7 Meatloaf Diners in Ohio Locals Say Are Still the Best

You step out of the rain, hair plastered to your forehead and mascara threatening mutiny, and the scent of meatloaf, real, honest, unapologetic, hits you. It smells like someone still believes in you. That’s the thing, right?

We all crave the kind of comfort that doesn’t apologize for being familiar, the warmth that fills the cracks in a day. Ohio’s best diners serve up that comfort by the thick slice, no permission slip required.

1. Newfangled Kitchen, Bexley

Picture this: you’re at a crossroads. Salad or sandwich? You know which one will actually make you feel something. Newfangled Kitchen is unapologetically all-in on meatloaf, treating it less like a side note and more like the main character.

The Joe Cool sandwich, with its slabs of cold meatloaf, Swiss cheese, and roasted portabellos, tastes like someone pressed pause on adulthood and handed you back your high school yearbook, but with less embarrassment. The menu isn’t shy about it, six takes, all quirky, all crafted with in-house, thick-cut meatloaf.

Locals rave about the way this place rewrites the story on comfort food. No one leaves here feeling ordinary. If you ever needed proof that meatloaf could be cool, Bexley’s got it block-printed on the front window. Just don’t call it basic.

2. Company 7 BBQ, Englewood

Here’s a plot twist: the firehouse-themed Company 7 BBQ is where you go when you want comfort food that rescues your sanity, not just your appetite. They didn’t name themselves after a fire station for nothing, this place is stacked with stories and smoked flavor.

The meatloaf sandwich channels the owner’s grandmother, marrying nostalgia with cheddar, queso, and a glorious tumble of crispy onion straws. The honey kaiser roll does more heavy lifting than your last gym membership.

People drive from across Dayton just to sit among the red helmets and old firefighter photos. Maybe they come for the smoke, but they stay for that first bite, which tastes like family secrets finally shared. A hero’s welcome, every time.

3. Mehlman’s Cafeteria, St. Clairsville

You ever walk into a place and feel like you’re nine again, waiting for grandma to declare it’s meatloaf night? Mehlman’s Cafeteria specializes in that brand of magic, minus the family drama.

This is not a spot for food snobs. Think homestyle: trays, gravy, and the kind of sandwich that ignores current diet trends with a wink. Their meatloaf, blanketed in rich brown gravy and perched on soft white bread, is as straightforward as a Midwest sunrise.

Locals have lined up here since the 1960s for comfort on a plate. The only thing that changes daily is the menu board. Your stress level? That drops the minute your tray hits the table.

4. Schmucker’s Restaurant, Toledo

If you ever doubted that time travel is possible, Schmucker’s might make you reconsider. Seventy-five years haven’t aged this family place a day, unless you count the layers of good stories in the air.

Their meatloaf comes thick, humble, and surrounded by mashed potatoes that taste like someone actually cared. Regulars swear it restores faith in humanity. Every plate hints at a hundred Sunday dinners, all playing on repeat.

You’ll catch three generations at a booth talking over pie. It’s hearty, it’s homemade, and it’s exactly the meal you didn’t know you missed. Sometimes, you just need a bite of “before things got complicated.”

5. Olde Towne Cafe & Inn, Pataskala

Olde Towne Café & Inn is the kind of spot that feels stitched into the fabric of small-town Ohio. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, it just makes sure the wheel rolls smooth and steady, with meatloaf at the center of it all.

Regulars swear by the generous slices served with mashed potatoes and gravy, calling it “the closest thing to Sunday supper you’ll find outside grandma’s house.” There’s a no-nonsense charm here: handwritten specials on a board, steaming mugs of coffee, and conversations that carry across tables like everyone’s in on the same story.

The meatloaf itself is hearty, seasoned right, and plated like someone meant it. It’s not fancy, but it doesn’t need to be. For locals and passersby alike, this café is proof that comfort food is still alive and well in Pataskala.

6. Cap City Fine Diner, Columbus

Imagine a spot that’s sleeker than your typical diner but still knows your coffee order. Cap City Fine Diner takes meatloaf and makes it feel like you dressed up for a Tuesday night, just because.

Their take? A thick slab, sculpted with love, crowned with crispy onions and ringed by creamy mash. It serves you both nostalgia and a dash of polish, without losing that familiar diner hug.

Locals call it the best excuse to gather the book club, or just escape the group text. Comfort food, but with a little extra shine. Cap City turns a weeknight into a small celebration, no RSVP required.

7. Nancy’s Main Street Diner, Grafton

You know those places where the server remembers your name and how you like your coffee? Nancy’s Main Street Diner feels like a handwritten note in a world of emails, personal, a little bit old school, and always warm.

Their meatloaf is the definition of “made with love,” served with mashed potatoes and corn, like the Sunday dinner you wish you had every week. Locals claim it’s the closest you’ll get to a home-cooked meal without having to do dishes.

The small-town quirks, the neon sign, regulars bickering over pie, turn every visit into a story. Nancy’s is proof that comfort food still matters, and so do the people who serve it.