If you’re looking for the perfect place to jumpstart your day, Canopy Road Cafe is the spot for you.
No worries, though, you are not sitting under huge moss-draped live oaks, hickory trees, and sweet gums as pines cast their protective shade over your head. But indeed, the dining area outside offers some ambiance.
The moment you walk into the restaurant, you are greeted immediately with a smile.
Specializing in traditional breakfast and lunch fare, Canopy Road Cafe is immensely popular for its Southern charm with a spin of fun and innovative twists that set it apart from most breakfast establishments.
Owners Brad Buckenheimer and David Raney opened the first Canopy Road Cafe in Tallahassee in 2007, shortly after graduating from Florida State University. It is now a chain with five locations: three in Tallahassee, one in Jacksonville and one in Tampa.
Typically when I visit, I dine at the location on North Monroe Street since it is closer to my house. The other locations are on Apalachee Parkway and Capital Circle.
With both owners having strong roots in the hospitality industry and corporate dining, they opened their first restaurant at the age of 25 and never looked back.
Their goal was to create a place where folks could order greasy spoon diner food with a Southern twist.
The establishment provides great, and affordable dishes with friendly, attentive service that welcomes you like family.
Like most restaurants, you would usually have to wait for your coffee to be refilled or wave your waiter down for another cup. But here the waiters are attentive; your coffee mug never reaches the bottom before you receive a refill.
The best part is the food. My goodness, the amount of food given is truly a lot. So much that you’re able to stuff yourself and take plates of leftovers. This place is truly a gem for amazing sandwiches and breakfast fare. They have such a creative take on their breakfast menu.
They make their eggs a million different ways. The food here will leave you so incredibly satisfied that you would never think of going anywhere else in Tallahassee.
Not only is their food amazingly delicious, it is also very affordable. A short stack of buttermilk pancakes is $8, and a full stack is $9. For their signature pancakes, a half order of pancakes are $9 and the full order is $11. They also offer hot skillet meals that range from $10 to $11.
My meals here are always superb. The cookies and cream pancakes are to die for. Truly a life changer and my favorite meal. The pancakes are served with Oreo cookie crumbles, white chocolate chips, cream cheese icing and a chocolate sauce.
The top sellers here are the cinnamon roll, banana nut bread pancakes, and Cap’n Crunch French toast.
Not only is the establishment highly rated by people in the community, but it is also voted “Tallahassee’s best breakfast” by FSView & Florida Flambeau, “Best Breakfast & Brunch” by Tallahassee Magazine, and ranked “Top Breakfast Spot” by TripAdvisor.
Their goal to create an atmosphere like no other was a success.
If you are looking for a nice little place to enjoy breakfast or brunch this is the place just for you. Restaurant hours are 6:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. daily.