Down Home Country cooking at its best. The staff is so friendly and inviting. Don't miss the Cornbeef if your a fan! It's the good ole kind!
David Earley
Best fried shrimp in Raleigh!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Shrimp
David G.
There are some good things, but I'll put them at the end. I was super disappointed coming here for the first time about a week or two ago. I had such high hopes of finding a neighborhood type place that served food that I'd enjoy. And the prices looked very fair. The short of it: the biscuit was very hard and so large that the contents (bacon egg and cheese) got lost as far as flavor goes. The pancake was gummy and tough and required diabetic amounts of syrup to get it down. The sausage patty wasn't browned, and had an unappetizing texture and flavor. More Detail: I'm a pancake snob, admittedly. I grew up with my Mom making my Grandpa's blender pancake recipe for so many years. So good. McDonald's pancakes, and the box mixes were not nearly good enough to waste calories on. Cracker Barrel does pretty good, though... but still not quite worth it to me. What we have been doing for the last decade or so is making Alton Brown's pancakes from Good Eats. Those are amazing. They were thick but light, and they were great with all kinds of toppings, or just lightly buttered! You could even go light on the syrup and you'd still have a great eat. However, these Watkins pancakes were hard to get down! And i was really hungry! I wanna say that they were dense, but you could see some aeration in there. I just know that a normal-sized bite gummed up inside my mouth and made it a real chore to finish. If I drowned it in way too much syrup, that would help lubricate things to get it down. But even for me, it required too much syrup. I would have also had to reduce my bite size, to keep it from gumming up too much, and that just would have made it take too long to eat. The sausage is a "homemade" patty, and I believe it. It doesn't seem to be ground meat, but more like a fine chop. It felt like I was chewing on tough, small, pork shreds. It was cooked, but had only browned a little, so that roasty/seared taste wasn't there. Even if it was browned to the level of your average sausage patty, I don't think I'd like this, because of the texture of the "chopped" pork. but based on other folks at the table, I think this light cook on it is pretty standard. But for it to be on their menu for a while, others must really like it. So maybe you will to. I won't get it again though. Another staple I love to try is the Bacon Egg and Cheese biscuit. I love ones from Hardee's, Bojangles, Buscuitville, etc. But we all agreed at our table, who had biscuits, that they were hard as rocks. The insides were nice and fluffy, though. Pucks like these are often okay for use as a gravy biscuit, when available, though. The biscuits are so large that they make you feel like you didn't get nearly enough filling. If they're going to serve it as this kind of biscuit-sandwich, I'd almost double up on the filling quantity, or advise the customer that it will come like that, so they aren't surprised. I took off the harder of the two halves and was left with an open-faced biscuit, but one in more reasonable proportions. The sweet tea was also lackluster. Often a down-home place like this will have very sweet tea, that you write home about, and look forward to indulging in when you visit. But no, it was just average sweet tea, with actually a little less sugar than most places, I would guess. I won't be getting it again. I didn't even drink half of mine. The service was very friendly, but I'd say we were checked on a little less often than I would have liked. But it was alright. I didn't actually need much tending, since I didn't like eating any of the three things I got, and the sweet tea was the same, with me never needing a refill. The Good: I'll go back for sure, just because I love this kind of place, and generally will make a lot of effort to find something I like. Although the breakfast options are limited for me, since I'm not an omelette fan. Ummm... I interrupt this review to mention something I just found... that a phot
Justbeachen
Waitress and food were really good. Good home cooking. However, as you can see from past reviews , it literally takes at least 45 mins to get your food. Not sure why since this is a tiny diner and looks like they had plenty of help in the kitchen.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Kevin Proulx
Very nice little hole in the wall spot! Lovely breakfast and the wait staff is all very friendly and kind. Haven’t had a bad experience here so far and it’s always a treat to come out. Not really a super cute restaurant, but what they lack in atmosphere they make up for in good old fashion kindness. I really love the veggie omelette they have!Parking: Nice little free parking lot right beside the place, holds maybe 15-25 ish cars. Not bad!!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kellie D.
