Came in for breakfast and left with pretty mixed feelings. 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. read more

On August 7thh, 2026 around the 10am and 11am hours, I received the worst customer service for the first 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. read more

Fast friendly service and good food. I was very pleased with the food. waitress was nice

I ordered breakfast. asked if they homefries was cut up potatoes as you would make at home and not shredded. she stated no they not shredded, asked for bacon to be cooked soft not half done and eggs scrambled soft( I don't know wtf they was. Potatoes had more onions than potatoe. I called letting them know and was told if I couldn't come back today there is nothing they can do tomorrow. Of course I went on my lunch and the close the time I get off. read more

Shay's - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

The difference between a chef and a cook is schooling. The cooks here could be chefs if they just had a little school behind him because they know exactly how to make amazing food! Admittedly I am a french fries now and I'm very picky on my fries and they did them perfectly. The prices are great it's kid approved everybody finish their meal and it was just a wonderful experience! Service was fantastic. read more

Shay's - When the baby is finishing off his plate you know the place is great! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Love this place for breakfast. From eggs to corned beef has to pancakes and French toast. Always good. Great service. Very affordable.

Fast service great prices and the food is awesome. Check out the picture I posted. Every other restaurant price is well over $12 for a simple breakfast combo Shay's is still reasonable. read more

Shay's - I eat here as often as can. The only place out of a few that you can eat under $10. The food is awesome! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

I love Shay's. I've been to this location many times. I really like the food. The restaurant is set up so that you can sit yourself when you arrive. The wait staff are great overall and attentive. I had to remind her to refill my drink, but that was ok. I chose the Halal Omelet and chose half and half of grits and homefries. It came with wheat bread or my choice of white or rye. I chose wheat bread. My food was delicious, and I will be back! Next time, Ill take pictures. read more

Great breakfast at an affordable rate. Everything is always made to order with a short wait time. Staff is kind and I love the old-school diner element. read more

The breakfast was great! Many options to choose from and the portions are good for 2 people! The food is prepared fresh and service is fast. This place has a crowd so you have to be patient when donning in. Overall I would come back whenever I visit Cleveland. ( forgot to take pics of the food, we were hungry lol) read more

Shay's - 1/14/21 - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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I was going to Annie B. & Earls, but they were either closed or have closed down due to the pandemic. I probably should have called first. Anywho, we decided to go to Shay's which was next door. It looks like it has been around for a minute... One thing that I don't like about businesses who's been around for a while, is they don't upgrade. Customers should not be sitting in cracked chairs and scarred tables. Like REINVESTMENT in your business. This is the main reason for a 3 raring. Also, staff was complaining about one another where I can hear and I didn't care for that behavior. I ordered Steak, 3 Eggs, Grits and English muffin. It was all good. No complaints. I like the diversity of staff and all kinds of folks came through. I probably won't return for the reasons listed above, but you'll get your money worth. read more

Shay's - Painting on the wall - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Hometown small place but so good!! The food & service is amazing. 10/10 - great prices so go support local!

My fiance and I were in Cleveland for the Browns game and woke up early Sunday. Most places near us were either closed or too fancy, and then we found Shay's. This is your typical little breakfast joint. The service here was great! The woman who served our table was extremely kind and efficient. She was talking to her other guests by name so you can tell she knows her regulars. She made sure we were good to go throughout our meal and really boosted the atmosphere. The food could use a little salt and pepper but it's also nice that it's not overly seasoned so you can season it yourself to your liking. We were able to sit immediately and the food came out so fast. We both very much enjoyed our breakfast and time here and will be returning when we need a breakfast spot in Cleveland! The only thing is it could be a little cleaner. We sat near the window and the blinds were pretty dirty. So a deep cleaning couldn't hurt. BUT the booth, seats, forks, cups, and plates were clean and I don't eat off the blinds so whatever. Definitely recommend this place for many reasons! We're looking forward to returning. read more

Shay's - French toast, hash browns, bacon - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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Every-time I come to Ohio I love having shays breakfasts. They are out of this world. Highly recommend the crazy omelette

