Good menu selection. Great salad bare. Desserts looked awesome. Server was polite, knowledgeable and attentive.

This is one of our favorite places for home cooking. We always ask for Tina or destiny. Not fancy just great service and good food read more

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

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Great country cooking! Great country decor! And the service is great! The honey bbq chicken is my go to .

Great food and good service!!!! Took my clients there when showing homes in the area. A great find!!!

Great service. A family type atmosphere! Pictures on walls will keep you occupied'. The wait is mot long. I suggest breakfast menu that is a lot to choose from! read more

Love it here! Great hometown cooking and always friendly service. Every time my brother comes to town he wants to go here.

Good southern cooking like Mama's on Sunday after church! They don't skimp in the food either. Our server was very friendly and attentive.

Went here for lunch. Nice atmosphere. There were a lot of people in there coming and going. It's a southern country place and decorated like it. The prices were reasonable. The lunch specials weren't as cheap as you would think for this type of place . The servings were generous and the food cake out hot. It was a bit of a wait for lunch to come so don't come here if you are in a time constriction. The French fries tasted like they were microwaved. Not crispy or hot and rather chewy. The shrimp was crisp and delicious. The chicken pastry was a bit watery not what I'm used to in the south. The sweet potatoes casserole was phenomenal . My friend said it tasted like cake! Upon checkout there was several different desserts you could take and they all looked very delicious and obviously homemade. read more

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Staff was friendly. My friend and I had good service. Atmosphere kind of reminds me of a Cracker Barrel. Food was decent but nothing great. I had chicken and waffles. The syrup was terrible. I think it's a bit overpriced for the type of restaurant it is and the quality of food. I can't say I wouldn't eat there again, but not my first choice. read more

Good down home cooking, nice clean atmosphere! Pork chops, grilled or fried are amazing!

Wow. A find completely by accident. And what a happy accident. I was looking for a place for breakfast on my trip from Raleigh to Greenville. A friend googled and suggested this place. I'm so glad he did. Pork tenderloins are probably my favorite breakfast meat and these were beyond heavenly. You can get the fried or grilled. The fried are oh so tender. Yes! The eggs and grits were yummy too. And the biscuit light and airy. Highly recommended!! read more

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

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We love it. Something for the whole family. We love the mozz sticks People are so nice too

Have eaten here for many years, food is always good and service as well. However there seems to be some new management. I recently took a party of 8 after church. We all met in the parking lot and 4 of us went on in as the others were getting out of our cars. When asked to be seated was told we had to wait till everyone came in. Table for eight was ready and less than two minutes later everyone was in. However the 4 of us could not be seated for those 2 minutes. I found this very disrespectful. In addition I am a veteran and have often taken church people and business people to lunch at this establishment, always received a 10% veterans discount for the amount I spent. However Sunday I bought lunch for 4 members from my church and was only allowed a discount on my meal alone. Even though I paid for 4. Not at all satisfied with the new procedures. Front personal seem rude and disrespectful, and not at all happy to accommodate customers. After many many years of eating there I and enjoying the experience, I will never spend anymore there read more

Awesome place great food!!! Been here plenty of time always consistent quality food! Take out is wonderful also!

We have been here to eat twice. The service is very good. Southern hospitality at it's finest. Very nice genuine and caring people. Huge portions. I gave it a 3 because the food is very heavy. It's bready. Don't get me wrong the hush puppies are good. It's perfect for southern food . If you love carbs this is your place. read more

This is a good place to eat and the service is good. Quick and easy the breakfast is really great food. I like the decor.

The food is really good, priced reasonably. Nice atmosphere and very clean. Grilled pork chops are delicious.

It's not all that it's cracked up to be. It's decent food but watered down flavors nothing special.

The food is delicious they have great dessert and awesome service I recommend checking this place out

Shout out to Tina who was our server this past Saturday. She has so much energy and gets our food to us super quick and perfectly prepared.

