Best Breakfast

FIRST – Wild Goats Cafe

The most praise you’ll hear about Wild Goats Cafe will be about its breakfast options.

“We try to serve something you can’t get anywhere else,” Charlie Ciborek, owner of the diner, said. “We offer classic breakfasts, but we also try to do a unique take on it.”

Unique perfectly describes the breakfast at Wild Goats, located just across the river by the Kent Free Library.

From a full page of options, you can choose from the “Southwest Benedict,” which includes chorizo, salsa, an English muffin and hollandaise sauce thrown together into a delicious and unique take on the classic eggs benedict. 

Or you could order the “Somethin’ Somethin’,” which is two pancakes layered together with peanut butter, blueberries and granola, topped with powdered sugar.

But don’t just come for the food; if you want more of a family experience free from loud music, then this place is perfect for you. 

On Monday evenings, Wild Goats contributes a portion of its sales to the Warren Majengo Foundation, a charity dedicated to providing help and other services to the orphaned children of Tanzania in Africa.

SECOND – Tree City Coffee & Pastry

If you’re looking for breakfast, but don’t have time to sit down, or if you want something with a “cool kid” atmosphere, then Tree City, a coffee shop located in the heart of downtown Kent, has you covered.

“People will come before class and we can get them their food in minutes,” Devon Sherpita, a Tree City employee, said. “(That) sets us apart because it’s not a sit-down restaurant, but you get the same — and sometimes even better — quality here.”

You can have your pick of breakfast sandwiches, pastries (baked on location), coffee or the crowd favorite, “Overnight Oats,” which sell out just as quick as they can make them.

THIRD – Mike’s Place

Serving an all-day breakfast because it doesn’t know “when your lazy butts get out of bed,” the restaurant has an entire page of the menu dedicated to breakfast, each item served in giant portions.

You won’t have an easy time picking out what you want to eat though, because the options are all creative, from “Crabby Benny” to “Joe Mama’s Extreme Waffle.” Part of the fun is finally convincing yourself on what you’re going to order.

Best Dessert 

FIRST – Insomnia Cookies

Fresh cookies delivered to your doorstep in the middle of the night sounds like a dream come true, and Insomnia Cookies makes that dream possible for the Kent community.

Offering 12 different types if cookies, Insomnia delivers cookies fresh out of the oven to your dorm or apartment until 2:45 a.m. They also offer ice cream, cookie sandwiches and cookie cakes.

If the night is still young, customers are more than welcome to stop and smell the cookies within the store until 3 a.m.

“Most of our deliveries go over to campus, especially late at night after the bars start closing,” Summer Gilmore, an Insomnia employee, said. “That’s when all of our deliveries start picking up.”

Kent State favorites include the s’mores and peanut butter cup cookies, but the classic chocolate chunk always remains a staple.

SECOND – Popped!

A Kent original, Popped! offers gourmet popcorn by the gallon. Located in Acorn Alley, the popcorn store offers non-GMO products, local Ohio butter, locally roasted nuts and “honey from our own backyard.”

Popped! is a charming local business that offers dessert alternatives to the typical ice cream cone. 

Popped! has original popcorn like cheddar and a signature caramel recipe.

“Popped! is so good,” Alyson Musat, a sophomore early childhood education major, said. “It’s very cute inside and it’s affordable. It’s nice because it’s something different to have.”

THIRD – Peace, Love and Little Donuts

Psychedelic decor and the smell of fresh baked donuts greet customers who walk into one of Kent’s newest dessert locations, Peace, Love and Little Donuts.

Tye-dyed walls and peace signs surround the dozens of mini donuts, each with their own individual flavor. 

“We’re unique; we’re really cute,” Danielle Antonucci, an employee, said. “It’s always a good vibe in here and we really have not gotten any complaints.”

Best-sellers include birthday cake and snickerdoodle, but customers can keep it simple with chocolate and strawberry. There are three categories of donuts: groovy, far-out and “funkadelic.” Groovy donuts keep it simple as can be, far-outs get a little crazier and “funkadelic” items come with the works.