I ate here for the first time this morning after getting a welcome to town coupon in the mail. I like pancakes and they recommended their blueberry pancakes. The first bite was amazing. They had the best blueberry pancakes I've ever had. They are plate size with the blueberries inside the batter and taste great. I also had a side of sausage patties that were real big and had a good flavor. The service was OK. The restaurant is small but bright and comfortable. read more

Valley Cafe - The best blueberry pancakes ever - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Akron, Ohio

This is somewhat of a hidden gem if you don't know the valley well. We had a huge " Sweet Jimmy" which is ham, sausage, egg, cheese, cinnamon toast, with cinnamon roll icing. Amazing! And large enough to share with two potentially three people. The other meal was "pulled pork hash". Different and very good too. The restaurant Decor is happy and homey and all staff were very friendly! Can't wait to come again! read more

Valley Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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Very perky manager walked us through the offerings since we admitted we were first timers. Small space with dashing staff.. loved the tablet order taking... do not see that often around here. Hash browns were cooked just right... but rather salty Salmon cakes were nice... hollandaise broke so the English muffin ended up soggy and mushy. They tried to keep up with the coffee service... but not always... but it was super packed... Overall a nice experience and we will come back read more

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Loved this place!! Service was great and people were nice! I got the omelet and it was great. My boyfriend got the pulled pork hash and it was excellent! I wanted to try everything bc it all looked so good! We will be going back! read more

If you're looking for a good diner this is the place. It's small and can be hard to get a table since they're so busy. Everything on the menu is good, and the coffee is out of this world. Staff is always nice and knows the menu. In my top 5 NE Ohio breakfast places. read more

Best breakfast in town. Great service. Food is fresh and hot off the grill. Wonderful menu selections. Highly recommend

I love this place! The staff is so kind and attentive and the food is delicious! It's our regular breakfast spot. Try the cinnamon roll pancakes. read more

This is a great little place for breakfast/brunch. Been there twice and everything was awesome, highly recommend.

Our Valentine's Day breakfast! Eggs Benedict was excellent. Great food and very cute little cafe, hipster vibes for sure! We will definitely come back. #SupportLocal read more

Valley Cafe - Eggs Benedict, Dan 's Barnyard - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Really great food prepared in an open air kitchen. Small seating area inside but more outdoor seating weather permitting. Always busy but staff is pleasant and helpful. Pancakes, home fries, BLT, club sandwich are our favorite menu items. read more

Just finished one of the best breakfasts I have ever had. Spectacular Eggs Benedict that was so good I wanted to pick up my plate and lick off the last of the Hollandaise. Grits were perfect. Staff delightful. If I lived here this would be my go to! read more

Valley Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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Let me preface this with I am pregnant with triplets. After peeking at the menu online, was pumped I could eat the shrimp and grit cakes. After getting there, they wouldn't serve it because only available after 12:30. Next menu option selected, I asked if a cheese was pasteurized and the server blew off my question and was bothered that I asked her to double check with the kitchen. It's not pasteurized - so had to go to third choice. Ordered the special but asked for them to add avocado. They wouldn't add avocado then come to find out they are out of the special. I wasn't mean or anything. After speaking with manager politely explaining the situation, he had zero empathy and had zero interest in helping find another safe option for me. This place made me feel like I had a disease and they were bothered by my presence. So disappointing as we were first timers there. read more

We tried this cheery looking spot a week or so ago. Parking is easy, the interior is yellow-retro-cheerful and clean. There is nice patio seating for a summer day. I recommend if you are going to try it that you do sit outside. This way you will escape the din of the open kitchen and the audible insults that the cook hurls at the wait staff. Our server was taking an order when he shouted to her to pick up. She went as soon as was polite to her guests, and when she arrived he told her she "better get some younger legs for that body." This directed to an excellent server who looked to be about 30-ish. I hope she finds a new job with a respectful supervisor. The food: proud of his plate-size pancakes, the cook should work on perfecting a smaller size because the pancake was tough around the perimeter. The sausage gravy was thick, grey, and very spicy hot for breakfast fare. Priding themselves on Southern, home-cooked food I would guess his Southern grandma was not a good cook. The biscuit- a point of Southern pride - tasted of flour. I suspect it was over mixed. Presentation was lacking. Normally we would give it a second chance- the staff is nice- but the cook put me off. He could see what was happening at our table- and yet he jumped to the end of the counter to ask us as we left if we enjoyed everything. It would not have been kind, or well received, to tell him in front of his customers. My advice is that they wall off the kitchen so he can focus on cooking and leave front of the house management to his very capable staff. read more

