Mary’s of Course

Thought this would be a great place to eat but people in this town obviously don’t know good food. The place looked like it hadn’t been dusted in years. Bottom of salt & pepper shakers were caked w/​food. The breakfast was greasy and bland. Hope their new place on 4^th doesn’t suck this bad.

Wonderful freshly made breakfast. Everything, including all the sauces, are made from scratch. If you are in Winston Salem do not miss this spot. I had the eggs Benedict and tasted my kids French toast (sorry kids) — very good.
Friendly, helpful staff. Interesting local artwork on the walls.
Note: This restaurant has not closed — it has just moved. It’s a few blocks down the road (I thinks it’s at 723 N Trade St now)

Mary’s is closing for good on Sunday, May 23. Mary is opening her new restaurant, Breakfast of Course on Trade St. downtown two weeks later.
Mary’s of Course will be missed, but we were told that a new vegan restaurant will be opening in its place at the current location.

This is classic Winston. It’s small, artsy, and family run. The décor is eclectic, and local art adorns the walls. The place settings are mix-​and-​match. The menu is simple, but the food is fresh and wholesome. The vegetarian will find plenty to eat. Brunch is their thing. Be prepared to wait on the weekends.
I had the Apple Butter Baby Sandwich on my last go, and it was excellent. It consisted of egg, tasty sausage, and truly outstanding apple butter on bread from Ollie’s bakery across the street. I thoroughly recommend it.

I love Mary’s point blank. She can do no wrong in my book. The owner is sweet, her daughters are wonderful. The staff has always been nice. The breakfast is always awesome. I always get the breakfast burrito, with grits, or the apple butter baby or the turkey ruben. They salads are always good, and honestly breakfast doesn’t get any better than Mary’s. I refuse to eat breakfast anywhere else! You will wait on the weekends, but hello people! I wait for mary’s. Usually she also has coffee and muffins available for her guests while they wait. I love it!

Great little place to get breakfast. Food is good and the coffee is better. Loved their salsa. Just the right amount of kick. I can’t wait to get back and try some more of there food. The owner is aparently there all the time and you can tell. Great service.
Check if they are open before you go. They have weird hours and do not open till 930am on weekdays.

I’m probably going to get my windows smashed in for only giving Mary’s of Course a 3-​star rating, but I just don’t think it deserves better.
I go to Mary’s for breakfast about once a month. It is one of the better breakfast experiences in Winston-​Salem. The staff ranges from surly to hipster-​friendly (sorta like coffee house attitude). Original artwork and tchotchka are scattered throughout, and that’s what makes this place so original.
That said, the menu is limited. They do eggs benedict pretty good, and different versions of eggs over english muffins with hollandaise sauce. They offer good vegetarian options — in fact most of the menu is vegetarian. The grits are good — get them with cheese. And the granola is homemade and good. Breakfast potatoes are standard, but nothing to get excited about. They do serve good coffee and keep your mug filled, so that’s huge.
Note: Juice is not fresh-​squeezed, comes in a bottle, so know this when you order.
It’s a decent breakfast, a little more original than the usual southern fare seen in the area, served with an artsy flare. Is it worth standing in line for 30 minutes? Not for me, but I usually get there early.

Mary’s was my saving grace when I first moved to W-​S. It reminds me of the laid-​back, local diners I would hit up back home in Austin, TX. The food hasn’t disappointed me once. I suggest the california veggie burger, reuben, and all the soups. It’s crowded on the weekends, but trust me, the line moves faster than you think and it’s worth it!

Charming little eclectic restaurant with great food, and one of the best breakfast spots I’ve been to anywhere. Get there early on the weekend or you’ll be forced to watch and wait as the other customers mockingly enjoy their delicious food. Apple Butter Baby sandwich!

This is one of the best breakfast joints I’ve been to in a long while. Its full of personality and a sort of punk rock vibe and cooking style. This is similar to the food I’d make or want to make at my own house. Healthy, clean and just plain good. Servings are too hearty for me to finish, though my fiancé has no problem. They also get their bread from Ollie’s which is my favorite bakery in town.
I only wish they had an upgrade on their juice. But their coffee is a decent cup of joe too.

Best breakfast place in WS, maybe in the Triad. Really great food, great selection, carefully chosen ingredients, plus, the employees and setting definitely remind me of Portland – a good thing in my book.
As previously mentioned, the breakfast selections are myriad, with choice for carnivores, vegetarians, and anyone in between. French toast is awesome, as are the grits. The coffee is very good. I often got multiple breakfast dishes there. Have great memories there with LBJ.

