Dinner in Cleveland?

My siblings and I (along with spouses/significant others) will be in Cleveland later this month to see the Springsteen exhibit at Rock&Roll Hall of Fame. We're looking for a moderately-priced place (preferably an indie) for dinner. We'll be staying in North Olmstead (southwest of downtown), but are willing to drive a bit if needed.

With a couple exceptions (myself and Becky) this is not a very adventuresome group, so nothing too exotic. Local spots that this group frequents include Baxter Station, Ramsis and El Mundo.

I found a thread from early last year, but decided to try for something more recent. Any suggestions?

Lola Bistro and it's sister restaurant, Lolita. Chef Michael Symon has it on lockdown. http://www.lolabistro.com/

Mike,

I'll check with a friend from the area who now lives in Chicago, but still has strong ties to Cleavland. I'll get back to you is I find anything out...

This is a PM conversation I had with Steve P.


I'm heading to Cleveland in a few months and wondered if you had an opinion of these places. They are all from Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.


http://www.momocho.com/menu.php

http://www.geracisrestaurant.net/

http://www.meltbarandgrilled.com/

http://luckyscafe.com/

Re: CLEVELAND EATS
Sent: Mon Jun 07, 2010 4:33 pm
From: Steve P
To: JustinHammond

Justin,

I honestly haven't tried any of the places in your P.M. A few suggestions however (pardon the rambling nature, I'm typing these places as they come to me)

Pizza : Luigi's in Akron. Acknowledging the strong regional preferences when searching for a good pie this is hands down our favorite pizza. About a 25 minute drive from Cleveland.

http://www.luigisrestaurant.com/Home.html

IN Cleveland Mama Santa's and Geraci's are both popular for Pizza and Gerazci's has some REALLY good Italian dishes. I used to love the pies from these two places but honestly haven't had one in years, so I don't know how they stack up these days. My buddies still swear by 'em.

http://www.geracisrestaurant.net/menu.html

http://mamasantas.com/default.aspx

You almost can't go wrong with ANY of the "Little Italy" restaurants...at least I never have...East side,of Cleveland Mayfield Rd area. Most of these restaurants are family owned and have been around for decades. Be advised you have to go through a sketchy part of town to GET to Little Italy but once you're there it's one of the safest parts of town..."Those People" KNOW better then to come into THAT neighborhood and start dicking around.

In Strongsville (south suburb - 15 min south of downtown) We LOVE Don's Pomeroy House. Have NEVER had a bad meal there.

http://www.donspomeroy.com/menu.html

If you find yourself near the Westside Mkt (Ohio City neighborhood) you can check out Heck's Cafe for a great burger. Also...again about 25 minutes south of downtown Whitey's Booze and Burgers offers up a darn fine burger... Although I will admit to being -slightly- disappointed in the patty last time we were there. Something's changed over the years, not sure what. Still it's a damn fine burger.

http://www.heckscafe.com/

http://www.whiteyschili.com/rest.htm

Another great burger...but a bit out of the way...South side of Akron is Menche Brothers...who invented the Hamburger in 1885 (They say)

http://menchesbros.net/

The Academy Tavern USED to be a good East side hang out but I haven't been there in years. REALLY "Old School". Now website. Address: 12800 Larchmere Boulevard, Cleveland, OH 44120-1152

For Sports Bars the best place in downtown Cleveland is the Winking Lizard...small local <gasp> chain with about 5 or 6 locations. We frequent the one in North Canton and love it...that being said we DID have terrible service at the one in Akron. Never been inside the one in downtown Cleveland but it always seems like it has a good vibe when we've walked by. Great beer list, probably 40 taps and twice that many bottles. The pizza is over rated...just sayin.

Harpo's Sports Bar - south side down by the airport is -supposed- to be a good place but I've never tried it.

Lots and lots of good eastern European food (Polish, Slav, Czechoslovakian, etc) just look for a place that has been around for a while...a lot of them are family owned.

If LeBron James had a restaurant in Cleveland it's probably shut down now.

grovewood tavern is awesome!!! sergio's at university circle rocks too. check out the cleveland independents restaurant group.
andrew
p.s. everyone i have sent to grovewood has loved it

If LeBron James had a restaurant in Cleveland it's probably shut down now.

Nice...


Mike,
I go to Cleveland every year for a Browns game and The Great Lakes Brewing Company is always one of our stops.
Menu is all American fare, they have alfresco dining on the sidewalk ( cobblestone street ), really neat atmosphere inside with antique bar and a cellar bar. You can also tour the brewery if interested right across the street. It is a pretty nice size restaurant.
And yes the beers are good also ..

I'm from NE Ohio and am back visiting right now. I second Lola and Lolita. Tommy's in Coventry (Cleveland Heights) is an institution but not fine dining by any means. http://www.tommyscoventry.com/

I ate at Luigi's in Akron the other night (I'm from Akron) and while I love it, I don't know that it merits a drive from North Olmsted. Swenson's, however, is another story... if you're willing to eat in your car. It's Akron's In and Out Burger. http://www.swensonsdriveins.com/ Definitely worth the experience.

Another interesting experience is the West Side Market. http://www.westsidemarket.org/ It's been there forever and it's right across the street from Great Lakes Brewery.

I asked my friend and she said to give her a little time...it was funny. She mentioned most of the time her and the family would eat at The Woods in Rocky River.

http://thewoodsrestaurant.com/

Hope this helps http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM