Irregardless Cafe & Catering

Always delicious! The salmon was some of the best I have ever had!

We had a wonderful brunch on a Saturday morning at Irregardless and I can’t believe it has taken me so many years to come here to dine. Irregardless is right next to the Goodnight Comedy Club and across from the SAFEchild office. Irregardless has been a Raleigh destination for 40 years and is one of the first «farm to table» restaurants. It started out as the first vegetarian restaurant in Raleigh and over the years, the menu has evolved and poultry, seafood and meats were added. As you enter Irregardless, you will see a small stage to the left and this is where the live music (mainly jazz) performances takes place. When we dined for brunch, a Spanish guitarist was playing and it was a very fitting sound for the meal. There are tables and booths and the light comes in through the windows from the street side. I love the colorful artwork and the majority of the pieces are done by Kyle Highsmith. This artist is a native of Greenville, NC and he paints colorful scenes from France and the Mediterranean and then local boating scenes from North Carolina’s water towns.
We were lucky enough to also meet the chef and owner, Arthur Gordon. He and his wife have a collage of all the newspaper articles and publications featuring their history on the wall near the restrooms. A young Arthur is featured on Raleigh’s magazine covers and the articles highlight their successes. We were a group of 9 and the waitress took great care of us. As part of the brunch, fresh orange juice, teas and muffins and breads are included and were on the table already. I ordered an omelette from the brunch menu and it was very tasty and the potatoes were my favorite part. The music was a really nice touch and we had a very enjoyable celebration. Even Attorney General Roy Cooper came in with his family and sat in the booth next to us. I would come here to listen to jazz again and it is a great brunch destination. Whether you are a vegetarian or carnivore, Irregardless offers something for all palettes.

Irregardless is a haven of a restaurant for omnivores and veggies alike. My law school roomie and I ate here for restaurant week. I checked in and realized we could get a free bottle of house wine for her birthday, which was awesome. They even screwed the cap on and let us take the remainder with us!
We both had the restaurant week options. I’m vegan so went with all veggie options but my friend is omnivore and had meat for her appetizer and entrée. I beat my friend to the restaurant so chilled at the bar with a lovely glass of red and listened to the live music. There isn’t anything that caught my eye on the cocktail menu. I tried to chat up the bartenders but they were more interested in one another.
We snagged a ‘first come first serve’ table on the sidewalk. The weather was perfect and we could watch the fireflies and not be bothered by mosquitoes or gnats.
My food was WONDERFUL. I had a mushroom stack entrée with carrots and spinach on the bottom layer topped by a mashed potato cake, then beets and finally perfectly cooked portobello mushrooms with a balsamic glaze. My friend had a sirloin entrée that she sent back once for being undercooked and the second one was also undercooked but not as much so we didn’t fuss. The friendly server made up for the bartenders.
Overall, and experience I would be happy to have again and a new favorite place in the Raleigh area.

We had a nice little lunch date on a Wednesday around 1pm and we didn’t have to wait for a table, although it was still pretty busy. They had a menu with lunch specials, along with the regular menu. All of the options were very farm to table inspired, and it seems like the café has been that way far before the trend picked up. It’s been around for awhile and seems to be staying true to it’s theme and mission. I had a healthy sized salad with shrimp and lots of vegetables and my boyfriend had the cheddar burger with fries. We were both happy with our food and I was thankful for a place with such good menu labels. While I am not gf/​vegan/​vegetarian, it’s cool to see a place that is so accommodating to all types of eaters. On a very picky note, and personal preference of course, I didn’t love the art and décor. Otherwise it was a nice lunch.

I loved this place. The live music was great and the staff was extremely friendly. Fresh goat cheese on my salad and a great number of dishes for the entire. The pesto pizza was very large and a great appetizer to share.
The food was good but nothing too special. I Definitely recommend this place simply because the live music makes it differs from traditional restaurants.

