Sidewalk Cafe: New Restaurant in Painesville, Ohio - Change in Menu Not for the Better This Time

Change is sometimes for the better, but in the case of the Sidewalk Cafe, I'd say not this time. The location in the heart of downtown Painesville is the site of the old pharmacy/milkshake store "Thayers". I used to love going there as a child and having the thickest strawberry milkshakes around. I happen to be at another local store and they had ordered from the Sidewalk Cafe, the aromas tempting me into ordering from there myself.

Located in an area surrounded by the courthouse, human services building, lawyers offices, and banks abound, this little cafe stands a chance of making it. If they can learn to cook their food at a consistency that is. As I walked into the cafe, the interior is still holding the designs from the past. Old glasses and mugs behind wooden glass display cases. The old pharmacy drawers are still behind the old fashioned counter, only labeled with computer paper now. Its dark and dreary, with limited lighting except for the large front windows.

The menus are limited in their descriptions, none of the sandwiches even label the inside ingredients. I asked what came on the chicken Swiss wrap and was told it was chicken, Swiss, lettuce and maybe onions. After telling them no to the onions, I also ordered a side of steak fries to go along with. The sandwich was 3.99 for a small, the fries were an additional $1.79. As far as prices go, they are fairly priced for what they are.

The wait was maybe ten minutes long for my to go order, I should have been suspicious then. The fries were over cooked, dark brown and hard. I didn't eat one of them. The chicken Swiss wrap actually was served with chicken, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles inside. After picking out the tomatoes and pickles I sat down and ate my sandwich. It was bland and the wrap was soggy.

I experienced some of the worst stomach problems after eating. Now, maybe it was my coffee from earlier, maybe it was my cookie I ate. Or perhaps it was the sandwich with chicken that might not have been cooked all the way, its a mystery we will never know. The one thing I do know is this: I will not be going back to the Sidewalk Cafe in Painesville, Ohio. Even with a large menu of sandwiches, and a large breakfast served all day menu, its not worth poorly cooked food.

In the star ratings, the Sidewalk Cafe earns a 2 out of 5 rating.

Sidewalk Cafe
1 S. State Street
Painesville, OH 44077