The Best New American in Cleveland

The Oak Barrel

★★★★☆ 4 (711) • $$

"Despite being really busy, we were sat fairly soon and the food came out impressively fast! Our server was so nice (even though the had a HUGE party table he was also waiting on), very kind to us. The food was very good! One of my favorite flavors is lemon, and so I really enjoyed the strong citrus taste of my pasta. The brisket sandwich did not disappoint, came with plenty of meat and the fries were so addictive. Perfect place to come for a date. Also, it's right next to the cinemark so grab dinner and see a movie!"

Forage Public House

★★★★☆ 4 (536) • $$

"Always fantastic. This is a top go to for us! Food is always a win. Please don't ever get rid of the cauliflower app--- we may die of withdrawal. They do switch their menu around seasonally, but always in a good way. Ambiance is chill."

Das Schnitzel Haus

★★★★☆ 4.1 (508) • $$

"As a Yelp Elite for 11 years, I can say with confidence that the Yelp App saves lives. Ok maybe that's a bit much but I truly would be lost without it. I found my way to Cleveland to visit family and attend a concert. The trip was amazing up to that point and we wanted to end our trip on a high note. My sister was craving Chicken Paprikash, Pierogies, and Schnitzel. She was convinced there had to be a restaurant in the Cleveland area that could fit the bill. This is where the Yelp App comes in.I did a simple search for Chicken Paprikash and Das Schnitzel Haus came right up. Das Schnitzel Haus also carried a 4.2 Yelp rating. What more was there to think about? We hopped in the car and made our way to Pearl Road in the Parma part of Cleveland.We pulled into the parking lot and beheld the glowing yellow sign that let us know we were in the right place. Immediately upon entering the service was first rate. We were seated right away and there were waters on the table in less than a minute. Next thing you know we had an ice-cold pint of Helles in our hands. Life was good. The vibe of this place is awesome. Plates of Schnitzel were whizzing past me and aromas of brats and pierogies filled the air.We feasted like Royality in this place. We ordered up everything we had been craving! We got the Chicken Paprikash, Pierogies, and of course Das Schnitzel! The cook on Das Schnitzel was perfect. We left there feeling overfed and euphoric. I only wish I could go back but I live in Virginia. Danke schön Schnitzel Haus."

Rebol

★★★★★ 4.5 (410) • $

"First time in Cleveland and was looking for a place within walking distance to our hotel. Found this little gem. The food and coffee were absolutely amazing. I was a little turned off by the staff who seemed to be all but ignoring customers ready to place their orders and thankful that a local encouraged me to use the kiosk to place my order. It was a quick and easy process so don't let the lack of human interaction keep you from giving this place a try."

Joe's Deli

★★★★☆ 4.1 (481) • $$

"Food is always delicious. Joe's during normal lunch/dinner hours is always busy but the service is superlative so the wait isn't too long (well except for the people that just entrench themselves for long periods of time).Joe's is clean, bright and warm."

Cleveland Chop

★★★★☆ 3.9 (515) • $$

"It was good. It was an old-fashioned steakhouse just what you would expect. It was a nice pre-theater dinner"

Dante

★★★★☆ 4.1 (449) • $$$

"Went for the 5 course meal (gluten free) with wine pairing. Decent, but nothing amazing. Smoked salmon appetizer was the highlight. Pork cheek mushroom risotto was not - flooded with oil (why?) and risotto was undercooked. Pointed the oil out to the busboy but received no response. Also, meal was not fully gluten free as I was having issues when I returned home that lasted through the night!!! Wine pairings were also poor.Update- received a wonderful call from manager. We went through each course to confirm they were GF. Nothing resulted from the discussion, but I appreciated the call. Raised my review accordingly"

