Café Arnone: Northeast Ohio’s best weekend brunches, breakfasts

FAIRLAWN, Ohio – Our brunch and breakfast series continues as we check out Café Arnone. Here’s a look at what to expect:

Location + hours: 2840 W. Market St., Fairlawn. Hours: 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday. It's 28 miles from downtown Cleveland.

Menu or buffet? Counter order.

About the place: Billed as an Italian coffee bar, the family-run place started as a food truck and opened its brick-and-mortar location last year in a former bank building along the busy stretch of W. Market Street. There's a lot of pride here, as the great-grandparents of the founders came to Akron from Favara (Sicily), Italy, in 1913. Family photos hang throughout the space. It's across from Target, Giant Eagle and a lot of shopping. It has a drive-through and patio.

About the menu: Everything is under $8. We tried banana toast with peanut butter and ricotta and fruit toast with strawberries; both had very fresh pieces of fruit. Honey drizzled on the toast is a nice touch. Avocado mash is toast spread with fresh guacamole; it was a healthier start than the sometimes sloppy-breakfast options on some of our brunch visits. The heartiest menu item we tried was the tasty Big Sal Piadina sandwich, an organic egg with Italian sausage or cheese folded in a flatbread.

About the drinks: There's an array of coffee, tea and espresso drinks. Paper cups or ceramic mugs are offered (those soup-bowl-like mugs for coffee look cool but they get cold awfully quickly.) Twelve- and 16-ounce sizes are offered. Can't decide on coffee or gelato? Order an affogato - a shot of espresso atop gelato.

Treat yourself: Gelato probably isn't your go-to brunch dish, but be sure to check out the offerings, with 18 flavors available on our visit. (Stracciatella anyone? - it's milk, dark chocolate, sugar, milk powder, tapioca starch, heavy cream and corn syrup.)

Don’t miss: Bombolini. Fun to say, tasty to eat. These delicious powdered doughnuts with custard or chocolate inside are reminiscent of paczki but lighter.

On the go: There are grab-and-go shelves with tea, juice, salads and hummus.

Have a brunch spot you’ve wondered about and want us to visit? Email me.

Previous eats: Northeast Ohio breakfast-brunch spots we’ve tried:

1815 Tavern - Aurora

111 Bistro - Medina

35 Brix - Green

Adega - Cleveland (downtown)

Akron Family Restaurant - Akron

Alexandris - Medina

Alley Cat - Cleveland (Flats East Bank)

Astoria Café & Market - Cleveland (Gordon Square)

Austin’s Wood Fire Grille - Brecksville