Goodness gracious. I ordered the chicken liver lunch special with gravy and onions. There was a little hiccup with my order, but it didn't take but a second to fix, and it was well worth it!!! It was a lot of food, so I ended up only eating half. I got extra rice and gravy and macaroni and cheese. The mac and cheese was sooooooooo flavorful!!! Service was fast and friendly, and although the place was full, my food didn't take long at all and everything moved quickly and smoothly. I would highly recommend McLean's!!! Sanitation Grade as of 2/14/20: 93.5 (Normally I don't eat under a 95 but I was hungry and I prayed lol) read more

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

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We have been there before and it's nice, however, as time passes we noticed the decline in customer service and cleanness. As we were sit we noticed the table dirty, crumbs and grease from the prior customers. When asked our waiter she stated she cleaned it herself . I gave her the benefit of the doubt as she could cleaned the table next to us. Now, when we open the menus, it was disgusting, once again, crumbs, sticky, and smear with gravy. I noticed they have ample personnel working, some the short staffing doesn't fly with me this time. We just got up and left. . read more

Good food good place for lunch Looks like they have some really good desserts including pies and great looking layer cakes

This is a nice restaurant. Simple food no fuss no mus. I would just recommend you don't go there during lunch on any day of the week because it is crazy busy. read more

Overpriced and underportioned. Not going back there. Smallest bowl of grits I ever had.

The decor of this place is really cute. Lots of interesting things to see hanging on the walls and on the rafters. The service is also very good. Servers were friendly and attentive, water glasses stayed full, and they checked in with us frequently to make sure we had everything we needed. The big letdown here was with the food. The BBQ pork was not good at all. It had no flavor, and seemed like it had been sitting out for a while. The devilled eggs were bland, and the meatloaf was too mealy (like they mixed it into a paste before forming the loaf). A good meatloaf is grainy and not overworked when mixing the ingredients. The mac and cheese and butter beans were very good, as were the hushpuppies and biscuits, but these items were not enough to make up for the poor main dishes. read more

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

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We had to go to the DMV and stopped in for lunch. The food was southern comfort food with all the typical trimmings. I had the chicken and pastry with collars and slaw. The chicken and pastry was thick and hardy. just what I wanted on a cold and dreary day here in NC. The collars were pretty standard, but we have not had a hard frost yet in order to make collars awesome. The slaw was just the right touch. The hushpuppies were yummy too! I did not get to try dessert since I was stuffed, however they all looked amazing! read more

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

The food is delicious food! They have a dessert tray that they tease you with...(will get you every time if you have kids). I enjoyed the chicken salad and the veggie plate that they offer. The Shrimp Alfredo my daughters favorite and my son love the pancakes. When you are tired can you put a price on good, home-style cooking?!?! read more

Sadly I was very disappointed. I was super excited to try out the famous McLean's !!! I don't know if my husband and I were ignored or what was the situation going on. We entered the establishment for breakfast and did not have anyone greet us for about 7 minutes. Mind you the place was not busy at all. There was 4 parties of 3 or less people. They all had food or coffee on their table. Ok we are seated and the nice lady takes our order and she is super sweet. We explained that we had about an hour and a half for breakfast and we had an appointment. 45 that's right forty five minutes go by after checking in periodically we are like ma'am we are leaving. We ordered eggs grits and pancakes. The waitress apologized and said they had to remake our food there was a mistake so it should be ready in 5 minutes. At this time two other parties arrived and were seated and already ordered and received their food and ready for their bill. We kindly pointed this out to the waitress and let her know that we would be leaving. We left ! So I can not comment on the food only my experience which was horrible. My husband left the waitress a nice tip even though we never received our food. read more

Best thing is to order your food in advance. I order grilled chicken and it was very salty. I maybe be back.

Excellent food and service. Bustling at lunch but food was still very fast, hit and delicious. I had the sisco chicken and my wife had the meatloaf and both were excellent. The real star of the show was the sides. Hash brown casserole, greens, peas, fried okra, lima beans...also the desserts are amazing. I'm going to make a special trip to take my dad here next time he's in town. read more

We like the setting and fairly good food. We staff at register was not very customer friendly.

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

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

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

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

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

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