The Fairmount

★★★★☆ 4.2 (407) • $$

"I saw someone post their tiramisu martini and thought that would be a delicious way to end the year so I decided to eat dinner here on New Year's Eve. I got there a little after four to be the New Year's Eve chaos.I got the tiramisu martini and the the chimichurri steak frites The martini was absolutely delicious it's $15 but I do think it's worth the price. I would definitely have one again.The chimichurri steak frites was pretty good flavor wise. I was a little disappointed because my food was not very hot at all. It was pretty Room tip, but I was super hungry and didn't want to take the chance of them reheating it and over cooking my steak so I ate it as is, which is why it only got four stars. I also got a slice of lemon cream cake to go I wish it was a little more tart It was pretty sweet. It also was frozen in the middle so that was a little disappointing"

Crave

★★★★☆ 3.9 (450) • $$

"My wife made reservations for Crave on New Year's Eve for our family. Upon arrival, we used valet parking for $7 and proceeded into the restaurant. Our table was ready and we were promptly seated. A few moments later, our waitress arrived and took our drink requests. I requested a berry cider, which was the only cider they had available and it was served in a can with a chilled glass. My wife and mother-in-law shared a bottle of prosecco while my father-in-law enjoyed some red wine.Looking at the menu, we decided to request three appetizers: charcuterie, steak skewers, and perogies. The red chimichurri sauce on the beef skewers was spicy and kind of ruined the dish. If they had just left the sauce off, this dish would be a winner. The periogies were delicious as they were filled with potato and gouda cheese. We dipped bread and charcuterie items in the red sauce that they was served with. The charcuterie board was decent, but we've had better.For dinner, I requested the airline chicken (which ended up not being what I consider to be airline chicken), my wife, bison strip steak, my in-laws, filet with potato and veggies, my son a $24 hamburger, and my mom, salmon. The food was prepared quickly and was delivered in under 20 minutes. We were a little surprised by this. Anyway, my airline chicken was very tasty, but the nan, curry sauce, and rice that it was served with missed the mark by a significant margin. Also, I tasted the caulflower that my mom's salmon was served with and it was warm, but hard. So they made an attempt to lightly grill it to no avail. Another big miss. The french fries that were served with my wife's bison steak were cold, hard, and stuck together. Oddly, they were completely different fries than those that came with their $24 hamburger. I believe this was the most expensive hamburger I've ever seen. And it was good, but not great. I tasted the meat because my son didn't finish eating it because it was overloaded with mayo.Everything else was tasty - the filet mignon was delicious. The potato that the steak was served with was amazing. As I thought about the gap in quality and taste of the food on our table, it made me think there were two people preparing the dishes. Perhaps they were Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? Or maybe it was one bipolar chef. I don't know. Our waitress was fast and very friendly. Excellent service!Anyway, with the very high price ($63 per plate with drinks) and hit or miss food, I think we've seen enough of Crave and we won't be back."

Fahrenheit

★★★★☆ 3.7 (495) • $$$

"The staff was amazing and the place is gorgeous but I feel like the food is over hyped and over priced. I got the pork chop dish. The chop it'self had good flavor but it was kind of chewy. The rice was bland and sticky. I only ate half the dish didn't even take it home"

The South Side

★★★★☆ 3.6 (512) • $$

"We had made a reservation since we were a large group of 11. We sat in an area that was technically indoors but they had the doors completely open to let in air. But we hardly had any airflow and there weren't any fans so it was stifling and very hot. Most of us were sweating! We did have a great server. Didn't mess up our orders at all and she was really nice. She kept our waters filled and after a while, another worker made sure our waters were filled too.I got the veggie burger since most things on the menu didn't interest me. I got it with a side salad but the vinaigrette was acidic for me so I couldn't finish. I loved the burger though! It was beyond meat.The rest of my table mates got breakfast since they were still serving it or other items on the menu. I got the chance to try the fries which came with an aioli and ketchup. So good! I do like the vibe here though. Tons of outdoor patio seating and I like the indoor area since the had the games on. It's cute! They also had a good playlist in the background. Tons of Britney Spears.They're still developing the area so there didn't seem to be much around here but we found parallel parking really easily just a caddy corner across the street."

