Wild Goats Cafe

“Fresh and funky,” Wild Goats Café has yet again won the title of “Best Breakfast in Kent.” It’s the combination of fresh ingredients, homemade food and “awesome” staff, general manager Gary Allard said, that contribute to the cafe’s success. The small diner vibe makes it the perfect place to enjoy your first meal of the day.

“Our benedicts and our omelets are both pretty big sellers and popular with the locals,” Allard said. “They’re different; they’re interesting; they’re not your standard fare.”

House specialties include peanut butter banana French toast, an avocado benedict and “Someth’n Someth’n,” which is two buttermilk pancakes surrounded by mass amounts of peanut butter, granola and blueberries.

Breakfast is served all day and for a decent price. Additionally, every Wednesday after 3 p.m., Wild Goats’ “Buck Buck Brinner Wednesday” offers eight breakfast items for a dollar apiece.

Mike’s Place

“Salt, sugar and grease and lots of bacon,” is what owner Mike Kostensky credits to his restaurant’s success.

Served all day, every day, Mike’s Place offers more than 40 breakfast options, making it the ultimate place to go to grab a stack of Reese Peanut Butter Cakes or a large, stuffed omelet.

For those with a big appetite (or who can’t make up their mind, so decide to get everything), the “Belly Buster,” consisting of three eggs, two slices of ham, three sausage links, hash browns, pancakes, one biscuit, sausage gravy and toast, is the way to go.

And there’s always Bloody Mary’s for those of age, of course.

“I think it’s the portions and all of the breakfast choices that we have and the unique atmosphere,” Kostensky said. “All of our portions are so large, and man these college kids can eat.”

Kostensky is a fair guy with most meals under $10.

Rise and Shine

Serving up specialty waffles, hot cakes, French toast and build-your-own omelets, Rise and Shine Cafe owner Karen Leggett credits the ranking to its combination of fresh ingredients paired with their top-notch service.

“We have wonderful servers. Our staff is really dedicated, and I think they deserve a lot of the credit,” Leggett said. “We take pride in serving (our food) and making sure that every customer is satisfied.”

Rise and Shine strives to go the extra mile in customer satisfaction by only using the freshest ingredients, such as cage-free eggs, local breads and produce and many organic ingredients.

Leggett said the most popular menu item is the “Rise and Shine,” comprised of two eggs, homemade home fries, toast and either a meat choice or fruit cup. However, for hungover college students, Leggett said the “Up and at ‘Em,” comprised of eggs, home fries, choice of meat and either French toast or hot cakes, is the remedy of choice.

You’ll have to get an early start here, though. Located in Acorn Alley, Rise and Shine is only open from 7:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. However, the cafe offers a 10 percent discount off every meal with a valid Kent State student ID.