Karl’s Inn Of The Barristers

Cup of coffee with Karl’s grandslam equals 2 eggs, 3 thin threads of bacon, 2 stale reheated pancakes that lacks the fluffy that makes pancakes pancakes and a $ 27 bill total. If you ask me, that’s a high price to pay for low budget meal. Aside from Karl’s straightforwardness to help and a compliment cup of coffee, it would be unfair of me to not point out that $ 27 is worth a lot more.

We love Karl’s! Especially Karl himself and Renee! Great service, friendly staff, great local atmosphere! Made our trip to Cleveland. If you are ever in the area you should definitely stumble in. Came for the Yuengling and stayed for the people!

Yvonne is such a nice lady. My family of three wandered in here from out of town for a quick breakfast. We ate, we laughed, and were pointed in the right direction for a few city sights we wanted to see. I wish we could come back and check out the deli sandwiches. Thank you, and thanks for the cookie!

This place is just awful. Old, dirty, outdated. I have been here dozens of times for quick meetings or with various groups, solely due to the proximity to work. Each time, I’m amazed that people continually choose this place — I have never chosen this place on my own. The chairs/​booths are rickety, and once a stray staple holding a chair together tore my pantsuit. Half of the ladies’ room was recently out of order for months. Not at all a place for professionals, but I suppose it’s fine if you’re waiting for the bus after your meeting with the county probation office that is next door.
My partner has actually refused to go here anymore because the cocktails are vomitous. We noticed that that simple drinks (e.g., vodka + soda, draft beer) all had the same «earthy» taste because the lines are filthy, and this has been the case for at least the last three years. So now I pay between $ 4 and $ 5 for a bottled domestic beer whenever I have to go to this place (again, only due to work).
The sandwiches are absurdly overpriced, especially for the quality. There are too many restaurants within walking distance that can give you better food for the price. You can EASILY walk to an actual restaurant run by a famous chef and pay $ 15 for a sandwich. It is true that the owner, Karl, can be a nice person. But he’s not a chef (IN THE LEAST), definitely not a bartender, or a server. He lords over the place and gives snacks when he feels like it. And that’s just fine if, given everything else, you’re expecting a shitty dive bar. Maybe this place should rebrand itself as that.

We stopped in after work last night to grab dinner. Karl was working behind the front counter and said we could sit anywhere we wished.
Karl’s Inn is a comfortable unassuming spot where you can unwind and relax.
He brought menus right over and took our drink orders.
I had the corned beef on rye sandwich which was huge. The corned beef was thinly sliced, moist and full of flavor. I added a slice of Swiss cheese too. It was too big to finish so I took it home for today’s lunch.
I am a sucker for a good corned beef sandwich and have eaten them all over the country. This one was one of the best I have ever eaten.
My DH ordered a cheeseburger that came with fries. You can get a choice of cheese for topping. The meat was cooked just the way he ordered it and was bigger than the bun. It was thick and full of flavor.
The fries were nicely crisp on the outside but soft on the inside. Just the way they should be served.
We took a couple of cookies home for today. They were big, chewy and really good.
Karl took good care of us and we were very happy with everything. We will be returning soon.

Karl’s has excellent corned beef. Better than Slyman’s but you had to ask to toast the bread. Somewhat pricey and doesn’t come with any sides, 4 $ to add one. Owners warms up to newcomers quick, didn’t take our coupon but gave us free cookies at the end. Will go back next time in Cleveland and try my coupon then. The staff was very friendly.

I make special trips to go here.
I love this bar/​restaurant My friends and I found it by accident and I keep going back for drinks, food and to say hi to Karl. You see Karl is not just a name on the building but he is also the owner, a bartender and makes sure his sandwiches are stacked high!
Karl is great. Go in on a weeknight and find that out yourself. I did and now even during its super busy times (before a browns game or on St Patricks day) he will still stop and chat with me and my husband for a second.
Drinks. Priced like any other place down town and they have a good pour.
Food. Sandwiches are huge! I definitely cannot eat one in one sitting. Friggin awesome and worth every cent.
Find yourself downtown? Do yourself a favor and accidentally find Karl’s (psst it’s across the street from the Justice Center on West 3^rd). You’ll be glad you did.

(Pretty telling that the reviewers of 1 stars have no friends. Grouches.)
Karl’s is higher in price. True.
But, the owner will know you if you make yourself known. He’s old school and you can’t be mad at that.
Plus, here’s a tip– he poured drinks for Frank Sinatra back when Swingo’s was a thing in Cleveland, and then he ran the Snuggery. So, if you want to get a Manhattan poured by the same hand «Old Blue Eyes» would trust with his drink? Come for that experience.
Me? I go to Karl’s for two things– to shake the man’s hand who will recognize me, my lady, and any one of my friends who walks through that door on any given day no matter how long it’s been.
And two– I go for the Corned Beef. Being in the restaurant biz, I know who the supplier of his meat is, and I’ve been to the facility where they prepare the briskets. I know through and through the quality of it all. I can attest– it’s spot on, Grade A. And Karl, piles it high on bread that melts in your mouth, and serves it with a crisp pickle.
If you’re going to the Browns game– do yourself a favor and stop in here. Spend the $ 10 for a sandwich that is butchered in Cleveland, shaved by Karl’s, and sold with experience. If you’re looking for a cheap sandwich by an owner that doesn’t give a crap about you– there’s a Quizno’s a hundred feet north.

