Great little off the beaten path restaurant with excellent food and a super friendly staff. I have never had anything from here that wasn't delicious. Keep up the good work ladies. read more

This my 1st review I have ever written. I think they deserve it. We live 45 minutes away. Because of the 5 stars & all the great reviews, we decided to try it. As all the reviews said, this place did not dissappoint us. Worth the drive through the area neighborhood. Upon arriving, we asked customers leaving, how was it? They said it was awesome. And they were right. Staff was very friendly, helpful, polite, & very welcoming. Food was great. Would definitly go out of my way to come back. read more

Great Lakes Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Gary, Indiana

Fantastic breakfast and amazing lunch. Service is always perfect. My group has been coming here for years and we will never stop because it is so good. read more

The perfect place to meet for an intimate meeting! Food is absolutely the "bomb" -- had the garbage omelette, biscuits & gravy, pancakes! Yummy yummy!!!! Followed it up with warm apple pie!!!! Delish! Looking forward to being here again! read more

Great Lakes Cafe - This is a very cozy and friendly environment! You feel right at home! Jessica and the service here is amazing! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Gary, Indiana

Best breakfast ever! Corned beef hash, omelettes, pancakes, biscuits & gravy, hash-browns, coffee - all first class. Even better was the service and wonderful people - especially Cindy the owner. Decor is funny and whimsical and baklava and pies are great to go. It's a perfect place to stop on the way to or from Chicago/Michigan - or from anywhere else. We plan on coming back as many times as we can!!! read more

Nothing like this lovely place with so much character and great service, always with a friendly smile.

Very good food . Breakfast all day. Very good service. Plan to go back also will do the carry out

The two women who were working there were not only incredibly nice, very generous (they gave us free t-shirts because they liked us), but also very knowledgeable about Gary, Indiana. Being from out of town, it was nice to get the scoop from some local residents. The pancakes were very good! Better than I would expect by leaps and bounds! And I consider myself to be a pancake connoisseur - I've eaten the best of the best - Polly's in NH and Clinton Street in NYC. These were not quite there - but they were pretty damn amazing! I never had Chicken fried Steak before. But holy hot damn - what a pleasure to consume! If steak is better than chicken, which it almost always is - then clearly fried Steak would be better than Fried Chicken? I'm not sure of that for sure, it was pretty outstanding. The eggs were cooked perfectly - which is also a rare thing for a diner - usually the yolks don't run as they should... but they sure did here. And the coffee, which is possibly the most important element to breakfast, was also quite good. read more

Pains me to write this but low end food quality and skimpy serving sizes seems to be the new standard. Ordered the "steelworker" omelet this morning. Still listed on their menu as "5 eggs with ham, bacon, sausage and cheese". I've had this before and yeah it should have been a huge, meaty brick of food, like you'd think. Instead, I was served an obvious 3 egg omelet with very little meat (and most of that was ham), one squirt of Velveeta, and the whole thing purposely spread around and plated to try and fool me that it was a huge omelet. WTF?? In addition to the $11 price (includes some potatoes and a piece of toast) for eggs/meat I didn't get, I didn't appreciate the deception. You know I've both cooked and eaten omelets before and I know what 3 eggs looks like! They must think their customers are totally clueless-- Sadly, the omelet wasn't even that great, had no real flavor. It's hard to mess up eggs but if they're using that cheap premixed junk that comes in a cardboard box then that would explain things. I can't completely blame the chef--the place is family owned and the head waitress and owner's wife are both normally around and see the food that leaves the kitchen--they must be good with it. As a long time/20yr customer loyalty has prevented me from posting here before. This morning was the last straw though, sorry. Sad to see the place going downhill, doubt I'll be back. Good luck. read more

This is definitely off the beaten path, tucked inside an industrial area as one reviewer mentioned. The food reminds me of the Greek restaurants that dot NWI.. I had a gyro salad with a cup (literally) of navy bean soup, both delicious! I came in around 1230 on a Tuesday.. Packed!! However, my waitress was efficient and friendly even with the craziness of the lunch hour. Come to find out they have slices of pie for dessert ;] read more

Best omelette I think I've ever had. Great service! So glad I pulled off the 90 and stopped here.

Cute little diner. Stopped in for a late breakfast while driving through Gary Good service and good food.

