Located at
608 Battleground Avenue on the LoFi section of Greensboro near Joymongers and
Machete, The Sage Mule serves up breakfast and lunch Wednesday through Sunday
with a brunch offered on Sundays and small bites until 8 p.m. on Fridays and
Saturdays. Patio seating is available and chalkboard specials change regularly.
Prior to
visiting, I really had no idea what to expect from this place. I appreciate
good wordplay (sage mule = green burro), and the restaurant’s concept seemed intriguing,
but a limited menu and high-ish prices gave me pause. Saturday morning hunger
and an ultra-long wait time at Scrambled were reasons enough to set skepticism
aside, and I’m glad that I did so.
While the
Sage Mule is closed for indoor dining during the COVID pandemic, the patio
offers plenty of room. Servers are attentive and welcoming, and all told, the
Sage Mule offers a very inviting atmosphere.
The “official”
menu here is somewhat scant: a few breakfast items, a few salads, and a few
sandwiches. The various chalkboards, however, reveal far more offerings,
ranging from burger and dessert specials to a variety of pastries and baked
goods. All of the pastries and breads are made in-house and there are
gluten-free options as well. Coffeephiles will be glad to know that the Sage
Mule uses Counter Culture beans.
My wife
and I opted for the blue plate special (eggs, sausage or bacon, toast or
biscuit, and hashbrowns) and the breakfast burrito (chorizo, scrambled eggs,
black beans, fries, avocado, cheddar, jalapeno vinaigrette, cilantro sour
cream, and cheese grits to share as the side) respectively. Neither dish
disappointed. The burrito, despite its abundance of ingredients, was structurally
very well-composed. It held together and offered a taste of everything in each
bite. The flavors and textures balanced nicely with the fresh avocado
preventing the chorizo’s saltiness from overwhelming the palate and the fries
adding a bit of chewiness. This is definitely one of the better renditions of a
breakfast burrito in the area.
As
mentioned above, prices, on paper, seem high. The burrito plus one side was $12
while the blue plate special was a more reasonable $10. Both portions were
generous, so the Sage Mule isn’t exactly a poor value in practice.
I don’t
know if the weekday lunch experience is any different here, but as a breakfast
option, the Sage Mule made a great first impression. Quality ingredients
well-prepared, affable service, and a comfortable environment tend to do that.
