Cathedral Cafe is where Fayetteville eats breakfast in church: a converted turn-of-the-century church at 134 South Court Street, with cathedral ceilings, tall stained-glass windows and breakfast served all day. Order the whole-grain pancakes or The "Gorged" omelet and save room for the carrot cake. The cafe is open 8:30 AM to 3 PM Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 8 AM to 3 PM on Saturday and Sunday, and closed on Wednesday. There's no dinner service.
A church turned breakfast spot
The stained glass stayed when the church became a cafe. The New River Gorge CVB describes towering windows over hand-painted tables, and West Virginia Tourism calls the place a former church turned artsy hangout. On a sunny morning the light lands on your table in color.
It has a good origin story, too. The owner writes on the cafe's site that she and Rick bought it "back in June 2000" after she'd spent eight seasons guiding on the New River and before she had ever worked in a restaurant; her kids have grown up in the cafe over the 25-plus years since. Owner Wendy Bayes also sits on the CVB board, which fits the cafe's own description of itself as "a community hub buzzing with the happenings of our small town." For the town's longer story, read the history of Fayetteville's founding.
What to order at Cathedral Cafe
Breakfast runs all day, built on what the cafe calls fresh, local and seasonal ingredients, with daily specials and soups beside the regular menu. Most plates cost $10 to $14: whole-grain pancakes at $9.99, avocado toast at $10.99, the Rivermont Farmer's Breakfast at $11.99, a tofu scrambler at $12.99 and The "Gorged" omelet at $13.99. At lunch, paninis, salads and soup sit in the same range, and kids 12 and under get a meal with milk or juice for $9.99.
The coffee is fair-trade Equal Exchange, and the drinks list goes well past a normal breakfast place: cocktails, mocktails, wine, local ciders and canned and bottled beer. A cocktail with your omelet on a rest day is entirely on the table.
Then there's dessert. Four stay on the menu all year: mixed berry cobbler, a bread pudding made from day-old muffins and cinnamon rolls, homemade brownies and what the cafe calls "our famous Ultimate Carrot Cake." In season, Great Grandma Ruth's apple pie joins them. Vegetarians do well here, and HappyCow lists the cafe for its meat-free choices; reviewers there and on TripAdvisor tend to praise the breakfast and the room in the same breath.
When to go and where to park
Don't plan a Wednesday brunch here; that's the one day it's closed. The 8:30 AM weekday opening is also late if you have an early rafting check-in. For that, Tudor's Biscuit World at 323 North Court Street opens at 6 AM Monday through Saturday, and the Fayetteville dining guide lists the other early doors. Save Cathedral for a slower morning or a late breakfast after the river, and get there before the 3 PM close.
There's no lot, so park on Court Street or a side street; the town posts a downtown parking map. Planning a party? The cafe rents its space by the hour for private events but doesn't cater.
Make a morning of South Court Street
This block is made for grazing. Range Finder Coffee is at 104 South Court, Wood Iron Eatery serves scratch breakfast a few doors down at 129, and Southside Junction Tap House on the corner at 101 picks up in the afternoon. The Visit Fayetteville outdoor-enthusiast itinerary pairs Cathedral Cafe with the Bridge Walk and Long Point, and the first-timer itinerary works a breakfast here into a full day in the gorge.
