The Purple Onion Cafe
+1 910-755-6071+ Add websiteImprove this listing
Hours
Sun
6:30 AM - 2:00 PM
Mon
6:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Wed
6:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Thu
6:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Fri
6:30 AM - 3:00 PM
Sat
6:30 AM - 3:00 PM
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Details
Someone from this business manages this listing.
Learn More
PRICE RANGE
$3.00 – $18.00
CUISINES
American, Cafe
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options
meals, features
Can a gluten free person get a good meal at this restaurant?
Details
About
The Purple Onion Cafe opened on Main Street in Shallotte in 2004. Since then they have become a community favorite serving locals & visitors breakfast and lunch with a delicious menu of pastries, traditional breakfast items, burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads and desserts.
PRICE RANGE
$3.00 – $18.00
CUISINES
American, Cafe
Special Diets
Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options
Meals
Breakfast, Lunch, Brunch
FEATURES
Takeout, Seating, Parking Available, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Gift Cards Available
Contribute
4.5
598 reviews
Excellent
373
Very good
144
Average
39
Poor
21
Terrible
21
CZiegler04
Monroe186 contributions
May 2021 • friends
We were invited to dinner with friends and offered to bring dessert. After an extremely disappointing experience at a bakery in Sunset, we decided to check out desserts at The Purple Onion. The customer service was excellent, and Hailey was patient with our questions as we discussed our options. We had decided to purchase a Sundrop Pound Cake, and Hailey was kind enough to provide us with a small sample because she wanted us to be sure of our selection. The pound cake was so moist and the perfect choice. The customer service and the very reasonable price will makeThe Purple Onion first on our list when looking for desserts in the future.
Written May 29, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomas H
19 contributions
Aug 2022 • couples
Arrived @ 8:30 for breakfast and found it to be moderately busy. We were seated almost immediately. Our server was prompt in taking and delivering our coffee and drinks. She was also very attentive as we took the time to figure out what we wanted. After ordering, food came out in a timely manner and was hot and fresh and more importantly, it was delicious! Overall an excellent breakfast experience and I noticed a lot of locals eating there which is always a good sign. We will definitely be eating here again when we are in town.
Written August 22, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Debbie H
Ferguson1122 contributions
Jul 2022 • couples
2nd time visiting. Food was good. Found a piece of bone or hard shell fragment in my chicken salad platter. Gave it to waitress and they took a dollar off our meal. (Pricing for salad platter extra salad item was different than on menu and a bit confusing.). Shared it with hubby and he ordered a turkey reuben. They were super busy and waitress was in a hurry. Will go back again.
Written August 3, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
piratesr1
Calabash42 contributions
May 2022 • none
This is one of our “go-to” spots for breakfast and lunch. Reasonable prices and consistently good food. And the best desserts in the world (if you like carrot cake, put this place on your dessert “bucket list”!).
However, a recent visit was very disappointing. We went for breakfast, but we’re told when we arrived they were serving lunch (20 minutes early). We also noticed a small sign that said they had an issue with keeping the kitchen staffed and requested our patience. I appreciated the heads up. We were seated quickly and our order was taken by a very nice server. Then we waited for 30+ minutes to receive our order. A result of the kitchen problems I’m sure. All understandable.
Then I noticed that my Reuben only had one slice of beef (see photo). We were very understanding of all the other issues, but this is ridiculous! If you can’t keep kitchen staff and you’re cutting back on your food quality to save money, maybe you need to go up on your prices. I’d have gladly paid an extra couple of bucks for a few more slices of meat and served a little quicker!
Written June 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brillat-savarin_910
Shallotte31 contributions
Oct 2022 • none
We visited for breakfast and were immediately seated. It took about 10 minutes for the server to visit and go for our drinks. We noted that the table was set with plastic forks and spoons. The server told us this was because they had taken all of the "silverware" to a catering event. Apparently, this catering event took up other of the restaurant's assets as it took 50 minutes to be served. The rest of the meal was somewhat subpar as the toast was burned on one side (strategically placed down), and the entire meal was served cold. It appears from what we could see that the owners/management need to decide if they want to be caterers or restauranteurs. Apparently, with the given facilities and manpower, this is not doable. One more trip like this and we will explore our options.
Written October 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ken A
Walnut Cove433 contributions
May 2022 • couples
We stopped in for breakfast on a Saturday morning. The place was very busy but the staff was attentive and got to us as quickly as possible. We were seated and our drink order taken. My wife had 2 pancakes, with scrambled egg, and bacon. Very good pancakes and they were literally over the edges of the plate. The scrambled egg was good but the bacon was excellent - nice smoky taste and perfectly cooked. I had two eggs over easy, home fries, sausage patties with toast and all were very good. Bill came to $ 15 which was a good value for the quality and quantity of food. Service was a little slow but obviously due to the volume of activity. My only complaint is the plastic plates which are okay but they are way too small for the serving sizes. Move up one size so the food is contained.
