General Store Café

The General Store has been one of my favorite places for years, but they closed their doors on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2012.

So, we needed caffeine and the options in Pittsboro are not as plentiful as we’re accustomed to so we ended up at the General Store Café. The big «Café» board stated they had freshly made and brewed coffee drinks with Ghirardelli chocolate and organic milk. Ha! I watched the «barista» mix my mocha from a pot of coffee while adding generic chocolate syrup from the supermarket. The steamed milk on top was Food Lion 2%. I was way too polite to call the guy out in front of a room full of customers, but that is some serious false advertising! My mocha tasted like warm milk and was quietly replaced with a real mocha once we arrived in Chapel Hill 40 minutes later.

I had the howlin’ grits and they were great! This is a fun place for brunch and is decorated in a shabby chic sort of style. Lots of interesting artwork to look at and a fun space that they’ve made the most of.

Cute, quaint little café in downtown Pittsboro.
An eclectic array of art, décor and setting welcomes you into the café. From booths to tables to outside bistro wrought iron tables and high chairs the General Store offers a homey feel with an artsy touch. The hodge podge of painted art, sculpture and misc. pieces give you a hint that this is a fun place.
Went to the General Store for dinner, I never look for really heavy dinner options, and didn’t really expect that here… but I was a bit disappointed that the menus only offered sandwiches, burritos and two hot sandwiches. Earlier I had checked online and they said they had ravoli, shrimp and grits, etc for dinner, and after I had finished my meal I heard another server go over the dinner specials which included fish tacos. I didn’t see any of these options on the menu and the server didn’t mention any. Oh well, no love lost as I enjoyed their chicken salad sandwich (with grapes and pecans) on fresh white bread with a side of their house salad. For under $ 8 it was a generous helping of both chicken and house salad.
Our server did seem to forget or neglect us for a longer period than normal (we were waiting to get our check), but I think that’s just a minor oversight and we were prob. dining a bit faster than most patrons there. At the General Store you’ll want to sit back, relax, and enjoy the atmosphere.

This was Me and my Mom’s first time here. The service was good. Very quiet for a Monday which was well worth it. We had plenty of time to pick out our order. The tea selection was too many choices and the burgers were good. I just don’t see paying $ 8 dollars again when it didn’t come with any sides. The peak time of the restaurant got busy right when it was closing. So I think it should stay open later at least until 4:00 p.m. Pittsbore is so quant and cute. Had I known the other stores weren’t open I would have come on a different day.

Great food, great atmosphere, and a Pittsboro restaurant you should not skip.
My favorite dish is the brunch special on Sundays. Tasty belgian waffle with wonderful real maple syrup and berry compote, 2 eggs, bacon, and a side of wheat toast.

Right after moving to the Triangle, I drove down to Pittsboro one day to take a look around. I stopped in at the General Store Café to have a quick bite. What I found was quite a treat.
Think of the old drugstore lunch counter from days-​gone-​by, but with a fresh and funky twist. I had a great lunch and got to look at some interesting local art on the display. The space is big and filled with all sorts of cool things to browse.
There were a couple of book groups and a knitting group meeting while I was there, so this place is obviously the heart of this small community. I was also told they sometimes have live music and dancing on the weekends!

Overall Experience: 3.5 Stars
— — — — — — — — — — — — -
Food options: 3.0 Stars
Food quality: 4.0 Stars
Drink options: 3.5 Stars
Drink quality: 3.0 Stars
Ambiance: 4.0 Stars
Service: 4.0 Stars
Other (Music on the weekends): 4.0 Stars
— — — — — — — — — — — — -
Items sampled and impression:
I had the avocado club with a side of beet salad and the chicken salad as a salad. The avocado club was very good with ultra fresh avocado and tomato acting as a nice compliment to the sunflower bread. The only suggestion would be to use a sharper cheese the slices through the fatty and sweet flavors of the avocado and tomato, rather than competes for the same territory. The beet salad was crisp, flavorful and fresh. The chicken salad was a little bland but it was on a nice bed of lettuce with an assortment of sliced veg.
— — — — — — — — — — — — -
Highlight: very fresh and flavorful food
Lowlight: the chicken salad was just ok
On Balance: a great spot to grab a meal in Pittsboro with a nice assortment of quality options; I can’t wait to come back to see a show on the stage

My family visited the café again last weekend. We’ve been several times and the food is always local and pretty tasty. Their menu is not incredibly diverse (burritos are one of their perennial specialties), but their dinner specials are a refreshing change and often quite good. I’ve had the lunch pulled pork bar-​b-​q sandwich and it is local and excellent.
It feels less like a «general store» and more like a warehouse turned kitchen/​coffee and smoothie bar/​music stage/​art gallery/​modern café. I would recommend a visit, but at dinner the food is pricey and not really a good value. For two adults and one child we paid $ 70 (w/​tip) for only entrees and dessert (no drinks). One entrée was a $ 17 vegetarian pasta dish. The price alone rank this 3 stars rather than a 4 although its a great stop coffee a snack or a smoothie.

