MCL Restaurant & Bakery

Unbelievable terrible human feed.
Only eat there if you do know how to boil water and you have zero tastebuds.

Met a student team here for their problem solving project and decided to grab some dinner. It was excellent. It was like eating at home without the mess. Very affordable. Lots of older folks here, so the collective wisdom would confirm what I’ve said about the food, the value, and I’ll add the variety. Pretty happy with the way this turned out.

Food was certainly good, better than I had expected upon walking in. Quick and of good temperature. I got the stuffed chicken breast while my mother got the veggie sampler thing. The chicken was a bit over priced (I kind of feel like everything was) but quite filling and good. The sides were great, especially the cubed squash. The Brussel sprouts were good enough to impress my Brussel sprout hating mother.
We were told the dining room staff would bring us water, they never came up to us at all (and it was a very empty night we went), so I went to get the water. Which was fine by me, I just wish they told me to go get my own water rather than wait.
It was nice and quiet and large inside, seat yourself and leave your dishes at the table when done.
I’d consider coming back again.

Food is subpar. Very old fashioned feel, which I liked. Food was cold and extremely under seasoned. Buffet style is supposed to be easy but if you’re choosing the value meal you’re extremely limited in your choices.

the fact that there is not a corporate office for customer issues is a little unsettling to me! anyway I have been a patron for a quite a while and love there fresh brewed iced tea! I like to get it carry out so i can take it to work with me. I buy lunch there sometimes and have even bought their tea bags before. well today i went in today to purchase a large iced tea for a friend and a refill for the tea I bought earlier. what the cashier told me when I checked out made me feel embarrassed. I had asked a while ago if there were free refills and was told yes! I asked as I was buying my takeout tea more than one person. today the girl snapped at me and told me in so many words: THERE ARE NO FREE REFILLS FOR TAKEOUT TEA! and charged me extra prompting me to say I am sorry no one has ever told me that. I felt bad. Considering how much mcl charges for their items I am truly surprised that they are that stingy about giving free tea water away!!? its free if you stay there! well I will never be going in there again considering how she made me feel. i am not a person who just runs around getting freebies! I just wish they had told me the rule in the beginning instead of snapping at me after the fact. it would have been no big deal. so sorry if they all felt I was ripping them off somehow.

Good meeting place for business. People can quickly get their lunches and pay separately without confusion. I saw a large interior room that can probably be reserved. The site in Westerville has two smaller rooms that can become one.
The servers can bring you condiments and refill your drinks.
Eating this fresh, classic food is a healthy choice. And you will leave feeling much younger and vital ;)

Hadn’t been back here since high school. The interior and exterior has changed, (for the better) but still as welcoming as it had been many years ago. Brings back great memories. The portions are large and there are a variety of delicious home cooked «comfort food». I was a bit overwhelmed with so many options but decided on a small salad, fried chicken thighs, Mac and cheese, spinach, mashed potatoes with gravy. The service was wonderful and the staff were all smiles always asking if we needed anything. I can’t wait to go back again and try out all the other dishes. Love this place and think you will too:)

I heard they call this place «Medicare Lounge» because of the clientele. When I went, I asked one of the staff why it was called MCL. An elderly man in line leaned over and said «Medicare Lounge.» Well– if the regulars are calling it that, they must be proud of it! And it’s true– I felt very young and out of place.
I was a bit confused about the menu. They had a value meal (I think it was get 1 protein and 2 sides for $ 8 or something similar). The problem was the protein and sides you can choose may or may not be a part of the value meal. I think I held up the line while I was ordering. It’s pretty basic style cafeteria food and nothing to come back for. The big draw is low priced, consistent food that is fresh and healthy.

excellent selection and service.

Very retro, not my style
Walked in and felt like i was transported to the 40’s. The food is served cafeteria-​style which doesn’t bother me, but with everything being a la carte it gets pricey quick. The décor inside was dated, not for the younger crowd. The food was nothing special. overall not the kind of dining experience I am into.

This is a cafeteria style restaurant. You go through the line with your tray picking your entrée, sides, salad, desert, and drink. It is served to by server at every station except the drinks… those are self serve. You pay at the end, then seat yourself in a large dinning area. This place is a cut above you average buffet/cafeteria…the food is well prepared, cooked right, and very tasty. They also offer a large selection daily. All the staff is friendly and helpful, and its a good value too. I got an entrée, two sides, salad, desert and a drink for $ 9.25. This particular location is in the Kingsdale shopping center, and seems to attract the seniors of the area… regulars are referred to as «The Geritol Club» as a local joke, but no matter your age, you will enjoy it.

We went here for a quick meal and didn’t really know the area at all. The food was very good, the prices were very reasonable, and the service was fantastic. The manager was incredibly helpful and friendly. There was a great variety from which to choose and I’d definitely go again. It’s not our typical type of restaurant choice but we’d still definitely go back.
Great meal!

food was good, service was friendly.
much nicer than a buffet.

All I’ve read & heard about this place was that this is a place for senior citizens and is very much a cafeteria, but since we were guests and asked to go there, we agreed. I’m always up to try a new place. Can you say AARP!
I imagined it would be loud with dishes clanking, loud voices, white medicinal walls, and bland foods —- NOT!
The food was all freshly prepared each day. I got the roast beef, corn, and roasted potatoes. AWESOME!
The place was not solid white, no, it was warm and inviting with nice food art on the wall. The chandeliers were the best part of décor. Medieval!
The server was helpful and quick to remove any dirty dishes. PRIDE!
It was quiet and the customers were a mix of all ages. MYTH!
The best part was we had a coupon from Entertainment Book so our $ 20 meal was only $ 10. SAVINGS!