Have been wanting to try this little gem on the side of Old Wake Forest Rd for years and finally made our way there for Saturday lunch. Tables were available and we were told to seat ourselves. Soon after our waitress brought us silverware and menus. We were in the mood for breakfast but there were several lunch specials available and a list of the daily vegetables on the wall. I ordered the Greek omelette with home fries. The omelette was a good size with lots of toppings but didn't have aloe of flavor to me. On the flip side, I'm glad that it wasn't overly salty. The home fries were different. They were not crispy on the outside but were well cooked on the inside. Son's girlfriend ordered her omelette with a biscuit and the waitress warned her the biscuits could be hard on the bottom. She decided to get it anyway but the waitress kindly told her if she didn't like it she could have an English muffin. They had sugar free syrup for my health conscious son's pancakes which surprised me. Overall a great lunch. Everyone was friendly and prices were reasonable for the generous portion sizes. What a great place to!
Debbie Stanley
We have eaten here twice. The parking lot is gravel so a little hard for some one using a walker but the food is definitely worth it. Also a cash only facility.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Home Fries Eggs and Sausage Links, Grits, Pancake, Corned Beef Hash and Eggs Any Style
SHM
Hidden Gem!!Best country breakfast and soul food in town. Great service too.Vegetarian options: Various veggies side dishes
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Home Fries Eggs and Sausage Links, Western Omelette, Grits, Chicken Fried Steak Mashed Potatoes, Pancake, Hamburger Steak, Scrambled Eggs
Maria Dailey
If you are looking for a home cooked meal that your grandma use to cook back in the days well come on down to Watkins Grill the place to be bring the whole family.
Watkins is a very good place to eat. Hard to beat. Great home cooking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jason H.
So understand I am from rural Eastern NC so going in this place was like going home. Good Southern food, friendly and polite staff. Is this where you go for a fancy dinner or date - no. Is this where you go to drink coffee with your family and close friend -100% yes. Think old-school Southern restaurants of your child hood if you are an NC native and those restaurants your grandparents took you to and that's Watkins. Good food that feels like home.
Gillian W.
Food is great, service is slow but everyone is really friendly. Prepare to wait 30ish minutes after ordering. Don't come if you're in a rush. Cash only but does take cash app!
Bad Moon Rising
Pancakes and Hash best in Wake County!Service friendly and courteous.My new place to go for breakfast!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pancake, Corned Beef Hash and Eggs Any Style
Down Home Country cooking at its best. The staff is so friendly and inviting. Don't miss the Cornbeef if your a fan! It's the good ole kind!
Best fried shrimp in Raleigh!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Shrimp
There are some good things, but I'll put them at the end. I was super disappointed coming here for the first time about a week or two ago. I had such high hopes of finding a neighborhood type place that served food that I'd enjoy. And the prices looked very fair. The short of it: the biscuit was very hard and so large that the contents (bacon egg and cheese) got lost as far as flavor goes. The pancake was gummy and tough and required diabetic amounts of syrup to get it down. The sausage patty wasn't browned, and had an unappetizing texture and flavor. More Detail: I'm a pancake snob, admittedly. I grew up with my Mom making my Grandpa's blender pancake recipe for so many years. So good. McDonald's pancakes, and the box mixes were not nearly good enough to waste calories on. Cracker Barrel does pretty good, though... but still not quite worth it to me. What we have been doing for the last decade or so is making Alton Brown's pancakes from Good Eats. Those are amazing. They were thick but light, and they were great with all kinds of toppings, or just lightly buttered! You could even go light on the syrup and you'd still have a great eat. However, these Watkins pancakes were hard to get down! And i was really hungry! I wanna say that they were dense, but you could see some aeration in there. I just know that a normal-sized bite gummed up inside my mouth and made it a real chore to finish. If I drowned it in way too much syrup, that would help lubricate things to get it down. But even for me, it required too much syrup. I would have also had to reduce my bite size, to keep it from gumming up too much, and that just would have made it take too long to eat. The sausage is a "homemade" patty, and I believe it. It doesn't seem to be ground meat, but more like a fine chop. It felt like I was chewing on tough, small, pork shreds. It was cooked, but had only browned a little, so that roasty/seared taste wasn't there. Even if it was browned to the level of your average sausage patty, I don't think I'd like this, because of the texture of the "chopped" pork. but based on other folks at the table, I think this light cook on it is pretty standard. But for it to be on their menu for a while, others must really like it. So maybe you will to. I won't get it again though. Another staple I love to try is the Bacon Egg and Cheese biscuit. I love