Don’t Waffle Over This Menu. The Wafflery Lets You Choose. – Charlotte Magazine

When Mattie’s Diner reopened two years ago in Plaza Shamrock, customers clamored to the counter to order something hot off the griddle. This location was bigger than the original chrome diner car that sat across from The Music Factory until its 2015 closing. But owner Matt King still didn’t have enough space in the kitchen to prepare some of his most-requested breakfast items: waffles and biscuits.

It inspired The Wafflery, which he opened in the former White Duck Taco spot in the Belmont neighborhood in May.

The fast-casual restaurant specializes in waffles, biscuits, and grits (another blank canvas for creative breakfast fare), with signature items and build-your-own options. Like its sister restaurant, The Wafflery is unfussy and affordable, with nothing on the menu more than $18 (before add-ons). 

The setup is a departure from the red leather booths and tabletop jukeboxes at Mattie’s. The bright, industrial space has concrete floors, bulb pendant lights, and a menu displayed on three flat-screen TVs above the register. Pops of orange and yellow dot the white interior—and stimulate your appetite. Marigold accent walls, tangerine chairs, and honeycomb-colored plates make you hungry for golden waffles drenched in syrup as you inch closer to the counter. This is where decisions must be made.

Choose your waffle (traditional golden, red velvet, pecan, chocolate chip, cornbread, or vegan) and dress it up with meats, toppings, and sauces. Proteins include fried chicken ($14), chopped bacon ($12), crabcake ($17), and eight others. Each waffle comes with two toppings (add more for $1.50 each), so you can satisfy your sweet tooth with strawberries and whipped cream or go savory with fried pickles or collard greens. The 10 sauces include hot honey, bacon jam, and spicy maple syrup.

It’s the same drill with biscuits. Fill them with hot fried chicken ($14), pot roast ($14), or vegan sausage ($13) and add your preferred toppings and sauces. If you’re prone to decision fatigue, stick to the right side of the menu, where you’ll find signature items like a Crabcake Benedict Biscuit ($17) and Chicken & Red Velvet Waffle ($16). 

Signature menu items include the Crabcake Benedict Biscuit.

Next, you’ll find seven signature grit bowls. As any Southerner knows, grits are a vehicle for whatever you add to them, and the Fried Chicken Grits Bowl ($16) is a testament to that. The fried chicken, egg, crispy Brussels sprouts, grilled peppers and onions, and maple balsamic drizzle infuses the spicy jalapeño grits with smokey, savory, and sweet notes. If you want to taste their versatility, try the Chocolate Grits Bowl ($14), loaded with chocolate, caramel, bananas, bacon crumbles, and peanut butter sauce.  

The Shrimp & Grits

The Wafflery also has a $7 Kids Menu (like the Build-Your-Own menu but with fewer options) and a Midday Munch lineup with a wrap, burger, and salad. The Waffle Wonders section features over-the-top creations like the Syrup Stacker ($14), a heap of waffle-battered waffle fries layered with scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, cheddar, maple syrup, and powdered sugar. 

Once you’ve placed your order, take a number and grab your napkins, utensils, and drinks at the beverage station. Have a seat in the dining area or head outside to the covered patio and settle in at an orange picnic table with a sweet tea or iced latte. 

When your meal lands on your table, chances are good your plate will look different from everyone else’s—and your server might even praise your unique flavor combinations. This is where King gets it right. Customers love options, but they don’t always want to navigate a phone book-sized menu. Here, you have control over your meal while the staff does the heavy lifting. Yet, somehow, you still get all the credit.

TAYLOR BOWLER is the lifestyle editor.