The Westsider Cafe

I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve tried here… they have a somewhat unique diner menu with some good polish influences in the menu. I recommend anything polish at this place… very good.

I guess all these reviews hyped it up for me. Just wasn’t impressed. Almost 10 minutes for the waitress to come by and get our drink order, then blamed the hostess for not telling her, but this is a 1 room restaurant so it’s not like she couldn’t see her table was sat. Then the cost for food came out to $ 10 per person with 2 adults and 2 kids, and the portions were good. Like I said, overall I wasn’t impressed, but I can’t really criticize food. We don’t plan on returning because we can think of a couple other restaurants that we would rather spend our money at.

So my first time exploring Grand Rapids to attend a state track meet landed my family and I in this small joint. We all managed to fit in a matter of time and ordered right away. Some of us got breakfast and some got lunch. I decided to get the turkey reuben and it was fantastic! Was unable to finish it since it was quite big. My mom got the classic reuben with no saurkraut but she was not as much pleased with it because the corned beef was pretty fatty so she only ate one half of it. My youngest brother got the peirogi platter and he was in heaven… Definitely not your store bought peirogi. My dad decided to get a light golabki dish and this was not a «lighter» version because this cabbage role was not only delicious but HUGE. My sister enjoyed her classic club sandwich and onion rings but lastly if you are wanting a breakfast that can feed a family of 4 you should get the #7 called… The Hungriest. Yes it’s called that because they also serve a meal called hungry and hungrier. My other brother got this and he was some what pleased with it. Only things he was dissappointed in was the fatty ham and the runny eggs. He loved the waffle and sausage so it was all good. One last thing it you must be patient when coming here because a small kitchen can only serve so many at a time so service was kinda slow. I would come back!

Quite a variety. Excellent portions. Very tasty. Attentive friendly service. Bright and no waiting at 9:45 on a Holiday weekend Sunday. I will have to come back. The breakfast burrito was two meals!

What can I say? The polish dishes and breakfast are out of this world! Authentic Polish food — loved the stuffed cabbage and dill pickle soup. Décor is simple family style ambiance but who cares when the food blows you away?

Great food. I loved the fact that they make their own biscuits. You can taste the quality. However, this place is popular. I went at 10am on a Wednesday and the place was packed and stayed packed the whole time I was there. Plan accordingly.
A Grand Rapids gem.

Great breakfast everytime I visit. Prices are really good too for the quality of food. Everything is always cooked perfectly.

The portions are huge here and the prices are pretty standard. I got the Cuban Skillet and it was very good! Had to eat it for 2 days which is unlike me. And btw, the breakfast sausages are as big as brats.

There are a lot of great restaurants on the east side of the city that can claim to be the best breakfast in town. Put this place on that list. Pick anything on the menu, it’s going to be good. I really like their skillets.
Great food with that unique Westwood’s feel. Expect a wait on the weekend.

I’ve eaten here a couple times, and I would eat here every day if my waistline and schedule would allow it!
The best… seriously, THE BEST breakfast joint in town.
There is usually a wait, but the line moves surprisingly fast. The wait is uncomfortable. You find yourself crammed with lots of strangers in the tiny vestibule. The building is small and there is just nowhere to go. Once the hostess brought me coffee as I waited. That was a nice gesture :)
The first time I feasted on the Cuban Skillet… pretty much huevos rancheros … and it was damn good. The portion size is best described as «enormous». I made two meals out of this one. And it was less than ten bucks.
The other time I visited was immediately after participating in a 5k. I brought my appetite that day! I ordered the 8^th Street: Cuban Eggs. I would summarize it as cuban eggs benedict. It was truly delectable. I still couldn’t manage to clean my plate, but I did come close. My friend ordered the Polish Skillet and she raved and raved about it. We were a couple happy gals.
I’ve read other reviews acclaiming the coffee. On that point, I have to disagree. I would tend to call myself coffee snobbish, and I just did not enjoy their coffee. But I didn’t go there to sip a top-​notch cup of joe, I went there for the amazing food. And I definitely found what I was looking for.
The service is prompt, efficient, and accurate. Coffee refills are frequent. The servers deserve a healthy tip when you pay your check.
Everyone eating has smiles on their faces. And they probably have to loosen their belts once they get back to their cars. Don’t go here if you are dieting, because the food will probably stomp all over your willpower. You just have to make this one of those occasions to splurge.
Go here! Trust.

