A friend shared this recommendation with me and as we were traveling this weekend, we passed it on Route 23 just south of Scioto Downs / Eldorado. Looks like a 1950's style diner on the outside (and inside too!). Also resembles a river side or lake side diner on the inside. Portside is old school - but that is a positive in every way. Great menu and great food. We stopped for breakfast and totally enjoyed it. For us, we did Eggs, Home Fries (Potatoes), and Toast which sounds easy but as you know - people mess it up. Not here, the amazing staff was super friendly, and working hard. The food came out fast and hot. Tasted great. We are looking forward to returning when we are back in area for lunch or dinner. PS - we also bought a homemade Coconut Creme Pie to take to our family visit and it was a hit. Fresh and tasted great. Wish we had more places like this in Northern Columbus. Thanks again Ladies for great food and service. See you soon. read more

See all

Now this is the mom-and-pop diner I've been searching for! Don't judge a book by its cover either! The outside looks shady because it's an old truck stop. But man oh man the food is awesome and the breakfast portion sizes are great! I had the Southern Omelette, home fries, and sourdough toast. I could only eat 1/3 of the omelette, 1/3 of the home fries, and one slice of toast. The customer service here is top notch. If you're lucky, Larry might stop by your table and say hi. He told us he works hard cleaning tables and is there on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Thank you Larry for taking care of our table and stopping by to introduce yourself! read more

See all

Friendly people. Very nice people. Food was pretty bad. One of the worst omelets I have ever been given. It was under cooked to say the least. I don't know how you could mess up an omelet, but they did. It's a shame I wanted to support local. Sorry, I'm just telling the truth. read more

I love a good poached egg and this restaurant nailed it! I would give them extra stars just for serving the poached eggs on a piece of toast to absorb the residual boiling water. They were delicious. The toast was fresh and crisp and the hashbrowns were amazing. I was there on a Sunday morning and they were busy, but the service was on point and quick. I would most definitely come back. read more

Portside Cafe - Poached eggs - New American Near Me - Lockbourne, Ohio

We placed a to-go order to give this place a try and waited about 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the food was undercooked and lacked seasoning. There are plenty of other breakfast options in the area, so we'll likely stick with those moving forward. read more

See all

Great portions and great prices! Friendly staff. The food could be warmer but overall good place to check out.

Good food, this has been one of my favorites, It has helpful and nice service also the outside may not have a lot but the inside is very nice! I love the design, the people, and the food! PS: get the homestyle fries!! read more

the Portions are very big for rhe money... price is cheap and the area has a old fashioned Southern vibe read more

This place is everything a "greasy spoon" should be. Food:10, service:10, price:10. We will definitely be back. Tell your friends!

One of the best breakfast meals I've had in Ohio. Home made pies and extremely reasonable prices.

Great little hole in the wall. Nothing flasy just good food. Will definitely be back. My order ly complaint is it's sometimes hard to get back out on 23 read more

I ordered two eggs over medium home fries & toast..I added a side of their sausage gravy and it was by far one of the best breakfast restaurants I've ate at in a long time not to mention, it was right on budget as the prices are the lowest I've seen in a while also...Well worth the money they give you big portions so bring your appetite. read more

Great breakfast, two eggs over medium, home fries, crispy bacon and toast. Ordered French toast and bacon for my wife. She said it was very good. We will be eating there again. read more

So good! We just discovered this was a few miles from grove city. Great variety, price and delish! Highly recommend

Prices were good. Service was good. Food was okay. I took someone who had accessible needs. It's not very accessible friendly until you get into the eating area. There's more space.. someone with a wheelchair or walker would have a difficult time and may need assistance with the parking lot and doors. It very well could've been a restaurant endorsed by Trump if you're into that. read more

I was out at Rickenbacker Airport one morning and decided to find a local place for lunch. Since it was around 11:00, I wanted somewhere that would have a breakfast or brunch menu, such as a diner or a cafe. Portside Cafe popped up on the Google map, so I decided to give it a try. This is a local establishment, and it seemed as if the five or six customers knew the servers or were regulars. Everyone was friendly, and it really seemed like a down-home type of place. It looks a little rough on the outside, but the inside is actually well decorated and clean. The restroom could have used a little attention, but the rest of the place was fine. One thing to note: the owners are obviously politically conservative, and the pro-gun and anti-Biden stickers on the front door and at the cash register make that known to everyone. I don't care one way or the other, but some people do. So I've let you know. I wound up ordering a patty melt and home fries since I often find that diners make a really good patty melt. In this case, it was so-so. The marble rye was good, but the patty seemed like either a large piece of breakfast sausage or a thin preformed, likely frozen and thawed, factory-made beef patty. And the melt? It seemed as if there was one slice of cheese. No sauce that I could make out, though it did have abundant sauteed onions. The home fries were quite good. Will I go back? Who knows. I'm never really in that part of town, so the likelihood is low. But I'd be willing to give it another try. read more

