In the Hyde Park/Mt. Lookout area, there are two main options for breakfast... either Echo or Annabel's. I've been to Annabel's three times but only eaten there once. The reason is b/c it's so small that you have to get lucky to get a table, and they don't have anywhere to wait inside so you're stuck sitting on the curb outside the restaurant while you wait for people to finish their free-range chicken and egg white omelet with gluten free toast and root veggie side salad. My point with that ridiculous sentence is that Annabel's is a little too fancy for me when it comes to breakfast. If I'm going out to a restaurant at 11am on a Saturday morning, it means I'm probably hungover. And if I'm hungover, I don't want to put on my hipster-iest hipster pants and point my pinkie to the sky while ordering a $15 dollar croissant. Thankfully, we have Echo... which is really Hyde Park's answer to my downtown favorite - Tucker's. Echo is plane Jane and I couldn't be happier about it. Scrambled eggs, greasy bacon, and syrupy waffles... check! Go here when you want a quick breakfast from friendly-enough servers in a simple restaurant with a comfortable atmosphere. And, to be fair, that's my preference for weekend hangover curing breakfast. One final note, the line might look long when you arrive, but it moves quickly because Echo is much larger than it looks from the outside and the staff hustles like street performers to ensure that empty tables are cleaned and re-sat in a timely manner. Just go. You won't be wowed, but you definitely won't be disappointed either. read more

Oh. My. Gosh. If you have not been here and tried the Hot Mess, you need to change that! It was a bowl packed with breakfast potatoes, sausage and bacon crumbles, eggs, cheese, and sausage gravy. It was everything breakfast should be! I hadn't been before, so my waitress recommended it to me. Thank you, brilliant waitress! When you first walk in, you get the classic diner vibe. You can sit at the bar or at a table. I had pretty moderate expectations, but they were exceeded by the great food, quick service, and reasonable prices. They were packed, but I still felt well taken care of. I will definitely go back again! read more

Had lunch here for the first time last week. Liked it so much that I went back yesterday for brunch. The waits can be a little messy, it's a self-serve joint so you just line up at the door. Also, it's a diner so don't expect anything but. It does a great job as a diner-style restaurant. Dawn was my server both times and does a great job. The Echo has what are now my favorite pancakes that come from a restaurant. read more

I have had this place in mind for a while & today was the day. While everywhere else had an hour wait they said 20 mins on the phone & sat us in 10. FOOD WAS SOOO DELICIOUS that my 2.5 year old ate all of her scrambled eggs with cheese & sausage & 1/2 a pancake by herself!!! While i truly enjoyed my cornbeef hash with the perfect sunny side up eggs & overate by sharing their Red White & Blue croissant french toast with my friend. This last was the bread pudding version of french toast. Perfect for sharing but might be too dense for one person. The attention to us & the baby was delightful. Will definitely come back! read more

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Great place to eat breakfast in Cincinnati if you love breakfast food and hate your body. Between the Hot Mess and the cinnamon bun style pancakes, you're sure to gain at least 5 pounds in one sitting. read more

This place is a gem! It looked so busy but We were seated in 6 minutes!! The biscuits and gravy were incredible! Service impeccable, they even boxed my food for me. Highly recommend this place to everyone read more

Best breakfast in Cincinnati, hands down. The line is usually long, but it moves quickly. Food is always amazing and the servers are great.

Nostalgia is about the only reason I can figure that people keep coming here. The food is unappetizing, unseasoned and uninteresting. Everything tastes extremely low budget at not so low budget pricing. And let's face it, when you come to a diner, you want good coffee. The Echo serves truly awful liquid coffee that's difficult to choke down even when you really need it. One bonus is that servers are friendly and kids are welcome. Given the location, this place could be so awesome. But it's definitely seen better days and is riding on past laurels. Hyde Park Square deserves a better effort. read more

Very, very good food! Unfortunately, the wait to get in is always so long but I think that speaks volumes for the quality of the food. If I can kept my little one entertained enough to get through the line, the service is awesome once we are seated. The waitresses are always so sweet and welcoming. One of the bussers passed out free Popsicles to the kids which was a huge hit. The goetta tastes great, eggs are cooked to perfection and the Rosemary multigrain bread is to die for. Please give the Echo a try! read more

Food is classics dinner style, but at the Hyde park premium. Breakfast is the way to go, but it's hard to look past the inflated price. read more

