I walked into Maingate Restaurant this morning and ordered the pancake breakfast special. Nawal was the cook, and Emile was my server. I sat at the booth for a minute and asked for a menu. Emile pointed without saying a word as she wrote the specials on the board. No greeting, just a point. Being in the industry myself, I didn't like that. She had a frown on her face, and honestly, the energy was off. I placed my order but stood up--I didn't want to sit after being pointed at like that. Nawal noticed and kindly asked me to sit down. He was so nice, and we started talking. While we chatted, I asked Emile for water. She said, "Excuse me?" I repeated, "Ice water." She brought it over and spilled some, then handed it to me anyway. I thought, "Damn, they just opened--who made her mad already?" But here's the thing: I said to myself, "I don't care how mad she is, I'm about to make her talk because this is what I do." So we got to talking, and she actually opened up and told me what was wrong. And you know what? She ended up being a sweetheart. As we talked, she smiled more and more. The whole vibe shifted. The food? Absolutely great. Here's what I learned from being in the industry: Never bring your problems with you. Smile even if it hurts, because you want people to return and feel welcomed. But I also learned something else today--you never know what someone is going through. Be patient. Talk if you can. Listen. I could have easily walked out and never come back. But I'm not that type of person. I try to figure things out so the outcome can be better. I'd rather heal you than hurt you. Great couple. Great food. Great experience once we connected. 5 stars. I will definitely be returning. Go check them out, and remember--kindness goes both ways. I pray you feel better, Emile. read more

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Hey Y'all! Your Hangry Breakfast Eater is back! Lol I had heard about Main Gate from someone on the Internet and I finally got around to remembering and then finding through Yelp. Although it was only a few minutes from my home, it felt like I was going over the river and through the woods. That's because the handy dandy GPS loves to take you on the scenic route. It's located off the beaten path with a little sign, that you may miss if you aren't paying attention and you go down the stairs. Now it's a great thing the Main Gate closes at 2pm because I would not be caught going there at night! Not that it's not safe, but it looks like Jason might have been waiting for me around the corner. Anywho, you will be taking a step back into 19 before you were born. When you walk in there are 14 stools, 3 tables and about 5 booths. Everyone can see everybody. They have the whiteboard with the specials and menus in every table. Some are laminated and some aren't, but there isn't a damn QR code I'll tell you that! Long live paper menus!!! The decor is your damn kitchen with a sign that says to bless it, along with accomplishments from various Cleveland news sources and family pictures. There is only one person cooking. Every day. Seven days a week and if he isn't there....something's wrong. Him and Noella. I didn't ask a lot of questions even though I had a moment to before every type of person in DaLand came through! And the truckers. I was trying to bat my eyes, but Chile they were focused on food and I don't blame them. I ordered the corned beef hash with two eggs over medium and rye toast for $15.99. I could only eat half of it. I'm so thankful for my air fryer As a side note all the single men come in here!!!! Other than the truckers! Noella and Mr. Maingate have been a staple in this area for 30 years. They knew a lot of folks that came in. One Brother was showing pictures of his new born. Another Guy told him, he'd bring them some fish. Listen, they aren't making food any differently than most diners in the city. But what this hidden gem is doing, is creating memories with their community and making each person feel as if their table is all theirs. I'll bring someone back, just so they can share the experience. read more

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Having seen a review on the restaurant, we stopped by after a morning appointment. Coffee was good, hot and kept coming. There was so much food we couldn't eat it all. The service was great and the food was good. Atmosphere was quaint. Old style breakfast gem. read more

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Saw a unicorn of a diner today. Mom got a procedure done at CCF. She was hungry so we went straight to Maingate. Ordered the cheesesteak with fries ahead of time. Around $13. Don't follow the GPS to this place. Go down woodland, turn towards truck depot/factories on E 40th. They have a small sign directing you from the sidewalk. Hidden gem is a fitting description of this place. You have to go down steps into what looks like an abyss but the smell of good food reveals the oasis. Melting pot of people here. All friendly faces. Owner and wife working hard behind the counter. Cheesesteak was very flavorful, seasoned right with onions, peppers, mushrooms and melted white cheese. Bread roll was also very fresh and good. Seasoned fries crispy tasty. Everyone needs to get here before CLE loses a legend. If you live here, you can't say you're from here until you eat at the Maingate. read more

