Black River Cafe in Oberlin

Excellent breakfasts including massive blueberry pancakes, raspberry jam and crisp home fries. Awesome fresh squeezed OJ. Fast service, great friendly staff, we now understand why so many people recommend this place!

Ridiculously good food.... Fun servers..... Just a lovely atmosphere!

The granola, fruit and vanilla yogurt was a medley of fresh and vibrant flavor. The short stack of pancakes were the perfect blend of light and heavy and made exciting by the chocolate chips I added. The server was perfectly attentive and our coffee cups never hit bottom without her asking if that was our intent. The only criticism is of the Irish coffee my colleague ordered: It was much too sweet and remained unfinished without question. Overall, highly recommended for breakfast!

Fast and friendly service. And the food was good. Not too busy either.

I used to really like this place. Very expensive now. Also last couple times my bacon is just burnt.

Wonderful place to eat! The coffee Is excellent! I sat at the bar and was amazed how the staff interacted with each other and helped one another without blinking an eye. The staff made you feel at home. Very friendly and accommodating. Great place to eat and hang out!

Was told about Black River Cafe from some friends... They said it was the best restaurant in town... And boy were they right!!! From the moment we walked in everything was AMAZING. Fresh brewed coffee was delicious! we ordered off the brunch menu, Ingredients are fresh and you can definitely tell! everything came out way faster then what we expected (being an almost full dining room) not only did it look AMAZING but tasted even better! I can't wait to tell my family and friends about place also! I definitely recommend it and will be back. looking forward to trying other items on the menu.

I originally left a 4 star review for this place. Unfortunately, after several times returning, I have realized that the food here is not good at all. The first time I ordered some mac n' cheese, and I didn't like it, but I just assumed it was an off-day for them.Now that I've gone back several times, I can safely say this restaurant isn't as good as everyone claims it is. The food is bland, and in many cases, comes out cold due to how slow the service is. I've had better (and warmer) meals at Oberlin's dining halls than I've had here, so that alone says something about this restaurant.

I am a vegan and I enjoyed my food immensely. alot of vegan options on the menu, but there are plenty of protein and non vegan options. We had the "experience," which was a choice of three dishes from the menu columns available. It was a lot of food for two people, but allowed a nice sampling of the menu.The carrot cake pancakes were delicious. We could not tell they were vegan. The tofu scarmbler was amazing, fresh and full of toppings. The lobster Benedict was a good surprise. Good flavors and textures.There are plenty of bakery items available, as well as coffee drinks. The servicewas great as well, attentive yet not too attentive. Come earlier in the day if you want brunch without a wait.

Used to be great now Luke warm food. And watered down cocktails.

This place makes great omelettes. The home fries are amazing. Excellent burgers. Some locally sourced ingredients are used which I like.

I stopped by last night and got the sea-bass and the food was IMPECCABLE! The service was great and my waitress was very friendly! I will DEFINITELY be back again!

Stopped in for breakfast, my first time visiting. The food was very good... only wish I could say the same for the service. I think restaurant owners should implement a rule that servers cant be on their phones while they're working. Sat with an empty coffee cup for over 10 minutes. Not a good first impression and definitely not what you'd expect for a $16 breakfast (1 person) I'm afraid.

Black River is a great place to stop for a brunch. They make great homefries, and good eggs Benedict, and there is usually good service. Vegan-certified: "best vegan pancakes I've ever had at a place."

I loooove this diner....its friendly...cheap...and has great food!!!

Stopped in for brunch with my daughter. Food was good but it was not worth the prices. There were only a handful of patrons that day but it was still very loud inside, much in part because of the waiter. Cool for a one time visit but more than likely will not go back even though the food was good.

Great service and great food! Cool little atmosphere! Decent prices!

Fantastic food served in a cool comfortable atmosphere. All local ingredients, telling you right on the front of the menu where they are sourcing from.

Great place for breakfast! Always happy stopping in.

Excellent brunch- servers and kitchen were fast and attentive- esp considering we had 22 people! Definitely recommend.

Great food and great staff, perfect for a slow Sunday morning.

We were warmly greeted, and I was pleasantly surprised to find both vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options. The tofu scramble was delicious, and it was served with a side of homeade raspberry jam for my gluten free toast. Wow! What a treat that toast and jam was to have with breakfast! The coffee was also perfect, and the staff kept the cups topped off. For anyone that feels it is pricey, please remember, you get what you pay for. High quality food comes at a little higher price, but it is worth every penny.

Is the food good? Yes, but it’s a little pricier than what you’d typically expect to pay for what they give you. It was nice to try but I don’t think I’ll go back.

Awesome food and a great staff and atmosphere.

Food is always delicious & nutritious, and locally sourced. Great brunch/breakfast too.

Ok at best. Great fries, though.

Excellent food. Very friendly and efficient people. Surprisingly good coffee. What else do you want?