Awesome with COVID-19 adjustments. Best I've seen yet. They have QR code menu's instead of hard copies too. They even have a "clean" pen cup so that people can use a pen then put it in another cup so they can clean it for the next customer. Tall partitions, ketchup in little closed cups, masks, gloves, no shared condiment holders (still can get the salt/pepper/ketchup/etc, obviously). Blocker between cashier and customer. read more

LOVE their salads and the servers! The lettuce is so cold and crisp! Classic diner atmosphere with old school favorites and new favorites like avocado toast. read more

This is the best breakfast spot in Oakley in my opinion. This place has a diner feel and you definitely get the bang for your buck as far as portions go. This place is cheaper than the brunch places around. They have a few "hangover helper" meals that are really good. My favorite is the lumberjack; 2 eggs, goetta, banana peppers, cheese, potatoes cakes and biscuits with gravy! read more

Classic American diner style food at super reasonable prices! First of all, The Echo isn't a big restaurant so you might be waiting if you have a large group. With that said once you get a table service is quick and you can get all of your classic Americana style diner dishes served to you right away. We went in on a Saturday for lunch and didn't even have to wait more than five minutes. Our server was responsive and attentive to everything that we needed any special request that we had put in for our food. My sandwich was served exactly as I had ordered and the coleslaw was your standard vinegar-based coleslaw. overall the echo is a great place if you have a picky eater or someone who's just looking for that great small town diner feel in a restaurant. read more

Holy crap! This place was sooo delicious and has some GF options. We swung in for brunch while traveling through the area and couldn't be happier. My Aztec omelet was on point and my partner's eggs were perfect. Service was fast and friendly. I have already recommended to my friends who will be in the area soon. read more

Long wait on a Sunday morning, but worth it. Highly debates between the potato cakes and home fries but got home fries for quantity. My husband got the hot mess and fell in love. I got the sampler that had 2 meats, 2 pancakes, eggs, and potatoes, and a delicious soft biscuit all for a bomb price. read more

The Echo is a cute cozy diner located off of Hyde Park square on Edwards Rd. They have a great selection of breakfast and lunch options. The wait staff is always so friendly and helpful. I suggest ordering your sandwich on the rosemary multigrain that is from Breadsmith, just across the way. It's delicious! read more

Overall, I thought this place was good but nothing really special. I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could. I tried the hot mess platter, which is basically a pile of potatoes, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, sausage gravy, and cheese. I have no complaints about it, it was just a good, basic dish! My friend tried Steph's Sampler and found it was good as well. But again, nothing special. The major complaint I do have with this place is how cramped it is. The layout of the restaurant is not very efficient, with two diner-style counters running parallel to each other right through the middle of the small dining space. This doesn't leave much room to walk between the tables. My friend and I were seated at a table close to the cashier counter, so entire time we were there, the long line of people waiting to pay ran right next to our table. I'm talking random people's butts within 3 feet of my face! Then there were servers trying to squeeze around those people, bumping our table or brushing our arms in the process. We were there around noon on a Saturday, so maybe this isn't such a problem when they're less busy. All in all, I wouldn't go out of my way to come here, but if you're in the area and looking for a good diner-food brunch spot, this is the place to come! read more

The food here is pretty good. It's kind of a small breakfast/brunch spot but worth a try. I ordered the Hot Mess and it was good. The potatoes could be seasoned a little more but I still enjoyed it. I substituted my toast for a cinnamon roll and it was delicious! The waitress we had started off a little abrupt at first but she warmed up and was very knowledgeable about her job. She was efficient and came around regularly to see if we needed assistance. I would recommend this place for sure! read more

Great diner. There can be a bit of a wait on the weekends but it's usually not too bad and worth the wait for a Hot Mess. It's basically a hot mess of fries, eggs, bacon, sausage, gravy on a plate. It's so good! Or if you want something a little more simple, the eggs Benedict is pretty delish. read more

