Big log cabin looking place, squeezed behind a strip mall. The place is big and the menu is big too, but I'm just here for the BBQ. I note a woodpile out back and hope it's not just for show. Came here on a Monday around 12:15p. The place was half full, with a mix of working folks, families and old folks. Most everyone here is local. Mostly white folks, but there is a smattering of racial diversity. Got chopped whole hog eastern BBQ with slaw, collards, and a tea for $11. Waitress was friendly and service was quick. Decor is kitschy with lots of family and old time photos on the walls. It's clean and has good lighting. There's a tv, but it's far away and the sound is off (which I prefer) BBQ is sweet and moist but sadly no smoke. Guess that wood is for something other than smoking the pig... The house vinegar is good, with lots of black pepper. Collards were subpar- a little dry. Slaw was excellent, although perhaps a touch too sweet. Overall, everything was fine and I enjoyed everything, but nothing to write home about. read more

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Tonight was our first time. The food was amazing. My husband had the ribs which he enjoyed. I had the fried shrimp. I could only eat half the portion. The service was quick. Our server checked back a few times. We were stuffed when we left. Please go and enjoy a home cooked meal. read more

Working and having lived in the area, McLean's Ole Time Café is a staple in eastern Wake County. I've eaten here over a dozen times and never walked away hungry or dissatisfied. In reading some of the reviews, I get the impression that there is a group of people that believe home-cooked means ready on the spot. Wake Up! It takes some time to create a good meal. I agree service should be prompt, but if you're in that much of a hurry (i.e. 10 minutes) don't go to a sit-down restaurant .... hit the drive-thru. It can get a little crowded and a bit noisy, but go were the locals eat. You won't be disappointed! FOOD - 3.5 Stars Well prepared. Well seasoned. Quantity is adequate, but not overwhelming. Always hot. PRICE - 4 stars Fairly priced for what you get. Not cheap, but if you're watching pennies ..... maybe you shouldn't be going out to eat anyway. ATMOSPHERE - 3.5 stars Not fancy, but clean. It can get a little loud and families with kids are welcome. SERVICE - 4 stars These servers hustle! I've never seen one just standing around. Remember, most servers survive on tips. Don't be stingy. If you get good service, show it with a good tip! read more

Nice clean place. Chicken SW is good. Excellent pricing and it is a 4th generation establishment. Give it a try,fun family place. It has Wi Fi also. read more

McLean's Ole Time Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Zebulon, North Carolina

With a wide variety of items to choose from, McLean's offer classic country food in a spacious, but comfortable environment. The darker, rustic feel inside is reflective of the the log house structure. A nice feature on the menu is the "Chef's Choice" found in each category (beef, chicken, pork, seafood, pasta,etc.) I took advantage of that and had their meatloaf. My waitress, Tina, complimented my suggestion, telling me that it had recently received a great review in a magazine article. It is rare for me to have a meatloaf that rivals my own, but this one did! Firm and flavorful with a well-seasoned tomato sauce, this meal didn't disappoint. If you find yourself in these parts of NC, it is worth the time to stop by and enjoy the authentic back woods taste and charm that this place provides. read more

McLean's Ole Time Cafe - Lots to look at while you're waiting for your meal, but don't dally because the service is quite prompt! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Zebulon, North Carolina

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We Love this place. Great people and good down home cooking. When they reopen the dining room for full service go. Take out is available and we have done breakfast, lunch and dinner and have not been disappointed. read more

Excellent food and service. Good southern home cooking. Love it. The ambiance was fitting for the type of food.

#3wordreview Good Cheap Home Cooking read more

Very busy on Sunday for lunch after church. Waitresses try their best but they are running around trying to keep up. Kitchen messed up twice, not including the ranch dressing with the southwest eggrolls and putting mayo on my turkey club, when I specifically asked for no mayo. Waitress did a very good job though. Large menu to choose from, lots of choices. Everything we had was good. Would definitely go visit again. read more

McLean's Ole Time Cafe - Turkey Club, Chopped Pork BBQ - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Zebulon, North Carolina

We just enjoyed lunch at McLean's for the first time this past week. I wanted to share that not only was the food good, but our service was spectacular. Our server was named Brittany S. She was PHENOMENAL! With her vivacious, super friendly personality, she made us feel extra special with her personalized service, promptness, and great humor. What a treasure, and what a wonderful dining experience she afforded us. On the way out, a customer coming in joked that they hoped we left some food for them. We chatted briefly and they told me us about the incredible pineapple cakes. We will be back for some of that soon! Thanks again. read more

Fun place to come where everybody k ows you and supper friendly. An old fasbioned style country restaurant

Service is pretty bad but not the worst I've seen. We went for Breakfast today and the server forgot my fiancé's orange juice. She didn't return so we could ask about it then when meal was over I asked to remove it from our bill . She didn't offer a complimentary orange juice to go or even ask if I'd like a coffee to go. There wasn't any care that we didn't get our drink with breakfast . read more

Server was amazing! Wish I could remember her name. Remember her face tho so I'll be asking for her next time. Food was great too!

