I come here for the nostalgia of coming with my grandma as a kid. The food is always good. It's nothing amazing but I do enjoy it every now and again. The people are always nice and the food is always hot and ready. The vibe of the restaurant is definitely a little out dated but it's clean. Overall it's a good place to visit if you've never been, but it's not a wow experience. read more

MCL caters to a particular demographic, but I think that's because they know what they like! They serve homestyle food like fried chicken, mashed potatoes, prime rib, fried fish, etc, with plenty of specials and decent sized portions. The food is pretty simple, but that doesn't mean it's not good! I have honestly come here for years, and may have had something other than the fried chicken one time. On my most recent visit, I had fried chicken, broccoli, and mashed potatoes, and about licked my plate clean. I also had a strawberry poppy seed salad, that was quite good, and a generous side portion, as well as sugar cream pie. I came with a group of friends, all mid-thirties, and everybody had a great time. There was something for everyone, and because of the laid back vibe, we were able to grab a good sized table and hang out for a couple of hours to catch up, which was really lovely. No pressure from the staff, and there was plenty of open seating for the next group. Because it's cafeteria style, service is really quick, so you can have an efficient meal, or hang out. read more

MCL Restaurant & Bakery - Just a full tray - American Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

Chicken was salty, the string were not done and the dressing was stuffing. Totally disappointed.

You think this is the "Medicare Lounge"? Feel free while the rest if us rejoice in the short lines of the best food value in town. We eat here because the staff is awesome the food is a mix of fresh and cafeteria cheap and they have some of the best stuff you'll ever eat.... let alone gum! read more

MCL Restaurant & Bakery - Another great meal and the apple cheesecake will beat any 5 star dining - American Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

Enjoyed a great lunch special with a fried catfish sandwich, one side and a drink for $11. Sit as long as you like, free drink refills and and use the free WiFi, it's very hard to beat the value here. Daily blue plate special gets you a reduced portion for a very fair price, a different entrée every day. Cinnamon rolls and dinner rolls made fresh daily, don't miss, it's easy to overdo the carbs here lol. My catfish sandwich was delicious, three huge lightly battered filets on a Kaiser roll with lettuce tomato and pickles, yummy. Good iced tea also. Vegetarian rating: three stars, there are many salads and veg options, but there is no special vegetable entrée or plate. Has a big private room, seats at least 50 ppl. You can bring a group here for an event and everybody gets exactly what they want from the cafeteria line. It's true, I worked here back in 1983 making fried chicken! Not a lot has changed either even though the building was knocked down and completely rebuilt since then. read more

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Good -decent choices and nice staff. It is comfort food but they have salads and chicken options too so it works for every age.

As is usual for my experiences with the MCL in Muncie, every employee genuinely greeted me and said goodbye and was eager to help me through the (empty) serving line to choose what I wanted. All a la carte, not cheap, but most everything is of average quality. The desserts are always above average and the cookies here are consistent with my Muncie experiences- thick and chewy and delicious! Overall good times even if I was the youngest customer by 4 decades at least. Even though I knew not to trust the quality of the non-dessert food, I ordered two fried chicken legs ($2.29 each!). They were of course spectacularly bad. They reeked of fish and the taste was not something I'd had before in fried chicken. The crispy breading was odd in flavor- just not right is all I can say to describe it. The brownie I saved for last and it was gooey, fudgy, and overall just a $2.35 glob of high calorie goodness to wash out the chicken I'd just endured. The pecan (with caramel?) pie tasted like earwax smelled- you guys would know the smell if you smelled it. It was otherworldly in the worst way and it hurts me to diss pie. read more

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I used to work at this MCL and can confidently say I'd still eat the food here if offered. There's something so sweet about the ultra elderly patrons and the charming high school student aged staff. The deals here are great and the classic dishes hit any Midwestern cookout type craving you could have. This is a cafeteria style place where you slide a tray down a long buffet line and seat yourself (assistance available for mobility limited individuals). The local favorites include anything from the dessert section: the chocolate chip cookie, banana cream pie and brownie take the cake and we're constantly sold out years ago during my tenure there. read more

I had not been to an MCL since I was a kid, and with my grandmother. Last night I was in the area and stopped in. My eyes were bigger than my stomach and I ended up with way too much food on my tray, but it was worth it. I ate what I could and took the rest home (mmm lunch today). Everyone was pretty friendly (there was one woman who may have been a manager that seemed precoccupied when she served my side dish, but everyone else had a smile). I went down the line choosing, in order, a small salad (spinach, tomatoes, and strawberries), a large (big!) piece of fish almondine, fresh green beans, a honey-wheat roll, and a slice of coconut cream pie (due to my inability to walk past plates of sliced cream pie). All this for $16. The cashier was great, and the dining attendant was very helpful. He brought me an extra napkin and a straw without my asking. He also refilled my water, and brought a to-go box upon request. I ate a bit of everything, and moved on to the pie. All good. I will be back. I thought the food tasted great, the service friendly, and the dining room pleasant. It's a pretty good value. read more