This was such a great spot for Sunday breakfast. After walking around the Hyde Park farmer's market, my boyfriend and I were starving and in serious need of a nice hearty breakfast. As we approached The Echo, we were worried we'd be standing in line for an hour before sitting down (it was packed), but we luckily got two seats at the bar right away. While the place is pretty crowded, and we were wedged in between other groups at the bar, the service was great! Fast and friendly. The servers were crazy busy behind the bar, filling up coffees, grabbing orders, and wiping up syrup, and I loved it. I got a build-your-own omelet, and it was AMAZING. They stuffed so much ham and veggies into that omelet, my god it was great. My boyfriend had a Belgian waffle with bananas which looked equally as delicious as it tasted. This isn't the place to go and get mimosa-wasted with your girlfriends, but it's an excellent spot to grab a classic breakfast with a small group. I could easily make this a weekend tradition! read more

We are from Northern Kentucky and were in the area to pick up some items from a bakery. We wanted breakfast and the reviews on Yelp lead us to here. We were extremely satisfied with our food and service. read more

The waitress we had was absolutely fantastic and attentive. The food came in a short amount of time and was exactly what we were looking for. Will be sure to stop by again when in town! read more

Another great Cincy establishment that takes you back to yesteryear. This place needs to be on Diners Dives &Drive Inns. I always start with their hot chocolate with whip cream. On this particular occasion I decided to try their seasonal menu. It was a hard choice but I decided on the Red white and blueberries and I chose right. I did have some food envy of the bfs goetta eggs Benedict and barely got one bite before he devoured it! Empty plates, happy stomachs! read more

This place was highly recommended by some folks but I honestly don't see why. If the food was as good as the service it would have been stellar. Our server was warm, friendly, and attentive. The food on the other hand...not so much. Eggs over medium that were served basically over hard, goetta was like chewing beef jerky. Potatoes were soaked in grease. Coffee was "their" blend from Wallingford but truly wasn't great. My wife has French toast that was fair to say the least. Overall, just not a great spot for breakfast...just "good". read more

Cute spot with a classic 50s diner style. The place is great in the early morning and brings me a nostalgic feel at times. I've been here several times at opening hour (6am) and the staff is great and friendly. Coffee is not great but it fills my needs. The food is average, but the fact that the whole environment is nice and quiet in the early morning makes the experience memorable. Would definitely come back if I pay Cincinnati a visit in the future. read more

I would say this restaurant is about probably 2 1/2 star. However, that's not a choice on the ratings. I ordered the hot mess. My friend ordered the Aztec omelette. The food came out hot, however none of it was at all spicy. With a name like Aztec, you'd expect a little more kick to the food. The waitress was extremely nice. Service was very good. There is a very long line to wait if you like to eat on a Sunday morning. We got here about 1030, and we had to wait about five minutes; however, if you wait any longer that would be about probably 30 minutes to an hour wait. The hot mess gravy sauce was a bit on the Sweet side in my humble opinion. I think it goes great with the biscuit, but on top of hash and eggs bacon and sausage it doesn't quite make the cut. I would deathly give it one more chance, try some other type of dish. read more

The Echo - Hot mess with a side biscuit - Diners Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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I'm from New York, where greasy-spoon diners are a dime a dozen. This place has very, very authentic and well-cooked diner food, but it is FAR overpriced. A bowl of oatmeal for $6? One egg with toast for $4? That's borderline ridiculous. The oatmeal was great (oatmeal with cinnamon, brown sugar, cooked apples, and raisins... yum!) but not worth the pricetag. It was delicious, but the next time I go there I will make sure it's a date where I'm not the one footing the bill. The one really awesome thing that totally surprised me was that you can get a to-go cup of coffee for no extra cost (if you ordered coffee with your meal, that is). That was really nice! read more

Echo is a gem located very close to Hyde Park Square, making it a convenient stop before or after a trip to the farmers market. The waiting line to get a seat in the restaurant may seem a bit daunting, but the line moves quite quickly. Service is friendly and efficient. The menu contains the standard breakfast fare as well a seasonal specials and lunch fare (such as fried chicken). I love omelets at any time of day, and the omelets at Echo are done well. My mom is also a huge fan of their fried chicken, which I might try if I ever get over my omelet obsession. read more

