Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe

Tried it. Not impressed but nothing to gig them hard on. Walked in and they we not busy at all, but we were not greeted by anyone. First time there so initially sat in the ‘Waffle House looking’ front. Then found after asking we could go to more quaint back seating. Breakfast with one egg and two small pieces of bacon, not much on portion size or value. Kind of a nicer Waffle House. Our server was very nice and attentive. Food was good and they definitely know buttermilk pancakes.

My daughter and I were down to see UNC and this place was recommended by a woman at our hotel as a place to have breakfast before the campus tour. Specifically I was on the hunt for grits, as I always am when I come down south. The breakfast was great, classic fried eggs with grits, bacon, and hash browns. I ordered a biscuit on the side which I thought wasn’t the best biscuit I’d ever had, but certainly not the worst either. I think the hash browns could have been crispier but they were very tasty overall. My daughter had an m&m waffle which she raved about. Definitely a place I would go to again (and again!) if my daughter (hopefully) gets in.

What a horrible nightmare. To start we were serenated with the sounds of the dishwasher. Which is in the dinning room. Secondly our server was just awful she was just mumbling to us and never came back to check on our food. Now on to the food. My scrambled eggs that has been cooked before I arrived at the restaurant went nicely with my old overcooked hash browns but at least they were cold. My bacon which was also cooked before our time of arrival in an oven and left to have grease congeal all over it tasted so bad I can’t get the taste of it out of my mouth. And my girlfriend had to wash out her mouth to get all of the grease from the over medium eggs out of her tastebuds. Highly recommended if you want to feel like crap after breakfast.

Great food, great service, great prices, great friends! Thanks ye olde! Home appetit!

Ok very disappointed I drove an hour to eat here after seeing it on tv Traveler and I must say it was nothing like it was on TV waffle was thin and cold on tv it was huge and ego is a better waffle we also had an omelet it was ok but over priced for how small it was but tastes ok nothing special, also got 2 sides of bacon at $ 3 each only 3 strips of small bacon so that’s a $ 1 a strip defiantly not worth it so if you are thinking of making a special trip to Chapel Hill to try this place save your gas a local Waffle House will be a better choice and that’s bad. It was my birthday and started off with a bad meal so needless to say I want be back.

Solid choice for breakfast and brunch. Pretty typical diner food. There isn’t anything particularly unique or must have, but everything I’ve had has always been done well. I’m a fan of the pancakes and waffles (of course). These aren’t Belgian super fancy waffles, but they’re good.
The place can get pretty crowded quickly and the line can snake outside of the building at times, but service is quick. They’re pretty nice about not rushing you out of the door despite a growing line.
I would definitely come back if I was in the area again.

Always pretty good. Especially like their omelet! Egg white with bacon and sausage is my go to! The owner is super nice as well. Definitely go there for breakfast when they are open!

We love the consistency of this establishment. In the 1980’s the food was awesome. Today, still top notch! We love that the orders are always right and that the prices are reasonable. The food always has the great flavored you expect.

Very cool place to go in Chapel Hill. I had breakfast here, and the food is good (I did not order waffles!). For me, this is a place to go almost more for the experience than the food itself. I went on a Sunday in the late morning/​early afternoon and it is a fun place to people watch. Lots of families and men in their bow ties and Sunday best. People from lots of different backgrounds. I had breakfast at the counter and met a man visiting from Georgia.

Nothing all that special here. My husband raved about this place but my omelette was just alright and the potato hash browns were very bland. I don’t think I’ll return.

Perfectly fine place to nurse a hangover after a short night. Kind service. Would be nice if they offered pure maple syrup for an added fee, to appease us maple syrup snobs who hail from the north.

Good bacon good waffles. Not a fan of their pancakes but came free with the order.
The place was freezing on a hot day.

Thought this place (a Chapel Hill institution) was just ok. Diner food, with an extensive menu, but nothing special. I’d rather go to bskis or breadmans. The biscuits were the best part (I had pecan waffle, farmer omelette, hashbrowns, biscuit). My husband loves their cheese omelette.

I love Ye Old Waffle Shoppe. I don’t get over there very often because I live in Durham, but I try to go once or twice a year. I tend to get one of the egg meals. The last time I had one egg scrambled with cheese with hash browns and toast.
The egg was perfectly cooked with the right amount of cheese perfectly melted in. They already had a bottle of hot sauce on the table for me to cover all over my egg.
Hash browns were ok. Nothing special. Toast was great. On my most recent visit my meal came with a free pancake (I felt like I’d won some sort of breakfast lottery) but I turned it down. Too much food for me to eat!
Service was fantastic. Our waitress was super prompt with everything and very nice.
I love the atmosphere of the place. Yes, it is very small, but I think that gives it its charm. When I went there was no wait for tables (8:00 am during the week). I would not wait if there was a long line, but I would not do that anywhere!