First time here and it was a great place. Staff are super friendly and always keep your cups filled! Nothing super unique about this place, but the food is great! The skillets are HUGE, and the kielbasa is delicious. Wasn’t a big fan of biscuits and gravy, as it was super basic and not a lot of flavors. We will definitely come back, but try the polish skillet!

Amazing breakfast spot. Had to wait about 30 minutes for a table for two but got to enjoy some coffee while we waited. Wanted a little bit of sweet and savory so went half and half on the Cuban skillet and French toast. Both were phenomenal and it was nice to have sweet and savory. The French toast had a nice Cinnamon kick to it and was perfectly moist. The skillet had so many great flavors that worked well together. The coffee was only so so but they kept it flowing which was nice. We also had a side of bacon that was thick cut but a little too salty. Overall amazing bang for your buck and highly recommend

I had the Polish combo plate, which I am comparing to what is served at the two Polish restaurant icons in Hamtramck, Polonia and Polish Village. It was decent, but not in the same league. Here’s why:
1) The pierogis were doughy and slightly undercooked. The ones in Hamtramck have a little browning on the outside with a slight carmelized flavor and a slight crispness.
2) The sausage was cooked through, but again it should be cooked through more. It was too pink for my liking. It was almost like it was boiled or microwaved.
3) The dill soup was bland and not served hot enough compared to the Hamtramck restaurants.
4) The coffee was so weak that the only people that I could imagine would savor it either grew up during the Great Depression or are currently in a North Korean prison. Big Boy has far better coffee. Weak coffee is hard to forgive for those of us raised on Starbucks strength java.
5) The bread had no butter with it. I shouldn’t have to ask. «Oh, you want a spoon to eat your chili? You sure are high maintenance.»
Still, with how hard it is to find Polish food in GR, I’ll probably return. Just don’t fool yourself into believing that this place’s Polish offerings compete with Hamtramck’s best.
I think I need to return here and try some of their breakfast fare because even at lunchtime, a disproportionate number of patrons were having omelets and scrambles, so maybe my judgement of their Polish food isn’t fair. Maybe this is primarily a breakfast destination that merely dabbles in Slavic food.

The food is well worth the sometimes half hour wait. I always leave stuffed with a box of leftovers. They have great skillets and yummy coffee, and they have an awesome avocado vegan-​friendly breakfast option.
The Westsider is a restaurant to take pride in (and the only locally owned strictly breakfast place I know of on the Westside).

Alot of food for a good price 2 eggs, ton of red potatoes, 2 slices of ham and 2 pieces of large pieces of french toast the potatoes were my favorite all this for $ 8.50.

We just moved to GR from Seattle and the first place we wanted to check out was the Westsider. It was well worth the 45 minute wait once we arrived! I grew up visiting GR and eating traditional polish food, and this place takes the cake. I ordered the polish skillet and my husband got the breakfast burrito. We drank countless cups of the house blend coffee and left awake with full bellies, and pretty full wallets too. The whole meal was around $ 20! I’m excited to make this a weekly brunch spot!

You must have the pierogis. On my TOP5 places to visit when I come home from Seattle. I miss my Westsider breakfast like you would not believe!

Super friendly service, fast, not expensive at all.
The roasted red potatoes are delicious because they are cooked slightly well done. My egg white omelette was yummy. The avocado was super fresh.
My husband’s Cuban skillet was average but a little bland, even after hot sauce, and watery? Maybe it was the salsa on top that made it watery. I tried it and it was just «ok.» Nothing great just meh.
Was good for breakfast but not somewhere I would seek out regularly when in town.

I am a huge fan of breakfast. I could eat breakfast for every meal! I am also a huge fan of ma and pa places to eat at. Put those two favorite together and I present you with the westsider. When you walk in you know you are entering someone’s pride and joy. The owner even walks around to make sure everything is going well.
Pros
–great home cooked meal
–not too greasy
–they allow you to make alterations which a lot of times doesn’t happen at busy places like this
–it is crowded, which shows people love it here
–there are gluten free options
–endless coffee, try the houseblend, no idea what it is but it is good
–friendly personable staff
–large portions for the money=worth the money
Cons
–it is crowded, I try and go at an off time
–street parking, but it is free

We came here on a day off and it was busy at 11am on a weekday. The parking is pretty limited, so keep that in mind when you go here.
We both had coffee to start and they did a great job on refills and offered to go cups without even having to ask!
We ordered the Cuban Skillet and Huevos rancheros. They were both excellent and large portions. I can’t get enough of the pork and the ranchero sauce in the huevos rancheros.
This place is fantastic! Great service, fantastic menu, good coffee and delicious food.