Bites Nearby: Molly Brown’s Country Cafe

The clock said lunch, but the appetite said breakfast. The menu at Molly Brown’s Country Cafe accommodates both, so I opted for breakfast on a recent visit to the cafe. 

Susan and Jaime Hernandez opened their third Molly Brown’s Country Cafe at 1792 State Rd. about four months ago, and it hasn’t taken long to build up a brisk breakfast and lunch business. 

They’ve been running Molly Brown’s cafes since 2005, including one on Canton Road in Akron and one on Fulton Road in Canton.

The decor includes earth tones on the walls and lacy curtains in the dividers, which can make customers hard to see for waitresses in another part of the restaurant. Make sure a waitress spots you before sitting down, especially if it’s not a busy time. I wasn’t in a hurry during my visit, so the delay wasn’t a big deal.  Country music adds to the country atmosphere (I’m not a fan of country music, but that’s purely a matter of taste). 

The menu is nearly identical to a Molly Brown’s group of restaurants in California. Hernandez was a cook at one of those restaurants, owner Diana Brown confirmed in an email, and he moved his family to Ohio toting the original Molly Brown’s menu with him and good luck wishes from Brown. 

The menu features a wide variety of breakfast items ranging from Smothered Spuds ($4.49) to omelets ($5.79-$7.29) and a South of the Border flavor (breakfast burrito, Machaca and eggs, Chorizo and eggs and huevos rancheros, $6.79 each). A family-style Big Breakfast ($24.95) features a dozen scrambled eggs, a pound of bacon or sausage links, a pound of home fries, a loaf of toasted bread and a half-dozen pancakes. There are four skillet breakfasts to choose from ($7.79 each). 

There are sandwiches (grilled blend of cheeses, $4.99, to Monte Kristo, $7.29)  and hamburgers ($6.89 to $7.49), homemade soups ($3.89 and $4.29) and salads ($3.29 to $7.79) as well. Also, hot plate lunches such as liver and onions and bacon ($7.49) and  sirloin steak ($8.29).  

I opted for the Western omelet ($6.89) with hash browns and wheat toast. A short time later (10 minutes, maybe) the order arrived hot and nearly overflowing the plate. The toast was actually toasty, which many breakfast diners can’t seem to pull off. The three-egg omelet looked like a fourth egg had sneaked in there and the hash browns were piled equally high. Onion and bell peppers (I ordered without tomatoes) were sufficiently cooked and the rest of the omelet was cooked without getting scorched. The hash browns were crispy on top, tender inside. 

Nearby diners also were served huge portions. I couldn’t finish mine, and I usually have a pretty hearty appetite. The waitress offered to box it, but the thought of warmed over eggs didn’t seem too appealing. 

All told, this enormous breakfast set me back $11 and change including tip, which seems to be in line with other nearby breakfast establishments. 

Online reviews by local diners (take with a grain of salt) have been generally favorable and a video features the owners at one of their Akron-area restaurants.

If you like to change scenery or especially if country music suits your musical palate, Molly Brown's is definitely worth putting on your list of breakfast places. 

Molly Brown’s Country Cafe, 1792 State Rd., Cuyahoga Falls, 330-945-4407. Fax: 330-945-4408. Hours: 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week.