Came in for breakfast and left with pretty mixed feelings…read more First off, the coffee is genuinely very good--smooth enough that you don't even need cream (though I added some anyway). Instead of sugar packets, they use those classic glass diner-style sugar dispensers, which honestly added a bit of old-school charm. The food had some real highlights. The grits were cooked perfectly--great consistency--and the eggs were solid. The breakfast potatoes stood out the most: well-seasoned and full of flavor. On the downside, the bacon was paper thin, and the toast portions were smaller than expected. Service was a bit off in small but noticeable ways. I wasn't given a separate spoon, so I ended up using the same one for both my coffee and grits, which wasn't ideal--especially when refills came around. The space itself is large, but it feels worn down and underutilized. It looks like they close off sections during slower times, which makes sense but adds to the slightly empty, quiet feel. There's no background music, so the atmosphere is very subdued. Orange juice comes in a standard off-the-shelf bottle, nothing special there. Overall: good coffee and some standout food items, but the ambiance and small service details hold it back from being a truly great spot.

On August 7thh, 2026 around the 10am and 11am hours, I received the worst customer service for the…read morefirst time EVER! In all the many, many years that I love to eat at Shay's and can get any items I like whether it has a menu name. I have driven from the west side of Cleveland, from the south side as well as the eastern suburbs, just so I can enjoy eating any items I wish to purchase, (my choice). However, this Big Back Buuuuurrrrllly, Bushie haired Bear lookin, wanna be bully, picked the wrong job, B____h, gon tell me what she gon give me. "B"..... Hoe! wait a minute. I know what I want. She picked my food for me and walked off with an attitude once she snatched the menus off the table. Then walked off mad and stomping like Godzilla.......and wait.... Slammed the menus back on the counter. I said to my companion.... Did you see her tantrum...."OH HELL NAAAWWW! "WE" were quite offended and decided not to stay but, we made sure we explained to the gentleman at the register to PLEASE inform the owner. I've been a customer of Shay's since meeting my now deceased husband. I was 22 at the time. I'm blessed that I'm now 60 and have been able to still enjoy Shay's. Girlie f@#$ that up. She can never wait on ME again, IF I return. First impressions since that waitress has none, nada, no genuine customer service skills. BTW, she should be in the back helping unload the trucks.

I got to return to a favorite informal dining place today! I've missed the comfortable booths,…read morefriendly owners and servers and the delicious food! I came for lunch, but I chose the 3-egg vegetable omelet off the breakfast menu, served with rye toast. Scrumptious! Thanks to Mariana for her service with a smile. We will be back soon!

Fantastic chivito sandwich loaded with steak, ham, cheese, egg, lettuce, and tomato on a soft…read morehoagie. Steak and eggs were perfectly cooked too. The chorizo burrito was super stuffed and greasy good. Great little comfort breakfast spot.

Never been here. My boyfriend been trying to take me here I always say no thank you lol. But today…read morewe were looking for some breakfast and I said let's go to fifth wheel he was so surprised needless to say. It's cash only, it's small but the food the food was delicious and made fast cooked to order ! Small mom and pot spot I never imagined it was going to be this good. Needless to say we will return! And the prices was good on the pockets.

This may not be your kind of place. But it's my kind of place now. I was pleasantly surprised as…read morethe store front had fogged up windows and the diner itself could use a remodel. But we're here for the food, price, and the wonderful service. We got the French toast/two eggs/sausage and hotcakes/home fries/and bacon. And we ordered the Philly cheesesteak to go. All the food was excellent, good portions, price was around $7.50 each and $13 for the sandwich/fries. The Philly cheese steak was stuffed with about 8oz of steak, peppers, onions, white cheese on a fresh roll. We talked to the owner/cook/server about the neighborhood. He knows everyone and everything going on. This is my new diner spot when I'm in asiatown/downtown area. Don't judge a book by its cover, come inside and if you want simply basic good food, it's here.

I really like this place... It's small and the people are very friendly and the food is always…read moregood. I had the New Yorker, which is a corned beef with coleslaw and I also had a bowl of chili. Both were excellent and came out pretty quickly. I really like that as this small diner type field to it, and the decor on the walls is pretty cool as well

A small diner located in the plaza. They have like 10 tables or so. You can dine in or get take…read moreout. Our waitress was very nice and the service was quick. I ordered the Patty Melt and fries. It was very good. Decent size menu. You can get breakfast or lunch. Prices are decent. I will be trying their breakfast next time.

