Early Bird Diner

Fast, and affordable… Tasty, too! I had the bowl of grits with a biscuit and sausage patties. Everything was homemade and really yummy. The grits were creamy and the perfect thickness. Sausage was so fresh and savory, but could’ve used some heat in my opinion. Even so, I ate every bit of mine! My husband had chicken and waffles. The chicken was incredible, super crunchy, seasoned well, tender and not overly breaded. The waffle was fluffy and had a touch of cinnamon. We’ll definitely be back!

Love this place!!! The food is great. It’s home cooking. I went for dinner with my mom and we both loved what we got. I will be back for a great meal.

One of the best Breakfast I’ve ever had!!! I had the chicken and waffle it’s perfect combination of sweet and sour, you won’t get tired eating it. The chicken is not greasy at all. I love the waffle cinnamon, gives me flavor to the dish. Overall, it’s exceptional. We love it. And we’ll come back next time we visit Charleston

I have been here twice and both times have been amazing! I came here one time very late at night so there wasn’t a wait. The second time I came for brunch on a Sunday, we were the first of the rush so we got seated fairly quickly. However, the people who came after us had to wait quite a while. They only have limited seating, so it depends on how fast the people leave.
Our servers have both been very nice and quick to get the food out! I got the chicken and waffles and I regret nothing. It was amazing! My friend also got their French toast which has chocolate, caramel, and peanut butter in it or on it. It was also delicious!
I believe their seating is only inside, and it looks like a diner so a few tables when you first enter. The best thing about this place is you can buy any and all of the art work on the walls. From what I could see it is a good price and some really cute pieces. I will be going back!

Had a delicious brunch. The food was only surpassed by the excellent service. Value was excellent.

The good: great southern cooking with a few unexpected items on the menu (read: curried vegetables). I had the country scramble, which was everything that southern cooking should be. Very tasty, and a reasonable portion. My friend had the chicken and waffles and RAVED about it.
The bad: The seating is first come-​first serve; no hostess to seat you, so you have to just lurk until someone gets up. The parking lot is very tight. Be prepared to do some circling; which is tough because part of that circle requires you to go onto the highway, which can be tough. The tables are a bit small, too, so hopefully you are comfortable with your fellow dining partners!
All in all, I would eat there again, but it wasn’t something that I can’t live without eating again.

Tried the shrimp and grits with tomato gravy, as well as the chicken and waffles. Both dishes were amazing and filling. You won’t leave unsatisfied.
The parking is a little small, so you might have to make a few rounds to find an empty spot during a breakfast or lunch rush. Don’t let that deter you though, that means they are really good.

Although this place was busy, there was no excuse to not be greeted, especially by the owner. He looked at me a few times without saying a word. Yes, I watched Guy Fieri’s Food Network Show. I stood there for over ten minutes without being acknowledged. I had to ask to be helped by this lady with a fro; she told me «in a minute». That minute never came. Another lady with blonde highlights then came and took my order instead. She was very nice hence I’m giving two stars. No amount of publicity should give these people the right to ignore customers. People travel from afar (I came all the way from MD) to eat here and feel bad. It’s horrible experience plus the food was subpar and not worth the hype.

The best food for the price in West ashley, the chicken and waffles is where it at. It was featured of food network and is always good. The fried chicken with the maple syrup is good too. The meatloaf is like a different then your normal meatloaf it is like grilled and amazing. The sweet tea is right on here… the deserts all all amazing here.

My family and I stopped in for dinner. I had the chicken and waffles, my husband had the catfish with grits and my son had French toast. Overall the food was very good. I would get the chicken and waffles again and my husband raved about the grits!

After looking at reviews, I decided to give this place a try while visiting Charleston, SC. I came in for dinner on February 29, 2016. Getting to the place was fairly easy. The hard part for this place is finding parking. The place was already pretty busy, which I took as a good sign.
When you come in, the place has that typical diner feel. When you look at the menu, that also does the same since the menu is pretty large. Once inside, we found a table to sit at, as you just find a table instead of them seating you somewhere. Our server Lauren came to the table fairly quickly to get the drink orders. When she came back for the drinks, we were ready to order. I had gotten a build a burger. Overall, the burger was good. There wasn’t anything to give a wow factor, so that’s why I wouldn’t go higher than three stars to begin with. Prices were reasonable given the amount of food that comes with it.
However, during this visit, I needed to use the restroom. The restroom was utterly disgusting. It looked like it hadn’t been cleaned or checked on in quite a while. I’m glad I had boots on that evening since the floor in there had a layer of water and mess all over it. I notified one of the staff about it, but they just seemed to shrug it off.
Overall, the food was good. It was the restroom experience that had me drop my rating. If they can’t keep that clean, it makes me wonder about the rest of the place. I think next time I’m in the area, I’ll try other places instead.

Great Sunday brunch! Be prepared to wait a bit there are only about 18 booths inside. Time flew by quickly and the waitress was was sweet and made great suggestions. I had the scramble special with andouillle sausage, mushrooms, avacado, home fries and a side of cheese grits. Everything was fantastic!!! Grits were nice and creamy scramble was just the right size and seasoned perfectly. Next time in Charleston this will be my first breakfast stop!

Best cheese grits I’ve ever had! It’s a diner… so expect that type of scenery and food, but also expect a lot more character here, more like a dive.
We had The Mess which was both incredibly generous and delicious. The biscuits were unlike most as they’re more dense, but still very good.
We saw lots of Chicken and Waffles go past and will definitely make a return to try these out.

