Restaurant Expansion At Flury's Cafe

It's been about six months or so since I last talked about Flury's Cafe located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, but after my latest meal there, I felt the time was ripe to bring them back up. In fact, having only discovered this gem of a cafe less than a year ago, I had only written about them three times. So why the need to cover them a fourth time? The food has stayed remarkably consistent and delicious during every visit (and trust me, gentle reader, I have gone WAY more than those three times). The ambiance is still small town friendly. What changed today was that as I pulled into the parking lot only to find a large number of cars, I suddenly worried that the small 14 seat restaurant wouldn't have any room for me.

As I walked through the front door ready to deal with a mob of restaurant patrons, I was delighted to see that a project that owner and chef Kim Dunchuck had been talking about for some time had finally come to fruition. It seemed that the space next to her tiny restaurant had become available and she was thinking of expanding. Every time I was able to stop in for a visit, things were getting closer, but none of the renovations had yet begun. Today as I walked through the front door, there was an enormous opening to the right of the door which led into a brand new space with extra tables and chairs.

It turned out that the work on the new room had been finished on the eve of Thanksgiving and while Kim wasn't quite ready to open the new room up for business, when a large crowd showed up for food on the day after Thanksgiving, they quickly moved the tables and chairs from the outside patio into the new space and officially christened it. It's been open ever since. Seeing as there was now twice as much space as before, I had no problems finding a seat at the original counter.

Due to a recent Flury's Cafe Facebook post, I had banana pancakes on my brain. Without even needing to consider the menu, as soon as my server came up to took my order, I quickly responded with my request and selected bacon as my included side. I then settled in and wouldn't you know it, not one, but TWO of my readers out there had also come into Flury's today to escape the cold and get a delicious meal. It's always a treat when I get to meet and talk with folks who take time out of their busy schedule to read my little dog and pony show. Thanks to you both for stopping to say, "Hello."

As my breakfast made its way from griddle to plate, my mouth began to water in anticipation of pancake goodness. Here was a shot of my banana pancakes with whipped cream and a brown sugar/butter/lemon juice syrup:


With my first bite, my taste buds went to their happy place and did a little dance. While the "syrup" that Kim makes a la minute was sweet, it wasn't overpowering or cloying. The combination of the fresh bananas (which she peeled and cut to order) with the soft cake-like texture of the pancakes and the freshly melted whipped cream was just amazing. Almost every item off the menu was made from scratch and I have always been able to tell the difference. Can you get a cheaper breakfast at a fast food place? Sure. But, you simply cannot beat Flury's for quality and flavor.

Along with my pancakes came a side of crispy bacon:


What can I say? I'm a sucker for bacon. Even not-so-good bacon. However, this bacon was salty without being too strong and was a nice way to balance the sweetness from the pancakes. I've never gotten around to asking what kind of bacon Kim uses, but it always comes out crispy with a bit of chew to it.

After I finished up my breakfast and paid the check (which came to $7.40 including tax), I decided to walk into the newly finished area and take a few snapshots to give you an idea of what the space looked like. Like I previously mentioned, the new space essentially doubles Flury's Cafe's seating capacity.

Here a shot from the west wall (same side as the entrance) looking left:


Here was another shot from the same wall, looking right:


And finally, a shot from the opposite wall:


While the space is nearly finished, Kim told me today that she still wanted to add a few more stools for the counter areas and the small tables in the middle will most likely need to be replaced with something a little more permanent as they were the tables and chairs that originally the patio outside. They've also added a new bathroom space in the renovated area that was nice and large. The door to it was actually on the left hand side of my first photograph.

When I have had the opportunity to stop in for a meal prior to today at Flury's Cafe, I have always tried to select a time when I thought it wouldn't be difficult to get a spot at the counter. Now that they have managed to pull off the Trifecta of great food, great ambiance, and lots of space to sit, I don't know that this concern will ever cross my mind again. I'm sure by this point, gentle reader, if you've read any of my previous reviews on Flury's, you'll know that I've been recommending that you check them out since my very first visit. The good news is that nothing has changed. Seek them out and you will be rewarded.