before and am aware it really doesn't take much time to take out the soda machine nozzles and clean tea urns. Yet today, there was a rather abrupt woman who clearly wanted us gone so she closed up all the drinks well before we were done with our food. Everyone felt rushed and uncomfortable at the table from the looks and rudeness this employee exuded. For my relative's first time, it wasn't great. I've never had any issues of this sort with the staff before despite eating here close to closing before so I was pretty take aback. Next time within that last closing hour, we'll just go somewhere else 😝 Heck even Panera leaves drinks out for customers...

I popped in here to grab breakfast and weekend treats. Full disclosure, I was planning on going somewhere else, but that place had a line out the door. This was close by and on my way home, so it finally gave me a chance to check it out. I'm so glad I did! There is a decent amount of outdoor seating, which is great for eating out during the pandemic. Inside, the tables are spread apart, but on Saturday morning every table was full so it was a little too packed for my liking. All orders are placed at the counter, which makes it really easy to grab and go. The menu is great! An egg & cheese sandwich...on a croissant...with turkey bacon! I had to get that. It was good, but a little dry and the amount of filling wasn't enough for the size of the croissant. We also got several pastries. The plain croissant was really good - flaky and delicious. The chocolate one was also good, but need more chocolate in it and the chocolate could have been sweeter. The cinnamon roll was great - moist and sweet - and huge! The cookie of the day - chocolate chip butterscotch - was excellent...full of flavor and the right balance between chewy and crunchy. I wish I had gotten more! We got the walnut chocolate chip mini loaf for our toddlers. They need to gain weight and we thought this would be. good snack for them. However, my husband and I ended up eating instead...and we don't need any help gaining weight...... I can't wait to go back...