Great food, great people. If you don't live in Zebulon, well worth a trip to eat here!

Great country cooking! Always go when I'm craving some of Mama's cooking. Been a staple for Zebulon since I was a kid definitely recommend!!

The food was good. Service was good. Long wait Sunday mornings. I had the Cisco chicken. Would order again. Can't remember what my daughter had, but she liked it. read more

Was trying to find a place between Wilson and Raleigh to have breakfast at before an outing during vacation. Though the Cafe was out of the way from our first destination, I do not regret it. I had the Paw Paw platter. Nothing starts the day like country ham, eggs, hash browns and gravy soaked biscuits. Great food. Great service. Couldn't ask for more. read more

The staff is ok but not great but the food sucks because I got a burger and the bacon was barley cooked the meat was okay the cheese was okay was well but over all the burger sucked then I got Mac and cheese it was ok but the noodles were very mushy and tasted like grass plus the wad a real mouse in the cafe just running around so I don't recomende. read more

One of our favorite places to eat! Southern food, great sides and friendly staff. It feels like a family owned Cracker Barrel. But, I prefer this! read more

I was invited to eat dinner at McLean's, which I had heard of, but never been. The dinning area was roomy, clean and had a rustic motif. The menu was extensive, if you can't find something you would enjoy eating, you aren't really hungry. I had their soup and salad bar, which isn't huge, but I definitely enjoyed all the items within the sneeze guard. The service was attentive to our needs, even though the dinning area was busy. The entrees were a hungry man size and utterly delicious. I don't consider myself a connoisseur of bathrooms, but their bathrooms were outstanding in design and cleanliness. I didn't get a desert, but next time I'm going to pace myself better in regards to salad bar consumption, so I can try some, they looked delicious and the portions were enough for at least two people. read more

Wow. Home cooked everything plus great salad bar and soup bar. Great service. Fast quick food service. Excellent wait staff

I'm is setback from the road, we passed by the first time. We had a wonderful lunch. The food was fresh and delicious! Husband had the meatloaf sandwich and I the club. They were both great. Service was excellent and prompt! We will go back! read more

Food is mediocre to okay. Have not gotten any takeout orders 100% correct. Trying too hard to be Cracker Barrel, should try to be their own place. read more

This place is amazing. I love the hospitality and welcoming spirit of the team here. This is always a wonderful thing too experience as soon as you come through the doors. Now for the good part the food is out of this world. It not only beats the big restaurants in flavor but the prices are not bad either. I definitely recommend this place. read more

I really like this place, especially the Sisco Chicken, but tonight I switched up and got Steak and Cheese Queso-dia, big mistake, the meat was gaming and the steak had grissel all in it, I tried to eat two of the triangles but had to kick the meat off. I paid over $15 for it and I couldn't eat the thing, all chewy, yuk, I stopped and filled up off of the hush puppies and butter. I told the waitress, still got charged, so when I paid for it I told them the same thing, after it was already paid for, they then asked me if they needed to get the manager, by then I told them, "learned my lesson, just won't get it next time". They need to take it off the menu... need to get quicker in the response time read more

Everything is great the food is okay because the breakfast buffet the gravy it's not that good like it was few years ago the biscuits are hard I like everything but just try too have fresh and soft food please read more

I really wanted to like this place but our experience was average at best, sadly. The restaurant itself is really cute and the service is great, but the food was a mixed bag. We really liked our sides of mac'n'cheese and butter beans. They were solid. So were the fresh fried pork skins. You don't often get these at restaurants, so we were pleasantly surprised. Our mains were really disappointing though. The meatloaf was mealy (it was ground to a pulp) in texture and quite bland. The BBQ was a real let down....pale and terribly bland. Maybe we have high expectations, but there are just too many places around here that sell top notch Eastern NC BBQ. I doubt we will be back. read more