Came here Sunday morning for brunch with several friends. I did not hear one complaint! I have the cheese blintzes and they were to die for! Rich and creamy. The potatoes on the side were nothing to sneeze at, either! I loved the bread plates they put out at the beginning. Zucchini bread, muffins, biscuits, and more. I tried several of my friends’ meals as well, and they all tasted great and fresh! I would definitely check it out again!

I LOVE this place! Amazing food, great service, really cool atmosphere, AND they are extremely sustainable and environmentally-​minded. If I had to pick one restaurant in the Triangle to eat at for the rest of my life, it would be Irregardless Café.
I’ve been here twice now — once for brunch and once for dinner. The brunch was amazing. They include muffins, orange juice, and coffee in the price of your entrée so you don’t have to order and pay for those separately. I got a vegetarian breakfast burrito and it was perfect.
The dinner was wonderful as well. Everyone in my party loved their food. I got their «refried» penne pasta with seitan, which basically just means the pasta is cooked and then fried to make it crunchy, and it was amazing. I couldn’t get enough. I will be bringing as many people here as possible!

I’ve sporadically visited Erie-​Gardless for years and have always been pleasantly surprised. It is one of those places that I forget about once I digest and depart. This past Saturday was wonderful. I went with my BF and we got the Pesto Flatbread app which made me forget the last boy I kissed! And we each ordered the Quinoa Salad and the Goat cheese salad which were both really good. I’ve had the entrees before as well as the brunch. The brunch was good, the servings were Google-​sized. One thing I must say is that they are very Couscous conscious. They were serving vegetarian before Whole Foods became Hitler. And they are extremely good about mixing it up, very much like Candle Café in NYC. They have live music which can be bad or good and the crowd can sometimes make one feel as if you were on a cruise ship, not Carnival more like Norwegian Cruise Lines. When you finish dinner you can go next door and have beer with the rumpled Hipsters.

We went here for lunch on a Saturday, not realizing that on Saturdays they use a brunch menu. No problem, I usually love breakfast food but was in the mood for lunch, and they don’t have a wide selection of lunch-​food choices on their brunch menu.
My wife had the chef’s salad, which was quite good: fresh greens, perfectly cooked chicken. I had the cheeseburger, which was ok but underseasoned, and the tomatoes were the kind of thing you’d find at a fast food place. The potatoes were almost really delicious, but didn’t quite achieve the crispiness that I was hoping for. Well-​seasoned though.
Included in their brunch entrees (and built into the price – each meal is around $ 13 – 18) is a small glass of orange juice (6-​oz), and breakfast breads, which are very good. I’m not quite sure what each of them was, but two of them were sweet and had a cake-​like texture, and the other was a jalapeño cheddar roll/​biscuit (a little richer than a roll, but not quite as dense and crumbly as a biscuit). You also get your choice of coffee, iced tea, or another drink (can’t remember what). The coffee was good.
The service was pretty slow. We were there pretty late in the afternoon so there were only a handful of patrons in the restaurant, but it still took over half an hour after we ordered.

Having moved here from Miami, I have a special place in my heart for Irregardless. The old-​school ambiance isn’t fancy, but the nightly live music is good and the food is even better. The food tastes like its homemade and you’ll find everything from fall-​apart-​on-​your-​fork brisket, to fresh vegetarian options, to Middle Eastern and Latin fare, to seafood on the menu. For me, that tastes like a little bit of every neighborhood in Miami. Of course, with a name like Irregardless, I’m not surprised. Great for a family get together, laid back date, or casual celebration.

Had dinner here tonight with a group of eight, while visiting Raleigh. My first time at this restaurant. Quiet an extensive menu to please a mixed company of vegetarians, vegans and carnivores…, which is usually a very challenging task.
We started off with small plates of calamari, hummus, crab dip and a lot of pita. Next course was poached salmon for me. Which was cooked to the perfect temperature. Others had chicken skewer, lamb chops, vegetarian shepherds pie, and vegetarian lasagna. It truly was an eclectic dining experience. Everything was delicious. !
Live music created good atmosphere and service was also adequate. This was an enjoyable dining experience.

