Michael’s Diner

The food is great. Too bad they do not have a web site so that people can see the menu in advance, they would get so much more business. We work in a nearby hospital and have to go by word of mouth or Unilocal reviews as to what they have to eat.

Took the train down here with my wife and grand daughter. We were greeted warmly by our waitress who was very friendly and good with my grand daughter. The food was as expected, tasty and plentiful. We had the gyros which was solid, and the little one had the the kids hotdog and fries which was enormous. I wouldn’t make a habit of it, but I will go back for sure.

This is sorta a hood diner… Like Guy Fieri walking around with a glock triple D place.
Food is solid. Help is great. But if you traipsing into here drunk off your AZZ at 7pm, you might be in for a surprise or two.
I liked it and the food is solid but I was there at 11am.

This was my first and last time going here.
Shortly upon arrival, the waitress got up from a nearby booth, where she was eating, and asked my husband and I if we wanted a table, we nodded yes. She cleared the dirty table close to us and we sat down. After bringing us water she said she would give us some time. She came back a few minutes later and rushed our orders out of us and quickly walked away, as if it annoyed her to have to do this. We didn’t even get to order some coffee, so we tracked her down and asked for some.
While waiting for our food, which was pretty quick, we listened to our waitress loudly talk on her phone, talk to other employees, eat next to us while again, sitting. She drops off the food and leaves. We have no silverware or napkins, I mean I used my straw to stir my coffee, which our waitress failed to notice or care. She then sits in another booth, so we ask a nearby staff member for some utensils.
We ate, pushed our plates to the side and waited for a check, as she continued to ignore everything else and talk on her phone right behind us. I’ve never seen anyone in the service industry act like this, and I have been a bartender for 10 years. It was appalling.
We paid and tipped well (because I have to). No offer to box anything up, and she stood there watching my husband as he wrote the tip and total on his credit card receipt. So incredibly rude. We won’t be going back, and I hope they wise up and fire that idiot.

Everything I want from a diner. Cozy, delicious, cheap. I can certainly imagine this place being packed — it wouldn’t take many bodies to fill the place — but when I went, at least, it wasn’t too busy and the service was as good as the food. All in all, an excellent little diner. Nothing really spectacular, but good, solid food.

The best breakfast on the square. This diner has a nice laid back feel with genuine and pleasant staff. This is a place that the working class of America goes to eat. The food is simple and delicious. They have something for everyone. I definitely recommend this place to anyone in the area looking for a quick bite to eat. Also ITS SUPER CHEAP!!!

Man I love diners. Got breakfast with the boyz before my friend’s wedding. I must say that the waitress really made our day. She was so nice and talked to us like we were family. Explained how she made so much food and invites people over to eat it. I almost thought she was gonna invite us to her house lol.
Anyway, great people, decent food, beautiful morning and brunch outdoors before a wedding. One of the greatest days in a while.

The food was really good. Hash browns were amazing, omelette terrific. The coffee was good and hot. The staff was very welcoming and kind. Had to wait a little bit for our food, not to awefully long though. Definitely recommend this place!

The food is great. The only reason I’m not giving them 5 stars is the silver ware isn’t clean at times or the cups. I’m a regular n there.

As good as it gets, while I readily admit: this is not a place where you get the recently trending Cleveland ‘gourmet food’. But personally I find the food (or that stuff that I tend to eat there) really good. I have not eaten all, as I do not like everything. As of food, to some the most important thing on this planet, I recommend the home made breakfast potatoes. Incredibly surprisingly good. I eat that usually with toast and eggs. I like to eat something that seems to be at least a bit less processed with every meal, ideal would be some fruit, which they do not have, but they have applesauce, which is good enough for me, and orange juice. Gyros, some people (friends) love it, someone here wrote it was no good. I can’t tell you.
French toast is really great.
Personally I love the place mostly for its friendly and funny atmosphere. I have never been in there and not chatted with one or more new people. Sometimes the mood is so in full swing it does have a bit of a feeling of a theatre play on stage. Also: to me very important in particularly this town: it seems to be a secretly agreed on place where the general criss-​cross racism of Cleveland gets a time out. (I LOVE IT!!!)
One issue, besides the general ‘we love everyone and all’ feel in there, one of the «top» people in this place seems to have it out for one of the «bottom» people working in there, to put it mildly and ambiguously. This can be witnessed occasionally, if you pay attention. I really do NOT like that kind of stuff, don’t let out your daily frustration on your lowest worker, would you please (one star minus, which will be awarded, as soon as the situation improves).
Other than that: I love the trains coming by and watching people getting in and off the trains. Brings a sensation of non-​stuck to the place. There are some down-​and-​out people in the area, they may sit in the entrance hall before you go into the diner. Well, such is life. At least in this town, so one might as well see some of it. It is not as bad as not to go there.
And finally: as mentioned by many, it is very affordable.
So these are my many reasons to go there, even if I could afford elsewhere, where the feel might look prettier at first glance but also more faked.
It is, as always, a matter of what you’re looking for.

There’s a lot to recommend this classic greasy-​spoon train station diner. Late hours for the area (including continuous weekend hours Friday 6AM — Sunday 8PM), great location, you can watch the train go by.
Great for late breakfast, early breakfast, lazy mid-​afternoon breakfast, etc. Plus burgers, gyros, soup, all the usuals. Nothing fancy, and the price is right.

Awesome location. Good, down home food. Open 24 hours on the weekends and most holidays. Has gotten me out of a bind when late night cravings strike! Would always recommend.