Breakfast was great. Coffee was perfect and bloody mary’s were great. Service was awesome. Loved the home fries. Coffee was so great, that the waitress gave me a couple of bags for the road :). It would appear this is only place to eat breakfast downtown cleveland on a Sunday. At first we were worried it was going to be awful… but it was worth the walk through the snow. Would return if i am ever in Cleveland again.

If you’re really hungry and want an oversized amount of meat on a sandwich this is a good choice. Corned beef sandwich was good (well it tasted the same as every other corned beef) but it was too much for me. WAY taller than I could fit into my mouth. Bread was the run of the mill Wonder Bready kind.
At $ 15 (not including tip) for a sandwich and potato salad, this place is on the high side for lunch, by my standards. But I liked the old fashioned, somewhat divey atmosphere so I would come back, not for lunch, but to grab a drink and maybe a bite before or after a Browns game since it’s pretty close to the stadium.

I called in to place a pickup order for lunch. First off, the man who answered the phone was borderline rude. Didn’t ask for my name or give me a total on the order. Whatever. I went to go pick it up and he said it was $ 26 dollars. For 2 sandwiches! I had a Groupon so I said what the heck. He refused to take the Groupon because he said it was only for dinner. I asked him to show me where on the Groupon it said for dinner only and he refused so I walked out without my order. Will not go back.

I don’t normally give out a single star rating just for pricing, but this place was so disappointing with the size of the meal and quality compared with what they charge that I felt it is a warranted rating.
Very little food ($ 11 for a sandwich without even chips) size serving and the quality was very low par.
For all the hassle of getting to this place with it’s lousy location and parking situation, and then to be disappointed with the quality, quantity and pricing, it’s just not a place I would recommend to anyone.

It is surprisingly difficult to find a diner in walking distance of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Karl’s seemed to be the only choice, at least from the direction we were coming from. So I was a bit worried that our day might start off on the wrong note. But no, we had a great breakfast, nothing fancy but very friendly and swift service. Usual diner fare but done well. No worries, as they say in Oz.

Service was very slow at lunch. Took a long time before server came to table and too long for the meal to be brought out. It was not that busy Food is just average. Staff not that friendly..

Based on the other Unilocal reviews, I decided to stop in here for lunch as I served on jury duty. The décor looks like one of those places you see in old crime shows where the attorneys would go and celebrate a victory or drown a loss, which is pretty cool. I sat at the bar and was greeted warmly. I ordered a California wrap with turkey, bacon, and avocado. It was very good. I usually don’t have dessert at lunch, but I did this time and was rewarded. Based on a suggestion from the server, I ordered the lemon cheesecake. Wow! It was awesome!
I would recommend this place for lunch if you’re at or near the justice center in Cuyahoga County.

I stopped in for a chef salad during a short stop at BKL. (Short drive, and the Landmark people were happy to drive me over). I ended up with some desserts too. Everything was of extremely high quality, and the staff very nice.

This was my first visit ti Karl’s in a few years. I ordered a chicken salad sandwich on-​line thru a new Living Social program. My order was ready on-​time, but I thought that the sandwich was a bit pricey at $ 10, especially without any sides included. I think that the restaurant should consider a small side of potato salad, cole slaw or at least some chips or fruit cup. The ingredients were fresh, including the rye bread that the sandwich was served on, but the salad was very salty. I probably would not go back, or at the very least, I wouldn’t get a sandwich.

It took us a really long time to find something that was open for breakfast in downtown Cleveland. But we found it and were pleased!
I had a very bright tasting Bloody Mary and when my glass was half empty it suddenly became full again with the remains in the mixing glass. I am just going to give you the item by item report:
Pancakes — Great! Spongy, a little buttery and great flavor.
Syrup — House recipe in a package.
Sausage — Nothing special, patties, tasty.
Karl’s Omelet — Fresh veggies, quite good.
Ham — Deli type ham, sliced thin.
Potatoes — Why can’t everyone make potatoes this good! They were cut thick, fried potatoes with a nice seasoning. Really good.
Our total for breakfast, including the Bloody Mary, 3 beers and tip was just under $ 50.
The service was good. We sat at the bar and while the bartender was not exactly chatty, she was attentive.

We found ourselves in Cleveland for lunch and I quickly pulled out my Unilocal app to see the best places around town. The top restaurant close to our location was Slyman’s (like everyone mentions below) however, our ride (who is a local) said to go to Karl’s or Inn of the Barrister’s.
They have a decent selection of interesting sounding sandwiches and burgers. I ordered the California Club and discovered that I do not like avocado on my sandwiches. When mentioned to the server, she offered to bring me something else, but I declined and ate it anyway.
Service was great and I really enjoyed all the fun memorabilia on the walls. If you are flying in to Burke Lakefront Airport, Landmark Aviation will drive and pick you up here. Karl’s will call them when you are ready to leave.

I love the corned beef here at Karl’s…they totally give Slyman’s a run for their money…
I’ve been here once before with work collegues, but I recently went back on St. Patty’s Day after a long moring/​afternoon of celebrating. Mind you, the Inn was PACKED, (as it should be) but we still managed to get our corned beef in a timely fashion.
I wish I could give a more thorough review, but I gotta tell ya, I just LOVE their corned beef :)