ones from Hardee's, Bojangles, Buscuitville, etc. But we all agreed at our table, who had biscuits, that they were hard as rocks. The insides were nice and fluffy, though. Pucks like these are often okay for use as a gravy biscuit, when available, though. The biscuits are so large that they make you feel like you didn't get nearly enough filling. If they're going to serve it as this kind of biscuit-sandwich, I'd almost double up on the filling quantity, or advise the customer that it will come like that, so they aren't surprised. I took off the harder of the two halves and was left with an open-faced biscuit, but one in more reasonable proportions. The sweet tea was also lackluster. Often a down-home place like this will have very sweet tea, that you write home about, and look forward to indulging in when you visit. But no, it was just average sweet tea, with actually a little less sugar than most places, I would guess. I won't be getting it again. I didn't even drink half of mine. The service was very friendly, but I'd say we were checked on a little less often than I would have liked. But it was alright. I didn't actually need much tending, since I didn't like eating any of the three things I got, and the sweet tea was the same, with me never needing a refill. The Good: I'll go back for sure, just because I love this kind of place, and generally will make a lot of effort to find something I like. Although the breakfast options are limited for me, since I'm not an omelette fan. Ummm... I interrupt this review to mention something I just found... that a phot
Waitress and food were really good. Good home cooking. However, as you can see from past reviews , it literally takes at least 45 mins to get your food. Not sure why since this is a tiny diner and looks like they had plenty of help in the kitchen.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 3
Very nice little hole in the wall spot! Lovely breakfast and the wait staff is all very friendly and kind. Haven’t had a bad experience here so far and it’s always a treat to come out. Not really a super cute restaurant, but what they lack in atmosphere they make up for in good old fashion kindness. I really love the veggie omelette they have!Parking: Nice little free parking lot right beside the place, holds maybe 15-25 ish cars. Not bad!!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Have been wanting to try this little gem on the side of Old Wake Forest Rd for years and finally made our way there for Saturday lunch. Tables were available and we were told to seat ourselves. Soon after our waitress brought us silverware and menus. We were in the mood for breakfast but there were several lunch specials available and a list of the daily vegetables on the wall. I ordered the Greek omelette with home fries. The omelette was a good size with lots of toppings but didn't have aloe of flavor to me. On the flip side, I'm glad that it wasn't overly salty. The home fries were different. They were not crispy on the outside but were well cooked on the inside. Son's girlfriend ordered her omelette with a biscuit and the waitress warned her the biscuits could be hard on the bottom. She decided to get it anyway but the waitress kindly told her if she didn't like it she could have an English muffin. They had sugar free syrup for my health conscious son's pancakes which surprised me. Overall a great lunch. Everyone was friendly and prices were reasonable for the generous portion sizes. What a great place to!
We have eaten here twice. The parking lot is gravel so a little hard for some one using a walker but the food is definitely worth it. Also a cash only facility.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Home Fries Eggs and Sausage Links, Grits, Pancake, Corned Beef Hash and Eggs Any Style
Hidden Gem!!Best country breakfast and soul food in town. Great service too.Vegetarian options: Various veggies side dishes
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Home Fries Eggs and Sausage Links, Western Omelette, Grits, Chicken Fried Steak Mashed Potatoes, Pancake, Hamburger Steak, Scrambled Eggs
If you are looking for a home cooked meal that your grandma use to cook back in the days well come on down to Watkins Grill the place to be bring the whole family.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Country Fried
Food was ?
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Country Fried
Restaurantji Recommends
Judy and Ronda are the best...
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grits, Toast, Scrambled Eggs
Watkins is a very good place to eat. Hard to beat. Great home cooking.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
So understand I am from rural Eastern NC so going in this place was like going home. Good Southern food, friendly and polite staff. Is this where you go for a fancy dinner or date - no. Is this where you go to drink coffee with your family and close friend -100% yes. Think old-school Southern restaurants of your child hood if you are an NC native and those restaurants your grandparents took you to and that's Watkins. Good food that feels like home.
Food is great, service is slow but everyone is really friendly. Prepare to wait 30ish minutes after ordering. Don't come if you're in a rush. Cash only but does take cash app!
Pancakes and Hash best in Wake County!Service friendly and courteous.My new place to go for breakfast!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pancake, Corned Beef Hash and Eggs Any Style