Good food! Wait staff attentive and quick if anything was needed . Blueberry pancake was the bomb

This was my first time visiting this restaurant. I had heard good things, and they did not disappoint. The place was packed, so I'm glad we took it vantage of the waitlist available through Yelp. We were seated immediately upon arrival and our food was ready shortly after ordering. You cannot make substitutions on your orders, but you can make omissions, so I had "The Avi" scramble, minus the avocado (because I just don't like avocado). It was delicious. I also split a fluffy buttermilk pancake with my husband, which was also delicious. One additional thing I appreciated was the reasonable portion sizes. Nothing over the top, so there was no food wasted!! I'll definitely visit this restaurant again. read more

Sleepy Bee Cafe - Oakley - The "Avi Scramble", minus the avocado. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Fantastic food and amazing gluten free options. Service was pleasant and always offing more coffee. Would absolutely go again.

Always love the breakfast here! The oats and the bee cakes are delicious! Highly recommend!

The service and food were awesome!! Our waiter was friendly and attentive to our needs. The food was the freshest and tastiest breakfast I've had in a while! Fresh ingredients and cooked to perfection. A definite must try! read more

This was my second time here in a few years, and it was even better than I remember. I got the blueberry apricot pancakes and they were so fluffy and flavorful. Perfect marriage of bliss apricot, cooked to perfection. Lavender lemonade mimosa was also perfect for the taste buds. read more

Sleepy Bee Cafe - Oakley - Dirty chai to start the morning! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Like everything about this restaurant. Atmosphere is nice and I love the bee branding. The food was fresh and so good! read more

Sleepy Bee Cafe - Oakley - Dirty chai - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

I honestly feel kinda bad to not give this place five stars, because I love when restaurants champion local ingredients and exposed brick. I came her pretty early on a Monday morning at about a quarter past 8. There were a few groups here and there, but not packed at all. After much consideration, I ordered the gluten free pancakes with a side of eggs. My sister ordered the Queen City bee breakfast sandwich with coffee. Looking over the menu, you could tell the prices reflected the locality of ingredients and maybe the high rent? I don't know anything about the Oakley neighborhood. I don't mind paying that price, but this just means you gotta kill it with presentation. And they didn't. The pancakes were huge and filling but $10.50 for a stack of three almost felt like robbery. They were good though, with a hearty taste without the heaviness of regular, fluffy, gluten pancakes. But they looked so ordinary that it felt like the description on the menu was hyped up for no reason. Maybe I'm conceited, but I guess I just felt deceived. My sister's coffee was nice and strong with the hilarious sleepy bee logo on the side of the mug. She said her sandwich tasted comparable to the one she had at Maplewood, one of the finest brunch places in downtown Cincinnati. But this seemed messier and straight up felt like a copy rather than an original invention. I gotta tip my hat to the exposed brick though! I love it! The atmosphere would've been more industrial with the ceilings, but the wooden floors made it feel cozy even though I'd prefer not to mix those two designs in my own house. They had honeycomb-shaped shelves and artwork on the walls to go a long with the bee theme. Subway tile, as usual. Never my favorite choice, but it's trending right now. We found metered parking right in front of the restaurant which was great! And I loved the service so 4 stars to that! read more

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Great food. Portions are a little smaller than I expected, but fairly standard for these a brunch places. We'll be back.

Staff active unprofessional and lacked courtesy. Tried to speak to the manager and she was dismissive.

I have been to the Sleep Bee Cafe twice now. And both times have been great! The staff are kind and efficient. The aesthetic is country charm with some hipster flare! Perfect for any instagramer's content. The menu is fresh and healthy. Many vegetarian options and gluten free options with a spattering of vegan options. Very farm to table. They source their produce from local farms which is a plus! I got the Hot-Honey Quinoa Bowl which is quinoa, brown and black rice sautéed with shredded chicken, sweet potatoes and hot-honey vinaigrette, topped with pecans. It was outstanding! Kept me full all day! Cooked perfectly! I want to buy the hot honey and put it on everything. Not to sweat and not to spicy! Tip: Make sure to get in line on the Yelp app! The wait can be long if you don't. Very popular place. read more

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I had the Beekeeper sandwich. It was delicious! The service was great! The outdoor sitting was very nice. Ambiance is like neighborhood breakfast place. Relaxed and inviting. read more

The food is subpar for the service you get. The two times I have eaten here the staff was unprofessional, unfriendly and didn't care about getting you seated. It tends to have a pretty long wait but the staff seems to be in no hurry to get people seated. They were very unaccommodating for children as well. Food is okay but not good enough to make up for the lack of service. read more

Good food and service, always very busy- would recommend making a reservation, pay street parking isnt the most fun so i park in the neighborhood behind read more