I ate at Mary’s twice this week, and I’m ready to rave. I haven’t always had a 5-​star experience here, but this restaurant is too special to rate any lower.
First, the charm of the place. There’s so much nice personality in the décor and in the employees. If you like the salt & pepper shakers on your table, you can buy them. If you like the local artist art on the wall, you can buy it.
Second, the food. They use a lot of organic and local ingredients (I mean, locally-​milled cornmeal in the polenta cakes, hey!), and everything is fresh. The soups are consistently awesome, and their daily specials are really good. Yesterday I had the salmon salad special. It was marinated Asian-​style, perfectly seared (I hate it when it’s overcooked), served over lettuce and delicious cold soba noodles with sesame oil. It was soooo good! Last time I ate there I had soup & salad, and nestled in the soup cup was a little heart-​shaped polenta cake. Too cute.
Third, the food. Oh yes, again — there’s more. Mary’s is for everyone! There are meaty items, vegetarian items, and some vegan stuff too. Before I dropped my dairy intake, I was a big fan of the breakfast burrito and the grilled cheese special. I’ve heard the tofu scramble is de-​lish. On your standard breakfast plate, they’ll sub tasty veggie sausage if you don’t eat regular. It’s gooood!
I have one complaint, but ultimately it’s because I love Mary’s so much — the hours can be annoying if you want to drop in for a meal at your convenience. They’re only open Tuesday-​Sunday, and only from about 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The lunch rush is real, but the weekend brunch rush is realer, so prepare to wait patiently on Sat-​Sun. Come on a warm day and there’s nice outdoor seating.

This seems to be a very popular brunch spot that can get pretty crowded. I can see why — it’s a cutesy restaurant filled with various tchotchkes & nice local art, independent vibe and food that strives to be better than other options in the area. The restaurant itself was slightly too cramped. It also felt a little over the top in terms of decoration, but there certainly was some cool stuff there, particularly the local art.
Anyway, that stuff is pretty negligible for me so on to the food. Most of it was pretty standard brunch fare with a small inclination towards organic/​vegetarian options. The food seemed fresh and not processed. I had a breakfast sandwich called an apple butter baby, which had scrambled eggs, sausage, and, obviously, apple butter on wheat toast. It was a pretty large sandwich, but was a bit too sweet and greasy for me. I think the main problem was the big smoked sausage links they used on it — that sausage just made it way too greasy. I think it would be better with a less fatty sausage or something like a standard breakfast sausage link. Also, the apple butter was interesting, but maybe a bit sweet. Good concept, but I thought it needed a bit of tweaking. Hash browns were ok. I don’t recall the fruit served with it being particularly good. I also tried (if I recall correctly) some blueberry pancakes that were decent, but just decent.
Anyway, neither of the two breakfasts I tried really impressed me much to be honest, but there’s certainly a chance I didn’t order the best options. It was certainly good enough to go back though and maybe I could find something I’d like better.
3.5

If you’re ever in the market for a quirky small town diner type setting with homemade apple butter and fisher price viewfinders… this is the place. Great tea selection, as well as a decent tofu scramble. I adore Mary’s

Love Mary’s– especially the coffee and the décor and the vibe. But I can’t get psyched about the brunch any more– it’s just not as good as the brunch at 6^th and Vine. Sorry, Mary’s– you just need to try a little harder, culinarily. Bennies are good but not great (I had a goat-​cheese spinach one like I used to get in Montréal but the spinach was uncooked and very dry and the goat cheese was barely discernible); omelets usually arrive kind of over-​done. Fruit-​cup was canned. I know this is not Montréal, where the bennies come 100 ways, the lox is always fresh and the fruit is usually fresh cantaloupe with strawberries, but I think they can do better. I still love this place, will still go there for the atmosphere (sadly lacking in the rest of winston-​salem). I just wish the food tasted as good as the atmosphere feels.

What a breath of fresh air from it’s hilarious collection of Jim and Tammy Faye Baker album covers posted along the rear wall to the chalkboard menu of daily specials including a grilled cheese of the day and a polenta of the day. I can’t wait to get back for breakfast. I love it when I find quality, locally-​owned and operated restaurants while traveling for business. Mary’s Of Course is located a short walk or drive from the Marriott and Embassy Suites, the two main hotels in downtown WS.

Really can’t say enough about this place! First of all, the most important thing, the food. Although I can’t say much because I never venture from my favorite, the breakfast burrito; the good is amazing! I can’t even explain it’s just heavenly! They are always packed and there is always a line so I know I’m not the only person who thinks this. The atmosphere is awesome too. The staff is great and you get the warm family owned feel when your there. They have tons of little knick knack and cool things to look at. The art on the walls is local and for sale too, most of it atleast!
Obviously I don’t live in Winston-​Salem now, so I have definitely been deprived! I miss you Mary’s of Course! Every time I go home I make sure I set aside a morning to relax and eat a wonderful breakfast with my friends and family at Mary’s of Course.

I love this place: great food, fun atmosphere! It’s one of the most independent feeling places in town. It’s a bit crowded during brunch on weekends, but worth the wait if you have time. Good selections for vegans.

Great food in a hippy atmosphere — ok, they do have a Tammy Fae record collection on display.
They have a great selection of organic and healthy menu items. Most unusual for this neck of the woods.
My fav here is the veggie burger, best in town.