Everything I’ve had here is delicious. Salmon is always cooked well. Crab cake benedict is flavorful. French toast is sweet, but not cloyingly so. Steak in the steak and eggs was cooked nicely.
Plus, the owner/​chef is the sweetest old man!

Romantic casual date spot with farm to table eats.
The slow braised brisket, smoked in house was juicy and flavorful. Generous portion sizes for both the brisket and the side of roasted vegetables.
The Morgan Street Chicken was marinated in a lemon tahini sauce, and coated with crushed cashews and bread crumbs, then topped with a melted herb butter drizzle with roasted potatoes on the side. Delicious, and the herbs definitely gave it a fresh flavor.
Sampled both the Nutella cake and coconut cake. Tasty.
Free birthday or anniversary wine with check in or email sign up.
Live music, fresh flowers on the tables. Oh, yeah.

Interesting little joint.
The food was great. The service was excellent. I have nothing bad to say about this joint.

As a vegetarian I was excited by the selection. Live music was nice. Not much room at the bar and the tables are all packed together in there. On the pricy side and the portions are small but the food itself was OK. Nothing special.

Went to Irregardless last night for triangle restaurant week and my birthday with my husband. I’m giving this place 5 stars for the great food and overall great experience.
To start, they have free parking across the street. I hate trying to park for some restaurants in Raleigh, but this was no issue. It was busy because of it being Restaurant Week, but we were seated right on time (we made a reservation). They had live music playing which my husband and I enjoyed. Before going, I read that you get a free bottle of wine on your birthday and anniversary. I had to fill out a short form and was told I could get a free bottle of a house red or white or $ 17 off another bottle of my choice. What an awesome deal! Bread was just okay, but it was free. I thought we were going to have to choose between one of their 3 Appetizers on the restaurant week list, but they gave us all 3. I enjoyed all of them. I liked my husband’s entrée better, but mine was also good. The flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce was really good. Both my husband and I got the vegetarian restaurant week option. I’m a vegetarian and he eats meat. We enjoyed sharing each others meals and you can’t beat their $ 20 price. We plan to go back again for dinner even if not during restaurant week. Several other options on the menu look really good and unique.
Service: Mikaela (sorry if spelled wrong) was a great waitress. She was friendly and really attentive. She came by and filled our wine glasses for us and checked in on us several times.

Great food, atmosphere and service. Oh, and the live music was fun and fantastic! …especially his creative cover of Hendrix Watchtower

Had a fantastic lunch here with my mom who was visiting. Loved the ambiance and the chile relleno was delicious. Mom had the quiche which she also enjoyed. I’ve been wanting to try this place for a while and glad I finally did. Will definitely be back, probably next time moms in town… she loved it!

This place is so cute. They had a really nice stage set up with guitar players and the staff is very attentive and friendly.
I got the veg ravioli and it was really good. Portions are quite big so I packed up the remains. My husband got the veg spanakopita and he loved it and ate all of it. There were some fries going around the table and middle eastern platter which were equally good. For dessert we got apple cherry crisp thing, chocolate cake and pecan pie which everyone enjoyed.
All in all a great experience.

I love the atmosphere here — fun and classy at the same time. There was a harpist playing in the background, and our server was friendly and knowledgeable about the food and wines. I got the vegetable ravioli, which was tasty, but overwhelming, as everything tasted pretty much the same because of the sauce. I probably wouldn’t get it again. But there’s tons of other delicious-​looking stuff on the menu that I’d like to try, so I’m not too bothered.

Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous… this is the only adjective that describes this place. Kind of hidden and you may drive past it on the first pass. Made a reservation and sitted shortly after arriving. Ordered the Crab Dip… hell that sold me right off the back. Then the band got fired up… honey!!! This is the place to be. Ordered the Orange Chicken, this ain’t you regular Chinese food orange chicken. All I can say is Fabulous!!!

The place was pretty dark and had a musty smell. Food was not all that as far as dessert

Lovely cozy restaurant, with live music, food is ok, nothing wow, fresh bread is pretty good tho. Service however is great, our waitress was very helpful n sweet. Nice place to relax with a drink, family friendly, also suits for friends get-​together, so a bit noisy for those reasons, but that doesn’t bother me. I enjoyed our dinner even with just-​ok food.