Stopped into Gus's on a whim and although the place was packed on a Sunday morning we were sat very…read morequickly, had amazing service, and enjoyed our food before I could even take pics. I haven't been inside since the remodel and to protects those around us privacy I didn't take any pictures but it's looks so good in there!! Great job!! He has the steak with eggs and spoke highly of it, and I had the turkey and cheese omelette with french fries and coffee. My omelette was perfectly made, very flavorful, and something I would order time and time again.

Had to go to Gus to get breakfast since gates is closed today give this place a 5 out of 5timings…read more We'll i think omelet is huge barely finished it is a4egg omelet vs 3egg omelet ham sausage bacon cheese..m

Great Food Great Service…read more Great Ambiance Always Enjoy Coffee and Breakfast Specials with the Guys. Monday Funday !!!

Be nice to your waitstaff and tip generously! Eating brunch here on Sunday before going apple…read morepicking reminded me of just how hard they work and how terrible so many people treat these lovely folk. That's my PSA for today. As for everything else, this little diner is definitely locally owned and locally loved. It was only a few minutes from the farm I took my bf to go apple picking on the far east side of Cleveland. FYI!!! - The menu online is incredibly outdated!! Each thing is about 50% more expensive. Use the attached menu pictures to get an accurate idea of prices in late 2025. This is no longer a cheap place to eat. :( After about 15 minutes of waiting, we were sat at the counter right next to the cash register and could hear everything the staff said. I was enlightened as to how terrible they are treated by stingy, entitled customers. I felt terrible about my impatience at getting seated and getting our food but it seems like all the staff and cooks were just burnt out today. They still did a pretty good job at making yummy food though! My bf got a skillet with home fries and wheat toast. This was a lot of food and the toast was very thicccc and very heavily buttered. I ordered a gyro salad with tzaziki sauce and it came with buttered triangles of pita bread. Since we weren't prepared for the price changes, we just got water to drink. We both were shocked at how LARGE the portions were! The gyro meat was so good and the pita bread was nice and lightly buttered. My bf was a huge fan of the sausage in his skillet. Because we didn't want to leave the food in the car for a few hours, we ate everything and did not have leftovers although we could have! Not sure how well my gyro salad would taste as leftovers though so it was probably best I ate everything. Lastly, I made sure to thank them and tip generously. I hope everyone else there did the same. I ended up paying about $42.

YE Gurl Says: Greasy Spoon Therapy at Big Al's…read more The only way I made it through the first episode of Love Is Blind: Ohio was by reminding myself that I had better things to focus on -- like writing up this review for Big Al's Diner. Tucked between the polished neighborhood staples -- cafés, plant shops, nail salons -- sits a true greasy spoon time capsule. No frills. No aesthetic branding strategy. Just counter seating, booths, and the immediate understanding that when you walk in the door... you're in it. There's no waiting lounge. No curated entry experience. Just breakfast. It feels like stepping into another era -- back when servers wore white coats and diner hats and coffee cups were never empty for long. And let's talk numbers. Even in today's economy, entrées don't cross the $11 mark -- and that includes the double-portion Benedicts in the center of the menu. For those of us who don't eat meat, it's a surprisingly easy compromise spot. Stiff coffee with free refills? $2.50. Orange juice? $2.50. A fully loaded vegetarian cheese omelet -- mushrooms, onions, green peppers, tomato -- with home fries and whole wheat toast? $10.75. While we sat there, talking through life over coffee, it hit me: this meal cost about the same as someone else's single pastry and specialty latte down the street. And I left full. Not trendy-full. Not "small plates" full. Real breakfast full. Sometimes the best things aren't free -- they're just reasonable. Familiar. Nostalgic. The kind of places that don't need reinvention because they already got it right the first time. YE Gurl says: Big Al's is where you go when you want breakfast without a performance. Solid food. Strong coffee. Honest prices. A little slice of yesterday that still holds up today. And honestly? That's better than reality TV drama any morning.

Big Al's feels like the standard for a great breakfast in Cleveland. There's almost always a line,…read moreespecially for weekend breakfast and the menu is filled with breakfast favorites and diner staples. Most often I get a blueberry pancake with either an egg or bacon on the side. It's a lot of food and the prices are all still really affordable imo. It's a basic diner feel. Sometimes, you make new friends if you don't get a booth and you are sitting next to other patrons but it's always comfortable. Service has always been really good especially considering how busy it is. I don't know why I wouldn't go back especially for that blueberry pancake!

Arrived at 12:48 pm on Sunday 7/5. Even though the sign says they close at 3pm and when we arrived…read morethere were people seated and eating, they told us they were closed. We had a party of 3 adults and a 4year old.

Good food and service, friendly staff, nice selections and the prices are reasonable…read more Have frequented this eatery a couple of times and will go again.