Healthy Brunch at Happy + Hale in North Hills

MEG HERE AND THERE

Jul 28, 20182 min read

Last weekend I headed to brunch at the newest Happy + Hale location, in North Hills, Raleigh. Brunch at a healthy eats place? What? Yup, no typical Southern style greasy eats here.

Firstly, this place is so beautiful. It's a fast-casual healthy eats place but it feels fancy. If you haven't been yet, I think you'll think the same after your first visit.

The space is all mostly white & minimalist in decor, with lots of tall windows allowing plenty of natural light in and giving it a maximized Zen look & feel. Coincidentally, or maybe not so coincidentally, Happy & Hale is located right next door to a yoga studio. How appropriate.

Secondly, upon approaching the menu-wall, I noticed a pretty serving tray containing Champagne, juice bottles & flute glasses, seemingly there to remind me that it's a brunch day. That's OK, I never forget, I just don't always get to go.

Although their hours are pretty lengthy, (7am-9pm), brunch is served between 10am and 3pm, on Sundays only.

I scoped out the menu & quickly focused in on 2 options. I was either going to go with the Matcha Waffle or the Avocado & Lobster Toast. Tough choice but I went with the waffle.

You can see a slight green hugh in that waffle, that's the matcha. Matcha is powedered green tea leaves. Most commonly it is served as a beverage. It's hard to describe what matcha tastes like if you're unfamiliar. After seeking the internet's assistance with a few good adjectives, I have found just one that's pretty spot-on; vegetal. Yup. Oh and earthy, is another good one.

Besides the yummy fresh-cut berries on top of the waffle, there was a dollop of what I think was a mixture of coconut oil and vanilla. Nice break from the pat of butter I'd usually put on a regular waffle.

Additonally, I also decided to try the Beet Root Latte. It was really good. Subtle beet-y taste and mostly a frothy smooth drink. Nice switch-up from a regular ol' latte.

The last item I got was the Almond Brothers Smoothie, it was a almond-icious! Guess it doesn't hurt that almonds are one of my favorite things to eat, so an almond smoothie is basically a liquid celebration of that. Yeah!

Overall, the food and drinks were delicious, the space was clean, comfortable, & welcoming, and the service was great. Did I mention their patio is great too? It is!

Parting thoughts: One of the perks of a healthy brunch is that you don't require a nap afterwards. Nice!