French toast was really good, bacon tasted like it had bad breath (if that makes sense, I don't know). The biggest thing is that the restaurant is TINY and the servers were having very loud personal conversations... also my server had pretty severe and very visible burns on her hand. I feel like they should be covered at work, for the sanctity of my food and to prevent her burns from becoming infected. (It's happened to me. It's horrible) plus she never checked on me except to throw syrup on my table and bring me my check. I know breakfast serving is about quantity, not quality but you should still pride yourself on your job. Sick of servers just not caring anymore. Probably won't come back, much prefer the Wadsworth location. read more

Valley Cafe is our go to weekend breakfast/brunch spot. BJ and his staff are wonderful! The interior is bright and cozy. The prices are wonderful, and the food is delicious! When you walk in, it immediately smells of Belgium waffles. Some of our favorites are the shrimp and grits, steak and eggs, biscuits and gravy, roasted vegetable pita, and the grilled cinnamon toast. The staff is always friendly and attentive. Coffee is always hot and refilled readily and BJ does a great job of making the rounds and speaking to each table. We are happy we discovered Valley Cafe! read more

I've been hearing about this place for years and I finally was able to make it in! I loved it. Atmosphere- playful, inviting, bright Staff/Service- very friendly, outgoing and attentive. It was a pleasure with everyone we interacted with. Food- Super good! I had the corned beef and hash with a biscuit and their much talked about "zippy" gravy. It was really delicious. I like a little bit of spice but mostly I'm a baby. The spice in the gravy was perfect. Just enough to give you a little kick but nothing you had to wash down immediately with some milk. Can't wait to come back and bring others. Prices are reasonable as well because you get quite literally a pile of delicious food. read more

My husband and I were sat at the bar the last time we were at the Valley Cafe, so we were able to see everything happening behind the counter. One of the employees was preparing salads, sandwiches, buttering toast, etc. While she WAS wearing gloves, I found it weird that she never once changed her gloves while handling different food items. I understand it would be annoying to change your gloves for each order, but you'd think she would've changed them when she went from buttering toast to putting meat on a sandwich to preparing a salad, especially due to the fact that some people have food allergies or are vegetarian. I also found it weird that instead of changing her gloves, she just wiped her hands (gloves and all) on what looked like a dirty rag. I rarely write reviews, but this just rubbed me the wrong way. I'm all about reducing waste, but change your gloves once in a while, or when you're handling different types of foods to avoid contamination. Side note: the orange juice (and other juices) come out of a soda fountain dispenser and tastes like Sunny D. I don't expect fresh squeezed OJ, but I would've preferred something that didn't taste like it was from concentrate. If you like Sunny D, no problem! read more

I have been here twice and so far I am not disappointed I the tiniest! The pancakes are huge the sausage gravy is so amazing and spicy I crave it even after I have eaten it! They serve about the best French toast I have ever had. The flavors they put together blend perfectly!! Reasonable prices and the portions are huge! I am seriously in love with the Valley Cafe! Coffee is amazing too!! This is for sure my new favorite breakfast spot. read more

Valley Cafe - Pancakes and the French toast in he background - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Akron, Ohio

M- A 50s throw back clean but dated in decor. Not exciting not bad just there. I got the cornbeef hash. It carried a heavy coriander flavor which is good for lunch but not breakfast. The potatoes were full of grease which left the dish heavy. A little bit of fresh herb and some as acid could go a long way to make the dish pleasant. Had a try on sausage gravy it was not rich some brown rue may help add the missing layer of flavor. Server was not engaging but attentive. All in all it hit the spot but not a destination location. D - I had the best seller. 2 eggs over easy, sausage patties, home fried potatoes and rye toast for 6.99. If anything was seasoned during cooking time I couldn't tell. Eggs were cooked more than over easy. Potatoes tasted raw to halfway cooked in spots and the sausage reminded me of those precooked patties one can buy at Sam's. read more

Overall, it seemed like a nice place. There wasn't anything too special about it, but the service was quick and friendly. They serve breakfast and lunch all day which is nice because I'm not much of a breakfast person. I got the chicken salad sandwich and a side salad. Again, overall the food was good, but nothing out of this world or all that unique. If someone suggested going here I wouldn't be opposed, but if I had a friend in from out of town and we wanted to get breakfast, I think there are a handful of places in Akron that would be a better experience. read more