Haven’t been here in a while. But the service and food are good as always. My server Celina K was prompt, courteous and attentive. The kitchen though forgot the toast for my shrimp and grits and when it arrives it was the wrong toast, waiting for toast as my food got cold my toast arrive barely toasted. I like to dip the toast, weird maybe but that’s is I enjoy it.
Still have those weird hours, 7am mon-​thur then 8am fri 9:30am on sat then 10am sun. So much for EARLY bird and as I always say it should be closer to a bistro than diner. Late bird bistro hmmm.

I got my standard breakfast (two eggs over medium, sausage, home fries and biscuit) that I get at every dinner. Early Bird is one of the best. Southern tested Northern approved. I loved the house made sausage, the eggs were cooked perfectly and the home fries were seasoned perfectly. The only problem I have is the bacon my wife ordered. It was deep fried which sucks all the flavor out of the strips, they missed out on 5 stars because of it.
Coffee to go??? Yes please!

This little diner is fantastic. Have someone at the table order the Chicken & Waffles — so good! It’s huge, so I had to begrudgingly share with my boyfriend. The pecan crusted chicken is great, a little oily, but expected from the panfried way it’s prepared. The honey mustard BBQ sauce that comes with it, is more on the honey mustard, less on the BBQ sauce side. So good though. My boyfriend still thinks the holy grail of Chicken & Waffles is at Graze though. He ordered the french toast and loved it. Only con is the parking situation or lack thereof. Come on an off-​time.

Always, always, always good. I love the artwork, armosphere, customer service and food at Early Bird.
They have amazing pancakes, sometimes throwing together some surprising combinations. It wasn’t until I had their chocolate coconut pancakes that I realized how good those two are together.
Today my husband ordered pecan coconut pancakes topped with a blueberry compote. Of course I stole a bite. It’s was a huge helping and absolutely heart breaking to leave such deliciousness behind.
I ordered the Scramble and, man, it really hit the spot. Perfect amount of cheese and gravy. I slathered some blueberry jam on my biscuit and barely finished my side of fruit.
Satisfied with a capital S.

Big fan of Early Bird. It’s an adorable tiny dive diner with lots of character. The staff is friendly and the food is delicious. I had sausage gravy and biscuits with sunny side up eggs. Can’t wait to come back and order the Chicken & Waffles — I got a taste off of my sister’s plate.
You definitely need to arrive early or risk waiting and parking at another business and walking over. The lot is very small.

Early Bird Diner is located in West Ashley directly off of Savannah Highway. We stopped in on a Monday mid-​morning, and parking lot and restaurant was packed. It’s a seat yourself diner (or at least was on a Monday) both bar seating, although no view of the kitchen, and private tables. We ordered chocolate chip pancakes, chicken and waffles and two coffees. This place has fans, obviously half of Charleston seems to vouch for it and Guy Fieri is also a fan, he left his autograph on the wall, letting all customers know he ate there!
Pancakes were pretty disappointing, they definitely had that dreaded baking soda taste, something in the recipe was obviously off that day. As for the chicken and waffles… drum roll… waffle was good, chicken breading was good, but check was not flavorful. I’ve eaten a lot of fried chicken since moving to the south, and I didn’t think that Early Bird Diner’s fried chicken lived up to the hype. Overall, it was a diner experience, friendly staff and okay food.

Early Bird is that place you can always rely on. Everything is always constantly amazing. Don’t expect to come here for a super health conscious meal though. This is comfort food at it’s best. Everything is hearty, delicious and made with care. The first thing I do is look up at the specials board. The chefs are always so creative when they are making up the specials. They take allot of care in what they are cooking and you can tell with the quality that comes out of the kitchen. They turn seemingly ordinary dishes into something extraordinary! When eating here you forget that you’re in a diner and not an expensive restaurant downtown. Early bird also supports local artists. When entering the diner you see tons of local artists paintings along the walls that can be purchased. Along with fliers for performers and other events happening in the area.
I haven’t had anything that I didn’t like. I come here way too much! I think I’ve exhausted the menu except for a couple things.
If you’ve never been here before the chicken and waffles is a great place to start. There is a reason why everyone raves about them. They are simply the best. Perfectly cooked fried chicken with the right amount of spices. Flavorful and crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside. Pair that with thick waffles and syrup, you’ll wonder why this wasn’t in your life sooner.
Other highlights on the menu:
Breakfast: Corn cakes benedict. Savory pancakes with eggs benedict on top. Need I say more? Big bowl o’ grits. A perfectly cooked bowl of grits topped with whatever your heart desires. Make sure to check for pancake specials. They can range from oreo, to blueberry, to all you can eat! Also, breakfast is all day!
Appetizers + sides: Grilled corn cakes with red pepper jelly and basil pesto is the app version of corn cakes benedict, but they are smaller with two amazing complimentary sauces. The pepper jack grit cakes with green tomato chutney is unlike anything I’ve ever had. Imagine breaded, deep fried grits with pepper jack cheese. It has a great crunchy breading on the outside with a gooey, cheesy grit center. Also for sides, the mac n cheese, fried okra, and fried green tomatoes are a must.
Dinner: Fried chicken with mushroom sage gravy and two sides. (the savory, dinner version of chicken and waffles sans waffles)
Fettuccine with vegetables in a pesto cream sauce. (You will not regret eating this) Fettuccine meets pesto is the best marriage I’ve ever seen.
Dessert: The specials board is always full of amazing desserts that rotate daily. The buttermilk pie rivals Hominy grills, and when you see red velvet cobbler, just order it. The drip coffee is even great.
Combine all this with great fast and friendly service. The staff is always attentive and friendly even when they are busy. You can’t blame me for being such a frequent customer.