emmakitchen Everybody in my town has been buzzing about 27 Club Coffee, a totally cool, punk new brunch spot owned by Machine Gun Kelly in the Flats. Being that the place is shrouded in hues of millennial pink and conceptualized around the dark, yet intriguing theme of celebrities dying young, it makes sense that people would be talking about it. So when my best friend texted me about it, I was more than ready to go and get the 27 Club Coffee experience. We took the drive up to Cleveland on a brisk Wednesday (online school for the win!) in the midst of all the election stress, kind of as a self-care day. Turns out we were worried for nothing, but still, chicken and waffles are always a good idea.
As I said before, this hip coffee shop is centered around the legendary 27 Club. For the uninitiated, the 27 club is the eerie string of artists who died at the age of 27. Perfect for a light Sunday brunch with the girls, right?! Though I don’t really understand the reasoning behind this, it makes for an interesting aesthetic, and it’s pretty clever. The morbid idea is perfect to make any teen or college student curious enough to come in and buy $70 hoodies (real talk though, I totally considered getting one).
27 Club Coffee also draws in foodies. Their menu practically beckons to adventurous eaters and anybody who loves indulgent food combinations. Saying that I was excited to go was an understatement!
arriving to 27 Club Coffee
I’d actually passed by a week before when wandering around the Flats and the line was wrapped around the building, but when my friend and I showed up on a cool Wednesday afternoon, we were thrilled to find that the spot wasn’t crowded at all. This was especially awesome because even though both of us are pretty careful about COVID, we felt safe enough to dine in and enjoy the chic atmosphere of the place. By design, the seating is pretty distanced as well, so that was great.
inside the new trendiest spot in Cleveland
Speaking of, the decor of 27 Club Coffee is cool. It’s bold, it’s whimsical, and it’s unique. The whole place is baby pink and features recessed seating with quilted black booths. There’s also cool little nods to the theme, like the Kurt Cobain armchair and the placards they give you to keep track of your order, which have drawings of deceased artists on them. The place is a modern, hipster heaven, and every moment inside feels special because of the relaxed and fun interior. Restaurants like these are my favorites.
I honestly couldn’t get enough of it. The black and pink is super sharp and artsy, and the brick, warehouse-style building it’s housed in only adds to 27 Club Coffee’s vibe. There’s tons of windows to stream in luminous sunlight, and all the sills are lined with potted plants. Saying this makes me sound like an old man, but it’s like the perfect place for young people: trendy, modern, and baby pink, with plenty of milk substitutes. I felt super comfortable here.
The one problem I had at 27 Club Coffee was that I had no idea what to get. The menu boasts so many delicious options that I was genuinely fretting over whether to get the Shrimp Sliders, with “old bay ranch, lemon, [and] dill toast”, the endlessly customizable Baked Egg Scramble, or something else entirely. They serve a bit of everything, offering waffles, pizzas, salads, and lox on toast.
the coffee: pink lattes
However, that doesn’t even touch on the drink menu. The obvious choice is the magical Pink Latte, a coffee made with a “natural pink sugar rim and your choice of pink milk”. I mean, how do you not get that?! But 27 Club Coffee also has handcrafted cocktails, protein smoothies, and other coffee drinks. I’m dying to try the Black Swan Mocha, and the Turmeric Latte cements its place as a hipster paradise.
I of course ended up getting the Pink Latte (hot, with almond milk) Honestly, it was great! Smooth, creamy, and frothy. The coffee isn’t sweetened other than the sugar-dipped rim, which I’d never usually be able to handle, but this light hand actually taught me to appreciate unsweetened lattes. It was rich without being overpowered by sugar, and I found it really well executed. And the pink milk was siiick. I was so in awe, I felt like a five-year-old at Disneyland.
But enough of that. Allow me to get onto the real star…
the food: chicken & waffles + margherita flatbread
A lot jumped out at me when I originally read the menu, but I eventually (and very excitedly) settled on the Chicken & Waffles. Oh, but this isn’t a breaded tender and an Eggo. 27 Club breaks it down online: “Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer waffle, brick oven chicken, banana ricotta cream, candied pecans, Sriracha syrup, [and] pink sugar”. DROOL. I seriously didn’t know how to act after reading that.
With all those components, and with them being a relatively new restaurant, I wasn’t sure how 27 Club Coffee would deliver. But not even 10 minutes after I placed my order, I realized that I was silly to doubt, because…
WOW.
Look. That photo speaks a thousand words, but here’s a few more so that you truly grasp the severity of the situtation.
Crispy, fluffy, beer-batter Belgian waffle. Tender, dark meat chicken, roasted in a brick oven; a pleasant alternative to traditional greasy fried chicken. Whipped, lightly sweetened banana-ricotta cream. Savory-sweet maple-y candied pecans. Finished with a peppery Sriracha syrup drizzle and their ~signature~ pink sugar. Phew.
my thoughts
This was so, so so good. Definitely the thing to get. The addition of beer to the waffle made it indescribably light and fluffy, and all the flavors are so complex and well-thought out. I’d love to go back and order something else from their extensive menu, but I don’t know if I could bring myself to do it.
However, my friend Grace got their Margherita pizza flatbread and said that it was really good. She also just happens to work at theeee best pizza shop ever, so that’s a pretty ringing endorsement. It looked delicious, too.
It should be noted that 27 Club Coffee has a pretty cute merch line, too. I got one of their mugs and use it pretty much every day; it’s super cute and has the same pink + black color pallette as the restaurant.
final review
All in all, Machine Gun Kelly’s new brunch spot 27 Club Coffee in Cleveland does everything right. With an enviable location and delightful atmosphere, it easily draws in crowds from all over the state. The ambitious menu is executed perfectly, and when I was there, service was fast⏤ so fast, in fact, that I was convinced some invisible man behind me had actually ordered chicken and waffles, too, and that the plate headed towards me was his. It took all of 10 minutes to get a pizza and a roasted chicken dish.
They have a great social media presence, too⏤ they even retweeted one of my tweets! Further cementing my status as a 27 Club Coffee regular. I’m already looking forward to my next visit; the 30-minute drive is totally worth it.
For me, this fresh breakfast spot in Cleveland is a perfect 10. A stunning success.
If you’re in the area (or even if you’re not), be sure to check out 27 Club Coffee anytime you’re looking to inject a little fun and whimsy into your daily routine.
As always, I seriously hope you love this post, and let me know what you think. For more posts like this, check out my Reviews section!
Au revoir,
