The Market Cafe in Wheeling is located downtown in the Centre Market area.



The building is cute, and the interior has some homey vibes with comfy chairs and chalkboard menus. 



The menu features breakfast, soups, salads, sandwiches and coffee drinks. 



On this day, I was looking for a little caffeine fix so I ordered a frappe. 



The one on the menu that captured my attention was the "cotton candy" frappe because while, yes, it does sound super sweet ... I don't think I have ever seen it on a drink menu before? So I wanted to try it. 



It was very cute - but indeed very sweet. And, not sure I got my caffeine fix because the drink was cream-based and I don't know that it actually had any espresso in it. It was more like a milkshake.



Overall, it definitely gave me a bit of a sugar rush, and I applaud the cafe for some unique offerings.

Grade: B

Rachel's on 16th in Wheeling is a small diner that focuses on homestyle breakfast & lunch favorites.



The menu features paninis, club sandwiches, reubens and even the Rachel, which I felt was fitting. The Reuben is a grilled sandwich traditionally made on rye bread with a filling of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. Instead of the classic corned beef and sauerkraut, the Rachel is usually made with turkey or pastrami and coleslaw. Both sandwiches are made with Swiss cheese and rye bread.



Typically, this is not a route I would take, but that's why I wanted to try it. Something different. This sandwich is messssyyyy so get the napkins ready. It has a number of different - but complementary - flavors. The rye bread has a sort of earthy flavor, the slaw gives it some crunch and tang, and the swiss is a bit creamy. It hits on some savory, hearty notes.



And, I also went for a side of Kraft mac & cheese - not quite as thick and creamy as I'd want. But still nostalgic. 

Grade: B

On my way to visit my parents recently, I stopped in Wheeling to pick up a ton of food so we could have a mini feast at home.



Bridgelin Chinese Restaurant is not unlike many other Chinese restaurants in the area - you have General Tso's, lo mein and eggrolls. But items like steamed flounder, peking duck and lobster tail were not ones I see every day.



Here's a sampling of what we tried: veggie lo mein, sesame chicken, walnut chicken, sweet & spicy Thai chicken, general tso's, garlic shrimp, crab rangoons, udon noodles and spinach dumplings.



Overall, not too bad. Nothing was especially standout - as either good or bad. But I did appreciate the udon.

Grade: B

Golden Chopsticks is located on Wheeling Island and is pretty well-known in the region for having some of the area's best Chinese food.



When I had some extra time,  I made a small detour from home to check it out. 



The inside is pretty large, but dated. There's a faint smell of cigarette smoke - maybe from a time long ago when it was allowed inside? But there are ornate decorations and a few different dining spaces.



There was a menu board featuring the day's specials, and the menu features a large variety.



The menu has both house specialties and chef specialties, gourmet entrees, lunch specials, classics, specialty menu, and even more. The specialty menu caught my eye, with options like seafood udon noodles, wagyu steak, and jumbo shrimp with oriental eggplant.



But I ordered Thai Chili Shrimp - jumbo shrimp tossed with fresh zucchini, snow peas, mushrooms, red bell peppers, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts all together in chef's homemade sweet and spicy Thai Chili Sauce. This was really tasty and definitely had some heat behind it. But it played second fiddle to the flavor. It's the kind of heat that I don't notice until I am downing water because the flavor is so good, the heat is just in the background. Crisp coating, fresh veggies, and a delicious sauce made for a great dish.



I ordered crab cheese wontons and eggrolls. The wontons came in this awesome re-heatable bag and they were great.



Solid eggrolls too.

Grade: A

I've been dying to go to Tito's Sloppy Doggs in Wheeling forever.



I've heard such good things, but their weekday lunch hours are not conducive to my schedule.



When I found myself in the are during their open hours, I made it a point to stop by and check it out. 



The space is narrow, but long. The counter in the back is where you place your order, and there's a large markerboard menu above the counter showcasing the various types of hot dogs and sandwiches.



The first one that stuck out to me was "The Barking." It had "sloppy sauce," French's crispy onions, buffalo ranch and cheddar cheese.



It was one of the more unique sounded hot dogs, and it was pretty good, too.



It had just a little bit of a kick, but some crunch for the texture and some smoky flavor. All around, it was a pretty solid dog. I wouldn't mind trying each on the menu!

Grade: A

The Wheeling Public Market is a new awesome spot in Wheeling.

I'm always a fan of public markets, and this one is no exception.

From packaged goods and fresh fruits, they have a little bit of everything.

There are a lot of local options, which is great.

They have J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works, local honey, Rolling Pepperoni rolls, and so much more.

There's also a restaurant at the back, which uses local ingredients.


So they serve breakfast in the morning and lunch in the afternoon.

And I looked over the lunch menu to decide on a snack option.

The pimento grilled cheese stuck out to me (because of course), on sourdough bread and a side of homemade pickles.

They also had options like burgers, grab & go salads and more. It's not a huge selection, but it is a curated one.

While there, I also tried some pickled beets and feta, picked up some granola and grabbed some coffee, too.

It's such a cool, local option for shopping, getting a feel for the local community and eating some great food.

Have you been?


If so, what's your favorite thing to get here?

Neely's Grocery is a deli in Wheeling. They have a whole bunch of goodies, including groceries, deli meats and salads.

You can get all sorts of boxed goods.

And sauces.

Plus you can get assorted deli meats.

And they have sandwiches.

On this day, I tried a meatball sandwich.

It's huge and loaded with cheese.

This pasta salad was unreal. SO good.