Stopped for breakfast while traveling I 90. Fast and friendly service with good food. Had eggs with turkey sausage. Easy off/on from highway. (Google maps tried to take us down street that requires a company ID. Woman at security gate was super friendly and told us where to go. Just take the road directly north of the train tracks, even though it may look like a parking lot entrance.) read more

Stopped for breakfast during travel on i-90 and turned out great experience. Ordered omelette and Pancakes and everything was nice. Very Friendly staff , service was quick. The place is cozy , very well priced. witty quote on walls were unique . read more

Excellent service great food and waitress was very friendly and attentive. Very homey atmosphere a must come to location great breakfast. Restaurant very decorative . The owner is very sweet. read more

Great Lakes Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Gary, Indiana

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Hard to find but once you do, you are in for a treat! Everything i tasted was amazing. I had a French toast bacon egg and cheese. Hit the savory and sweet combo spot! We got the home fries crispy and with onions. Onions really set the bar high and even better with hot sauce. I tastes the home fries with no onions also and they didn't even compare. Corned beef and hash was so good also! I would definitely go back if I am in the area. Was disappointed the next day though because they were closed!! read more

Service was quick and outstanding. Was attentive and friendly. Food was great. Decor was very interesting, lots of charm. This place was out of the way but worth it. read more

This place is amazing and the food is delicious. A bit off the beaten path, but well worth it and the owners treat you like family. If you get a chance, try the hungry man's or the steel workers omelette, they are the best! read more

Best pit stop imaginable for the start of a family road trip from Chicago to upstate NY for a college graduation. Excellent food- beautiful eggs, ridiculously good biscuits and gravy. Cindy and her family have created a warm, fun hub for their community and travelers. We departed with an unexpected gift of mugs and a sweet for the road in a GLD tote. Thank you, for making this milestone trip memorable from the first hour. We will be back!! read more

Great Lakes Cafe - Happy, grateful diners en route from Chicago to update NY for a college graduation! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Gary, Indiana

We were a bit worried because thought we were lost but LOVED the cafe as soon as we walked in! Quaint and SO friendly! Food was so fast and wonderful! Even made 2 grumpy opinionated teenagers happy:-) read more

Have been here twice now and if driving through will def stop again. Wait staff over the top friendly, service great, portions are big but not obnoxious and food is made with care. This is just plain ol' good food at a good price served with a smile. read more

When I need a home cooked lunch Great Lakes Cafe is the place me! Burgers are good, patty melts with bacon are Great! Soups are delicious and club sandwiches are perfect compliment. When you're dragging and need some good cooking, go to Great Lakes read more

Currently in the restaurant and everything we ordered came out wrong, no cheese on the eggs, steak wasn't cooked properly. The soup was cold. The eggs and food seem to have no seasoning , the only thing was good was the French toast and that's because i drowned them in syrup. Our waitress was nowhere to be found. Not worth a rating at all. read more

We ordered takeout for lunch and it was delicious. I had a burger and usually I need to add ketchup or mustard for flavor and I didn't have to add anything. The baklava for desert tasted just like my mom makes! If I am traveling for work again, I would visit here for lunch. It is tucked away and if you didn't know it was there you might not find it. If it looks like you are driving into the steel mill you are heading in the right direction. read more

We are traveling from Seattle to Boston. This little cafe exceeded our expectations. Family owned and run. We enjoyed our meals here and the conversation with the owners. Wasn't in a typical location you find a diner, but that just added to the overall experience. The food was all very good and plenty to fill us up. If you want to experience Indiana home town hospitality, this is the place to stop! As we were getting into our vehicle, even the local policeman who was stopping for breakfast, stopped and chatted with us, and wished us safe travels. read more

A classic meat and three with a bunch of daily specials and breakfast served whenever you like. The trick is finding the Great Lakes Cafe, which is tucked into an industrial area between I-90 and the shores of Lake Michigan. Service was excellent. the food was exactly what you'd want from a meat and three: Tasty, ample and well prepared. Definitely worth the visit read more

Diamond in the rough. Hidden Gem. One of a kind cafe where the Steelworkers and the downtown Gary lunch crowd give each other recommendations on the many menu items. The whole family works hard to keep you happy. read more

Oh Yelp, why do you taunt me with a mere 5 stars to grant? This place kick ass. How does a dismal, out of the way setting at the entrance to a steel mill play host to the warmest family and coziest diner this side of Mayberry? Seriously, Great Lakes Cafe is simply one of the best places to eat in all of North West Indiana. The lovely family that runs it have become like an extension of my own family. I often go home with a container of soup or even dried herbs from their trip to Greece. You want liver and onions at 8:00 AM?-no problem. You want to make 50 substitutions to your order?-no problem. You want to call an order in b/c you're in a rush?-no problem. Are you sensing a theme of hospitality here? Stop in soon and be sure to say a big hello to Mike and Cindy and Jess and Joe and Cory. They are the best and will make you so welcome that you'll be rushing back. I promise. read more

