The Place To Be — Restaurant in Lakewood

I decided on THE PLACE TO BE - because Google Maps identified as a good match for my preferences and tastes in a breakfast experience.

The algorithms were right. 

I really enjoyed my experience.

It’s worth mentioning that the start that my dining experience was delayed because I’m accustomed to paying with my Apple Pay or if need be my “plastic”. THE PLACE TO BE will only accept cash (maybe personal checks, but that wouldn’t fly for me as I no longer carry them). This meant that I had to hustle around the corner and find an ATM, but I can appreciate the small business values that leads a restaurant like to hold this particular line.

When I finally entered, I was delighted to see: 1. The place was full (that’s a good sign on a Thursday morning, and 2.) the place was full of a crowd who we might infer (based on age) that they possess more wisdom and discretion than their younger counterparts — who may well be more swayed by advertising, fashion, or trends. This crowd had been coming for a while. Which to me is another good sign.

The classic breakfast I ordered (two eggs over easy, home fries, meat and toast — came out quickly and were delicious. I opted for the gyro meat because it was a favorite — and while I’ve never tried this combination before (gyro meat for breakfast) I’m glad I did.

The wait staff was attentive, friendly and the conversation of the regulars spilled over from table to table and even I got caught up in some of the conversational public deliberations (and me, an out of town, stranger).

I’ll visit again if the time and place is right. It is, after all, THE...

I’ve never left a review in my life until now. Honest to god probably THE rudest woman I’ve ever spoken to at a restaurant took my order. I ordered the biscuits and gravy , which says homemade gravy….it is 100% canned gravy. The biscuits are 100% ordered frozen and premade. Horribly dry and weirdly chewy in a bad way. The dish tasted EXACTLY like the “biscuits and gravy” served at my gross college dining hall from back when I was in school. It came with potatoes that didn’t have the slightest sprinkle of seasoning (nothing was seasoned at all) and were also absurdly dry. I was also charged more than the menu price and was borderline yelled at when I asked about the price difference. Lastly, they have a very odd, literal Facebook post printed out and framed by their cash register which exaggerates how much their food costs are and essentially tells customers to shut up about their extremely expensive BREAKFAST. The ONLY slightly redeeming aspect of the meal was the portion. It definitely was a large breakfast. But, in fairness, a bad one. As I said, I have never before left a review for a restaurant, but I can confidently suggest you don’t waste your money...

I would rate this 5 for the wait staff, she was very good. I ordered soup and corned beef. The soup tasted like flour, had NO seasonings, MENA didn't like it either. Very thick, looked good, but no flavor, not even salt and pepper helped. Ordered a corned beef sandwich, very disappointing, maybe 10 slices of corned beef? Probobly 1/4 pound, for what I feel should have been a much larger sandwich. Pickle was wilting, and the whole thing was a whopping 15.00. for that same 15, I could have gone to Joe's, the Cleveland Corned Beef company, and gotten a real good corned beef sandwich with a real good kosher pickle. And I would not have the "checking out everyone's ticket girl " whatever she was called, maybe the hostess, giving me the evil eye oh is it an evil eye for having Mena. AND I was placed in a section with 3 families of kids. But the corned beef sandwich was good they're just was no meat to it, it was an...