The place was clean, the staff was friendly minus the blonde haired GM lady. She has no patience, can be slick mouthed and body disposition says a lot as well. The food is pricey, it's not a place for vegans/pescatarians. Food had hair in it, they are not using hair nets or gloves on the front line. I was told they do use gloves in the kitchen, but still NO hair nets. I will not be going back unless I'm bringing in outside food to eat. Not a good experience at all. read more

Very clean place, little difficult to find for first timer, I'm the corner of a shopping center. Staff was polite and responsive. Food was average 'cafeteria' type food. Cole slaw was probably the highlight. I think the draw would be returning different days for different entrees. Had pepsi and sweet tea so that's awesome. Prices were pretty high, $30+ for lunch. read more

If you miss old-fashioned cafeteria dining, this is the place for you. Reasonable prices, terrific service, and a variety of foods. Don't expect anything fancy, though: this is just good old-fashioned comfort food. read more

Where do I begin? I want to put this out there for all my Foodies my niece dragged me here because she grew up coming here with her grandparents. First of all MCL how in the world could you ever serve salmon that has been sitting out possibly for hours? The top and the bottom all the way to the middle was completely dry, never have I encountered this. I have no idea how anyone can enjoy the food here. I literally wasted it and my money, I had hope for the custard dessert unfortunately it had been made incorrect, everything was off consistency and flavor. Sorry MCL I will never recommend nor eat here again. read more

Highly average, slightly overpriced food catering to the elderly in Upper Arlington. This could be so much better than it is... but it isn't. read more

We normally would give them at least 4 stars, but twice now when we went to eat there, someone dishing up food has had their mask below their nose or taken it completely down to talk. This is totally unacceptable. Signs on their doors say everyone must wear a mask to be in their establishment. Why doesn't this include employees? We walked out the first time & walked out again today. Let's be real, MOST people that eat at MCL are "the vulnerable" population. We love eating their & drive down from Delaware to do so!! Very disappointing! read more

Wow! The chicken was perfectly crispy and the pecan pie was deliciously gooey! This was a great home style meal.

I stopped here after a doctor's appointment and wow. I love MCL Whitehall but it holds nothing to this location. The food is delicious and the décor - wow - It is so fancy inside and the service was superb!!! I will be back! read more

MCL Restaurant & Bakery - American Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

Imagine if you visited your aging relatives at a nursing home community or a regional hospital, and they hired a 4-star comfort-food themed restaurant to handle the cooking and catering for patients and guests. That's about as close to a summary as you can get to MCL. That's not a slam, by the way. I practically live here sometimes. But I feel in this instance it's fair to call a spade a spade. read more

This place is a joke. The food is lousy and the cost is ridiculously high. Will never go here again!

Consistent good comfort food: fried chicken excellent! Had the green beans and mashed potatoes and all agreed we'd order it again---but that fried chicken:mmmmmmmm And their iced tea is reallly good too! read more

Grilled Onion Liver, Red Potatoes & Herbs, Marconi & Cheese Fudge Brownie & cup of coffee cream & pink sugar last March 3 at six o'clock so late arriving on time from COTA #3 read more

Just picked up a few pies to go but they were delicious and the service was quick and friendly.

MCL is the best for quick service and variety. Love the $5 dollar turkey special and the huge dining area. A winner!

Found this buffet when we stopped at nearby AAA for maps and decided try it. Was described as a kinda old fashioned buffet with all food made from scratch. As picked a tray we had multiple choices so Sue picked fish and rice, I chose fried chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy with corn on the cob.should mention that all items are priced separately but they did offer some special meals. Both of enjoyed our meals, very tasty except for my corn on the cob. Sat in hot water and didn't taste very good. Can't do that with corn on the cob. After one bite I gave up on it. Cost them a star. But all in all good meal and excellent service. Would recommend it. read more

