Bob's Sandwich Shop

Madison and ?

Breakfast before 11 (40¢ extra after that). Subs OK. Bleached, uninspiring, best from the outside.

--RR 1989

Woolworth's Downtown

Euclid (?)

Looks really shitty—all new (unlike good old Woolworth’s) but it’s really insane, busy, huge variety of food and surprisingly good pizza. 

Revision: got sick three times from the pizza. Nothing else there.

--RR 1989

Mel's Diner

Lorain and ? Lakewood? Ohio

Kind of sad little lunch counter (we went when empty). Pancakes average. Great art on walls though.

--RR 1989

A Taste of Thailand

Madison and ?, Lakewood? Ohio

Average prices for a Thai place. Pretty good food. OK atmosphere even though it’s in a shopping center.

 --RR 1989

Mama Santa's

12305 Mayfield Road, Cleveland, Ohio.

Pretty good pizza, and incredibly cheap (including wine). Busy. Good atmosphere, big place.

--RR 1989

Papa NIck's Pizza

W. 116th and Clifton, Cleveland, Ohio.

Real good pizza, cheap, too. Small—must be in the mood to be around people.

“Good pasta, but people talk loud, and you have to stare at bad Cleveland souvenir art.”—Elissa

--RR 1989

Ali Baba

Lorain Ave, Cleveland, Ohio.
(Street w/red light in window—good houses)(?—esoteric directions, I know).
Weird, unusual menu—pita bread in bag—food good—beans—cheap too—OK atmosphere—no napkins or forks--?
Closed Sundays and Mondays
--RR 1989

The Mars Restaurant

W. 25th & Clark, Cleveland, Ohio.
Cool atmosphere (good name and sign!) Food is average—insanely cheap breakfast special.
--RR 1989

The Little Nest

Detroit and ?, Lakewood, Ohio.
Nice lunch counter—good breakfast specials (food and price) before 11. Lame coffee—not good about refills. Good place to sit. Almond French toast.
--RR 1989

Paul & Evelyn's Dinette

Rt. 6—Avon Lake, Ohio.
It looks like a bar, but a sign says “Breakfast Anytime”—it’s true—it’s also a bar. Paul is a nut. Really funny. #2 (for a long, long time “#2” was my shorthand for 2 eggs, homefries, and toast, because that was a #2 at Jerry’s Diner) and coffee for $3 even. The food is good. One poem on the wall. Liquor bottles covered with grease.
--RR 1989

Speed Wok

Downtown, Berea, Ohio.
Kind of cool, small, Chinese place—with a dining room—nice people working there. Food and prices are fair. INSANE, SCARY Egg Foo Young—beware!
--RR 1989

Steven's Family Restaurant

Corner of W. 116th and Detroit. Cleveland, OH.
This was my regular breakfast spot for quite a while when I lived a block away. There was a 69¢ breakfast special! (Two eggs, homefries, and toast-- it came to $1.17 with coffee and tax.) Nice waitresses, usually, and an insane guy named Eddie there in the mornings. Good booths and counter—- cool restaurant art on walls, and sculpture. Big, old pie display case. The food was uneven and not great, but it was the world record cheapest.
--RR 1989

Kaim's Restaurant

W. 25th/across from where all the construction/destruction is (that would be c.1989) Cleveland, Ohio.
Lot of good breakfast specials—real variety—okay prices.
Real nightmarish place with fake Tiffany lamps, ceiling fans, too much orange, fake brown wood, and a giant American eagle on the wall. Bad radio.
Of course this all has its charm, depending on your mood.
--RR 1989

Specialty Kitchen

Detroit Road, Lakewood, Ohio.
Storefront lunch-counter, run by foreign woman and her daughters. There were attempts to “fix it up” but it’s still lunch-counter-like, diner-like. Check out the lunch—homemade soup. Breakfast is average. Closed Sunday. I sat at the counter with the ceiling fan between me and the fluorescent light, doing weird things with light and shadows.
--RR 1989