Bf's brother recommended we stop here on our way home from an overnighter at Riverbend Music Center. This place seems like a solid brunch spot and is in a cute area of Cincy I'm glad we were able to stop through. There were lots of options on the menu and this diner was bustling an hour or so before closing at 3. Luckily, we got a seat right away. Our table of 4 enjoyed a Portabella Mushroom Benedict, California Omelet (both from the seasonal menu), a breakfast sandwich and a German Greats platter (mine!). The Benedict ($9) looked great, eggs were poached nicely and lots of hollandaise to smother everything in. I was a little surprised at the California omelet ($9), it was loaded with tons (TONS) of bacon, avocado and chunks of cream cheese. Seemed kind of weird, but a hungry (read: hungover) bf scarfed it down. The breakfast sandwich looked pretty typical. My German Greats platter ($9) was pretty good. I opted for the Goetta, a type of sausage mixed with steel-cut oats. I thought it was German, but it turns out it's mostly a Cincinnati thing. Tasted pretty good with the baked apples on top of my rye toast. Overall, a little heavy for breakfast but no complaints! Toward the end of our meal service was kind of slacking a bit (no refills, slow on the check) but they both eventually came. Seems like The Echo is a true neighborhood breakfast spot, with food (and prices) to set them apart from the rest of Hyde Park. read more

Absolute best place to go for breakfast in Cincinnati. Everything on the menu is delicious! Long lines on the weekend but they go by pretty fast. Really cool diner atmosphere. Incredibly friendly staff. Highly highly recommend. read more

The Echo - Diners Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

This little dinner in Hyde Park is the perfect brunch spot. There's always a short wait, but that's because everyone loves brunch here. Steph's Favorite is 2 eggs, 2 bacon , 2 sausage, 2 pancakes and your choice of side (I get homefries). Add 3 biscuits and gravy and this is my dream breakfast. It's all very fresh and hot. They have great coffee and super friendly staff. Wether you have 2 people or 10, this is the spot for a solid brunch. read more

The coffee wasn't great. The food is so-so. I would say there are better spots to spend money.

I don't think I've been subtle about my love for goetta. Crispy, savory, happy time goetta. Do you know where I had my first goetta experience? The Echo. Yes, this little old timey diner tucked into the side of Hyde Park square was where I had my first divine experience with the ultimate breakfast (tbh anytime) meat. I had my first little slice of heaven, and from there on out it was love. As a child I always ordered scrambled eggs, home fries, and goetta, but when I hit high school I started with mainstay: an oktoberfest omelet, homefries on the side and rye toast. To this day I order the same exact thing, and I don't know if that completely invalidates my review, but I think it just speaks true to how damn good the Echo is. Go to Echo, drink some coffee, and enjoy the same breakfast I've enjoyed for over 10 years. And be happy, because you're eating goetta man. read more

YUM. I came here for breakfast on a weekday and their food was so good. Our server was very nice and refilled our drinks multiple times throughout our time there. I got an omelette and it was amazing. They serve goetta and I honestly love most food that has goetta though. It wasn't too busy, we had no problem finding a table and got to enjoy a nice breakfast with friends. read more

We came here for breakfast- great service from the start!! I had the omelet and they were delicious!!! Yummy- everything is fresh and cooked perfectly. Ohh did I mention they have shaved ice- small I know but love it! Great relaxing environment too- will be back! read more

The Echo - Diners Near Me - Cincinnati, Ohio

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The food he was excellent! The cinnamon pancakes were the bomb! Such a fun diner atmosphere. The wait seems long but moves fast. The wait is so worth. Very friendly service. read more

The food here wasn't bad but I would consider going back... Until the restaurant allowed a family to walk in and past all of their seated and distanced customers without wearing masks. Poor management to allow their employees and customers be put at risk. read more

Echo has a pretty classic diner feel. It's divided mostly into two rooms; one with a larger view of the front windows, the other slightly more secluded. Service here was on the slow side, even for a modestly busy weekday morning. The menu is straight-forward, and all the things you'd expect from a breakfast place (eggs, bacon, hash browns) can be found here. I had eggs, hash browns, bacon and biscuits and gravy that all were at least average if not slightly better. All in all, this is a pretty good choice for a morning breakfast in Hyde Park (as long as you're not in a hurry). read more

We came here on a Sunday and this place was packed! Our large group had to be split up, which was fine by me as it meant my parents had to sit with my nephews.... Anyway, it took FOREVER for our food to come out. I know every seat in the house was taken, but omelets shouldn't take too long to cook. It was clear that my breakfast sandwich had been sitting under a heat lamp for a while. The toast was totally dried out, and the cheese was clearly starting to re-harden. I was so hungry I ate it anyway. It tasted OK, but it would have been much better had it been fresh. As far as breakfast goes, I think I would rather go to Half Day Cafe or Coffee Emporium. read more