I’ve been hearing about this spot for years, but never made the drive to Pittsboro for dinner until last night.
The General Store Café has a wonderful window out onto the roundabout in the heart of Pittsboro. At first glance it looks a little smallish, until they usher you past the food prep area… and suddenly you are in a large, open space, punctuated with cool and funky artwork throughout. At the far end is a stage for live performances, dominated by a mural of an aerial view of Pittsboro from the north…
There are plenty of tables, and along the east wall there are tables along a bench seat — and that led to my only disappointment with the place.
The folks next to us — a party of 8 or 9 — had five children with them, below the age of 10. While the little boy remained seated, the four little girls had free run of the place, and no one — parents, grandparents, staff, or myself — said anything to stop their malarkey. Actually the place is large enough that while they were out of sight, it was no bother — but when returning or leaving, they would jump up onto the bench seat, and the vibrations would be… annoying.
Aside from that — everything was just fine. Our waitress was terrific, and very helpful to accommodate my wife’s need for a gluten-​free menu. Robin had a veggie-​burger sans bun, topped with a piece of goat cheese from Celebrity Dairy (just down the road in Siler City) that she continues to rave about today. The ‘sweet potato fries’ were actually pretty significant and massive wedges that I just had to sample, and they were delicious! I opted for the pork stir-​fry special, and was pleasantly surprised. The pork was locally grown and free of added hormones or antibiotics — always a major plus for me. It was spiced nicely, and fell short only in texture — the pieces of pork and veggies had been minced — and I prefer them a little more ‘al dente.‘
The band was setting up as we were leaving — but we had plans to go see a friend who was performing at City Tap a couple of blocks away, so that will have to wait. It’s such a nice space, I’d love to come back for dinner AND music. …and I plan to!

This place is cool. You can purchase local art here while reading a book. They have another area where you can have lunch. Quaint Coffee House. You have different sittings to suit your mood. Interesting table tops made out of old doors. If you are into local art you will love this place, if not you will love it anyway.
I have been here a number of times and always had good service and good food.

My sister and I were thrifting through Chatham County and decided to stop in Pittsboro for lunch. After checking Unilocal,we decided on the General Store Café. Overall, it was a great lunch spot! We both got sandwiches. I was trying to eat healthy, so I got a yummy veggie sandwich and no chips… but the sandwich still came with a pickle.
For the food, I would give it 5 stars. It was a perfect lunch on the road! But the service was a little disappointing. The waiter took my food away while I was still eating! I mean, maybe I’m a little crazy… I don’t think that’s ever happened to me at a restaurant. And I’m wayyy to shy to be like, «Hey! I haven’t finished!»
Anyways, I would totally go back!

There aren’t many restaurants in Pittsboro, but if you’re going to be in town the General Store Café is well worth the visit! The atmosphere is lovely in the front of the building — large windows overlook downtown Pittsboro and a little cottage-​garden style landscaping around the building — but I find the newly renovated area in the back to be a little cavelike and not as appealing.
Also renovated is the menu, with fewer, and less interesting, vegetarian choices than before. In a lunch menu already limited to salads, sandwiches and burritos (albeit very generously-​portioned ones), fewer choices does not an improvement make. What’s there is tasty on the whole, however, and while neither fancy nor cutting edge, will make for a satisfying meal — and really, it’s a bit of a relief to find a place that’s not trying to out-​trendy itself for once!
I usually opt for the quiche of the day, though while the menu says the (delicious, feta-​rich) Greek salad can be substituted for the (generous and lovely) side salad that comes with the quiche, only once have I actually managed to receive that despite attempting to make sure that our server has made a note of the substitution. Other than this ongoing issue, I find the service to be evenly good; not hover-​over-​your-​shoulder attentive, which I loathe, but neither is it an episode of The Amazing Disappearing Waitstaff! show.
We’ve only been once for dinner, and that was some time ago; the new dinner menu fails to intrigue me so we haven’t been back for an evening meal. It’s a great spot for lunch to be sure, and a very popular one, so I recommend getting there early or after 1 PM to avoid the lunch rush so you can get a nice seat at one of the retro-​cute tables near the window instead of blinking in the darkness of Caveland in the back. Again, don’t expect Food Network-​style supertrend food; go there expecting fresh food with variety that’s a twist on the classic diner tradition and you’ll probably leave happy.