Written May 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Saint800
Southport17 contributions
Jan 2022 • family
I love this place. When I moved to Shallotte a friend recommended it. The menu seems to cross bounds to make the customer happy. I have tried to sample all of the menu, but I am not there yet. It might be the best breakfast place short of a Jersey diner. The staff makes you feel like you are a part of their family. Best to them so I have a place to be at home.
Written January 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jerry S
Belhaven5 contributions
May 2021 • none
Second visit, both disappointing. First time breakfast burrito -- someone should explain to the cook what a burrito looks like. Second time, Monday, May 24,2021, ordered the build your own omelet with home fries and sourdough toast. They left out the sausage, the egg had no flavor, the home fries looked and tasted like yesterday's home fries and they replaced my sourdough toast with Texas toast. My wife had fried eggs and an apple muffin. The eggs were fine but the apple muffin tasted like it came from a grocery store freezer. Two times is enough for us.
Written May 24, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Melinda
Bowling Green257 contributions
Oct 2023 • couples
I ordered bacon, fried potatoes, biscuit and French toast. My biscuit was cold and hard, my potatoes were so hard I could not eat them!
I had heard this was a great place to try, but won’t be returning sorry
Written October 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan B
Coastal South Carolina1 contribution
Jun 2023 • couples
Not sure how a restaurant in this day and age does not offer any gluten free bread options. Especially since their entire menu is pretty much sandwiches. Requested an omelet and was told breakfast ends at 10:30. Ordered a bun less burger (which was ok) and sweet potato fries (which were dried out and inedible).
Written June 19, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gil421
Wilmington45 contributions
Feb 2020 • none
We had decided to discover Shallotte and have our lunch in this region. Our choice is for this restaurant, whose reviews seemed interesting to us.
Although it was noon, we waited less than 5 minutes to be seated at our table, while the dining room was very crowded. As in all these establishments open since 6:30 am the lunch menu is quite conventional.
Anyway our choice did not disappoint us, quite the contrary. The products are fresh, the plentifully served and well presented plates make you want to start your meal quickly. The service is very efficient while remaining discreet.
The quality to price ratio is excellent.
We will definitely come back to this place to test the breakfast menu this time.
Written February 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
luv2vacation0
North Carolina273 contributions
Oct 2024 • couples
We had lunch here and it was fresh food prepared beautifully. Sandwiches, salads, burgers and soups were available. I highly recommend the chef salad with poppyseed dressing. It is one of the best dishes I’ve had in a while. Hubby had a portobello mushroom sandwich and loved it. Service was quick and friendly in a cute dining room that was very clean. Loved it!
Written October 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cherri_R25
Pullman54 contributions
Jun 2022 • none
We were looking for a quick lunch while we waited for our beach house to be ready and saw The Purple Onion Cafe on the internet. Thinking it would be fun to try a local restaurant and avoid the chain fast food places we decided to give this a try.
What an amazing surprise. The food was excellent, the service was above and beyond. Our experience could not have been any better (okay, if it were free it would have been better :)
It was very busy and we did need to wait, but it was well worth the wait. It was a Monday, at around 1:30pm. I highly recommend The Purple Onion Cafe.
Written June 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Terry B
Thank you so much for your kind review Cherri! We hope to see you all again in the future :)
Written July 7, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
JMiller2014
Whittier11 contributions
Jul 2020 • none
While waiting to be seated, a man and a boy came in and man cussed because he had to put a mask on for entry into the restaurant. Then we were seated and it took some time for a waitress to come and ask for our drink order. When she did, we were also ready to order. The menu is a little misleading as one biscuit is actual a whole biscuit cut in half which is kind of "two" so one would have been enough if knowing such was the order. Usually you receive two slices of bread for french toast however not with an egg. The coffee was good. Another waitress filled up the coffee cups.
Written July 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
grpandnana
Wilmington572 contributions
Mar 2021 • couples
Friends told us this was a great restaurant. Not exactly what I would call it. Mediocre food, not friendly service, dirty floors, no paper towels or toilet paper in the men’s room.
Hubby had the Carolina Burger, one bite and he said, canned chili on a burger, was not impressed. I had one of their salads, only thing available for a person allergic to gluten.
Hubby did take a piece of carrot cake home and enjoyed it.
Written March 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Showing results 1-15 of 598
Best moderately priced restaurants
See all
Best nearby
We rank these hotels, restaurants, and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Best nearby hotels
See all Best nearby restaurants
See all Is This Your Listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Free Listing