Kleifeld's Restaurant

Downtown Willoughby, Ohio.
Sign on brick side of the building says: “Good Coffee Always”
Great small lunch counter—food/prices nothing special. But good coffee. Great Floor! Old counter with elbow spots, Bunn-omatic, stainless steel. No radio! Old Seeburg 200 Wall-O-Matic. Cool bathroom downstairs.
--RR 1989

Maria's Roman Room

Maria’s Roman Room
11826 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio.
My notes say: Good Outside Art – in somewhat dramatic fashion, but my notes fail to elaborate.
Lot of red light inside. Okay bar when the TV’s not on a sitcom. Don’t know about the restaurant—pizza has a decent reputation.
--RR 1989

Schenley's Bar

Prospect Ave, Downtown, Cleveland, Ohio.
It’s a bar… but they serve breakfast! Cheap breakfast special—lot of food—good atmosphere in the morning.
--RR 1989

The Fifth Wheel

3306 St. Clair, at E. 33rd. Cleveland, Ohio.
Okay place, old guys, cops. Built in an old garage. Grits taste like they’re made with motor oil. Eggs bad. Coffee weak.
--RR 198

Slymon's

3106 St. Clair. Cleveland, Ohio.
Scary! Stay away!
--RR 1989

(note: this is all it says in my notebook. I have no idea why I thought it was scary. I seem to recall eating there, repeatedly, too, and perhaps some fondness for the place. But maybe I’m wrong. I looked it up-- it’s actually Slyman’s Deli-- it’s still there, and it’s a big corned beef place.)

Shanghai

2142 Rockwell (Chinatown). Cleveland, Ohio.
Expensive and filled with gross businesspeople at lunch—I didn’t eat here. Looks cool.
--RR 1989

Don's 21st Street Deli

E. 21st Street and Superior. Cleveland, Ohio.
Liver and onions special is excellent and cheap. Best liver and onions I’ve ever had, though the mashed potatoes were runny.
--RR 1989

Liberty Restaurant

West 25th—near bridge. Cleveland, Ohio.
Counter and booths—great place, full of characters—comfortable, too. In an old building—big green Carrier heater! Great art on the walls—especially the ocean scene behind the counter! Full of great diner stuff—Bunn, Hamilton Beach, pie and donut displays.
--RR 1989

Gold Coins

2162 Rockwell (at E. 21st) Chinatown, Cleveland, Ohio.
Real cheap and pretty good lunch special. Nice people working. Private booths.
--RR 1989

Lu's Wok In

Clifton, near W. 110th, Cleveland, Ohio.
All take-out. Hot and sour soup OK. Not great, but cheap.
--RR 1989

Chung Wah

3859 Superior, Cleveland, Ohio.
Weird place—not great—food not great. The “sea food” is artificial—fake seafood! Really FUNNY, but not great tasting. Cool booths. Mean (but funny) employees.
--RR 1989

Ho Wood

9521 Madison, Cleveland, Ohio.
Too expensive, not that good—hot and sour soup is pretty lame.
--RR 1989

William's Restaurant

Broadway, South of 55th, Slavic Village, Cleveland, Ohio.
Reduced hours—no one to work. So they tell me. At one time 24 hours. Insane lunch counter—good breakfast. Written about by Charlotte Pressler in "Hoya," which-- maybe I can find that later.
--RR 1989

The Coffee Pot

12415 Madison (near the 5 & Dime) Lakewood, Ohio.
Okay neighborhood diner (good neighborhood). Storefront—nothing special.
--RR 1989

Sammy's Grille 34

NCB Building, Downtown, Cleveland, Ohio.
Kind of cool—hidden—not pompous, even though “Grille” is spelled with an “e.” Not too expensive—diner-like—both times there I said “no mayo” and Sammy put it on anyway—he’s a real foul-tempered guy. Not a good atmosphere for sitting—at least at lunch-hour (‘til 1:30).
--RR 1989

Joe's Coffee Shop

Euclid Ave/Playhouse Square, Downtown, Cleveland, Ohio.
Corned beef place—too fast-paced—too deli-like—no atmosphere.
--RR 1989