Portside Cafe - Dining area and counter seating - New American Near Me - Lockbourne, Ohio

See all

The restaurant is dirty. The ceiling looks like it's caving in the cooks are not clean in the kitchen. I really do believe I will not be back to this establishment. read more

What a delightful little hole in the wall! First of all, they're doing a great job with social distancing at this little cafe. The tables are very spread out and the employees stay masked up! I came here recently with a friend who invited me. I had never heard of it before! It really doesn't look like much from the outside. The inside offers a classic diner feeling. The menu is many different offerings for breakfast and I was overwhelmed by all of the options. The prices are insanely good, too. I ended up going with coffee and a classic breakfast platter. Everything was delicious and the portions were excellent. I appreciated the efficient staff who kept my coffee mug filled, throughout. This spot is also very close to Rickenbacker Air Force base which is nice because that area tends t be saturated with chain restaurants. I really appreciated the quaint country atmosphere of this diner and I will definitely be visiting again! read more

It's not the same food. The last time we ate here the food was terrible bacon was so greasy I couldn't eat it No flavor in anything. It's just an old restaurant that's been a dying breed for a few years now. I can't and won't eat here anymore. read more

This is a super busy restaurant. Everything you would expect from a diner on a main highway. Fantastic food and fantastic prices. I had a fried cod sandwich. But the Club Sandwich is the bomb! Hands down one of the best. Next time I would order the Club and split it with two soups when we go. Plenty for two people. Also, I have been told their breakfast is great especially steak and eggs. Breakfast is served all day. read more

See all

I've never had a bad Meal here. Super Friendly staff and great Food! Dine in, Catering, Carryout. Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner. Open 6am-10 pm read more

Portside Cafe - Great Coffee - New American Near Me - Lockbourne, Ohio

Southern omelette delish and portion is great customer service very friendly Price is nice as well read more

Portside Cafe - Southern omelette delish and portion is great customer service very friendly - New American Near Me - Lockbourne, Ohio

This strikes me as the typical small town greasy diner. Just a quick run down.... Not super clean and building is in bad shape. Our waitress was nice but not super attentive. 6.59 for a Reuben which was decent. 8.xx for a three piece fried chicken dinner. The chicken is extra extra crispy (fried in super hot oil) and was better than I thought it would be. I only tried this because of a friend's suggestion. The sweet potato was really old though. I was also told their pies were good but they looked old and runny. So I'm glad we at least tried it but I won't be going back any time soon. read more

Walked in the door and all I could smell was pinesol and urine. I walk right out. If a restaurant does not smell good when you walk in why sit down? read more

I "checked in " at the end of our meal and said "I should have stayed home and ate cereal with the spoiled milk in my fridge" That tells you the quality of the meal. Not one to leave one star reviews but this was well deserved. My food was something I would expect to be served at a retirement home to people with no taste buds. I had corn beef hash , and I got served some "purée style" food that I am not even sure what it was. My wife had a veggie omelette and the eggs were fine but the vegetables were raw and not even cooked We would have told our server if she had ever come back to check on us once She did come and throw down our check after some time and walked away Not a real pleasant experience for us read more

The hospitality is amazing . When they said all you can eat fish I couldn't believe it . My first plate was so loaded I couldn't even eat more . It's seem like "family owned" businesses take more pride in everything. Even the customers! read more

Tried this place for the first time today and will definitely be coming back. The staff was so friendly and attentive and the food was absolutely delicious. Probably the best breakfast I've had at a restaurant in quite a while. Tastes like delicious home cooking, really hits the spot. read more

This is the best place in all of Ohio. Every time I go here with my father we have a great time. Best French toast in the world and great customer service! read more

Always a friendly smile and a great meal . The owner Virgina keeps killing those hash browns , and the french toast is insane . Lovely place