I loved eating here. The only problem is you want to buy all the things around you (and can if you have the money)
The food is good, the servers are really friendly and the atmosphere is great.
I can’t wait to eat here on my next visit.

I worked here the last few months of my senior year at NHS. I remember when GSC was actually a general store, and its transformation into a slightly expensive restaurant was nice enough. I used to get the Mayan burrito for my shift meal and I usually loved the bands on the weekends.
That was four years ago, and the GSC today is a little different. It still has a great atmosphere, but their basic menu has gotten more expensive. The bands are still fun and the staff is *always* friendly. If you’re from out of town, I suggest coming in for the Saturday brunch or getting a table for dinner near the stage if you like live music. Of course, the local crowd is a little snooty, but nice enough. If you don’t mind bruising your wallet a little, come on down to the General Store Café for some fun.

I love the General Store Café! They definitely put the funk in funky!
It’s really one of my all time favorites. I just wish it were closer to Durham and their prices were a little lower, but then it wouldn’t be as good, would it?! Sure it could!
Although they’ve added on a great space in the back where they have live music, which I’ve yet to go there to hear, I still enjoy the atmosphere in the section up front the best. I guess in the evening the vibe in back would be pretty good though.
I’ve never had a bad meal there, or should I say, they’ve always been great! Very fresh ingredients. Brunch is really good, amazing breakfast burrito. Lunch is super too, with always a nice choice for quiche and great homemade salad dressings, particularly the lemon tahini, my favorite.
Have yet to experience dinner there (a bit pricey). Although on Tuesday nights they’ve been offering any two meals from their seasonal specials menu for only $ 20 and it includes dessert, so I think I need to check it out!
Also, the ice tea is amazing! I could drink it all day long and do drink glass after glass, after glass when I’m there!
Don’t miss desert — anything they have is to die for!

What an awesome small town restaurant this place is!!! So I was going to lunch with one of my clients, and he took me to this place, and it was just cute as a button!!!
They have a store up front, with a café, where you can buy lots of neat little knick knacks for your house and garden, and then they have lots of various paintings on the wall. I can’t even describe it to you, b/​c it’s such a blend of different things. Definitely a neat little place.
And the food was pretty good as well. I had a chicken salad sandwich on a croissant and it was DELISH!!! They piled the chicken in there, definitely not stingy with that.
If you are ever passing through this small town in NC, definitely take the time to stop by here, it’s definitely well worth going off the beaten path!

I’ve been going to the GSC for nearly 10 years. When I first started, their burritos were only available for lunch on weekdays. I’d have to take time off work or catch the odd day when they were open on a holiday to enjoy the Famous New Mexican Green Chili Burrito (FNMGCB) – and that will always be my favorite dish at the GSC.
For several years, they offered the FNMGCB for dinner as well, and during that time, we often drove several times a month from Durham, just to savor the spiciness.
Sadly, in recent times, they’ve attempted to upscale themselves out of serving such «simple» foods for dinner, opting for pricier dishes that don’t hold the charm of the FNMGCB. Don’t get me wrong, the dinner burritos are still good, but they aren’t as delightful.
They also switched from Coke to Pepsi products. I often see that as a sign of following money over quality. It’s good to make a profit, but don’t sacrifice the integrity of your taste – and Pepsi products just don’t often taste as fresh and good as Coke products.
I still love the place, but I do yearn for the days when the FNMGCB was available for dinner with a nice diet Coke.

I adore PIttsboro, and The GSC is in large part responsible for this. The establishment is deceptively huge. There is an outdoor patio section, the front café section, and then toward the back, an enormous room with table seating and a stage where they host nightly local performers.
Scattered throughout the restaurant are little sections of souvenirs, housewares and kitsch to peruse. The menu has a very Berkeley-​esque vibe to it, lots of veggie items (hurray!) and hippie treats. I order the Tempeh soft tacos, served with rice, beans and a side of fantastically fresh cilantro salsa. Great atmosphere, great place.

Gas is $ 4 you say? So what, I say. This is well worth the excursion to Pittsboro. A cute, quaint little brunch/​lunch joint. The coffee is as good as the food — that is, quite good! What I love most, though, is the feel. It’s like you’re having lunch at a close friend’s house. Walk in, place your order at the counter, choose your mug, get your coffee fixings, and then pick a room (living room? sun-​room? sitting room?) and a café table to sit down at. Or take a moment to browse the shelves — quirky knickknacks like old souvenirs or childhood toys, collections of books, etc. — while you wait on your food. I could (and have!) spend several comfortable hours having coffee and catching up with a friend at a place like this.