Visited this place on a Saturday noon. It was around 12:15 ish and they had a wait time of about 50 minutes! But good thing is they have the option on Yelp to make a reservation before hand! So you can do it and it will show you where you are on the line and approx call time to be seated. The food quality looks like it was small! But perfect! I loved my nutty pancake with peanut butter and banana . Loved it!! The blueberry pancake tasted more like a regular pancake. I did not really feel any big difference. The omelettes were pretty decent and we also got the worker bee - got the vegan option ! Really wasn't the best. It was alright . They also have gluten free, quinoa made pancake version ! Next time maybe I will try those and update you guys Oh but do order their orange juice! They were pretty good! Also try their kombucha drink if you are a fan of kombucha. Hope this helps read more

The food is really good with great pancake options! We have been here many times. Prepare ahead of time on when your getting there as there is only a waiting list. The parking is not the greatest, but we tend to park near the houses down the street. The place also has a nice vibe to it with unique art on the walls related to bee's. Having the Apricot cakes and sharing the roasted sweet potatoes as well as the workers bee is always a go to option! read more

Amazing food and service. Can't wait to be back. The space is beautiful as well!! Thanks for a great time

Fun atmosphere. Nice staff. Great food. Loved it. Would definitely come back if I am back in town.

Good food and ambiance. Sat in the back room which was pleasant. The front room was quite noisy.

LOVE this place! Local food, great service and ambiance. Wait times can be long, but plan for it and it's worth it! The seasonal bee cakes (gluten free) are outstanding, coffee is expensive but high quality. For lunch, the pulled chicken sandwich is a winner. Bee Cakes read more

Sleepy Bee Cafe - Oakley - Pulled chicken sandwich bottom. Top right is the apple bee pancake. Top left is the avi scramble. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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So dealing! My hubby had the burrito and I had vanilla coconut almond oatmeal. I had a sugar free latte. I highly recommend.

I love that Sleepy Bee has vegan and gluten-free pancakes. It is hard to find vegan gluten-free breakfast at a restaurant. I wish they offered waffles. I practically dream about breakfast food. I always get the pancakes. This time I tried their vegan sausage. A little dry but not bad. I'd get it again. Maybe dip it in syrup. They offer a variety of other vegan/gluten-free options. This place is really great if you have food restrictions. Things are clearly marked and the employees all seem to be very aware of what is in the food. The service is always friendly. The folks who work here are all young and hip. But if you're looking for a quiet spot, this is not that. I think it must be a pretty kid friendly place because I always see lots of little kids here. We sat in the back area of the restaurant this time. I didn't know it existed. It feels retro, kind of like an old Burger King or something. I think it's the shape of the glass walls/ceiling. I don't know what this building used to be, but I am curious. The tile in the bathroom is really interesting. It has pictures of plants we eat that require bees to pollinate them. Education while you pee. You cannot beat that. read more

Great spot for breakfast. Love their pancakes. Nice vegan options. Usually lines are long on weekends but it is worth the wait. Definitely recommend their pancakes. read more

We had a phenomenal experience in every way! Food, service, accommodations, etc. We were celebrating a birthday, we were all participating in Whole 30, and it was during COVID code purple. I know we did not NEED to celebrate a birthday but we wanted to so we decided to have a 9:30am breakfast at a place that follows all the proper precautions. On top of that, we checked the menu ahead of time to make sure there would be Whole 30-compliant food and drinks. We still had some questions once we were there (Is there sugar in your oat milk? Is there sugar in your bacon?), but our server was so amazing!!! She had all of the answers and did not get annoyed by our questions (or if she did, she at least didn't show it haha). She was so helpful! I had an amazing oat milk latte and I got the weekend special: butternut squash scramble. It was soooo good that I wish it was an every day menu item. We had a very lovely celebratory breakfast and I am really looking forward to going back now that Whole 30 is over and I can eat everything on the menu! read more

Sleepy Bee Cafe - Oakley - Oat milk latte (sugar free!) - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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Sleepy Bee Café has the best breakfast in Cincinnati. Change my mind. I love the quaint, hole-in-the-wall vibe, and the food is amazing. I ordered a custom omelette with bacon, cheese, avocado, and sausage. The omelette came with a side of multi-grain toast and a potato of my choosing. The roasted potatoes were fantastic. The bread was awesome, and the omelette was great (no surprise considering I picked my favorite ingredients). I also had to try the Piggy cake pancake with bacon in the batter...wow! The salty bacon inside of a fluffy pancake drizzled with maple syrup...need I say more? Next time I'm in town, Sleepy Bee will be one of the first stops on my list. read more

Favorite breakfast/ brunch spot ! The sweet potato quinoa bowl is heaven I keep on ordering it over and over again read more

Best breakfast food in the Cincy area!!! I always ask for this place and they have such good coffee drinks too:)

The food here is DELICIOUS. The service is always great! I love how you can get in line on the app so you have a table ready when you get there!! read more

