Cleveland Cuisine

Cleveland’s culinary scene blends influences from the more than 100 diverse ethnicities found throughout the city with traditional cooking techniques as well as modern twists. Nationally recognized and award-winning chefs create deliciously memorable experiences that will bring visitors back for seconds.

New and Noteworthy

• The Flats East Bank’s newest addition, Lindey’s Lake House, strikes the perfect balance between casual and formal dining. The restaurant includes a spacious patio, indoor-outdoor cast-concrete bar and large windows, which look out to the Cuyahoga River. Guests can indulge in menu favorites like jumbo lump crab cakes and brick-oven cracker-thin pizzas.
• Miami-based James Beard Award-winning Chef Michael Schwartz brings his electric and spicy flare to Cleveland with Michael’s Genuine Food and Drink at the new Van Aken District. Within this same district, hometown favorite and James Beard Award-winner Chef Johnathon Sawyer is set to open Sawyer’s by the end of summer 2019.
• Cleveland’s first restaurant incubator opened in the Ohio City neighborhood in Fall 2018. The Ohio City Galley in the historic Forest City Savings and Trust building is home to not one but four restaurants driven by aspiring Cleveland chef-owners testing out their concepts for one year. Visitors can sample items from all four menus while having a drink at the Galley’s shared bar and communal dining room.
• Known for his innovative work in foraging and fermentation, Jeremy Umansky opened Larder Delicatessen and Bakery in the historic Ohio City Firehouse in April 2018. This modern-day version of an old-world delicatessen offers house-made breads, pastries, koji-cured pastrami, root beer fermented in-house and locally sourced dairy, eggs and produce.
• Located in the historic bank lobby of the Garfield Building in Downtown Cleveland, Marble Room Steak and Raw Bar added an elegant dining experience to the city’s culinary scene in September 2017. The restaurant’s menu features prime steaks, seafood and a raw bar in an expansive space complete with cathedral ceilings, marble pillars and marble floors.

Award-Winning Chefs

• Cleveland native and James Beard Award-winner Chef Michael Symon brought Cleveland’s growing food scene to the national spotlight with restaurants like Lola, B Spot Burger and Mabel’s BBQ.
• James Beard Award-winner Chef Jonathon Sawyer has two restaurant concepts in the Cleveland area, including the first-LEED certified restaurant in Ohio, The Greenhouse Tavern and Japanese noodlehouse Noodlecat.
• Chef Zack Bruell is known for his fusion cuisine and his ability to cook a wide variety of styles. His restaurant portfolio includes Collision Bend Brewery and Alley Cat Oyster Bar in the Flats, French restaurants Cowell and Hubbard and L’Albatros, Japanaese restaurant Parallax and American restaurants DYNOMITE Burgers and Table 45.
• Chef Brett Sawyer’s innovative take on American cuisine highlights the flavors of the season in creative small plates at . Sawyer opened Good Company in Cleveland’s Battery Park neighborhood at the start of 2019, bringing a fresh-take to the typical neighborhood bar with everything made from scratch, including The Good Boi burger, potato skins and beer-battered celery root.

Quintessential Cleveland Food

• Located in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood is the more than 100-year-old West Side Market, one of the first indoor public markets in the country. Visitors can put their taste buds to the test by trying food like pierogi and falafel from one of the more than 100 vendors at the market, some of whom can trace their roots back to the inception of the market.

• Cleveland’s Eastern European roots are on full display at Sokolowski’s University Inn. Recognized with a James Beard America’s Classic award, Sokolowski’s is one of the oldest family owned-and-operated restaurants in Cleveland and is known for its Polish cuisine – especially the pierogies.
• Since 1964, Slyman’s has caught the attention of presidents and celebrities with the best and biggest corned beef sandwiches in Downtown Cleveland.
• A Cleveland-creation, The Polish Boy consists of a link of kielbasa placed in a bun and covered with French fries, barbecue sauce or hot sauce and coleslaw. For a taste of this unusual yet oh-so-good native sandwich, visitors can stop by numerous spots around town, including Seti’s Polish Boy food truck in the Ohio City neighborhood, Al & B's Barbecue, Beckham’s B&M Bar-B-Que and Banter Beer and Wine.
• In Cleveland’s Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood, Happy Dog serves gourmet hot dogs with a menu of more than 50 toppings including Froot Loops, Spaghetti-Os and fried eggs. Visitors should stick around for the widely popular Polka Happy Hour.
• With multiple locations in Northeast Ohio, Melt Bar and Grilled features a menu with 20 different gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches like the pierogi-filled “Parmageddon.”
• With milkshakes that have been rated as the best in the country, Tommy’s in Coventry Village serves dishes that will satisfy meat-eaters, vegetarians and vegans.

Neighborhood Noms

• For a more casual dining atmosphere head over to Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood where visitors can choose from pizza and house made pasta at Bar Cento, Mod-Mex cuisine at Momocho, French-inspired dishes at The Black Pig, fried chicken at Soho Chicken + Whiskey, brunch at TownHall or a delicious ice cream cone at Mitchell’s Ice Cream.
• In the Tremont neighborhood, guests can enjoy a range of different meals from a delicious brunch at Lucky’s Cafe or Grumpy’s Café to fine dining at establishments like Dante, and Fahrenheit or dinner and drinks at Prosperity Social Club and the New Orleans-style Bourbon Street Barrel Room.
• If visitors are craving Italian cuisine, then Little Italy on Cleveland’s east side is the place to go. Visitors can dive into traditional pizza and spaghetti at Mama Santa’s or enjoy reinvented Italian favorites at Nora and Mia Bella. Plus, visitors need to save room for gelato or cannoli at Presti’s Bakery.
• In Shaker Square, James Beard nominated chef Douglas Katz delights diners with American bistro fare at Fire Food and Drink. EDWINS Restaurant & Leadership Academy offers classic French cuisine with tableside preparations as well as a unique approach at giving formerly-incarcerated adults a foundation in the hospitality industry. Those looking for a quick bite or perfect cut of meat can venture down the street to EDWINS Butcher Shop.
• For an eclectic mix of food, art and theater, visitors can venture to Cleveland’s Detroit Shoreway neighborhood and feel like they’ve traveled the world by sampling cuisines from Italy at Il Rione Pizzeria, Asia at Ninja City and the Mediterranean at Astoria Café & Market where they can also buy products to take home. For a sweet treat, visitors can complete their journey at Brewnuts to enjoy donuts, beer and the delicious combination of donuts made with beer!

Locally Sourced

• The Urban Farmer, located at the Westin Cleveland Downtown, places an emphasis on local sourcing from Ohio ranchers and farmers, as well as simple, straightforward preparations.
• Spice Kitchen and Bar features a seasonal menu utilizing ingredients produced by small, family farms practicing sustainable agriculture and located within a 100-mile radius of Cleveland. In 2014, Spice Acres debuted when chef Ben Bebenroth and his wife Jackie took over the operations of a 13-acre sustainable family farm located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
• Chef Karen Small at The Flying Fig was a local pioneer of creative, farm-to-table cuisine when the restaurant opened in 1999. The focus on supporting small family farms and local food artisans while creating critically acclaimed menus that evolve seasonally remains strong.