Great Lakes Cafe

Food was really good! Not overpowering with seasonings. Catfish and chicken tenders were the best!…read moreStaff is amazing.. very polite and attentive. J mosas were fire!! I had 2 flights. The place is nice overall. Not that big but big enough to not feel crowded. It's clean, normal level of noise. It screams family and good vibes! I'll definitely be back to hangout with the family

Located just a mile north of I 80, this breakfast lunch and dinner restaurant of comfort food is a…read moreplace to stop when you've got a little time to spare. The restaurant presents itself as very well maintained, with a neat exterior and interior. Dedicated parking lot behind the restaurant and on the street make for easy access. This family run restaurant is very much kickback and relaxing environment while you have some coffee. The one thing I must emphasize here is that you must not be in any hurry! Once you get past any time constraints, the food will be worth the wait. We came in and it was a solid 30 minutes before food came to the table, but in the meantime, we were provided beverages and had some time do little people watching and catch up with one another. I ordered the breakfast scramble. I have to say that the scrambled eggs that came along with this were by far the best I've ever had in my entire life! I definitely think there was a little butter in there and they were super fluffy and light. Waffles, fried chicken, eggs, sandwiches of all sorts, all cooked to order fresh. The staff was very friendly and helpful, although there was a little follow up required from time to time. I would love to come back here in the evening and try some of the menu that was offered for dinner because it just looked fantastic. Meal prices were offered in a range of how big you wanted to go! You could definitely get by with a right size portion meal for a reasonable price. Overall, a pleasant experience, but cannot emphasize : Do not plan to get in and out of here very quickly, especially during peak hours!! This location does not take reservations, but they do offer a full bar, which could make you overlook some other things. Check out J's when you're in the Gary Indiana area. Afterward, drive four minutes and see the childhood home of the Jackson 5.

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S&G waffle Shack

4.3(10 reviews)

1.4 mi

Came in for a quick bite before a wedding and was pleasantly surprised! Like always...my go to is…read morechicken and waffles but I didn't know how big or little the chicken wings are (I like little) so I opted for chicken tenders. The waffles with the powder sugar was out of this world! If you're ever in Gary give this place a shot. ***right after this photo I dropped a slice of waffle!!! NOOOOOO!!!****

Our food was made to order! Came out piping hot and…read more It was well seasoned chicken and waffles. Chicken was crispy and seasoned and SMALL like real chicken wings are suppose to be. The waffle was a moss. Flavor was good, texture, kind hard instead of soft and crispy. Overall, this place doesn't disappoint. Not many options on this side so for sure worth a sit down. They had a movie playing in the background which was fun to watch and eat.

Updated menu

French toast bacon egg & cheese sandwich. Special order only, not on menu yet. Definitely a 10!!!!!

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Grilled Honey Glazed Salmon Breakfast with scrambled eggs with cheese & grits.

Blueberry Hill Pancake House

4.5(73 reviews)

7.6 mi

Nice, very nice! The place was very nice; the waitress was…read morevery kind and attentive! Eddie

Less than average…read more -veggies are crunchy water, not fresh cut -powdered gravy no seasoning -old grody menus that are in disrepair, and dirty -dust everywhere -dirty walls -the restaurant's limited opening hours should reflect in appearance, cleanliness, and freshly prepped food

Entrance doors

Table condiments

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Entrance

Honey Berry Pancakes and Café

3.7(164 reviews)

11.3 mi

Overall great choices in menu, food was fresh and served hot. Service a bit slow but ends up ok…read more Ambiance is typical breakfast/lunch atmosphere. Pricing similar to others. Clean facility. Friendly staff. Free parking. We will return again.

Service was good. Chicken & waffles was fire! That's what I get everytime it's a hit. The vibes…read morewere good it's a Saturday so it's busy

Cool design

Veggie Skillet with Over Medium Two Eggs Any Style

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Cafe Stelio's

4.4(183 reviews)

8.7 mi

OMG!!! this was so good doing a road trip through and didn't want greasy food and this was…read moredefinitely a good stop only slightly out of the way but well worth it. The menu was easy to understand (with quite a few pictures ;) with fast service barley had to wait. The ambiance was sleek nice hometown feels not too overwhelming. Definitely get the pancakes everything is good but the pancakes were sooo good.

Yelp never leads me wrong - this little cafe was close to my hotel and has great photos and…read morereviews. I enjoyed reading their story online - family owned, and named in honor of their family. Many reviews rave about the friendly owners. I ordered an espresso hazelnut latte, it was perfect and served with a little cookie. I had the Avocado Toast - it was great, light and refreshing. If I could critique it slightly I'd ask for a thicker cream cheese smear and more onion, I'd personally also add some feta cheese. The ingredients were fresh, the eggs were the perfect temp and it was a delightful meal overall. Service was fantastic! My server was prompt, friendly and attentive.