Valley Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Akron, Ohio

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Grabbed a late breakfast here after biking 13 miles South from Red Lock Trail Head. Extremely friendly to bicyclers with a big rack out front, very friendly and easy going staff. Orders were taken via tablets and immediately transferred to kitchen. Nice and high tech for a mom-and-pop shop. What really mattered what the food! I got the classic number 2 breakfast, eggs, toast, meat, potatoes and was extremely impressed! I'm a breakfast potatoes fanatic, and these potatoes were 5* - crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and super tasty. Eggs, toast and sausage patties were dreamy. Just what I needed to bike 13 miles back to Red Lock!!! Great work Valley Cafe! You guys rock! read more

Saw the great reviews on Yelp and decided to try. We were out of town looking for something different than the usual. A small intimate cafe, with beautiful outdoor seating we opted for. The staff was very friendly and very efficient refilling coffee cups several times. Opted for the local sourced corned beef hash and husband had poached eggs. All was great especially the home fries. Huge portions. Will come here again on our next visit...want to try the grilled cinnamon bread! read more

Food is pretty good, but by no means worth the price point. Atmosphere is occasionally hectic, but that can be pleasant. Their covid restrictions are just somewhat over the top. read more

Fantastic breakfast & service! It can be a tad pricey depending on what you get but there are many affordable options. We were also told that many people split because the portions are so generous (that was definitely true). The coffee was delicious and their sausage gravy was really good too (has a bit of a kick to it). Our server (Star) was so welcoming & a great server. We will definitely be back! read more

Fantastic food and atmosphere! We eat there often for breakfast. Owner likes his Southern spices that's for sure! The Cinnamon Roll pancakes are the best. Everything is made from scratch and reasonably priced! Love this place! Only bad thing is I wish it was bigger because on the weekends it's impossible to walk in and be able to sit down there is a definite wait because there's only about 12 tables in the dining room read more

Normally this diner would deserve a 4 or 5 star review, but the last time I visited very well may be the last time. I am not from the area any longer so when I go home, I need a place where I can relax and sip on coffee and enjoy my friends' company and have ample time to catch up. Our waiter did not have the same idea. It was the day after Christmas but it wasn't busy. The servers seemed impatient when we needed more time to order, our server seemed annoyed when we didn't leave immediately. There were no complimentary water or coffee refills. We were offered a to go coffee and when we asked for a refill in our mug, we received it luke warm. In the end, our server felt the pressure of 1 waiting family and asked us to leave. My friend and I ended finishing our time in the parking lot. So from now on I'll be taking my business elsewhere, I imagine my friend will be too. read more

I absolutely love this place. Feels like you're eating at grandmas kitchen!! So cute and retro and the food is best in town. Homemade, fresh, generous and delicious portions. The omelette are my favorite and the home fries are dangerously good. Frequent customer here! read more

Really was NOT impressed at all. Way too cramped, and in my opinion was way too overpriced. Ordered glazed and grilled Amish cinnamon toast. Barely any topping on it, what little there was was actually on my bacon. Supposed to come with two eggs but it only came with one that they decided they needed to slice instead of serving to me whole. Was cramped enough I got hit by the waitresses numerous times on the way by. Won't be back to be overcharged for sub standard breakfast fare unless the girlfriend drags me back kicking and screaming. read more

Cute restaurant, it's bright and pleasantly decorated. The food I ordered was from the breakfast menu and tasted great. I came here after a walk on the towpath, would recommend if you're in the area and looking for a local restaurant. read more

This is recently renovated, summery and bright. Excellent service is an understatement and the food is fresh, delicious, and made to order. Worth a wait, worth a drive, and so happy to live nearby this perfect little gem in the valley! Dying for the Amish cinnamon toast!! read more

Valley Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Akron, Ohio

This place is amazing. We were in town for a concert and looking for a place to grab breakfast before heading home. We arrived with a party of 8 and they got us right in. The service was great and the food, the food was fabulous! We ordered 11 different dishes and the were all perfect. The owner even came out to welcome us. We will make it a pointing go back whenever we find ourselves in the area. read more

