Let's face it. Lake County has plenty of breakfast & lunch places. Some are fancy, some are elegant, some are not worth walking into to borrow a tooth pick.
Mauri's is a place that all of the others should emulate!
The decor is tastefully simple. The place is usually crowded and that is for a good reason. Mauri's gets the job done. There are signs posted throughout the small, two storefront, restaurant stating that they work as a team and if you need anything ask any staff member. They mean what they say. One thing that places this small restaurant above any other breakfast lunch place in the area is the fact that the staff actually seem to like working at the place. They are always pleasant and attentive.
But of course the other shining star of course is the food. I have now eaten there several times and all of the meals I have had there were good. I tried the eggs and ground steak with poached eggs and was surprised at the quality of the ground steak, it was good, and I am the devil to please when I order a poached egg and these came out perfectly soft boiled. My wife swears by the senior ham and cheese omelet, she gets it every time we eat there, she says the ingredients are fresh and the eggs are done to perfection. I have also had the country fried steak and eggs and the while the sausage gravy could have stood just a little more sausage in it, it was tasty and the steak was very tender. If there was anything that I could criticize about both meals is that they deliver the state of Idaho when they bring you hash browns. Even Chubby Mike left some of these nice tasting spuds on his plate.
My wife and I went to lunch there one Saturday. She ordered the BBQ Beef sandwich which was good and I, with some mental reservations, ordered the Italian beef sandwich. I was surprised by the quality of the product. Sometimes when you order an Italian style beef outside of a restaurant that specializes in it (i.e. Portilo's) you get beef that is over seasoned and dry. My sandwich came with a generous but not overwhelming amount of beef, green peppers and cheese melted on the top. When I took my first bite I was transported back to my youth and the sandwiches that my father used to bring home from Falco's Pizza (still in business on the southwest side of Chicago-wear a flack jacket or bring an armed body guard if you go there today,) It was perfectly seasoned, moist and not stringy. Bravo. Finally I have to commend them on their French Fries - I don't know if they are hand cut, but they taste like it. This means at the very least they keep their oil clean.
Mauri's gets five stars from me and I am awarding them my Key Eatery Award. They qualify because they present quality food, in a very clean environment, and their prices are a good value for the products they serve. Keep it up guys!
Mauri's Famous Cafe Senior Friendly Menu