I love this place! It's country cooking. With you're a fan of great food and great baked goods, this is your place. The chicken salad rocks and you can I get it by the pint (or more) to go! My fav is the chicken livers, not for all people, but when I crave them, this is where I go. Thank you guys! Keep rocking the kitchen read more

How in the world would a place like this stop serving breakfast on Sunday at 10 am??? It makes no sense. Sunday is prime breakfast day. We are so disappointed because the food is great. Owners if you're reading this please reconsider serving breakfast all day on Sundays. I'm sure your business would triple. read more

This is an old family business with a large carry out portion as well as a huge dining room. Salad bar has the normal things on it, sometimes the lettuce is a little brown. Check out some of their specialty items, my son JOE loved the Frisco chicken. read more

Wow!!! This place is incredible, made only more special by their staff notably, Ms Tina and Destiny. Both of them were amazing in making our first experience here at McLean's so incredible! My husband and I were passing through Zebulon, NC from Fredericksburg, Va and stopped for lunch. The food was amazing! Portion sizes were huge and the prices were affordable especially given current times. Tina and Destiny saw to our table and made sure our drinks and stomachs were filled. We would come back just for the food (tried the Cisco chicken, shrimp po boy and ordered ribs, lemon chicken and dessert to go) the service from these sweet ladies. Highly recommend stopping by McLean's. It's worth the short drive off of I95S. And, remember to order dessert to go! Loved our experience and can't wait to go back. read more

Something good is cooking for aure soon as you leave your car going towards the door. Rustic. Old implements. Antique memorabilia. Although the buffet time ended 2 mins after we walked in, you can still enjoy their selection for another 15 to 30 mins. I had biscuit and gravy, bacon and grits, sausages, shoe string hash, and a fruit cup. Stacy our server was friendly and attentive. Biscuits and gravy had good texture, and was tasty. Not buttery, just right. I can taste the corn on the grits, though its runny, it filled me up quickly. This is a great stop for breakfast. Friendly environment. Will definitely come back read more

Great food! I got the Cisco Chicken, and it was delicious. A very simple place with good country cooking. The only thing though, the hostess was kinda acting like she didn't want to be there, and had a bad attitude. The person who brought the food out handed me a hot plate, which scalded my hand. Other than that, a decent experience. read more

Was touring the area near Mudcats stadium and decided to try this place. It looked interesting enough, but quickly realized the decor was the only good thing. Wasn't impressed with the service. Took 10 minutes before anyone cared to look our way once seated. Even though 3 servers walked passed us to other tables. Another few minutes passed before order taken. I guess if you are not a regular, you get to wait. The menu was typical diner fare. Struggled to order. Once our meal arrived. Ugh. Meatloaf was more fillers than meat. Flavorless. Potatoes, from a package. Collards were a bit better, although greasy. Mac and cheese dry. Overall won't be going back. read more

Delicious country food and a fantastic price! Love the home town feel. Friendly staff!

Tina at McLeans is the sweetest most super waitress I know. She kind and caring she is the reason I go there to eat and the food is awesome

Great local place! Love how they have set up take out since COVID. Usually I hate calling restaurants but even when busy they are always nice and calm. read more

Seconding Betty's review, the food was far below average. My girlfriend ordered the honey BBQ, butter beans, and sweet potato casserole. I had fried catfish, broccoli, and fried okra. In her words, the butter beans were disgusting, after having been recommended as the best vegetable on the menu. The rest of the food was equally displeasing, cold and with a bad flavor. The casserole was split chunks of sweet potato, the okra was mushy, and the fish was in edible without heavy use of tartar sauce. The staff and atmosphere was decent. Sweet tea was very sweet, but I liked it. Bottom line, if you've ever been in a kitchen you can do better for yourself and for less than here. I should mention that this was the restaurant that inspired me to sign up for yelp to review it. read more

I stopped in here for a late lunch. There was plenty of parking outside, and we were immediately seated. I saw a rib special on the board when I walked in so I really didn't need to see a menu. I will always get the ribs. They were tender and juicy, yet they did not fall apart. I really enjoyed them, the greens were very flavourful too. The service was good, and the place was inexpensive. I would definitely check this place out again. read more

Oh, how great food and service can only be spoiled by an extremely rude cashier/manager. Overcharged I ask why, the manager says it's because the waitress didn't know what she was doing. So I ask why then didn't the waitress let me know they made a mistake? Because I haven't even told her yet, but I will later. The manager then repeats so this is correct what you owe! What kind of manager overcharges a customer, blames it on their employee and makes the customer pay for it? WELCOME TO MCCLEANS!!!! read more