Port of Sandusky Family Restaurant

Ahhhh....what a beautiful morning! Blue skies, birds singing and a road trip to Port of Sandusky Family Restaurant in Sandusky, Ohio. This little restaurant, and I do mean little, sits on West Market Street in Sandusky Ohio. As you can see from the outside of the building, it's pretty tiny. However, there are plenty of seats if you get there early enough.

My husband suggested we try this little family diner despite all the bad reviews of slow service, rudeness and bad behavior from the waitstaff. THIS is what we do. We review little family diners to let you, our readers, understand a little more than what a disgruntled customer has to say. We look deep into why was the service slow? Or why was the waitress not at our table when we walked in? And, here is my favorite, I don't have time to wait on you because I have other people to wait on!!

We arrived at 8am on the nose and found a seat at the front of the restaurant. The waitress saw us come in and continued to wait on the other families that walked in ahead of us. As she should. Judging by the wait time we had, between the time we walked in and the time the waitress acknowledged us, was precisely 10 minutes. We never got a "Good Morning" a smile or anything. The waitress just asked us what we wanted to drink and that was about it. Now...you have to understand one thing. When you are waiting tables in any establishment by yourself, it can get pretty hairy and busy. So I gave our waitress the benefit of the doubt...for a short period of time until I saw how she reacted to two locals that came in during our meal. Folks, we are outsiders. We don't live close by. We don't frequent the same place every Sunday. So why treat us any different than you would a local resident? Let me set the stage...Two gentleman came in during our meal and sat down next to us. Within a minute they were greeted with a bright, GOOD MORNING! What can I get you to drink? The smiles were abundant as the waitress bopped off and got their drinks. She came back with a cheery smile and asked for their menu items. Making small talk with them regarding a local event. Ok, Ok....I get it. They're locals. So what? Treat the outsider as well as the locals. It's not that difficult. Ok...Rant over! Sorry folks. On to the food.

As we looked at the menu, This little item caught my hubby's eye. This is known as the Shipwreck! This wonderful taste sensation is filled with tender home fries, grilled onion, green peppers, bacon and a thick layer of pepper jack cheese on top. With every bite you get all the flavors...along with a carb coma. If you can eat all of this wonderful, tasty dish you will be shipwrecked for a while. It's nap time folks.

I on the other hand love corn beef hash...as you well know. Today was no exception. As you can see from the photo, the hash was lightly browned on the outside, just perfectly set for my two eggs to sit on top. However, I asked for my eggs to be over medium and I got over easy. No big deal. They mix better with the hash that way. The english muffin was a bit over toasted but still very good. Our compliments to the cook!

So to sum it all up we would have to say the atmosphere was that of a small town diner. Tables to accommodate four people each, a counter for others to sit when the place is over flowing. If you are in a hurry don't waste your time or theirs. You will be told that they won't be able to wait on you because they have other tables and customers to wait on. (We witnessed the waitress telling a customer this very thing...such a shame) Whichever the case may be, the food was terrific...the wait staff not so much. I would have to say the reviews we read before going to The Port of Sandusky Family Restaurant were spot on. Rude wait staff, long wait time to get anything to drink or even acknowledged and if you aren't a local be prepared to wait. As always, we encourage our readers to experience the diners and restaurants we write about. You be the judge and make your own opinion based on your own experience. We just hope our review helps you pick a diner/restaurant that will make everyone happy. Bon Appetit!!