Consistently superior. Timeless style. If you’re visiting Raleigh and want to eat where the locals eat, this is the spot. Chef and owner Arthur Gordon has been a culinary innovator at this same location for 40 years and he’s still got IT. Irregardless offers a diverse menu and is the most accommodating restaurant in the area for those with dietary restrictions whether it was gluten-​free, vegetarian, vegan, or whatever it may be. And to top it off, there is live music every night. Enjoy.

Probably one of my favorite places I have ever been in my life. Just my style inside, eclectic, and artsy. I was actually taken there on a first date and the night we went they had live folk music which was incredible. I also like the number or organic veggie options on the menu, the salad I had was fresh and filling. Will go back every time I’m in Raleigh!

Maybe I ordered the wrong thing or maybe it was an off night, but I felt like the meal was lackluster and overhyped. The kimchi chips appetizer were interesting but barely spicy with no kimchi flavor, and the shepherd’s pie was in dire need of more seasoning. The pie did have a generous amount of vegetables, which I appreciated, but just felt like vegetables mixed together into a basic casserole.
I did enjoy the live jazz music though! It’s always great to see restaurants supporting local artists, and the music made the atmosphere fun and relaxed.

I’ve now been here 3 times and I must say I’ve enjoyed my food everytime I’ve come. The read that comes with the meal is absolutely devine, the dishes are flavorful and their daily specials are always unique and feature several local farms or products. I use Open Table to do easy reservations online and it’s a great go to place when I have tickets for the comedy club next door. I park I the parking lot next door in front of City Limit Saloon and have never had a problem there. I’ve been there for a large party of 10 and smaller tables and they accommodated both easily. Live instrumental music plays in the background and it’s no surprise to see random people dancing by the very small stage. I have seen it super busy on weekends so I’d recommend earlier dinner times or reservations if you don’t want to eat long. Highly recommend :)

As a born & raised California vegan, I had serious reservations about visiting North Carolina. In my mind it was going to be a backwoods, all-​you-​can-​eat, butter & fried pig ears marathon– Irregardless blew my unfair misgivings out of the water. If you find yourself anywhere near Raleigh, visiting this restaurant is a must.
To begin with the atmosphere is charming from the second you enter. My visit was on Halloween so the staff was in costume-​there was a banana sitting at the bar and 2 kittens at the hostess desk! There is a great stage and we had the pleasure of listening to a live guitar and bass during our meal (at a very reasonable volume).
The service is absolutely top-​notch. Our waiter, Dylan, helped us choose dishes based on our dietary requirements, his tastes and the collective recommendations of former guests. He was attentive and a pleasure to interact with. When I asked if they had any T-​Shirts available for purchase he went in back and his manager fish out the only one they had! Delicious food aside, I would go back again because of his service.
Now, the food. I wish that I could nap in a bed of their warm pita bread. It was served with amazing, fluffy hummus, so fresh it melted in my mouth and topped with kalamata olives. For dinner I had the Stuffed Acorn Squash– I highly recommend this dish to anyone with a sweet tooth. It’s complimented with sweet beets & black beans as well as white beans with pineapple (what a brilliant twist!). My husband, who indulges my vegan ways, had the Chile Relleno and was beyond pleased. It wasn’t too spicy and was the perfect portion size.
We devoured our meals happily and when the check came were pleased with how well priced everything was. This will definitely be my last stop before I leave Raleigh next week!

I heard about this place through a co-​worker who I regard as relatively knowledgeable in all things cool in Raleigh and chose to follow his lead when faced with planning a birthday brunch for a friend. I was not disappointed.
Live music, coffee/​tea included in the price of your meal, a delightful southern menu and a lovely little quirky atmosphere. I suppose they owed that to us, the diners, for coming up with the most obnoxious name for a restaurant that ever was (anyone else think of the Family Guy episode with Stewie’s Law?)
My shrimp & grits were perfectly creamy and cheesy with a delightful amount of crunch from some scallions, and every single other plate at my table looked delightful.
I almost forgot to mention the complimentary slab of 3 or 4 different types of bread. Pretty sure there was pumpkin, lemon poppy seed, and then a couple of savory options. All delicious.
I’ll avoid some punny comment about how you should make it a point to visit this place irregardless of how full your schedule is…
…ok maybe I won’t.

