John's Diner in Lakewood

"R" and I attended the first Cleveland Winter Beerfest, held at the new Convention Center in Downtown, last Friday evening. Half of the draw was seeing the new space, and I was lucky enough to win two VIP tickets through a random giveaway hosted on Twitter by Great Lakes Brewing Company.

There were over 90 breweries, and more than 300 beers being poured at the event. While it wasn't the best large beer event that I've attended in our area, we enjoyed ourselves and were able to sample some good beers. I stuck to the stouts, and started the evening off with a Barrel-aged Blackout Stout from Great Lakes and a Peanut Butter Cup Porter from Willoughby Brewing (one of my top 3 favorite beers). VIP started at 6:30pm, so we hadn't eaten dinner prior to the event. BIG mistake! The beers were hitting us quickly, and there was basically no food or water available at the event. A tip to the organizers- change this for next year. So, we were feeling quite good, and decided to leave around 9:00pm to go grab dinner downtown. We were taking a cab, so don't worry! More on this meal later, but for now, I want to talk about the next morning...

I may drink small amounts of alcohol often, but "R" and I rarely really drink. Now, in our 30's, the appeal of a hangover is very low, and recovery time has doubled. I woke up on Saturday morning with quite the hangover. Greasy diner food sounded amazing, and we debated on whether or not to head to one of our favorites close to home, or to go check out a new one in Lakewood that "R" had heard about at work. Always up for a dining adventure, we rose to the occasion and drove over to Lakewood to John's Diner.

There were small parking lots on the front and left side of the building. A visible sign on the building itself, and a road-side sign as well, made the diner very easy to find.

The diner is very long and narrow, with a huge counter greeting you as you enter. There are some wooden booths and tables beyond the counter, but we chose to grab a front-row seat at the counter to view the action in the kitchen.

Service was warm and welcoming, and always attentive to our food and beverage needs. Once we ordered, it wasn't long before the piping hot food arrived.

I don't order it often (okay, never), but Texas French Toast caught my eye right away. Some fluffy, syrupy goodness with eggs and greasy meat sounded like the perfect hangover cure.

And it did. Everything was done as it should be, and it tasted amazing at the time. Several Foursquare tips were comments on the great bacon. It was slightly thicken than your average-cut bacon, and super crispy. Just the way that I like it! 

While it may not have kicked my hangover entirely, my meal was worth the drive, and it totally hit the spot that morning. "R" tried their Corned Beef Hash, and it was only okay. Ah, you win some, you lose some.

Have you been to John's Diner? What's your best hangover cure?

John's Diner
18260 Detroit Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44107
216-228-0871