For those interested in trying different restaurants and cuisines, downtown Cleveland has become a restaurant mecca. You can walk to so many places; here are some of the more interesting ones here.
- For fine dining try Cowell & Hubbard cowellhubbard.com in Playhouse Square. It is located in a former jewelry store and still has a vault room. They have a big menu and great desserts, too!
- For more Old World–type dining, the Hofbrauhaus hofbrauhauscleveland.com recreates a German beer hall atmosphere and serves Bavarian specialties as well as sausage.
- Dave’s Faves include:
- Pura Vida, 170 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44115
- Noodle Cat
- Greenhouse Tavern, 2038 East 4th Street, Cleveland, OH 44115
- District, 1350 Euclid Avenue, Entrance on East 14th St., Cleveland, OH 44115
If you have a car, take a 15-minute ride from downtown (or take an Uber) to Cleveland Heights. Here, you can find: Tommy’s tommyscoventry.com which is a family-owned and -operated business that has been at this location for over 40 years: The best shakes ever, a great inexpensive menu with pita sandwiches, meat pies, hummus, baba ganouj, fries, etc. Big portions. Great service.
- Italian is always a good choice in Cleveland, and again you need a car or to get a ride to Little Italy on the near East Side., there is Guarino’s guarinoscleveland.com or Mia Bella mblittleitaly.com both on Mayfield Road. For great pizza, try Mama Santa’s mamasantas.com in business for over 40 years, a real local institution. If you want to stay downtown, try Luca Italian Cuisine. lucacleveland.com
- Seafood is a great pick in Cleveland. For more upscale dining, there is Blue Point Grille bluepointgrille.com on St. Clair, which is highly rated. Over in the area called the Flats, which has all been rebuilt in the past few years, there is a fun, more informal, place right on the canal, Alley Cat Oyster Bar alleycatoysterbar.com, which has lobster rolls, oysters, clams, etc.
- For those heading out of town on Sunday morning toward the West Side of Cleveland, there is a great place for brunch in Ohio City area, Lucky’s.luckyscafe.com. If you get there and see a line, it is worth the wait! They have pecan bacon (really!) and great baked goods as well as waffles, omelets, home-made granola, and biscuits with gravy. Look at the menu and you will want to find this place for sure! It is in an old Cleveland neighborhood that gives you the feel of the 1950s.