While it is impressive that Irregardless Café has been around for 40 years, I was not super impressed with my evening out for dinner during Triangle Restaurant Week.
I have been here previously for breakfast and I had a seafood omlet. I remember it was very tasty and also very rich. My expectation for dinner was to be the same: delicious, rich, comfort food. I ordered the vegan eggplant moussaka and the appearance alone was a turn off. It was block shaped and smothered in tomato sauce. All I could taste was tomato sauce and the eggplant was entirely hidden. My main entrée was a let down but I did like the appetizer, especially since you got all three that were listed for restaurant week for either the meat or vegetarian option. However, I wish the waiter would have mentioned that earlier so I did not spend all that time deciding, for apparently no reason. The coconut cake was okay but I would not get it again. I did taste the flourless chocolate cake and it was very good.
I appreciate their farm to table practice. On a chalk board in the dining area they list all the produce and herbs that they obtain from the Community garden and Kellam-​Wyatt farm and it feels great to know where the food is coming from and that we are supporting the local community.
I like the layout and décor. If they have been in the same location for 40 years, I think they have done well on maintaining the building and keeping it up to date. I like the seating arrangement in that they have both booths and plenty of tables. They often have live music which is unique.

Wow this place!
While browsing brunch options on a quick trip to Raleigh, I stumbled across this listing and basically, they had me at «gluten-​free waffles». It’s a treat for me to get a legit waffle that’s gf and this one did not disappoint.
My friend walk in and didn’t have to wait for a table. There’s live music and lots of families in their Sunday Best. There’s also the trendy hipster type and a few handfuls of new parents.
First thing they do is put down complimentary glasses of orange juice and a tray of breakfast breads and biscuits. Who gives away free goods like this anymore?!
I had a tough choice picking between the crab/​scallop omelette and the gf waffles, but I had to go with my original craving. Not only did this come with a very generous side of fruit (that I didn’t even touch as I went straight for the good stuff, but made a great snack at the airport for me a few hours later!!) but it also came with a side of vanilla ice cream. WAT!!! Plus it also had a bunch of strawberries and blueberries on the waffle itself, separate from the huge fruit bowl. I also ordered a fried egg on the side that was cooked perfectly. They have several syrup options which was great because I can’t have normal syrup because of a corn allergy, but they had pure maple too.
My friend got the salmon bagel sandwich and I was blown away by the New York Jewish Deli-​style stack of salmon on this thing. She nearly had to put all her weight into smashing it down to be able to actually take a bite. Very impressed.
This place is great. Our waitress was super sweet and speedy. I’d definitely be a regular here if I lived in the area. Win. Win. Win.

Irregardless is a little gem tucked away off Morgan Street. We went for Triangle Restaurant Week on a Friday, and they had live jazz and the spot was completely full.
Irregardless Café is a comfort food spot with a healthy twist. We started with small appetizers as part of the Restaurant Week menu. I enjoyed the bruschetta and mushrooms Rockefeller. The meat options look good as well, including duck confit and deviled eggs with smoked salmon. For my main course I had the polenta lasagna, which seemed to be a popular dish. It was tasty but the polenta was a little soggier than I would’ve liked. The brisket was moist and flavorful.
I definitely want to try Irregardless again — so many delicious vegetarian and healthy options. Comfort food that doesn’t make you feel too full or gross after!

Its sad that it took me this long to visit this place… so glad I did. My friends and I were a group of 10 and our server took such great care of us– she was amazing I wish I remembered her name. The live band created a great ambiance.
I shared the fish cakes and the shrimp and grits with a friend. Both were great but the shrimp and grits were just wow.
Def coming back here… need to try their brunch asap!