A very underwhelming experience. We went on a Sunday in the afternoon, and while I expected this famous brunch spot to be busy, it was practically busting at the seems! We waited over 30 minutes to get a table for two, and even we did eventually get one, it was the walk way table. You know the one that's squeezed in and literally everyone in the restaurant has to walk past? The table was not very clean and even still had the credit card folder of the last people sitting there! Could they really not be bothered to pick it up? The food itself is very overpriced, and for breakfast I expect something better if it's going to be that expensive! I went with a feta omelette, which was cold and the feta was not even melted. My omelette came with some bread that was not toasted, and had far too many seeds in it. To top it off, they forgot my side of potatoes until we were about ready for the check! The red potatoes were nothing special. It seemed that they had been baked, hit once on the top to soften them up a bit, and then a sweet sauce was put on top. For over three bucks, honestly I was expecting more than that. And just so the side lovers out there know, it's $2 per can! Which is outrageous! Overall, service was of an incredibly poor sort, and the food was far too expensive for how mediocre it was. I will not be back. read more

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Love this place!! Always delicious! The broakley sandwich is awesome! Good atmosphere & nice servers. read more

Sleepy Bee Cafe - Oakley - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Came here for breakfast and it was great. You are greeted by the smell of fresh squeezed orange juice followed by the scent of sweet pancakes. I highly recommend their blueberry pancakes. read more

This place has become an east side staple. It's always busy on weekend morning, so expect a wait. We had Chia Lattes which were very nice. I tried the pickle soup and it was very unique, but nice and savory. The sandwich options were great and allows you to swap to different bread options (whole grain, Ezekiel, etc.), which I really appreciate. The service is quick and the staff was very friendly!! :)) I would definitely recommend. read more

Sleepy Bee Cafe - Oakley - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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This is a restaurant that I loved pre-pandemic, and I'm glad that they survived! Their menu has changed a bit since my last visit, so I tried the Broakley breakfast sandwich and it was AMAZING! We were able to get seated right away, but I highly advise using Yelp to get on their waitlist because they get really busy on weekends. My son would like me to add that the redskin potatoes are his favorite. read more

Sleepy Bee Cafe - Oakley - Broakley Breakfast Sandwich - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

Always a good breakfast at the sleepy bee! Each location is a little different in regards to specials so be sure to check their Facebook pages to make sure you're not missing out on anything! read more

We love this place. Piggy cakes are my daughter's go to. The lattes are luscious, as are the egg dishes. I miss the omelets and wish management would return them to the menus. Overall, a must if you're in Cincinnati. read more

Broakley Sandwich was phenomenal would recommend to anyone who wants a yummy breakfast sandwich! Iced coffees complement the breakfast well!

My wife and I love this place. Great food, eclectic environment, top notch service. Never had a bad experience there.

Stopped by for a delicious meal. Everything was great from the service to the food. I will say though, as a British mate, I would love to see some baked beans on the menu. #sleepybee-ans read more

I went with my daughter a few weeks ago midweek. It was very busy but we were seated at a small table in the center of the dining room. Food was bland at best. Two tiny potatoes. My over easy eggs clearly sat for a while cause they were over hard but in that "cooked by a hot table" kind of way. Ambiance was loud, and servers regularly passed me so close that they could've sat on my plate. It's not their fault, I know, but those tables are CRAMMED together in a small space, and it makes for a really uncomfortable experience. The red head lady and the young man who greeted me at the front counter seemed confused and overwhelmed. My server was an orange haired woman who was just wonderful. Super friendly. An older blond woman with tattoos brought us our food with a little happy dance and chatted us up a bit, too. The service was truly exceptional from the servers. When I expressed my concern about portion sizes, she was more than willing to rectify it, but I didn't want to make a fuss or make anyone's job harder. Never the the less, she did bring me more potatoes and a cookie as an apology. And my original server was on top of refills and clearing the table with efficiency and overall positivity. Their personalities alone would make me want to come back if it wasn't for the weird greeting and the small portions and bland food. It's always hard to rate places when there's a disconnect between the standard of service and the standard of food. Two stars because the staff interactions were incredibly enjoyable. Unfortunately, food is 90 percent of the reason people dine out. And it's just not enough to make me a repeat customer. read more

I heard of this place several times but never made time to try it. My idea was to check out the one downtown bu the wait was long (I liked that they have a live wait line). So we ended up going to this location on Labor Day, and it was packed. The place is bigger than what it looks and it's pretty comfortable. The service is okay, not the best since they took a very long time to come everything and after they brought everything no one came back to make sure we had everything. We ordered a capuchino and a dandelion tea, I was not impressed by the coffee, but the tea was delicious! We also ordered the bee cakes (2stack), the veggie goetta. I was not a fan of the goetta at all, however the bee cakes were very very tasty. They didn't feel heavy at all, nevertheless, I would have been okay with 1 stack if I knew how big they were. I would of give it more stars but I was not stunt by the service or food. I would go back to the bee cakes, but I would try a different location. read more