Rood

★★★★★ 4.5 (320) • $$

"Showed up in time to enjoy happy hour and it was DELICIOUS! We ordered lamb meatballs, koi hoisin pork belly, and mussels with togarashi puree. The meatballs were tender, moist, cheesy, and flavorful (ngl gave luxury ikea meatballs and I wasn't mad about it). The pork belly was a mouthful of flavor and texture, with crisp skin, and beautiful celeriac puree combined with the crunchy pickle/kimchi radish. The mussels made fun to play with tiny forks, grilled sourdough bread, rich and perfectly cooked but definitely not enough bread for scooping up a sauce so good. Unfortunately unimpressed by the marg, but the Elder Collins made up for it. We continued with the epic eats and had the charred octopus and duck bucatini. I'm a sucker for anywhere that serves octopus in a single tentacle over pieces and this one lived up to it. Cooked to perfection with complimentary flavors and textures combining bites of octopus, crispy potatoes, and salsa verde was incredible. The duck bucatini featured housemade ground duck sausage and bucatini from the local Flour Pasta Co. Incredible flavors, creamy but not heavy, somehow light and a bit citrusy, fresh yet rich with the duck. We ran out of room before getting to the pie (which is apparently one of their showstoppers) but we are looking forward to returning sooner than I think. The ambiance was fun, beware it gets surprisingly dark once the sun is down for the day. My only complaint was the marg (feels to easy to get wrong) and we did get asked by the server a bit excessively how it was going. Neither of which will skew my rating or next visit. Can't wait to give the rest of the menu a shot."

Society Lounge

★★★★☆ 4.1 (326) • $$

"Since moving downtown in 2019, going to Society Lounge's "Miracle on E 4th" holiday pop-up bar on the Saturday after Thanksgiving has become an annual tradition. Usually I go with friends to kick off the season after the annual tree lighting in Public Square. This year, I ended up going beforehand and I'm so glad I did -- otherwise, I may not have been able to get in at all. My friend showed up 10 minutes or so before they opened (at 4pm) and they told her that they were still getting set up. She decided to quickly pop into the 5th Street Arcade while waiting for the bar to officially open. Upon returning, the host stationed outside on E 4th asked if she had a reservation and denied her re-entry when she told him no. She thought this was odd given that she had just been there a few minutes prior. When I joined her, we asked the host if we could in the very least go down to sit at the bar versus at a table. We were told we could only go down to use the restroom because they were all full, and that we'd need to come back upstairs to be officially admitted. We looked at each other and seized our opportunity. Upon descending, I noticed some familiar festive decor, but not as much as past years and that all the lights weren't on like usual. We then turned the corner and realized that they were not crowded whatsoever! This was seriously so strange given that the host had told us there was no room for us. We decided to take a few pictures with the Buddy The Elf display and sit at the bar anyway, where we easily found two open seats. There were definitely not enough bartenders. I had to grab our own menu at the downstairs host stand and it took at least 15-20 minutes for us to get waters and even asked what we wanted. At that point, my friend got a text saying they were ready to seat us, so I guess whatever they were using to gauge wait times was accurate. It was just very surprising given that this is always a busy night and the bar was not even remotely full yet. I ordered the new addition to the menu: Marshmallows and Unicorns. It came with a skewer of marshmallows with a soaked cherry in between. It was delicious! My friend got the Santarex. She also wanted a souvenir pin. After waiting 10 mins or so we were told they were already out but would have more in a few weeks. Between when we ordered and when we got our drinks, I went upstairs to re-add my name to the waiting list so we could get back in after the tree lighting. The host admitted to me that he was new and would do his best to get me back in later but couldn't make any promises. Later that evening, I never got a text about being ready to be seated or anything, so we decided to go elsewhere. I hope all of this was just early holiday season growing pains, but I do worry that these issues could persist. I can't even imagine what it might have been like later that evening with a Cavs game, concert at House of Blues, the tree lighting and fireworks, and Small Business Saturday all happening simultaneously. With 8 other holiday pop-up bars now, maybe skip this one if you've gone in the past or go during the week."

