The Echo — Restaurant in Cincinnati

My daughter attends Xavier University and we found Echo in our first visit! It was amazing! My daughter writes for the Xavier paper and I have to share her article with you! Cincinnati Spotlight: The Echo Keeps Ringing Strong 80 Years Later

Local NewsLocal News Local February 25, 2025 0 Comments

By Abby Knox, Staff Writer

The Echo is an exquisite diner in Hyde Park known for its fancy atmosphere and quality food. This gem is less than 10 minutes from Xavier’s campus by car. A local favorite, it often has a line of people out the door on any given morning, especially on weekends. However, the line moves rather quickly as the workers do not play around with getting people seated and fed the deliciousness that is The Echo’s offerings.

From the first time I walked into this diner, I felt a warm and cozy feeling inside. With the lively atmosphere and regulars being called by name, this place feels like more than just a business. The closeness that customers feel when sitting at the counter is something that has to be experienced.

Known for its breakfast, The Echo is the perfect place to go after a long night or when you want good, simple food. The Echo has weekly seasonal specials, which currently include pumpkin pancakes and caramel apple french toast. The Echo also has a lunch menu with a variety of sandwiches, salads, and soups.

I chose to order Steph’s Sampler. With two eggs, bacon, sausage, two hotcakes (sometimes I add chocolate chips if I’m feeling a little extra) and a side, what else could a girl ask for? Maybe a Coke Zero… Don’t worry, they have Coke products too. So, if you are like me and often really crave a fountain Coke, the Echo has got you covered on all fronts.

Newswire Photo By Abby Knox Steph’s Sampler, a Breakfast Meal From the Echo The food came out hot and steaming. My pancakes were loaded with chocolate chips which was just the sweetness I needed. They also came out with packets of butter on top, so by the time it got to me, the butter was beginning to melt making the pancakes soaked.

As a side, I got home fries, which are little cubed potatoes. Although they are nothing special, they never fail to taste amazing because of their salty, crispy, outside and soft inside. As for the eggs, I got mine scrambled with cheese, and by no surprise, these were just as amazing as the rest of my meal. Finally, to top it off, I got two pieces of bacon and two pieces of sausage, which were a nice balance to my very rich chocolate chip pancakes.

“It was an awesome atmosphere. We were seated pretty quickly even though there was quite a line. The food was good and drink refills were also really fast,” freshman criminal justice major Peyton Travis said.

As for the price, I would say it is good for all the food I got. I paid $21 for the whole meal including my soda. With items ranging from $6-15 dollars, this spot has amazing food for an amazing price.

The only drawback worth mentioning would have to be parking. There are paid parking spots in the surrounding area, or you can park on the street which can sometimes be a pain.

Overall, this place is a favorite of mine with its intimate atmosphere and amazing food and lower costs. If I am ever feeling homesick, I know one visit to The Echo will have my spirits lifted once again.

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I hope you enjoy her article as much as I did!! I am coming to town this weekend and I am sure we will have...

We stopped in for a nice brunch today and were met with disappointing service and a shockingly offensive conversation with owner, Stephanie. My partner ordered a virgin bloody mary - which we specified twice. The order was taken hastily and we got our drink, which he did not recognize as being alcoholic until a few sips in. My partner is a recovering alcoholic and has been sober for 3 years. He was physically and emotionally affected by the liquor - which was served without caution or care. When we brought this concern to the server she said she did not hear us specify virgin (which again, was said twice), with no remorse or empathy. There was no apology, there was no critical thinking to problem solve in that moment, and we had to seek the manager out ourselves. The discussion with Stephanie, the owner and acting manager, was truly shocking. Stephanie refused to not acknowledge the clear violation and emotional distress my partner was in and offered no apology. She repeatedly asked us what we “wanted her to do”, and was overall dismissive. When I, completely miffed at this response, told Stephanie that I felt my partner is owed recognition and a simple apology she stated it was implied and that “sorry goes without saying”. Stephanie, “I’m sorry” does not go without saying and your lack of compassion was more offensive and disappointing than the mistake that led to a recovering alcoholic being served in the first place. This “Cincinnati staple” deserves to be held accountable to the community that has upheld it, and today’s visit to The Echo was an...

Overall I think Echo Restaurant is good. A nice diner style atmosphere. We came for breakfast on a rainy day so it was kind of cozy. Not loud and people weren’t running around. Our server was nice and quick to attend to us. Marcella was the name on the check so that might be her name? Breakfast food was okay overall. I had the Lumberjack special. The sausage gravy is good but the biscuit was either hard in general or because it wasn’t warm at all when it got to me. The potato cakes are hash brown medallions which I did really like to help finish up the generous portion of sausage gravy. The omelette I needed a lot more flavor. Eggs weren’t seasoned, the meat was dry and hard, but I did enjoy the banana peppers. There wasn’t much in the realm of pepper jack cheese. My girlfriend enjoyed her bacon, it was crispy and had a nice crunch. The pancakes were good.

If in the area we may come back for a meal, will get lunch or dinner a chance. Just not something I would go out of my way for if I am being honest. I personally feel that the menu is overpriced for the portions and actually flavor/taste. There are many diners such as this or slightly more “up scale” that the menu is less or they equal but have more to offer. This could just be this one experience and will update if a future...