Items Selected:
World’s Worst Coffee
Buttermilk Biscuit
Pecan Waffle
M&M Pancakes
Considered to be a Chapel Hill institution, particularly on days before the Tar Heels take the court, it was around 8:30am that we located parking in front of Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe and entering to find a ‘thirty minute or so…’ line snaked along the left wall it was with high expectations that we stood, the smiles of several co-​eds and alumni portending good things… or at least so it seemed.
Unabashedly crowded, the sort of place that would seem busy even if it were only half-​full due to the shotgun narrow space set alongside the kitchen, waffle irons, griddle, dish washers and it was unfortunately the later that assaulted our nostrils as we approached the front of the line, and frankly becoming nauseated from the smell of Cascade and chlorine as we waited it almost enough to make me leave — any seat juxtaposing the area absolutely unacceptable, though we would thankfully soon be sat in the back-​room where a questionably competent young server attempted to man far more tables than should have been allotted to one person.
Thankfully expedited in prep, the line cooks clearly well attuned to the need for turning tables, it was less than ten minutes after ordering that plates were delivered and having already given up on luke-​warm, acrid coffee that rivals the worst found anywhere our attention turned to the food, the biscuits seemingly cut out of a tube from Pillsbury, while two batters fared only slightly superior, the ‘whipped spread’ and Log Cabin doing little to raise the stakes.
Truly a disappointment, one part the effect of hype and the other a simple lack of quality product, suffice it to say that the Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe’s eponymous item was a ‘best available’ sort of experience though opting for the pecan upcharge was insulting at best, the pieces supposedly within the batter but entirely imperceptible while the candy in the pancakes was par for the course — a touch color and cocoa added to the doughy, bland base.

Me and my wife frequent this place every other weekend. What we love about it is the consistency, be it the food or service. We know the staff so well that we gave one a christmas present! :)
Its placed on franklin street which can get pretty packed during a gameday. The queue to get seating on such a day can be long and outside the restaurant. They mainly have tables for 4s and a couple for ⁶⁄₈.
My personal favorites are the farmers omlette, big bird omlette, m&m pancakes, grilled cheese and their biscuit. We have never had to wait for our food for more than 10 mins. I highly recommend this place!
PS– They have cheaper combos on weekdays before 9 30 am.

Ye Olde has its biography just written in its name: it’s old and they have delightful waffles.
Even though Waffle House came in down the street, they are no competition for the awesome food and experience you get at Ye Olde. It looks like a Waffle House type diner in the front, but they have more seating in the back as well. The staff is generally pretty friendly and have fast service.
I had the blueberry waffle today. It was my first unhealthy breakfast food in a long time, and I loved every.single.moment. Next time, I’ll be asking for some whipped cream to go on top to satisfy my sweet tooth. :)
Parking sucks, but where does it not suck anywhere near the UNC campus?

Very cute and homey breakfast place in «downtown» Chapel Hill. The pros: very solid breakfast foods at an affordable price. Most dishes are around $ 5-​$ 8, which is awesome. If you’re a fan of pancakes or waffles, Ye Old definitely delivers. The cinnamon apple and M&M toppings are the bomb. You can get kitchen-​side seating where you can simultaneously eat and watch the impressive cooks making aromatic foods.
The cons: limited parking and seating — try to get here early! The menu items aren’t very flexible either, so dietary accommodations are a little difficult to work out (e.g. getting the sides taken off a dish doesn’t decrease the price, and fruit cannot be substituted as a side…)
Otherwise, a great breakfast place if you’re in the area!

I enjoyed my omelette, but their waffle fairly standard. They had quick service and the downtown location is nice. I don’t know how much I would be touting that though i came here during the school year. Not bad though considering the other breakfast options. I’m just a little spoiled when it comes to eating at great breakfast diners. I might have given 3 ½ stars if that were an option.

Nice local place here on the Franklin «Strip».
Not to confused with the Waffle House a few doors down, the Ye Olde Waffle House is a locals brand (circa 1972) that delivers a great diner menu with very friendly service. I like both… but prefer it here based on the menu choices. I can go to Waffle House anywhere. There’s only one Ye Olde Waffle Shoppe.
A great omelette here is the Spinach & Feta omelette. Fluffy, just the right amount of Spinach and rich flavorful Feta. With all my strength, I try skip the grits which are deliciously good with that rich Land O’Lakes butter.