Main Gate Restaurant - Cheesesteak w seasoned fries - American Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Quesadilla and onion rings were slamming! Walked in places clean always greeted. Service was great. Felt like home as usual. Definitely gotta swing by and try this one. read more

Main Gate Restaurant - This quesadilla and onion rings were slamming! - American Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Emile and Nawal serve a "Fresh Real Deal Breakfast" in this throwback basement establishment located under an old Cleveland Food Terminal... Thank you Yelp for the #1 Rating! You helped this "Out of towner" find this Gem! Warning: GPS may take you to an empty lot at 37th and Orange Ave. Keep driving into the Food Terminal and you'll find Greatness at the end of the dock. read more

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Off the wall location, great breakfast food. Price is right, friendly owner operators. Glad we found, will be back.

CLEVELAND HIDDEN GEM... LITERALLY!!! ;) We wanted an early Cleveland, OH breakfast and since Main Gate (5* rating on yelp!) opened at 5:30am, my yelpiness wanted to go there. Now, EVEN USING YELP directions to get to Main Gate, it got us kinda close, but it definitely DID NOT throw us a baseball strike in any way! We still had to explore the area and hope it wasn't closed, because the "yelp spot" we arrived at, 3900 Orange Avenue, gave off that "abandoned" vibe lol. This gets me in SEEK mode, form of... Bloodhound! I GOTTA find it now! Luckily we found signs of life! Sooo... pro-tip: Stay on Woodland after exiting the freeway. Make a right on E. 40th St. & drive until you see the big green initials of the Northern Ohio Food Terminal on the right side. Finally, look for the restaurant signs, and THEN you know you arrived! (we came on a Saturday morning). Don't be afraid lol the signs are not lying! Walk down the stairs, through 2 sets of doors and... VIOLÀ! We've found it! As we enter, Ms Noelle warmly welcomes us in and Emilio is at grill, working his magic. Menu is simple but there are also specials for the day written on a whiteboard. Ms Noelle kindly helps us navigate the menu. Coffee? Yes. Ice Tea? No. Gotta go to their drink fridge if you want anything more fancy. Their ice water though... is legit! (I'm a water snob). Ok, enough details, LET'S EAT! CORNED BEEF HASH SPECIAL: I am sucker for Corned Beef Hash! It's one of my childhood core memories so, of course I'm getting that for my first visit here! It's a homemade version here and Emilio prepares it PERFECTLY! There's a slight crispness to it, so you know there was a some care put into it. It's a big serving of meat with just a touch of onions and potatoes. Mmmmmmm! So GOOD! My eggs were over medium just the way I asked, and had the right "runnyness" to spill a lil bit onto my hash for a lil more flavor. Toast (only white, wheat, rye, or raisin option today) complimented the meal nicely. Mr. Emilio... you make THEE BEST corned beef hash!!! Props to you Sir! Absolutely made my day! SALMON CROQUETTE & EGGS & VEGGIES: Not many diabetic options for my mom, who was trying to avoid bacon & sausage, but this piqued her interest. We subbed out the rice for grilled veggies. My mom LOVED it! The croquette had an authentic salmon flavor/presence to it and it came with TWO patties. She also ordered her eggs over medium (Hah! Must be genetics!) and was surprised how good the grilled veggies were... not overly greasy, all the veggies still crisp. Solid stuff! VERY EASY RECOMMENDATION! Definitely a locals place but we were welcomed in and treated like family. And the food is absolutely delicious! Now that we know, if we ever return to Cleveland, Main Gate is a fave! read more

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My food was hot, fresh, and made quick. I ordered the pancake breakfast with sausage and eggs & cheese scrambled softly . The pancakes were good. They cooked my eggs just right. The prices and portions are great! The location may be off putting to some but give it a try still! read more

