BREAKFAST: Jack Flaps

Jack Flaps is a new and totally hip breakfast place in Ohio City. Ohio City is a very cool part of Cleveland and I was very eager to try out a place with such a weird name.

While tiny, we waited less than ten minutes. There were seven people ahead of us. Not bad for a Sunday. This place has the vibe of a Brooklyn, NY restaurant and I totally love it.

I ordered the red velvet waffle -- which I expected would be sweet. But I thought it was perfectly balanced & decadent. Exactly what red velvet is. The coffee was delicious & my cup was never even half empty. The vegetable root hash was beyond delicious.

The entire menu is sweet, decadent, and not your average greasy dish. This is not your average breakfast spot and I would recommend anyone that doesn't like sweetness to stay away.
They serve the coffee in to go cups. Which I loved because I was able to get a cup for the road. Plus the coffee was really good. The service is great and really everything was amazing.

Oh, and from 1 pm till close the pancakes are only $5. Which is a pretty sweet deal.

Visit Jack Flaps:
website: on facebook
location: 3900 Lorain Ave.
Cleveland, Ohio 44113

hours: everyday, 7-3

COFFEE: Bent Tree

Okay, so I'm stepping outside of Akron to bring you the best coffee in Northeast Ohio. Okay, maybe that's slightly an overstatement because there's a LOT of coffee I haven't tried in Cleveland. But between Akron, Kent, and surrounding areas -- this is it.

Bent Tree locally roasts their own beans. Which means if you enter their establishment, you will be overwhelmed with the best smell in the entire world: fresh roasted coffee beans. It's heaven. The place isn't meant for hanging out. Though their is a window bar seat if you feel inclined.

Bent Tree, however, roasts over sixteen different blends at any time. All of which are of the highest quality. This is the only place I will buy bags of coffee and much to my surprise, the prices are excellent for fresh and local beans. Each roast has an information card in front of them for extra information. I absolutely love this because they are thorough.

The workers are passionate about coffee, hilarious, and helpful. I rarely pick out my own coffee because they are so excellent at guessing what I'll like and they are NEVER wrong. They also sell individual cups if you want to taste test in store. They do pour overs -- a hand pour method and maybe one or two other methods. Please do NOT pass this up. There's nothing like a pour over. Seriously. Remember that. "There's nothing like a pour over!" It's the absolute best way to brew coffee to bring out all the rich flavors and undertones.

In addition to this, Bent Tree sells cold brew single serves and coffee brewing systems. Cold brew is a method of brewing iced coffee that preserves the flavors without making it bitter with the ice. It's delicious. Bent Tree sells pour overs, chemex's and other various coffee nerd things. This is wonderful because they sell all of their products more or less at cost. You won't find better prices online or elsewhere.

The moral of the story? Bent Tree is the best coffee of all time and you need to experience a pour over at LEAST once in your life. Starbuck's does NOT count. In fact, a pour over at Starbuck's is the complete opposite of good.

Visit Bent Tree:
website: benttreecoffee.com
hours: Monday-Friday
7am -- 5 pm
location: 313 N. Water Street

BREAKFAST: Flury's

Flury's looks like an old school made-for-television diner. The decor is retro and it's REALLY tiny. It's overly hot in the summer and ice cold in the winter. The coffee cups are also tiny and require non-stop refills. But all of this is part of the undeniable charm.

Flurry's is tucked away in a residential part of Cuyahoga Falls. They only accept cash and are closed on Sunday's. But if you are lucky enough to stumble upon this place with cash in your wallet, you better stop here for year round pumpkin pancakes. Seriously. YEAR ROUND PUMPKIN and it's really delicious. Their french toast is pretty simple, but it's out of this world too.

For such a itty bitty dive, the food here is top notch. It blends the gap between Fred's and Blue Door.

Visit Flury's:
website: flurryscafe.com
hours: Monday-Saturday
7:00 am - 3:00 pm
address: 1300 Sacket Ave
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio 4422

COFFEE: Caffe Italiano

This is a brand new coffee shop that opened up on the Tallmadge Circle. It's a strange place for a modern coffee shop, but my parents live in Tallmadge so I'm very pleased to have an option other than Dunkin Donuts. I was a little skeptical that it would ever open because the sign was up for about ten months.

Anyways, the shop is tiny, but there is a window bar for those that want to hang out -- which I always do. The menu was handcrafted by a former Starbuck's barista, Taylor who is now the manager of the establishment. He spent a lot of time making this a coffee shop that not only survives, but one that thrives in a non-typical location.

They use Bent Tree Roaster's beans. Which are locally roasted in Kent. This is some of the best coffee around, so there's no surprise that the coffee here is top notch.

Plus they serve gelato! Owner Lynette Ward said, "There's no gelato places around, and we thought that would be a great addition to Tallmadge to have something that really nobody did,"

Photo c/o Caffe Italiano's facebook

Visit:
website: Facebook
phone number: (330) 351-0193
address: 14 Tallmadge Circle, Tallmadge, Ohio 44278
hours: 6:00 am - 9:00 pm