Thyme2

★★★★☆ 4.4 (283) • $$

"We absolutely loved it here! Everything was so delicious and the fine dining seating was very cozy. We highly recommend the fried crab rangoon for the teriyaki sauce and the bacon steak with the Parmesan chips. Would love to come back and try the pub section"

Black Box Fix

★★★★☆ 4.1 (318) • $$

"Easily one of my favorite places to eat!! The food is almost hot, fresh, and flavorful. I've never been disappointed. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. The staff is amazing (particularly Reginald). His customer service is TOP TIER. Though I've never dined in, the dining area is also always clean and presentable. Highly recommend. If you've never tried it, you're missing out!"

sarita a restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.3 (287) • $$

"I. Loved. This. Place. Perfect restaurant for a romantic date night. sarita a restaurant provides a beautiful candle lit dining experience with endless intricate options and flavors. My eggplant Parmesan was the best thing I've ever tasted. The texture of the eggplant and the freshness of the sauce was perfect. My boyfriend raved about the chicken and pesto pizza and the potato soup. The fried green tomatoes had an aioli that was delicious and paired well with the cheese. My only complaint is that I would've liked more tomato for the amount of cheese. Service was perfect. The presentation of the menu by our waitress was concise and she was very attentive. Will definitely be back."

Rosewood Grill

★★★★☆ 4 (322) • $$$

"We stopped in with a part of two on a Saturday night around 7 and they were able to squeeze us in at a bar table! The service was very prompt and friendly, they have a great cocktail menu and had some seasonal specials, and the food was good. We ordered the pigs in a blanket which were good but not very much food for how much they are. I got the almond crusted walleye and the rice was super flavorful, and the crust was great, but it just needed a bit of salt. My boyfriend ordered the burger and said it was good, the fries were great with the rosemary and garlic. He was especially impressed that the bartender was on top of switching the games on the tv's (guardians playoffs, must watch!) Would come back again!"

XYZ the Tavern

★★★★☆ 4 (311) • $$

"Nice div bar with fabulous food.The prices are reasonable and the staff top notch.Music fit the vibe"

Rocky River Brewing Company

★★★★☆ 3.7 (337) • $$

"Every time I go here this place is awesome, never misses! Everything is good. Start with pretzel, pickles or Asian nachos and follow with the Raging Bull Burger."

Nemo Grille

★★★★☆ 4.3 (241) • $$$

"Special Birthday Dinner for my new wifey - we sat at the bar right off the entry. Our server/bartender was Michael Harry (he prefers MIKEY), like every little thing was perfect! I don't know if I took a pic of our meals, but the lasagna & the short rib were ridiculous yummy. We both SPECIFICALLY didn't finish so we could crush these the next day, and make 'em both last a little longer.50% off night for wine was also a great deal!Looking forward to returning."

Thyme Table

★★★★★ 4.6 (202) • $$

"We are in town for a family event and we're trying to find a good spot for dinner. I saw the Yelp reviews and we decided to stop in on a Friday night. There were 7 of us and the staff was so amazing in accommodating us just walking in. We got a table on the patio which was even better for us who were visiting from Florida & Arizona to enjoy the August Ohio weather. Our server knew the menu backwards and forwards and was able to make some great recommendation. Everyone loved their meals from the steak to short ribs to burger and a couple of salads but the highlight was the lobster loaded tots. You could literally eat these for every meal and be happy. I would definitely recommend checking them out."

Agave & Rye - Cleveland

★★★★☆ 4.2 (236) • $$

"I came across this popping restaurant as I was walking around downtown on a Monday evening. Thankfully, it was not too crowded & I was seated quickly. Aaron took care of me & was super helpful with recommendations & what drink to order. I didn't have to ask him for anything because he was attentive. The ambiance was artists & chill. The decor is wall murals & chandeliers. Very funky & cool. I was dressed very casually & did not feel out of place. I felt like the music was a tad too loud, but that also could've been because I was sitting underneath the speaker. But not upset about their playlist. They immediately brought me water & told me about the menu. I ordered the Mac N Cheese Beignets to start. I didn't know what to expect with these, but they sounded delicious & I've never seen something like them. So I had to try them. I was initially hesitant because they were served with maple syrup. I tried them by themselves for the first bite. Hmmm, hit the spot. Crunchy on the outside & creamy on the inside. Very flavorful. The second bite, I dipped in the syrup & was surprised to learn it was spicy! Highly recommend ordering these! I had to do my best not to fill up on these & save room for my birra tacos. For drinks, I ordered the Strawberry Bombshell! It was so yummy. It reminded me a lot of an alcoholic version of the pink drink from starbs but a little more coconut. I ordered the birra tacos. Words don't even describe how good they were. If you're contemplating them, just go for it."

