The Place 2 Be

Great service and good food! the place is gigantic as well as their plates… you’ll see what I mean when you visit, and it’s worth a visit.

Stopped by recently with a buddy of mine for a quick meeting.
Natural lighting from the front-​facing windows, friendly service, and open space makes The Place 2 Be inviting and welcoming.
Food is average though — nothing to write home about. I tried the egg and cheese burrito which came with a side of home fries. It wasn’t the best but it also wasn’t the worst. The coffee is about the same, just ok. However the service is very prompt and polite.
FYI
Tues-​Sat: 630am-​230pm
Sun: 8am-​2pm

I drove by this newly reopened restaurant on Franklin Ave around lunchtime on my way home from picking up pasta at my fav fresh pasta store. It was packed which is what caught my eye and is usually a good sign!
When family was in town visiting in Wethersfield, I suggested this as a meeting spot to give it a try. I looked at the menu linked via Unilocal and looked forward to the array of creative options.
We met at 8 am soon after they opened on a Saturday. The interior is HUGE with booth and table seating options including the ability to move tables together to welcome large families or groups. It is bright and clean… if a bit stark.
The posted menu on Unilocal is not their menu but left over from the prior owner. The current menu is exceedingly smaller and a bit ho hum in my opinion. I was pretty disappointed and hope that once they are open a little longer, they will expand their choices and be more creative.
I ordered a bacon & cheese omelet which was tasty but sorely lacking in cheese. Two in our party ordered the eggs Benedict and agreed they were good, just not memorable. Coffee was decent.
The accompanying fruit «cup» however served in a wide mouth mason jar was a nice touch and really a pleasant surprise! I’d love to see them expand on that type of offering.
Service was friendly and prompt. I’m not sure as I’d return unless they jazzed up the menu. However if you need a breakfast spot with ample and open seating, this is certainly a good enough option. It just needs a little more wow added to the menu !

i have made this my favorite «place 2 be» i love the open floor plan and spacious seating. The waitresses are all friendly and super amazing! I would recommend this location to everyone. They are bringing back the awesome neighborhood feel to Hartford’s south end.

Delicious food and nice atmosphere. My husband created all the mural artwork on the walls. My favorites are the Greek salad with gyro meat and the Cobb salad. Also love the rueben (I order it with turkey)
Great new owners of this fab spot on Franklin Ave.

Great food. Great staff. Great size portions. Was visiting from Cali and will come back.

CLOSED
After reading some good reviews, I decided to take a drive to the South End to be at The Place to Be. Unfortunately, there was a sign on the door that the restaurant closed, and contractors were inside removing the furniture and fixtures.

I’ve been ordering from this place since it was Il Panino! I’ve gotten breakfast from here several times, the prices are reasonable. I often go when I’m trying to grab something quick. I always get the bacon, egg and cheese bagel. It’s delicious, doesn’t taste generic like Dunkin donuts. You can clearly tell that everything was freshly made. The staff is nice and they have a great selection for food.

My sister brought us here for breakfast and this phrase should pretty much sum up my review…“This is a true Breakfast place” each meal ingredient taste amazingly fresh, this is my new fav place!

Very friendly and attentive waitress. Discovered this place years ago and occasionally stop in for breakfast. Nice family style restaurant and yummy food! Would love to see some updating as far as décor :)

Great place for lunch. Nice family restaurant that’s not very busy. Fast service and reasonable prices.
The chicken caesar salad was top notch. Perfectly coated in dressing cheese seasoned chicken and crutons.

The last time I was here was when it was Infantinos.
Stopped here for lunch today with a friend. Very clean place and all friendly people.
Place is only open till 3pm, and they serve breakfast all day, which is nice. I had the Turkey panini, big plate and it was great, fries were good too. Priced very well.
I would deff come back.
Big room for parties too.

I have revisited The Place to Be twice since writing my initial review, both times on Saturday mornings. There is now a third server working on Sat. mornings, and the speed of things has improved so much since my first visit. I went this past weekend, had a wonderful meal in a timely fashion. The servers are extremely polite and very, very sweet.

I don’t have any complaints about this restaurant, but I really cannot fathom how one of the other posters referred to it as «the best breakfast spot in Hartford.» Well, that’s not entirely true, someone who has ties to the place that go beyond being a standard patron would probably make that assertion. I just think this place is average. Decent service, nice waitstaff, and a typical menu (eggs, meats, pancakes, coffee etc.). If I found myself in the area and felt hungry, I’d probably pop in for a bite to eat, but this is, by no means, a place that I’d travel out of my way to visit. To me, it’s on par w/​a meal from Friendly’s or pretty much ANY diner in the United States, but I respect how it has some neighborhood appeal.

Best breakfast spot in Hartford. HANDS DOWN. This is what Franklin Ave dining is all about people. A local neighborhood joint making great food in a clean and friendly environment. The food is delicious, the prices are cheap, and the service is spot on. The owners are working very hard to provide the diners a great experience and it shows.
C’mon fellow Unilocalers, we really need to support places like this or the world would just be a bunch of (insert your typical boring chain breakfast place here)! So bring your hangover, grab a cup of coffee and a newspaper, order a meal, and enjoy the day.