It might be hard to find, but it's worth the effort. This is a very good diner. Great food and friendly service make the dining experience pleasant. The prices are very reasonable too. I've had the pancakes, the hash browns and the corned beef hash. All excellent. read more

Main Gate is a true hidden gem for breakfast in Cleveland. The portions are generous, the service is warm, and the whole place has an old-school, no-frills charm. It's the kind of classic diner where you feel like you've stepped back in time--exactly the kind of spot you might remember going to with your grandpa. If you're looking for a hearty, satisfying breakfast without the trendy fuss, this is the place to go. read more

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE??? This place...where do I start? When you finally find it, it looks as though you are at a deserted truck yard. You are greeted by a couple of signs hanging over industrial plastic strips that mark the entrance. You head downstairs and are taken back 60 years to the place you wish EVERY breakfast/lunch deli was when walked in. The folks are great and the food is STUPID GOOD! If you are remotely in the area go. read more

Main Gate Restaurant - German breakfast - American Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Restaurant is hard to find (go through the curtains at the end of the green warehouse building) but worth the hunt. Service was excellent and the food was so fresh and delicious. We watched the chef cut potatoes by hand for home fries. Pricing was low for the amount of food because it's a lot of food! read more

Main Gate Restaurant - Corned Beef Hash Special - American Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Read about this place online in an article about hidden gems in Cleveland. This is indeed one of them. Very much off the beaten path and intimidating from the outside. Outstanding. Went for breakfast. The owners seem to be lovely. I'm a strong coffee person and was worried about the coffee...turns out not necessary. Coffee and food were great. Service was very good and was very clean, although in the warehouse area it's in and the entrance one might wonder what they were getting in to. Specials on the board included salmon croquettes with eggs and corn beef. Everyone working there so friendly as well as other patrons. Will be back!! read more

A wonderful little known diner near downtown Cleveland great food, great service and a very comfortable atmosphere. Whether you're looking to dine in or grab and go, the experience is always amazing. read more

Found this place on Yelp, thought it'd be an experience to see if it was actually "5 stars". Took my parents here on a tour for something unusual to do. I loved it!! Mom and pops type of place. Simple, no frills, hidden place. Not what you'd expect to walk into for an eatery, definitely thought WTH as we walked down the steps to the basement. Staff....super nice!! Diner atmosphere, which I love. Food was home cooking, and super fast!! I would eat here 7 days a week and twice on Sunday if you like home style food and super quick. I couldn't believe it wasn't busier. I think it's a little intimidating with the location, truly thought this was gonna be a joke, but wow what a gem to have found!! I literally watched the food being made, so I knew there wasn't a chance of getting sketchy food. Plus, nothing was grease soaked or microwaved. Nothing fast food about this place, but everything was super fast in service to the food prep and reception. We walked in and out in 30 minutes having ate, and spending time chatting. The waitress was on top of servicing customers, and went overboard to make everything right in terms of food and customer needs. I definitely recommend this for an off the beaten path experience. Shame it's not closer to my home, as I live 2.5 hours away. read more

Unique atmosphere with fast service. Never expect such good food underneath a warehouse!

Absolute Gem of a restaurant... great food and service ! Doesn't look like much when pulling in but looks were definitely don't match up to the service and food provided read more

I try to patronize local restaurants as often as I can. I am rarely in this area, but thanks to a client I dropped off nearby, I found this hidden gem. First of all, don't let the sketchy building deter you. It is an industrial area and the restaurant and restrooms are downstairs. It appears to be frequented by city workers, construction folks and locals. The breakfast was so good. I think the owners are husband and wife or somehow related as they work well together. I chose the #7 omelet. It had bacon and sausage and all veggies in it. It came with 2 toast and home fries. They gave jelly and butter, plastic wear and napkins. I ate it right outside in my car. read more

So this place isn't the easiest of places to find...in the basement of a warehouse hut don't let the ambiance fool ya...this place uses local sourced meats and produce...won't be our last time visiting. read more

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Outstanding service and amazing food. Highly recommend. The owners are super personable and professional, fun time! Don't let the warehouse look turn you around, you don't want to miss this gem. Opens at 0530, and the breakfast hits the spot. read more

Very good food and very good service. I recommend to everybody that's in the Cleveland Ohio area.