After finding out that my favorite hot dog joint had closed, and seeing the crowd at MCL, I decided to try it out. This place looks like it’s brand new which isn”t surprising since it’s just a few doors down from Giant Eagles market district. And it is a BIG restaurant. It holds a lot of people and has a lot of employees. And from what I can tell those employees are really well trained. One pointed out that I didn’t get a roll (free with dinner), another offered to bring me water and yet another brought me more napkins.
For dinner I had a piece of tilapia, some fried cabbage, and some mashed potatoes and gravy. And I also got an order of jello. All that came to about $ 8 and the food was GREAT! It’s easy to see why they’re doing such a land-​office business.

After a week of being disappointed with Asian, Cuban, Mexican, Hawaiian, and Jamaican eateries in Columbus I wanted plain American comfort food. Being a senior citizen that means MCL Cafeterias. I went to the Upper Arlington location which is my least favorite as it is like dining in a Las Vegas hotel lobby.
At MCL the food I have known my entire life waits behind glass. It is served by the most pleasant young people one can find anywhere. Roast beef with no exotic preparation awaits those who fought in Viet Nam. Mashed potatoes with no garlic or herbs await those who burned draft cards. Lemon meringue pie that has never heard of a Meyer lemon awaits those who resisted the police, the militia and Washington for civil rights. Cloverleaf rolls sit on the plates of those who advanced in careers and raised children. Sitting around us are those who traveled the world and paid off houses. We sit enjoying the food of our lives discussing our recent trips to visit grandchildren or helping our grown children with financial problems.
A full dinner from soup to dessert is less than fifteen dollars. Quite reasonable for those who have no college loans or mortgages to pay. We are at a time in our lives where we can indulge in those things that most please us. We have been to this chain many times and will be here many times more. The cherry pie, macaroni and cheese, creamy cole slaw, and fried chicken will always remind us of the times of our lives. It is a pleasure to eat the food we have always known with our peers who brought great social change and worked their way up every ladder.

Every time I visit Columbus to see family, there are a couple things I can usually count on when it comes to my mom:
1. she has made two meatloaves for me.
2. she will take me where she loves to eat for lunch.
The latter used to mean we were going to Bob Evans. ugh. (love you, mom.) That got old fast. But the last few times I’ve visited, she’s been taking me to MCL.
It’s nothing fancy, just a cafeteria style restaurant, decent-​to-​mmm-​good food, with a fairly impressive selection of starters, mains, sides, desserts, and even breads. (and I’m usually the youngest person in the joint.) I have to admit, each time I’ve been there I’ve had trouble deciding exactly what to get, and often times just get extra items.
Por ejemplo, last weekend I started off down the aisle choosing the Greek salad (which they had a really difficult time accepting the fact that I didn’t want salad dressing, but I felt they were generally concerned I’d be missing out and didn’t just think I was crazy. I hope. But they finally let it go.)
I was having trouble deciding on a main, until I asked what that sandwich was. «It’s a Reuben.» Bet.
Sides. I got three: the brussel sprouts, green beans, and mac and cheese. I kinda wanted some others, but I didn’t want to go overboard, which is also why I passed on the bread as well.
When it came to the desserts, I got two, as I have probably done every time we come here. This time it was the custard pie (outstanding) and red velvet cake.
All that and a Diet Coke. Just kidding, I got the unsweetened iced tea. (I’m always drawn to the Iranian woman on the tea logo.)
Mind you, my mom and her boyfriend don’t eat as much as I do, but for all three of us the bill came to less than $ 25. STFU! Nope, seriously. I could seriously get fat eating here, and not be broke.
So we sit down to eat, and mom and Tim go through their normal routine of blowing the straw wrappers at each other. Kids. You can’t take them anywhere. Once an old woman looked at this display quite disapprovingly and muttered «Inappropriate.» My mom of course was like «Whatever, I may be old but I don’t have to act like it.» The ol’ biddie’s husband found this amusing, but did so discreetly, as he had to go home and face the ol’ biddie’s wrath no doubt.
Anyway, I ate every last bit of my food; conversing, enjoying, becoming stuffed. I never leave there hungry or displeased. The red velvet cake left something to be desired, but the rest of the food was excellent.
I also have to say the place is really clean, comfortable, and the people are always nice, and service is excellent. I really don’t mind coming here every time I visit at all. Simplicity and sorta tradition; works for me. Good riddance, Bob Evans.

Wow. You are going to charge me what for this low quality meal?
Considering the amount of elderly people that dine here I hope the buckeye card can help then afford this outrageously price low grade meal. If social security ever becomes not available, then MCL will no longer be available. You should be ashamed of yourselves for robbing the elderly.
Sorry but your food is awful and the price, THE PRICE is outrageous. I guess if you feel like your time has just about ran out, and you don’t need money then eat here.
You suck…

My boss used to drag me here for lunch every once in a while. The food is good considering its mass production. But oh Jesus, the atmosphere. I thought this was the back entrance to a retirement home. The shear volume of elderly people is shocking. Where do they come from? Why are they so inexplicably drawn to MCL?
Another thing, I obviously don’t understand how they price things. I’d think I was hovering around 9 bucks, and it would come up to 12 or 13 bucks. That seemed like a whole lotta dough to be blowing at a retirement home.

I know it isn’t necessarily ‘hip’ to be a fan of the old school cafeteria type food places but geez how can you go wrong with all the comfort food you an eat in one place? I seriously stop eating 3 days in advance if I know I’m going to MCL just so I can save every inch of stomach space for all the goodies on offer.
MCL is a chain but has such a home-​grown feel to it. From start to finish it is full of yummy goodness and the menu is pretty conducive to anyone who’s taste may be a bit finicky.
The hours are a bit odd and that is my only complaint.
Hours: Monday-​Saturday 11:00a.m.-8:30p.m.
Sunday 10:30 a.m.-8:30p.m.