I've been eating at this restaurant for over 15 years and I don't think I'm gonna be going back there anytime soon. When they re-opened after the Covid shut down they seemed to be doing really well with wearing masks and making people socially distance. Since then they've gotten complacent and the last time I was there none of the staff were wearing masks or properly wearing masks. Customers were not required to wear masks when they weren't eating. No social distancing was being enforced, people were talking to people sitting at tables without wearing masks, even when there wasn't food on the table. Even a pair of Cleveland police officers with no food on their table had no masks on because I guess the badge is all you need to protect you from COVID-19. Their decisions to not enforce a safe healthy environment for their customers have cost them one who's been eating their weekly for 16 years. No one likes plague rats or eating someplace where the staff and customers are no better. read more

Great local diner on Cleveland's east side. all the staples are here - and just about everything is paired with home fries or grits. Bored of bacon and sausage - try their pork steaks. yum. read more

as you can see your gworl, THROW DOWN !! okay, this actually is my second time here and baby shay's didn't come to play ... okuuuur their breakfast is 1000/10 and it's budget friendly and also a great environment. read more

Shay's - belgian waffles w. strawberries & powdered sugar, scrambled eggs w. cheese, turkey sausage, and water w. 3 lemons - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Another great Steak, Eggs, Homefries at Shays. Best breakfast around the area. Don't miss out. read more

Shay's - Best Steak and Eggs in the world. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

I eat here every gime I'm in the CLE. The food is fast and hot and CHEAP! Family friendly and great before the game. read more

Shay's - Yum! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

The ambiance was alright. Food was good. The reason I would return is because of staff. The service was amazing. My needs were met while I waited for my meal to be prepared. read more

Tasty breakfast and lunch dishes at very affordable prices. I recommend the corned beef hash...amazing!

I would say 50/50 ... somedays I get the food it's a amazing. Others I get the food it's usually cold or someone rushed. The service is nice & fast I do wish food was fresher. read more

The wait staff was welcoming and the food was excellent. 3 egg omelet, pancakes and French toast were tasty

This place was just amazing! Honestly some of the best breakfast I have ever gone out to eat. Can't eat pork? That's fine they have a corned beef hash that's made with the real beef not that can crap! Also one of the few places I've been to that offers beef bacon! I like The Best of Both Worlds so I had both the pork and beef bacon and for the price you truly get a bang for your buck! Coming from a restaurant City ( Houston) I can honestly say that this restaurant is a must visit if you are visiting and would be a regular spot if I lived in town thank you for making it a memorable experience! You always know the food is good when the police are parked when the police are parked there to eat! read more

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Updating this because we went here again recently and service was better. We ordered pretty much the same thing as last time and while the restaurant was still busy as ever, service was indeed better. We got our food in a timely manner. We were actually able to get refills and a to go box without trying to wave down several people. Much pleasant experience. Only complain is that some tables can be very very close to others. The table behind us was too close I could hear everything they said and one of the people on that table had their chair pushing up against mine and I had no space. We would have been touching back to back if the chair wasn't there. I understand the restaurant is not that big and they want to seat customers if they can so it's not that big of a deal. read more

this is my favorite diner on the planet. seriously. i have been to plenty of diners in my life, in many places - i love a good diner and i love diner food. shay's is the perfect diner. sizable portions, friendly staff, good people, endless coffee, and very, very reasonably priced. can't say enough good things about the place, i love it. read more

On of my favorite spots, breakfast food is great and I love the energy from the people who work there. Have not had anything bad from there

My coworker and I went in for a quick bite and let's just say, I was not disappointed. It is one of those "greasy spoon" spots that's worth overlooking the debris on the floor because the food is good. We order calzones and when I tell you they were the size and weight of a newborn...okay not really but they were big AND every bit was full of meat, cheese, and flavor. EVERY BITE! Mine was a bit burnt and it was STILL good. The prices are very reasonable and the staff was cool. When I say cool, I'm talking informal, but still professional. I would go again. read more

closes 30 min earlier than posted closing time posted online and on the window they should make that known so no one waste time trying to make a purchase from this establishment read more

I loved the food. I had an all meat omelette, grits,& home fries. The food was great and so was our server. I would definitely go back. read more

Shay's - Meat omelette, grits, and home fries. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