On a road trip through the mid west and was looking for a place open at 5:30 in the morning. Saw this on my phone so we drove there. Looks incredibly sketchy outside, it appears to be in a broken down old ex-warehouse? Do not let this fool you. You enter through stairs on the very left of the warehouse if you are looking straight at it. Then through two doors and boom, hole in the wall little diner. The food was absolutely amazing and the chef, Emilio was incredibly friendly. The food is amazingly priced as well. I recommend the pancakes with eggs and bacon. read more

Fantastic place for lunch and we are going back for breakfast! Friendly vibe and you can really feel the history of the place. It takes knowing where to look to get there but it's definitely worth the hunt! read more

On a weekend getaway, girlfriend and I were looking for a local breakfast spot near our downtown hotel. Google suggested Main Gate Restaurant, so we set a course. We turned onto 40th Street (this was the morning after a 15-inch snowstorm), and found a major traffic jam of cars, semis and other vehicles, in the middle of what looked like an industrial park. Our first thought was that we made a bad turn, but we saw the sign for Main Gate at the main gate of a food terminal. So, we decided to give it a shot. The place is downstairs, and through some climate curtains, in the basement of the building. But we were greeted warmly by the server and cook (seemed to be a husband-wife) and given hot coffee quickly. There are about 5-10 booths, and a handful of tables. They said that a lot of truck drivers grab a bite while waiting on their loads. I had the corned beef hash; girlfriend had the French toast. The hash was made in house, and had great flavor, with a huge serving. Came with fried potatoes and rye toast. Girlfriend's French toast was amazing, with great flavor, powdered sugar, and sausage links. There weren't many other customers (snowstorm), but there was another couple there, a CLE firefighter and his wife, and one truck driver. The cook and his wife have run this 100-year-old restaurant for 26 years, and we can see why it is a beloved neighborhood staple. SUPPORT THIS LOCAL FAMILY-OWNED eatery. They make you feel like a part of the family. read more

Main Gate Restaurant - Corned beef hash - American Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Great Fast Service Good ass Food Emilio is great nice guy Feels like home type of restaurant with the funny uncle who can cook his ass off read more

Have been getting lunch here for the whole Foote printing crew for years. The spicy chicken wrap with seasoned fries is the favorite here. Going in to eat there is very nostalgic and fun. I would recommend this place to anyone, great food, people, and service. Perfect place to take someone for breakfast as well. Full disclosure we also print their menus. I am including the menu as of September 2019. read more

Main Gate Restaurant - Maingate Menu as of 10-10-2019 - American Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Went in for breakfast, but then the waitress said Chicken Paprikash was one of the specials, I had the special. It was fantastic!

Awesome breakfast spot, I drive from willoughby to get here couple times out of the month. check them out

Cleveland's hidden breakfast gem right here. Located in the basement of the old Cleveland produce terminal, Main Gate takes you way back to the days where the terminal was packed, except in the last 50 years, the prices of the food here have not changed. It's so cheap! This greasy spoon is one for the record books. I'm hesitant to write this as I'm afraid it will continue to get more popular and lose a bit of its appeal, but it's just great. 5 star here, bacon was delivered just the way I like it! read more

My husband brought me here for breakfast this morning. He informed me this was a true hole in the wall and he was not lying. It is in the basement of an old warehouse which I believe used to provide food products for restaurants in the area. I would never have imagined this cool restaurant to be here. If you are looking for a "greasy spoon" with reasonable prices this is a place you need to try. The owners are the cook and server. The wife was very pleasant and recognized my husband from a prior visit. Next time I will post pics but def worth a try!!!! I know the hours listed on yelp says closed Saturday but that is incorrect, they are open Saturday and closed Sunday. read more

Good food and great service. The food around here is mostly fast food so for a quick and good lunch, this is a good option. They change up their specials often and offer a good assortment of options. Tasty. read more

Amazing! A nice little diner where you can talk to the cook while he's making your breakfast. A nice place to meet people in the community and the food is so delicious!! read more