If you’re looking for a restaurant with top notch staff and delectable meals, The Cheesecake Factory is the place to go.

The Cheesecake Factory, located inside Legacy Village in Lyndhurst, wows the guests’ eyes with its beautiful structural design. From the second guests walk in the door, they are met with numerous statues, fine detail, and extravagant paintings on the ceiling and walls.

The servers at this restaurant never fail to impress. They’re very personable, have a great knowledge of the menu, and tend to your needs as quickly as possible. Each server always appeared to have a smile on their face, dressed in a crisp, white button down with a black tie, black dress pants, and treated their guests with great respect.

Senior Rachel Aranowitz also had a great experience with the servers when she went on her own. “The servers are very friendly and attentive,” Aranowitz said. “I never feel rushed and they’re always super knowledgeable about the menu!”

The guests at other tables who were celebrating their birthdays around us got even greater service. When it was time for their dessert, a trail of eight servers carried out a piece of cheesecake with a lit candle in it, and even sang happy birthday. Their hard work and commitment surely put a smile on each guest’s face.

Even with the large number of guests in the restaurant, the kitchen managed to deliver the meals we ordered with magnificent speed. It only took around 20 minutes for the food to be delivered to our table.

The first dish, the Chicken Di Pana ($14.50), was absolutely mouthwatering. The White Wine Butter sauce added a great amount of flavor to the two lightly breaded chicken breasts. The chicken breasts were tender, juicy, and cooked to perfection. Served with this meal were delicious mashed potatoes and fresh steamed broccoli.

The second dish, the Filet Mignon ($29.95), was extremely appealing. Cutting into the warm, tender steak, cooked medium well, you could see the juices pour out of it onto the plate. It was an 8 oz cut of meat, which made it easy to satisfy our appetites. The precise seasoning of the steak, along with the appetizing side of mashed potatoes, made this meal unbeatable.

Finally, the moment my guest and I had been looking forward to all night: dessert. The Lemoncello Cream Torte ($6.95) is a superb choice for those who cannot indulge on the cheesecake, like myself. This large piece of cake has layers of vanilla cake and lemon mascarpone cream, topped with streusel and served with fresh strawberries and sweet whipped cream. The mixture of flavors in this dish work together to bring your taste buds to life.

Looking around at other guests, it was obvious that they were as pleased as we were with their experience at this top notch restaurant. Laughter and joy filled the air as one by one, each guest ate their meals.

Overall, the prices of the meals were great. Some meals had a higher price than others, but the amount of food you received for your money was absolutely worth it.

Our night at this restaurant was overall a great experience, but one part of the night that really bothered me initially was the lack of organization in the waiting area. There weren’t very many seats, numerous people were packed into a small area, and it was so loud that you couldn’t hear if your name was being called.

Also, by having to stand so packed together, the people leaving often interfered with the people waiting to be seated. They had to squeeze their way past other guests just to make it to the door. There was no easy way to exit, which was a huge fire hazard.

However, if you’re looking for a restaurant similar to The Cheesecake Factory, without the cluttered mess, J. Alexander’s is a place to try.

J. Alexander’s, also located in Lyndhurst, is similar to The Cheesecake Factory in numerous ways. Both restaurants serve the same kind of food, are priced similarly, and all around have good atmospheres. Their portions are around the same size as well, so at either place, you will get a good amount for your money.

The main difference between J. Alexander’s and The Cheesecake Factory is the size of each restaurant. While The Cheesecake Factory has a larger dining area, they are frequently crowded around dinner time. J. Alexander’s, however, rarely is crowded, and you don’t have to worry about knocking someone over trying to get in the door.

With its positive atmosphere and delicious food, dining at The Cheesecake Factory will surely please you and your guests.

The Cheesecake Factory

Grade: 4.5/5 Cheesecakes

Location: 24265 Cedar Rd, Lyndhurst, OH 44124

Contact: (216) 691-3387

Online: www.thecheesecakefactory.com

Hours: Mon-Thurs: 11:00 am- 11:00 pm, Fri-Sat: 11:00 am- 12:30 am, Sun: 10:00 am-11:00 pm

Price: Moderate

Cuisine: American