One day I passed the time away reading Cleveland food blogs. As I am in this part of town several times a week I was happy to find bloggers praise Shay's. The old-fashioned platters of meat loaf, turkey, or roast beef served with gravy and mashed potatoes were described in mouth watering terms. The cheeseburger was nothing short of a culinary discovery. To add to the attraction bloggers claimed this was a place that served a highly diverse customer base. Economic and racial barriers are crossed at the Shay counter, booths, and small tables. On my one and only visit I found none of the above the least bit supported. I did find my waitress friendly and helpful. When asked she informed me Shay's serves processed turkey. Not much is cheaper or easier than roast turkey but restaurants have latched on to processed turkey like a Kardashian on a dollar. I had hoped Shay's did not. The hamburger and fries were typical of those found at a restaurant food service. As for diverse customers, on my visit I was the only diverse customer. Prices are very low, Shay's offers plain old American food in an area with mostly Asian restaurants. The menu is loaded with favorite diner foods. The premises are typical of an old luncheonette. It has a lot going for it with one important exception, the food. read more

Shay's is a nice neighborhood greasy spoon that is a best kept local secret. I am a permanent fan and I relaxing weekend starts with a Saturday breakfast there. read more

I went on an overnight trip to Cleveland on Saturday for a mini getaway. After a long night of drinking, I was in dire need of some breakfast this morning. While I normally love brunch, alcohol was the furthest thing from my mind. My boyfriend and I drove around searching for somewhere to eat that didn't involve paying for parking. I consider it really lucky that we stumbled upon Shay's. The unpretentious diner was full of a diverse crowd getting their morning meals on. We were seated right away by the friendly waitstaff, and our drink orders were taken promptly. My coffee was fresh and hot, and they kept the refills coming. Their portions were very large, and really inexpensive for all that we got. Because I was hungover, I ordered a huge breakfast of a Belgian waffle with strawberries, bacon, eggs and toast. It was all perfectly cooked, and was really delicious. I didn't come close to finishing it all, but it wasn't for lack of trying! My bf ordered a sandwich called the Polish Boy - a regional favorite consisting of kielbasa, coleslaw, french fries, and bbq sauce on the sandwich. It didn't appeal to me at all, but he said it was delicious. Best of all, our meal came to $16 - less than the cost of one person for brunch, any given weekend. It wasn't a fancy place, but it definitely did the trick. I'd go back in a heartbeat! read more

Shay's is an ok greasy spoon. About average grease levels. I came in here once to try it after having been dazzled next door at Annie and Earl's. I got a Belgian style waffle. I got some strawberry topping and a coffee. It was all alright, but came out to more than $7, which to me seems pretty high for this kind of a place. Ambiance is "normal" for a greasy spoon diner. As with every greasy diner in Asiatown, the clientele is delightfully diverse. read more

Met a client here for breakfast due to lack of time. Picked this spot randomly after another place I usually go to down there was closed for the day. I was happy overall with what I ordered which was the Krazy omelette. I prefer smaller mom and pop breakfast spots opposed to chains. The omelette came with half and half orders of home fries and grits which were delicious. Overall the meal was good, felt like something my mother would whip up in the kitchen. read more

As seen in the movie "American Splendor," about the life and times of Cleveland's own Harvey Pekar, comic book artist of everyday life. A classic, blue collar diner. Everything you could want in a Cleveland institution that seems to have not changed much in decades. Solid food, good prices. read more

Although this place isn't the cleanest, or prettiest, the food is really good, and the employees are so kind. For less than $7.00, I got bacon, scrambled eggs, grits, home fries and toast. I also liked that the service was quick! I would recommend it! read more

The prices are nice. The food is average, nothing special. The establishment is dirty -they really need to just take a day and do a full scrub down and paint. The staff seems overworked but friendly. Too many gnats and flies. I came because it was listed as one of the best diners in Cleveland, but I don't see how it made the list. I won't be back. read more

This is a place to go for a good cheap breakfast. Not always the best service, but the food is outstanding. The Beef Omelette is the best deal with a 50/50 as a side. Have been coming here for years and the early bird gets the best meals. read more

Shay's - Krazy Beef Omlette - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

On the cold rainy Sunday of 12/27/15 a few friends and I gathered at Shay's for breakfast...I've heard many good things about this spot especially the food and after going there I see why.....We got there about 8 or so which means for a Sunday it was crowded at all since the Christmas holiday had just passed....our waitress was friendly and fast with the order....the food came out piping hot and correct....we ate good and laughed good so much that we agreed to make this our monthly thing to do on Sunday.....so if you're looking for good food and prices check out Shay's hours are Mon - Fri:5:00 am - 2:00 pm and Sat:6:00 am - 2:00 pm.....you'll be back....I know I will! read more

Shay's - Hot tea with Lemon and Honey - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

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