Booth

Fish/shrimp over grits. Soooooo good!

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Tinys Coffee Bar

4.5(52 reviews)

2.8 mi

Family-owned & operated

Vegetarian friendly

Very nice location with delicious coffee and food. The Cajun Brussel sprouts were particularly good.read more

Unfortunately, I did not try the food however it looked amazing. I had already eaten and looking at…read moreother people's food. Makes me definitely wanna come back. Especially the hamburgers! They look amazing. I had been at an art show across the street and my friend had come over and got a coffee and I asked her where she got her coffee so we came back across the street to Tiny's. I got my coffee in to go cup but we did sit around there for a while. My friend and I thought I had amazing atmosphere and it's such a cute place. All the staff was extremely friendly and I like the fact that there was a good mixture of all types of people from all walks of life in there. Gave me a nice neighborhood feel I will definitely be back to try the food! I gave this four stars cause I haven't tried the food but once I try the food, I'll report back and change my review

Our warm and cozy ambiance gives you a places to study and eat, or sit and talk.

We offer house made pastries and specialty latte drinks.

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This modern classic, called the Paper Plane, is a balanced, refreshing combination of bourbon, Aperol, amaro, and lemon juice.

Iron Skillet

1.7(20 reviews)

3.4 mi

I have visited this Iron Skillet a few times. With each visit, I hone my seat selection. I almost…read morelucked out today when Lawrence saw me sitting patiently and came over with a menu. Unfortunately, a waitress who had previously waited on me scooped in. So why the two stars? The aforementioned, unnamed waitress walks past paper litter on the floor, fails to clean food scraps from the floor, leaves used plates and utensils on tables. But always grabs the tips! A previous visit produced dirty utensils on my table, before I had even ordered. I brought it to the attention of my waitress and she quickly replaced them. So far, not one of my visits has yielded clean utensils. I *always* have to wipe the dishwasher film off of each knife, fork and spoon. Today, at the salad bar, there were 4 dirty plates off to the side, and the first one I grabbed from the clean plate stack joined the other 4. Finally, the floor was sticky. Like, you could hear your shoes as you lifted them for each step. Today, I bought the dinner buffet. The lettuce leaves were huge, cole slaw and potato salad had tongs for service. The hot side of the buffet is ok, just ok. The salad side is nothing-to-write-home-about. The bright spot today was watching Lawrence taking care of his diners. His professionalism shined through, and when he wasn't busy waiting on tables, he cleaned the floors in his area and tended to his tables, preparing them for his next dining customers. You can bet that I will sit in his area the next chance I get. I wish the salad bar was as good here as the Country Pride restaurant in the Travel Centers of America at exit 22 along I-94 in Porter, IN. Their salad bar is something to look forward to.

Overall, it was an acceptable experience. We arrived for a late lunch, and the establishment was…read morequiet, with only one gentleman awaiting a take-out order. We followed the instruction to seat ourselves. There was a brief wait before we were attended to, and a slightly longer delay before our presence was acknowledged. The initial service was a little slow, but it improved considerably after we placed our order. Our food was served quite promptly. I selected the fried shrimp and fish, both of which were enjoyable. However, I found the coleslaw to be not to my liking. The roll was rather small and did not seem fresh. The highlight of the meal was undoubtedly the coffee, which tasted fresh and had a pleasant, smooth flavor. We were not offered dessert. A busser later cleared our plates and provided us with a take-out container.

Dining Area

Turkey Club Sandwich

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Dining Area

Sophia's Famous Pancakes

3.6(80 reviews)

11.3 mi

Don't listen to any negative reviews. This is diner food the way it should be. The portions are…read moremassive and good till the last bite. The waiters keep the coffee full and take care of business. Even the bathroom was clean. I got the farmhouse frittata with a side of pancakes, and I might pass on eating for the rest of the week. It's Monday btw...

We came here on a Sunday for brunch and there was no wait. Overall, it is exactly what you would…read moreexpect from a big chain-like diner. All the food we had was good and satisfied our all our breakfast cravings. The pancakes were excellent - fluffy and light. I was surprised I ate so much of it. I also ate a lot the chicken fried steak skillet, though the gravy was a little bland. I'd rather it be bland than too salty. There was nothing especially standout, but no complaints -- the portions were generous, prices were reasonable, and the no-frills service got the job done. I'd come back if I were in the area looking for a solid sit-down breakfast!

The food we left behind because we were disappointed with the quality, both taste and temperature of the food.

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Hot Beef Open Face Sandwich with 2 sides of Receipts!!!! They really need to Rethink their Staff!!! Beyond Unacceptable!!!