Every time I visit Columbus to see family, there are a couple things I can usually count on when it comes to my mom: 1. she has made two meatloaves for me. 2. she will take me where she loves to eat for lunch. The latter used to mean we were going to Bob Evans. ugh. (love you, mom.) That got old fast. But the last few times I've visited, she's been taking me to MCL. It's nothing fancy, just a cafeteria style restaurant, decent-to-mmm-good food, with a fairly impressive selection of starters, mains, sides, desserts, and even breads. (and I'm usually the youngest person in the joint.) I have to admit, each time I've been there I've had trouble deciding exactly what to get, and often times just get extra items. Por ejemplo, last weekend I started off down the aisle choosing the Greek salad (which they had a really difficult time accepting the fact that I didn't want salad dressing, but I felt they were generally concerned I'd be missing out and didn't just think I was crazy. I hope. But they finally let it go.) I was having trouble deciding on a main, until I asked what that sandwich was. "It's a Reuben." Bet. Sides. I got three: the brussel sprouts, green beans, and mac and cheese. I kinda wanted some others, but I didn't want to go overboard, which is also why I passed on the bread as well. When it came to the desserts, I got two, as I have probably done every time we come here. This time it was the custard pie (outstanding) and red velvet cake. All that and a Diet Coke. Just kidding, I got the unsweetened iced tea. (I'm always drawn to the Iranian woman on the tea logo.) Mind you, my mom and her boyfriend don't eat as much as I do, but for all three of us the bill came to less than $25. STFU! Nope, seriously. I could seriously get fat eating here, and not be broke. So we sit down to eat, and mom and Tim go through their normal routine of blowing the straw wrappers at each other. Kids. You can't take them anywhere. Once an old woman looked at this display quite disapprovingly and muttered "Inappropriate." My mom of course was like "Whatever, I may be old but I don't have to act like it." The ol' biddie's husband found this amusing, but did so discreetly, as he had to go home and face the ol' biddie's wrath no doubt. Anyway, I ate every last bit of my food; conversing, enjoying, becoming stuffed. I never leave there hungry or displeased. The red velvet cake left something to be desired, but the rest of the food was excellent. I also have to say the place is really clean, comfortable, and the people are always nice, and service is excellent. I really don't mind coming here every time I visit at all. Simplicity and sorta tradition; works for me. Good riddance, Bob Evans. read more

After a week of being disappointed with Asian, Cuban, Mexican, Hawaiian, and Jamaican eateries in Columbus I wanted plain American comfort food. Being a senior citizen that means MCL Cafeterias. I went to the Upper Arlington location which is my least favorite as it is like dining in a Las Vegas hotel lobby. At MCL the food I have known my entire life waits behind glass. It is served by the most pleasant young people one can find anywhere. Roast beef with no exotic preparation awaits those who fought in Viet Nam. Mashed potatoes with no garlic or herbs await those who burned draft cards. Lemon meringue pie that has never heard of a Meyer lemon awaits those who resisted the police, the militia and Washington for civil rights. Cloverleaf rolls sit on the plates of those who advanced in careers and raised children. Sitting around us are those who traveled the world and paid off houses. We sit enjoying the food of our lives discussing our recent trips to visit grandchildren or helping our grown children with financial problems. A full dinner from soup to dessert is less than fifteen dollars. Quite reasonable for those who have no college loans or mortgages to pay. We are at a time in our lives where we can indulge in those things that most please us. We have been to this chain many times and will be here many times more. The cherry pie, macaroni and cheese, creamy cole slaw, and fried chicken will always remind us of the times of our lives. It is a pleasure to eat the food we have always known with our peers who brought great social change and worked their way up every ladder. read more

All I've read & heard about this place was that this is a place for senior citizens and is very much a cafeteria, but since we were guests and asked to go there, we agreed. I'm always up to try a new place. Can you say AARP! I imagined it would be loud with dishes clanking, loud voices, white medicinal walls,and bland foods ---- NOT! The food was all freshly prepared each day. I got the roast beef, corn, and roasted potatoes. AWESOME! The place was not solid white, no, it was warm and inviting with nice food art on the wall. The chandeliers were the best part of decor. Medieval! The server was helpful and quick to remove any dirty dishes. PRIDE! It was quiet and the customers were a mix of all ages. MYTH! The best part was we had a coupon from Entertainment Book so our $20 meal was only $10. SAVINGS! read more

I know it isn't necessarily 'hip' to be a fan of the old school cafeteria type food places but geez how can you go wrong with all the comfort food you an eat in one place? I seriously stop eating 3 days in advance if I know I'm going to MCL just so I can save every inch of stomach space for all the goodies on offer. MCL is a chain but has such a home-grown feel to it. From start to finish it is full of yummy goodness and the menu is pretty conducive to anyone who's taste may be a bit finicky. The hours are a bit odd and that is my only complaint. Hours: Monday-Saturday 11:00a.m.-8:30p.m. Sunday 10:30 a.m.-8:30p.m. read more

Wow. You are going to charge me what for this low quality meal? Considering the amount of elderly people that dine here I hope the buckeye card can help then afford this outrageously price low grade meal. If social security ever becomes not available, then MCL will no longer be available. You should be ashamed of yourselves for robbing the elderly. Sorry but your food is awful and the price, THE PRICE is outrageous. I guess if you feel like your time has just about ran out, and you don't need money then eat here. You suck... read more

