Schlepp's

Well this is my hometown diner so of course I'm going to give it five stars. It's a good little place to eat. The service is efficient and there are mostly regulars here who know the deal so you're not going to get super bubbly, in-your-face waitresses, but they're nice and do a good job. Oh and just FYI it's seat yourself.

Schlepp's diner is an independent diner that offers an alternative to fast food. The quality of the food is alright, albeit a little rough on my stomach.

Finding some place to eat during a road trip can sometimes be a daunting task.  You can try any random exit, but chances are unless you are familiar with the area you are only going to come across fast food and chains.  Which is why, on the way home to Cincinnati from Pittsburgh, my wife and I stopped at Schlepp's diner in Belmont, OH.

Schlepp's is a hole in the wall diner.  Unfortunately, while a welcome break from the monotony of the fast food grind, it was a bit underwhelming.

I am going to assume this was because we stopped for a simple, light lunch and didn't have one of the mainstays you would expect at a small "home-cookin'" diner like this.  Maybe the meatloaf or the fried chicken or the open steak sandwich would have been outstanding, but still 3+ hours from home we didn't wish to fill our bellies with anything unduly heavy.

I had a roast beef hoagie and my wife had a ham and cheese hoagie.  I also ordered a side of slaw and we split a side of home potatoes.  The sandwiches were about what you'd expect from any sub-par sandwich shop, a Blimpie's, perhaps, but the slaw and the home fries were quite tasty, leading to my belief something more in their "wheelhouse," so to speak, would have been more satisfactory.

Also when I go to a diner like this, I expect cheap.  I mean CHEAP.  This is a hole in the wall diner serving home cooking still sporting its mid-70s décor in BELMONT, OH.  Damn near in the middle of nowhere.  And our lunch: two sandwiches, two sides, a soda and a coffee, cost us $20 before tip.  That seems a little stout to me.

If you are in the area, and God knows why you would be, you might stop by if you are tired of Subway or Burger King, but don't stop thinking you are finding a diamond in the rough.  Just the same casual, mediocre fare you are liable to find in any good ol' home-cookin' restaurant you stop at anywhere on any highway in the US.