On a recent weekend trip to Warren County, we started our morning at The Breakfast Club in historic downtown Lebanon! Our hosts from the Warren County visitors bureau had suggested it, and when we rolled up and saw a small crowd waiting outside, we knew we were in the right place.
The Breakfast Club occupies a small building with a parking lot on the north end of downtown Lebanon, just up the street from institutions like The Golden Lamb. It features a good-sized dining room and a big covered patio. And while the crowded was humming with excitement on Sunday morning, the waits were only about 15-20 minutes.
Inside is a small waiting area, and then the full dining room includes a row of booths along the windows, a small counter, and a collection of smaller tables throughout.
At The Golden Lamb the night before, the manager sung the praises of the Breakfast Club, saying it was especially good if you liked coffee. Breakfast Club roasts its own coffee and sells it by the pound. I ordered up a French press of their breakfast blend. It was rich and hearty without being bitter. You can also order cold brew, drip coffee, and decaf.
We started by splitting a cinnamon roll with the table. We get super judgy when it comes to cinnamon rolls – they’re easy to screw up and there are some excellent versions that set a high bar (for us it’s Real Food Cafe in Grand Rapids, Michigan) – but I’m happy to report that everyone around the table gave this one a thumbs-up. It arrived warm, is soft enough to cut with a fork but isn’t mushy, and the icing was buttery but not overly sweet.
The Breakfast Club’s menu covers enough ground that everyone will find something to like. There are house specialties, breakfast classics, omelets, sweets like buttermilk pancakes, waffles, and French toast.
This is Bryan’s Bagel Benedict Arnold. It’s an amped-up version of the classic eggs benedict, topping a toasted bagel with two poached eggs, your choice of Canadian bacon or portabella mushrooms, and homemade hollandaise, plus a side of home fries or hash browns. Our 13-year-old opted for the mushrooms (what 13-year-old does that?!) and the hash browns.
Like everything else we tasted at the Breakfast Club, it was thoughtfully prepared, very nicely seasoned, and in a big portions.
As fall was approaching, they offered a caramel apple or apple pie waffle (different menus called it different things). But it was a giant Belgian waffle topped with roasted apples, a house-made caramel cream cheese drizzle, then powdered sugar and whipped cream. It’s perfect for anyone with a sweet tooth and anyone who (wisely) loves fall.
As you get closer to Cincinnati, you start seeing more goetta on menus, and the Breakfast Club features it as a side. So of course we ordered it and loved it. The menu doesn’t specify where it comes from, though.
Quick kudos to a side of biscuits and gravy as well. Soft but sturdy biscuits, peppery and chunky gravy.
And we loved the potato pancake breakfast, too! It features two homemade potato pancakes with sides of applesauce and sour cream, served with three eggs cooked to order, your choice of meat and toast. We chose sides of rye toast and their house-made apple sausage – both excellent selections.
It’s those extra bits like homemade sausage that really sell me on a place. In my experience those places – and I include The Breakfast Club in this – know how to dish up flavorful breakfasts that make them easily loved by residents and visitors.
If you’re in Lebanon and you’re starting your day with a good meal, my suggestion would be The Breakfast Club!
The Breakfast Club
102 N. Broadway St.
Lebanon, OH 45036
(513) 932-0210
Web: breakfastclubcafe.com
FB: The Breakfast Club Cafe & Coffee Roastery
IG: @thebreakfastclubohio
