Flemington's Earliest Breakfast Has Moved Out to Route 31, and Downtown's Cafés Still Keep Their Own Hours

Since late September, two new businesses on Flemington's highway side have pushed the start of breakfast an hour and a half earlier than downtown. 7 Brew's drive-thru at Raritan Town Square opens at 5:30 a.m. Perkins Griddle & Go, which the company announced as its first U.S. location, opens at 6 a.m. at The Shoppes at Flemington. The independent cafés near Main Street still open at 7 on weekdays and close in the early afternoon. That means Flemington now has a clear split. If you're out before 7 a.m. or on a Sunday morning, you'll eat on Route 31 or Reaville Avenue. The weekday sit-down breakfast, with named egg dishes and lattes roasted on-site, still happens downtown.

Here's how the morning runs now, hour by hour.

5:30 a.m. at Raritan Town Square

The earliest new option is a drive-thru. New Jersey 101.5 reported that 7 Brew at 132 Route 31 North set Monday, September 28 as its opening day, with soft-opening charity hours September 18 through 20 before that. Reviews on the stand's own location page from early October describe it as newly opened.

The hours set it apart from everything else in town. The 7 Brew Flemington location page lists 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The menu is built for drinks, not plates: coffee, energy drinks, sodas, teas, lemonades, smoothies and shakes.

Raritan Town Square is the shopping center anchored by Walmart and Lowe's. That puts the earliest coffee in Flemington in a lot many people already pass through on Route 31.

6 a.m. on Reaville Avenue, Where Perkins Is Trying Its New Format

Half an hour later and a short drive away, the sit-down option starts. In an October 16 announcement, the company said Perkins Griddle & Go would open its first U.S. location on October 19 at The Shoppes at Flemington, 100 Reaville Avenue. MyCentralJersey also reported the October 19 date.

The new format is Perkins' fast-casual concept. Guests order at a counter or self-service kiosk, then take the food to go or sit in a café-style dining room. NJ.com reported seating for about 65 guests, digital menu boards and hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

The menu has a couple of local touches. New items written for this format include a Pork Roll sandwich and a breakfast burrito. The familiar Perkins bakery case comes along too, with Mammoth Muffins, cinnamon rolls, cookies, brownies and pies. NJ.com also listed avocado toast, omelets, and benedicts, which now come in a bowl format as well.

The franchisees are local. Giuseppe and Nicole Lahara are New Jersey residents who describe themselves as longtime Perkins fans. According to the announcement, the Flemington café is the first of 16 Perkins Griddle & Go locations they have committed to developing across the state. NJ.com reported that the company chose 100 Reaville Avenue for the center's high traffic and its fit with the fast-casual model.

The neighbors are mostly errands and workouts. The Shoppes at Flemington directory lists HomeGoods, Five Below, F45, Club Pilates, Great Clips, Pancheros and Fresco's, among others. Until now, nothing on that list opened before most people's first meeting. A 6 a.m. café with 65 seats is a new kind of tenant for this center.

7 a.m.: Downtown Opens, and Breakfast Gets More Personal

At 7, breakfast moves back toward the historic center, and so does the style of eating.

Theresa's Cafe at 117 Broad Street lists weekday hours of 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and closed Sunday. Its menu reads like a regulars' menu, with dishes named for people. Bruce's Eggs are scrambled with cream cheese, bacon and onions. Michael's Eggs bring chicken, hot sauce, pepper jack and peppers. Breakfast sandwiches and pancakes fill out the rest.

Alkemy Coffee Co at 2 Stangl Road opens at 7 a.m. Monday through Friday and at 8 a.m. on weekends. It roasts specialty coffee on-site and serves botanical drinks alongside vegan and gluten-free baked goods. The drink menu is where it stands out most. The Goth Latte is made with blueberry, charcoal and oat milk, and there's a rose-cardamom latte too. No 5:30 a.m. drive-thru menu has anything like either one.

Two more downtown names round out the morning. Bread & Culture, a specialty bakery and café at 123 Main Street, is listed in the Love Flemington business directory. The Flemington Diner describes itself as family-owned and makes its own ice creams, syrups and whipped cream, along with hand-formed Black Angus burgers. Check both places directly for current hours before planning an early stop.

Sunday Morning Shows the Biggest Difference

The difference between the two areas is biggest on Sunday. Here is how the posted hours line up:

On a Sunday, nothing on this list opens downtown before 8 a.m., and Theresa's doesn't open at all. On Route 31 and Reaville Avenue, both new spots have been open for two hours or more by then. Saturday is similar. Downtown starts at 8, and Theresa's closes at 1 p.m. That leaves a Saturday brunch after 1 with only one downtown option on this table and both of the highway-side spots.

Weekdays look different. From 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., both downtown independents are open. That's the window for a slower breakfast, a named egg dish, or a latte roasted down the road. The retail centers cover the hours on either side.

Hours in this table come from each business's own listing. They can change, especially around holidays, so a quick check before you head out is a good habit.

Still Coming to the Same Corners

Two more openings could shift this map. One is going into the same shopping center as Perkins.

• Ambee Coffee at The Shoppes at Flemington. In March, Patch reported that founder Steven Chiocchi planned the Flemington location mainly as a full-scale in-house bakery with a smaller café in front. Patch named French-trained baker Catherine and baker Kris as part of the team. In late July, NJ.com reported an expected opening by the end of September, serving organic coffee and tea. Ambee's locations page still lists Flemington as "Opening Summer 2026" with no hours posted, so check there before making the trip.
• Millie's. The brunch spot's website describes its Flemington location as coming soon and invites visitors to join an email list for opening day. No date has been announced.

The end-of-September target has now passed. Once Ambee does open, The Shoppes at Flemington will have a bakery-café next to a Perkins with its own bakery case. That would make 100 Reaville Avenue the busiest breakfast address in town, with two very different morning menus. If Millie's opens on weekends, it could also fill the late Saturday and Sunday brunch gap in the table above.

I'll keep an eye on Reaville Avenue for Ambee's opening day and on Millie's for a date. If you're thinking about a move in Hunterdon County and want someone who knows the area down to which coffee spots open first on a Sunday, Beverly Yoson would be glad to talk it through with you. Let's Connect.