Amazing food in a high end atmosphere. Both breakfast and dinner meals blew me away with their quality of presentation and taste. I really regret not getting food pictures because this place deserves them. Trust me on this.

Always love going or getting carry out from here. Everyone is so nice, friendly & like family!

I had the beef stew which is on top of mashed potatoes delicious melt-in-your-mouth beef peas carrots mashed potatoes underneath this is the American dream Sonny the bartender made a great recommendation Beef Stew if you stop by just ask Sonny if you need anything Great Service!

This Cafe never stops amazing me with it's very different dishes and always great tasting food. If you are tired of the same old... same old food I would strongly suggest giving this place a try. We live 40 minutes from this place and don't even hesitate making the drive to eat their great food.

Reasonably priced breakfast with great Bacon.

One of the BEST breakfast/lunchs in Lorain County...

Have been eating here two or three times each month for over 20 years. Service is great. Organic ingredients and excellent omelettes and cornmeal pancakes.

I had breakfast here. The service was friendly and speedy, the food was delicious, and the decor and atmosphere was comfy.The reason I gave the Black River Cafe 4 stars instead of 5 stars is that they use lavender-scented cleaning liquid to wipe down tables. As it happens, I have a strong aversion to lavender, so each time a waitress passed by my table with a cleaning rag in hand, I had to wait several moments for the scent to dissipate before I could continue eating.

Went in over the weekend and I must say that the food was amazing, the place was nice and cozy love the decor. Servers were great and very welcoming. Also very attentive and friendly. Will definitely be going back and recommending it to family and friends. A must go to. With fresh food and great vegan and gluten free options.

For the prices. It better be really good. It’s basically diner food. Nothing against diners either. If I order a $13 breakfast..it better be a $13 breakfast! Also I wanted over easy. Not almost over hard. For 4.99 I’d give it 4 stars.

Absolutely incredible! A true gem in Lorain County. Had been there once before for breakfast, which was great. Spur of the moment tonight, we went less than an hour before closing. Magnificent! Appetizers were amazing, Lemon Thyme Risotto w/ Scallops was unbelievable. Desert was fabulous as well. Waiter was also fantastic. If you haven't been there yet, what the heck are you waiting for?!?! As a small business owner myself, I love finding local "gems" to support. This one's a keeper!!!

The ambience here was wonderful, all the staff were exceptionally friendly and fun to chat with. The food was great too, I had a burger with truffle fries, and it was perfectly cooked and delicious.

One of my most favorite restaurants in Northern Ohio! Located in quirky, fun Oberlin, Ohio, near Oberlin College. The servers are upbeat and very attentive. The food is exceptional, and prepared well every time. Try the Raspberry pancakes, eggs any style and Applewood smoked bacon, Eggs Benedict and French Toast. Delish! Listen to @AmyfulPodcast for tips from locals across the globe on what to see, do and eat in all the cities you want to visit!

Creative brunch offerings. Charming old town atmosphere. Prompt and friendly service.

I have never seen a restaurant so fast at getting out delicious meals during a rush. Meals were getting to the table so fast, even the waitress was surprised, and there was 7 of us. This occurred twice. Both with the appetizers and the main courses. And the food and drinks were AMAZING!!! The food was cooked as ordered and to perfection! Our waitress was the best. Super polite and professional too. I'm definitely coming back anytime I'm in the area again! If I were to recommend anything, it'd be their Cesar Salad. Best one I've had in a long time. Their yam truffle fries were super good too.

This is a great little place. All the food is locally sourced if possible. I had the Avocado Crepe. It's huge and delicious 😋. My wife had a BLT wrap. With roasted red pepper soup 👌. We will be coming back!

First time visiting. A nice quaint setting, awesome food, friendly staff.

On the menu, the food and drink sounded good, but in actuality, it all was amazing.

We had a really nice breakfast here. Service a little slow, but it was fairly crowded. Good was good, my son won with the cinnamon roll French toast!

Every time I go to Black River' I get excellent food and service. It is a real favorite.

The best breakfast/brunch spot around! Strolling around downtown Oberlin on a blustery Friday, we ducked into Black river cafe to just grab a coffee, but the smell of breakfast was too enticing to escape. I had the (scrambled local eggs, local ham, smoked gouda, home fries, and a spectacular home made bread and raspberry jam). My wife had...to be honest, I have no idea what she had, I had my head down and was yum-yummying my way through my breakfast and when I looked up her plate was empty. I know her food was amazing and had breakfast ingredients, but I never even saw it. Can't wait to come back...and the coffee was terrific!

The food is delicious and creative. Good prices, too. Seating is very limited.

Ordered a Bloodymary that was brought out with a celery stock that looked like it was pulled out of a compost pile in it. The chicken in my crepe taste like it was freezer burnt, and the waiters had a bad attitude. I will never go back.