Bites Nearby: The Place To Be

Want to know where the place to be is?

 is located on Warren Road and Detroit Avenue — just around the corner from .

It is a Mom & Pop-style diner, which has been called a greasy spoon in other reviews that I’ve read, but I didn’t find anything greasy in there — in fact, it is very clean and the food is prepared well with very fresh ingredients.

The menu has a pretty standard list of sandwiches and burgers; soups and salads; dinner platters – they have a killer gyro platter and they serve breakfast all day.

The omelets are made with 3 eggs. There are 16 different options; there are pancakes, waffles, breakfast burritos; 2 extra-large eggs and pork chops, rib-eye or country-fried steak;  the lunches have deli sandwiches and specialty sandwiches; the dinners feature meatloaf, veal cutlets, pierogies, fried chicken, ocean perch…

The first time I went I had the Gyro Platter: the plate is over-flowing with food and requires many napkins, but the bread is soft, the meat is juicy, and it comes with an extra thick, creamy cucumber sauce that you could stand a fork in — and definitely enough garlic to get you through the day … it’s enough food for two meals.

The second time I went I tried the Greek Salad with chicken… Again, I found an abundance of food on my plate. But it is not all lettuce — it’s cucumbers and tomatoes, olives, peppers, crumbled feta, and the best part was that the chicken was grilled specifically for my salad- it had been lightly marinated, then cooked perfectly, chopped into bite-sized pieces … I have a peeve about salad garnishes needing to be cut: a salad should not require a knife… and I also hate it when the chicken is cooked hours before it is used – stored in the refrigerator all day.

This is not cutting-edge cuisine, but it does adhere to the adage: If you’re going to do something, do it right. The menu covers all the bases of what we would expect to find in a diner, but with a few extras – and it should not be overlooked that the food is fresh, tasty and cooked very well.

The Place To Be is open 7 days, the service is fast and the servers are professional and friendly. Go in hungry, because the portions are large!

Municipal parking in the rear with metered spots, street parking with metered spots.

Cash only. Dine in or Take Out- there is a cute little grassy park with benches, trees and flowers just outside.

1391 Warren Rd, Lakewood, OH 44107

(216)226-8783     

Mon -Sat: 6:30 am-8:30 pm
Sun: 7:00 am-3:00 pm