I heard they call this place "Medicare Lounge" because of the clientele. When I went, I asked one of the staff why it was called MCL. An elderly man in line leaned over and said "Medicare Lounge." Well-- if the regulars are calling it that, they must be proud of it! And it's true-- I felt very young and out of place. I was a bit confused about the menu. They had a value meal (I think it was get 1 protein and 2 sides for $8 or something similar). The problem was the protein and sides you can choose may or may not be a part of the value meal. I think I held up the line while I was ordering. It's pretty basic style cafeteria food and nothing to come back for. The big draw is low priced, consistent food that is fresh and healthy. read more

Hadn't been back here since high school. The interior and exterior has changed, (for the better) but still as welcoming as it had been many years ago. Brings back great memories. The portions are large and there are a variety of delicious home cooked "comfort food". I was a bit overwhelmed with so many options but decided on a small salad, fried chicken thighs, Mac and cheese, spinach, mashed potatoes with gravy. The service was wonderful and the staff were all smiles always asking if we needed anything. I can't wait to go back again and try out all the other dishes. Love this place and think you will too:) read more

MCL Restaurant & Bakery - When you're craving delicious home cooked food:) - American Near Me - Upper Arlington, Ohio

After finding out that my favorite hot dog joint had closed, and seeing the crowd at MCL, I decided to try it out. This place looks like it's brand new which isn''t surprising since it's just a few doors down from Giant Eagles market district. And it is a BIG restaurant. It holds a lot of people and has a lot of employees. And from what I can tell those employees are really well trained. One pointed out that I didn't get a roll (free with dinner), another offered to bring me water and yet another brought me more napkins. For dinner I had a piece of tilapia, some fried cabbage, and some mashed potatoes and gravy. And I also got an order of jello. All that came to about $8 and the food was GREAT! It's easy to see why they're doing such a land-office business. read more

Very retro, not my style Walked in and felt like i was transported to the 40's. The food is served cafeteria-style which doesn't bother me, but with everything being a la carte it gets pricey quick. The decor inside was dated, not for the younger crowd. The food was nothing special. overall not the kind of dining experience I am into. read more

My boss used to drag me here for lunch every once in a while. The food is good considering its mass production. But oh Jesus, the atmosphere. I thought this was the back entrance to a retirement home. The shear volume of elderly people is shocking. Where do they come from? Why are they so inexplicably drawn to MCL? Another thing, I obviously don't understand how they price things. I'd think I was hovering around 9 bucks, and it would come up to 12 or 13 bucks. That seemed like a whole lotta dough to be blowing at a retirement home. read more

Good meeting place for business. People can quickly get their lunches and pay separately without confusion. I saw a large interior room that can probably be reserved. The site in Westerville has two smaller rooms that can become one. The servers can bring you condiments and refill your drinks. Eating this fresh, classic food is a healthy choice. And you will leave feeling much younger and vital ;) read more

Food was certainly good, better than I had expected upon walking in. Quick and of good temperature. I got the stuffed chicken breast while my mother got the veggie sampler thing. The chicken was a bit over priced (I kind of feel like everything was) but quite filling and good. The sides were great, especially the cubed squash. The Brussel sprouts were good enough to impress my Brussel sprout hating mother. We were told the dining room staff would bring us water, they never came up to us at all (and it was a very empty night we went), so I went to get the water. Which was fine by me, I just wish they told me to go get my own water rather than wait. It was nice and quiet and large inside, seat yourself and leave your dishes at the table when done. I'd consider coming back again. read more

For my first visit to any of the MCL locations (to meet with a larger group for a luncheon) I thoroughly enjoyed the broad selection and friendly service. We had a smaller room off of the main dining room and we were able to have our luncheon and meeting without any fuss at all! Certainly looking forward to our next luncheon there! If there was any 'downside' at all, it was trying to find the place within the sprawling complex of businesses! read more

So I do not how to put this without being a bit rude. This place was built for the wrinkle monsters. I mean it was like I was visiting a WWII reunion. But in all seriousness the food is really good. Well prepared and the portions are not small. You can get a meal with salad, protein, two sides, rolls, dessert, and a drink for $20 if not less. I have never eaten if a cafeteria style restaurant (since school) and if they are like this I am fan and the staff that works the floor to clean and refill drinks were great. read more

I was in Ohio visiting for a wedding , my family and I wanted a place to eat near our hotel. We loved the food we loved the cafeteria style . we were supised by how good and worth our money it was. Will come back again read more

MCL is one of my favorite places in Columbus to eat. I have been going to MCL for many years. The only gripe I have is that they moved locations a few years back (still within Kingsdale shopping center) & I just preferred the older building (nostalgia I suppose). Aside from this, I genuinely have NEVER been unsatified with the food or service. Like I said; never been unsatisfied in roughly 20-25 years. In my opinion, one of the best places in Columbus to eat! read more