Portside Cafe is a diner pretty much in the middle of nowhere on 23. As hidden as it is, it's usually pretty busy. We often go in the morning for breakfast, they open at 6am. I've only ever eaten off their breakfast menu, but they do have a decent sized lunch and dinner menu. This is a typical diner, the food is far from award winning, but it is satisfying. They do a great job hosting large groups and bringing everyone's food out on time and refilling coffee mugs. If you want a place to stop if you're flying out of Rickenbacker and don't want fast food then this is the place. read more

Taste like they fry everything in the same oil. Coneys were awful. Fries were awful. Dry buns, coney sauce out of a can and cheap hot dogs. Only decent thing was cold slaw. This place is for people who want yuk diner food out of cans. And it was super dirty. Won't be back read more

Plenty of seating, clean with an open, well lit interior. The service and food style is 100% diner, friendly and casual. Daily specials like fried chicken, beef and noodles and Johnny Marzetti. Cheap prices! 8.75 gets you a huge omelet filled with grilled chicken, bacon, ham, sausage, green peppers and onions, tomatoes and american cheese. Plus home fries and toast(refer to the picture). read more

Portside Cafe - The Southern Omelette. - New American Near Me - Lockbourne, Ohio

Bang for your buck: 7/10 Quality: 7/10 Service: 7/10 Ambiance/Location: 6/10 Overall: 7/10 This is the most okay restaurant. There wasn't anything necessarily wrong about it, but there wasn't anything necessarily good either. We love trying spots that are somewhat off the beaten path, and a hole in the wall diner is our jam. With that set of criteria in mind, our breakfast here should've been a slam dunk. read more

Definitely fits the description of a hole in the wall. Friendly service. Breakfast is great with large servings. They have daily specials that are reasonably priced. The pie selection and taste is awesome. read more

Great breakfast I always get the biscuits and gravy. Great home style gravy, and biscuits. French toast is fantastic, Covered in powdered sugar can't go wrong. They are also known for a cream puff that I prefer to Schmitz. They are massive! Great prices and large portions! read more

So this place looks like you'd get food poisoning, from the outside. Trust me when i tell you that this place has a damn good breakfast. Hearty portions, cheap prices and great service. Stop in and grab a bite. You will not be disappointed read more

It's Memorial Day and the only place open is Portside. We have been here once before, a very long time ago. I don't recall much of that experience, but I will definitely remember this one. So, we walk in and stand there because there is no sign that says wait to be seated nor is there a sign that says seat yourself. I had to go up to the bar and ask. We sit down and waited a few minutes for someone to even take our drink order. The menus are paper with black sharpie markings over some of the prices on the menu items. The overall cleanliness of the restaurant is questionable, as I look up to the vents and see caked on dust. I ordered a veggie omelette with mushrooms. It came with hash browns and toast. The veggies were green peppers, onions, tomatoes. And mushrooms. The veggies were raw and added an unexpected crunch to my omelette. The mushrooms were most likely from a can or jar. The potatoes were crispy and lacked flavor. The toast, well it was good. I guess you can't really mess up toast unless you burn it. My husband got corned beef hash and uh well it seemed like it was from a can. It was very mushy and almost had a purée like consistency. The service was not great at all. She basically just took our order and never came back for the table to check on us or offer refills. Might be the reason she only earned not even a full one percent tip. Very disappointed and will most likely not be back. read more

You know some time you go into a restaurant and you get what you expect, nothing more...or less. Thats what the Portside Cafe give you. If your looking for a simple country diner, here it is. If your driving down rt 23 and your not looking for it, you'll miss it. If going south look for a dumpy place on the right and your there. I pulled the trigger on a Veggie omelette and QT got a fried bologna sandwich. I had to have a dap of gravy on my home frys. We both had good meals. You know its nice to have expectations meet, that dosent seem to happen as often as it should . read more

Portside Cafe - Veggie omelette with gravy on my home frys - New American Near Me - Lockbourne, Ohio

See all

Really not a bad place! It is your typical greasy spoon place but the staff was quite friendly. I had what I believe to be the biggest omelet I have had in my life (Southern Omelet), which included toast & home fries. I do not frequent this area but would definitely go back if I was in that area. read more

Great food, cooked in a diner style. The prices are not too high. You can get a decent meal for under $10.