So today I went to pick up my Grilled Chicken breast salad- double chicken- NO ONIONS for 16.00 and change. I look at my salad and there is onions on it. I clearly asked why there were onions when i specifically stated NO ONIONS. I watched the cook bare hand my chicken in order to REUSE the chicken that was on the ONIONS that I asked for none of. Then when he realized he needed gloves, he took one out of the box and tried to put it on- it fell on the ground. He picked it up and tried to put it on! I stopped him right there and said "NO, you're not using that glove that JUST fell on the ground NOR are you reusing my chicken". So I waited another 15 minutes for my salad- still being CHARGED. The place might be cute however they just lost a customer hand her co workers that dine there often. This is just a disgrace. The only one to apologize was the young lady working the counter, the three males said nothing. *this was the Valley Cafe in Merriman Valley. read more

Valley Cafe, a meer step on the hangover train. An A-OK on yelp's ratings, apparently when you're hungover, anything won't do. First this place is tiny! Maybe 10 tables and a couple outdoor tables which are so helpful 3 months of the year. Service was so slow and it was actually slow inside, we were 1 of 3 tables. Blueberry pancake was OK, not cooked all the way through. SO, my appetite was ruined. I'll give VC another try....someday....not hungover. read more

Even though I grew up in Akron and my parents still live here this was my first time at the valley cafe! And I was really impressed!! The service was friendly, the prices were good, and the food was excellent! So pleased to see a vegetarian eggs Benedict on the menu! The banana pancakes are amazing as well! read more

Valley Cafe - Vegetarian eggs Benedict with spinach and mushroom was great!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Akron, Ohio

Ever since moving to the Akron/Cuyahoga Falls area I have been searching for a good breakfast joint. This place is it! Fun 50s decor with 50s music playing (albeit a bit too loud for my taste on the patio). Convenient location in the valley with a patio for outside dining. Very dog friendly! The server made a plate of eggs for my pup and gave her unlimited water. Typical diner service (if you frequent a diner you know what I mean!)- but not as slow as some diners. It used to be an old bank, it appears like, so it's an interesting ambiance but the plus side is they have a drive thru! I had the potatoes and corned beef (although I was bummed the had no sides of just corned beef hash), good coffee, and excellent crispy blueberry pancakes! Also if you're biking or otherwise traversing the parkway it seemed this was the go-to spot. Overall I was very pleased and we will be back! read more

Valley Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Akron, Ohio

People tend to know each other as regulars and I can understand why. It is a laid back diner with vibrant colors that immediately embrace you. It is known for its breakfasts and the omelettes and home fries are excellent. The potatoes are boiled,fried, and seasoned and they even have grits for those looking for a kick of southern cuisine. On my most recent trip, I decided to try lunch and ordered the shrimp salad. The presentation was basic with colorful romaine letuce and a few slices of tomato. But, it was topped with 8 extra large shrimp. I ordered it with ranch dressing that they must have made in house and together created a flavorful combination until the last bite. read more

One of the best breakfast places in Akron! Get the Amish French toast - you won't regret it!!

This is such a quaint, adorable little place. It's tiny - and there will probably be a wait for you on a Sunday morning. This is best for small groups - under 4. They basically only have one table that seats more than that. There is a small amount of outside seating for the few months when it's tolerable to sit outside in Akron. The food is delicious. Their home fries are so good - well seasoned, buttery, and crisp. Definitely my favorite part of the meal. The eggs were perfectly cooked, and the bacon was crispy. I ordered some french toast as well (I was REALLY hungry and knew I wouldn't be eating until I got home like 8 hours later because I was flying) and it was good - golden brown and yummy. Service was great. It's great diner food, nothing too fancy. They keep it simple and good. Only sad part for me was I realllyyyy wanted that cinnamon roll pancake and it's not available on weekends :( Looks like I'll never get it as I'm rarely in Ohio, let alone on a weekday. read more

Great lunch on a cold day. Enjoyed a nice date lunch with my wife. We were greeted by the owner and felt welcome by the entire staff. My wife really enjoyed her Rueben but my Dan's Barnyard stole the show. Perfect spice, a nice runny egg and crispy potatoes. This is a great lunch and breakfast spot. read more

Looking for something on a Sunday morning & tried on chance. Cant wait to go back! There were 4 of us & we all something different & loved it. How many breakfast to you take leftovers home,... we did. The entire staff was great and worked well together. Oftered us a to go cup for our beverages when leaving. read more

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