We are so happy we stopped here for breakfast on a road trip from NY to WI. The food was fantastic and service was quick and attentive. The location isn't far from I80/90. As far as cafes goes this is one of the best I've been to, so worth a visit! read more

Another great find on yelp. We frequently travel from Cleveland to Chicago to Philly and always look for interesting lunch stops along the way using Yelp. Probably the best place we've found for the Chicago-Cleveland. Yummy food. Warm and welcoming service. It's a pretty roundabout way to get here from the highway and gps doesn't give you correct directions but it's easy to figure out and well worth it. Lots of locals. Try it! read more

It's taken me a while to write write this review but the Great Lakes Cafe was such a great place and experience that I am determined to add my review to the many other positive reviews. I had spent the morning in Chicago and was driving thru Gary on my way to Tennessee. I figured there had to be somewhere to eat lunch in Gary, so I found the GLC on Yelp. I had never heard of it but the reviews were positive so I set my GPS. My first piece of advice is if you think your GPS is lost, it probably isn't. You will likely be sure there's no cafe anywhere around here but if you keep going there will be. And you'll be glad you kept going because the GLC is fantastic. It hit me three or four bites into my sandwich that this was probably the best Italian beef I had ever had. And the folks there aren't just friendly, they're gracious. It was closing time and when they learned I was on my way to a funeral they stocked me up with coffee and Halloween candies. It's a great place. read more

Great Lakes Cafe - The entrance - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Gary, Indiana

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It was a little hard to find, but very well worth it. Great hearty food at affordable prices with a very friendly waitstaff. Most of the diners appeared to be workers from the surrounding plants. I had a delicious patty melt with a side of fries and a milkshake. Great diner food. I would happily return next time I'm in Gary. read more

Great cozy place. Seems to be family run. The food is great, and the soup is even better (and I don't like soup!). Off the main street but everyone seems to know about it. read more

No fears, no doubts. Pull off I-90 and follow your GPS up to the factory gates and there it is on the right. Chicago traffic was a mess as we came through at lunch time. We pulled off just before 2:00pm, about a half-hour before closing (they open at 5:00am!). We were welcomed by very friendly patrons and staff, treated well and fed even better. Two gyros, a gyro chicken salad, and pork tenderloin sandwich. Cups of lemon-rice soup to begin, excellent French fries accompanying, no nonsense iced and hot teas - $30. Back on the road again and wishing we lived nearby to surprise friends with this gem. So if you're in the neighborhood... read more

On the way from Chicago up to Lansing, my boyfriend and I were looking for a "diner-like" place to have breakfast. I googled "Diners in Gary" and this popped up with 5 stars! I could not resist. It was definitely off the beaten path but worth every turn. I had an egg sandwich and my boyfriend had the corn beef hash. Food was excellent, service was quick and friendly, and the coffee was good too. Not to miss. read more

When I read the yelp review I was skeptical. People have told me that Gary is sketchy and so I was hesitant, but 5 stars? How could I not. After I had decided to go here I then had the obstacle of actually getting there. Google maps tried to lead me down a one way street and we were going though a crappy road with semis coming and going and we were almost to the gates of a steel plant when we saw it. We went inside and it was just fantastic. Great ambiance: eclectic and tasteful. The food was delicious with a big variety and a lot of food for your money. The waitress recommended the philly cheese sandwich and it's one of the best I ever had. Even the fries were good. Very satisfied. read more

We stumbled on the place during a cross country trip. So lucky to find! Great breakfast and super nice staff!

Super management. Super food. One of those places where you get greetings and hugs coming in and going out!

As a first time customer I appreciated the owner introducing herself. I placed a simple takeout order and the wait was pretty painless. The denver omelette with cheddar cheese was pretty tasty. The pancakes were a little dry, but it may have been an off day. I was surprised to see the sausage links with my order, they werent a favorite, but i am not a sausage lover. Bacon was good also. read more

Great Lakes Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Gary, Indiana

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Nobody only goes once to this place. It's addictive! The family running it dishes out as much warm friendliness as great food. Dad makes the homemade soups, daughter Jess makes the baked goodies, Mom Cindy collects the kitschy items decorating the place, sons Cory and Joey cook and deliver, and all of them never fail to offer a smile, a greeting and a little conversation. Come as a customer, leave as a friend. read more