Love this place. Great diner food at great prices. I’ve been here 15+ times and I’ve always gotten exactly what I expected. The servers have always been really good too. Breakfast there is really good too. And I think it’s Friday night (?) that they have $ 2.99 cheeseburger and fries.

Great bang for your bucks. 1\2 pound patty melt hit my hankerin for something deliciously unhealthy. Rye bread buttered and grilled to perfection, patty oozing with melted cheese and grilled onions. Mmhmm! Laid back atmosphere, just what I want from a diner. I will definitely be back for more.

I like Michaels. I like it a lot. I think the food is good quality diner style and the prices considering where they are located-​right next to the Shaker Square blue and green line rapid stop. Practically on top of it! Awesome. Great burgers, sandwiches, omelettes. Everything! The service is hit or miss especially when the boss is not around. Someone needs to say something. Lose one star. Otherwise, you get great grub here. Usually pretty clean. The lottery ticket sales really slows the register line down.

«Not Mike’s Shack»
We were glad to find free parking right in front of the establishment on what we thought would be a busy Friday evening, and even before we walked in, we were also greeted by a loud «HELLOOOO HOW ARE YOU LADIES DOING TONIGHT» from a local, which made us feel important and special in every aspect. Although we were allowed to select any empty seat in the diner for ourselves, we were surprised at the Friday late-​night no waitress policy (we had to place our orders at the front), in which we were informed about by a man who spoke in a voice similar to that of the loudspeaker on Charlie Brown if given copious amounts of downers.
Although this place loved being DIY, we were surprised that their prices were so high. There are other diners that retain the same atmosphere but yet charge half the price for a basic two eggs, home fries, toast and bacon dish with a side of coffee. This totaled to about $ 8.00, whereas other diners (e.g. coffee pot) would charge $ 3.75 for such a combo. The coffee also tasted like it was made from some sort of chemical based sludge, steeped in burnt dog hair for days. Gas USA Coffee is WAY better.
After consuming such a mess, we decided to press our luck at the lottery machine, which unfortunately, also hurt our wallet a little bit more than we bargained for as the machine was sold out of every single kind of $ 1.00 scratch off. We had to fork over the extra $ 1.00 for the $ 2.00 fast cash game, which we actually won, but could not redeem because their redemption machine was all out of order.
As the coffee sludge and overpriced egg platter fueled my veins, the excessive neon lighting triggered a mental montage of Brookpark strip clubs captured in a perverse 80’s music video. The only highlight of this 80’s music video were the excessively glittery plastic cushions that provided a backdrop for my mental montage, as the sounds of the muffled television playing a Nightline TV special on failed Miami real estate played in the background.

Oh, Michael’s. I’m glad that my longing for a NY-​style diner experience can at last be satisfied. However, do keep in mind that it also resembles a typical NY diner in that there’s nothing fancy. At all.
The place is quite unassuming. It’s contained in a glass box by the Shaker Square rapid station… Or, rather, the place –is– the station, occupying the space behind the westbound platform. So, naturally, the place is much longer lengthwise, and combined with the typical, humble diner-​ish interior, it creates a very unassuming, down-​to-​earth atmosphere. (Also note: while not spotless, the bathroom is not terrifyingly dirty. Yay, extra points!)
It feels much busier than it actually is – between the people waiting for the rapid just outside the diner (and around), those coming in to buy lottery tickets, and those just chatting it away with the people working here and/​or each other.
The menu is on the smaller side for a diner, but has almost everything that one would look for at a diner. The typical diner fares are far from disappointing, and the gyro meat that keeps being mentioned by other reviewers is, indeed, pretty impressive. And all of them are served in generous portions. The only thing missing is a fried food «sampler” – an option to have a little bit of each kind of deep-​fried goodness… Maybe my college town’s diner just spoiled me a lot. Not a huge issue, either way.
Many of the dishes contain less vegetables than would be considered normal at other places, but you don’t go to a diner for shredded iceberg lettuce, I suppose.
Also, UNLIKE many NY diners, this place actually closes on weeknights. Open all night on weekends. Customer parking is available on the side of the platform, behind the diner (on westbound Shaker Blvd).

This place is GREAT at what it does. Late night, cheap, breakfast food. Coming from NJ I miss the diner culture and didn’t expect to find these kind of end of the night places here. Michael’s is the real deal though.
I had the french toast with eggs over easy and sampled the gyro omelet. Everything hit the spot.
So when its late, you need some drunk food, or you’re craving breakfast for dinner, come watch the trains and get some good diner food at Michael’s. You’ll be pleasantly surprised– I was!

Good food and service. The servers go above & beyond the call of duty.
Worth a visit

Michael’s Diner in Shaker Square is owned by the same familyas Michael’s Family Restaurant in Rocky River.
As you’ll note from my co-​reviewers, it’s your average diner food. Nothing is amazing, nor is it disappointing. I have been there for breakfast and lunch, and both were perfectly cromulent.
I noticed that one of the previous reviewers was lamenting the elimination of the rotating gyro meat skewers and their replacement with pre-​sliced gyro strips. Well, Sarah Z, I see your review was written in 2008, so I hope you know that Michae’ls has reintroduced the giant lumps of roasting gyro meat, and it’s mighty tasty.
In the three times I have been to Michael’s the service has been consistently okay, and the server was always friendly. For you people watchers, it’s fun to see the trains go through and see the people getting on and off on their way to someplace new.
Go, try it, and see for yourself. I know I’ll be back.