Cafe 339

4.6(284 reviews)

6.2 mi

Cozy and quaint diner with excellent staff and service. The food is hot and delicious. Easily a…read moreplace I will be a frequent customer.

Cafe 339 is a small cute little diner. They had nice Christmas decorations up, and it looked very…read morepleasant. he drove out from Sharonville because their yelp reviews said they had Kona coffee. Let me tell you the coffee is a star so many times I'll go into a place and I don't like the coffee. here it is delicious. It reminds me of a place back home that we used to go to before they closed. So as far as checkboxes go, I've been checking a lot of them here they have Texas toast. They have homemade potatoes not that frozen store-bought garbage they have friendly weight staff and a lot of regulars. That's a good sign when you're looking at a breakfast spot. We have it for a skillet with the usual sausage, bacon, onions, homemade potatoes, etc. I also ordered Texas toast and the sausage gravy on the side. The food came within 10 minutes. It was piping hard and religious. We split it so they had it into separate plates, which was a very nice touch as I've gotten older. I appetite is not what it used to be so it's plenty of food to share with my wife . It came with three eggs, which was very generous. I ordered over medium and they came out. Perfect I ordered potatoes crispy and that's how they came out. Perfect. Everything was delicious. I don't normally get five stars on reviews, but they've earned it. This is a great place I just wish they were closer. It's about a 25 minute drive but it's well worth the drive Not a bad drive either. It's a cute little spot in the coffee is just delicious. I'm excited to try it for lunch as the cook Dimitri is Greek. I wonder if he makes any Greek specialties like moussaka . So let's recap delicious Kona, coffee a variety of creamers and jellies on the table red gold ketchup, and Cholula hot sauce. Prices are inexpensive. Food is delicious. Service is impeccable five stars.

Avocado burger with onion rings and a Ruben with fries.

Roman Sizzlin Skillet

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Country Benedict, pancakes, and The Big Texan breakfast sandwich

Maple & Yolk

4.5(36 reviews)

5.7 mi

Disappointing and Unacceptable Experience…read more I came to this restaurant because of the good reviews, expecting to have a nice meal. Unfortunately, my experience was extremely disappointing. After sitting down, I had to use the restroom. BIG mistake. There was feces all over the bathroom floor, on the sink area, and even on the door handle. This wasn't just a small mess--it was a significant amount of solid feces throughout the bathroom. When I returned to my table, I noticed that feces had also gotten onto the rug near the front/register area, where I was sitting. I immediately informed my waitress, who then notified the front desk. Eventually, someone came to clean it up. At that point, I had completely lost my appetite. After an experience like that, you would think management would come over, apologize, and offer to refund the meal since I was no longer able to eat. Instead, I was simply given a senior discount. That was extremely disappointing. I will say that my waitress was very kind and showed genuine empathy. She brought me a warm, soapy towel so I could clean my hands and even clean the bottom of my shoe. I truly appreciated her compassion because she was the only person who seemed to understand how upsetting the situation was. What disappointed me most was that the manager never came over to apologize or even acknowledge what had happened. I understand that accidents happen, but the way a restaurant handles an extremely unsanitary situation says a lot about its customer service. Unfortunately, this experience completely ruined my appetite and my visit. I came because of the good reviews, but after this experience, I would think twice about returning.

Food is good, the server gets flustered when we ask questions about the food. There are no…read morealternatives for dairy. In this day and age restaurants need to have these alternatives.

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Individual mimosa vs flight mimosa (buy individual)

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Robyn R.

9 years ago

I order Great Lakes often for lunch at work. I have had breakfast food, salads, sandwiches, and I really enjoy the bacon chicken melt. The meals often include a soup of the day. My favorite is the potato soup. They also have excellent customer service and very friendly staff. They don't disappoint. Take care you guys! We love you :) read more

Sylvia H.

8 years ago

This is a hidden gem! Near 65 exit, right past the entrance into Miller Beach. We stopped in for brunch at 11:30 and by the time we left the lunch crowd left it standing room only! The pancakes were awesome. I ordered an everything omelet and it was incredible. The food was delicious! Very impressed and will return. read more

David C.

9 years ago

Great lakes its a great place to eat food great service is great. When you on the road for awhile you need to stop rest eat or relax before getting back on the road you will be satisfied after your stop so don't miss out. read more

Karma K.

246

597

10 years ago

All I will say is this cute and delicious diner could easily convince me to move to Gary, Indiana. Seriously.

Stephen K.

4 years ago

Ha. Nope. I guess it's cool because of Rudy. That's about it. The waitress was nice.

Brandon K.

5 years ago

Great food and great service! The owner is very nice and the prices are great as well.

Andrea A Basarich B.

7 years ago

Good food great service.Family owned and so very friendly.

Great Lakes Cafe - breakfast_brunch - Updated October 2026

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