Don's Pomeroy House

★★★★☆ 3.8 (278) • $$$

"Great ambiance, felt like an italian place. Gave me the sopranos vibe. Since i eat only seafood or halal meat i went with the pesto seafood pasta. It was good for sea food. Staff was amazingly kind and helpful"

The Lakehouse

★★★★☆ 3.5 (310) • $$

"I cannot say enough good things about this place. We came here for lunch and we were greeted with friendliness. We got to choose where we sat! As a family of four with a service dog, that was the best! We loved the ambiance and it made our lunch nice and relaxing compared to the busy day we were having!The wait staff was patient and kind. They answered all of our questions without bother or irritation. We ordered a variety of foods including the fish and chips and everything came out hot and tasty! We never had to ask for drink refills and a carafe of water was provided as well. We had a lovely , relaxed lunch and we will definitely come back again!"

The Last Page

★★★★☆ 4.2 (214) • $$$

"The last page has great ambience. I love coming here. The prices are a little excessive however it doesn't make me stop coming. They have happy hour Tuesday through Sunday from 4 to 6 where they have $10 appetizers. I think half off wine and beer and discounted select cocktails. I got some vanilla pear old-fashioned that I don't know really was unsatisfying, but I didn't send it back. I tried to drink it. I couldn't finish it. The next drink. I had however was delicious. I'm trying to remember the name and failing. I'll update this review if I can remember, it was tequila based with tajin, bitters and came out smoked. Oh! Got it. THE MYSTIC. GET IT!"

Trivs Restaurant and Lounge

★★★★☆ 4.1 (214) • $$

"Very good service from our waitress Victoria. Food was awesome. We had reservations and were seated promptly. Bread on the table was ample. Atmosphere- great. Parking- ample."

Merchant Tavern

★★★★☆ 3.8 (240) • $$

"Thai mussles- with bacon, ginger and shallots! 5/5 this was amazing! My favorite thing we tried. Seafood hushpuppies- not exactly what i expected. It was good but not great. 2/5Calamari- the aiolis they used on these spectacular buttermilk fried babies is so tasty! 5/5Shrimp n lobster gratin- there was onions, bell peppers and loads of cheese. The bread was perfect for serving this dish to make it less messy. 4/5Steak- we order medium and it was cooked as we ordered. Great flavor for both the steak and the delicious smashed tatters. 5/5Shrimp and grits- the shrimps were huge! Not over cooked which is easy to do with shrimp. The grits has a slight smokeness from the gouda cheese and i believe pork belly was a topper! 5/5I HIGHLY recommend getting a reservation for this place. We walked in and waited about 45 minutes. Avoid the hassel, and prebook your party."

Iron Bridge Inn

★★★★☆ 4 (212) • $$

"I was hungry when I got here so the freshly baked bread and creamy butter was oh so nice. The nice crispy edges and soft center of the bread hit the spot. The wife got the Ahi tuna salad and I got the Chicken and Shrimp creole. The tuna was great and prepared as asked. The chicken and shrimp were blackened, which is why I got it. Since I use little salt The first bite was too salty for me. I just ate it with some rice and it balanced it out. The flavor is what will keep me coming back. I haven't been here for over 10 years - since I've moved further away - and it's as good as it used to be, which is rare for a place. Nice indeed."

Station Square Ristorante

★★★★☆ 3.9 (217) • $$

"We attended a special event on the patio here. Beautiful potted herbs surround the railing. Comfortable seating and fairly quiet outside. Buffet was fantastic. Included smoked ribs, brisket, pulled pork, chicken, salmon, collard greens and Mac n cheese (truffle) and garlic mashed. All was very tasty but the brisket was a stand out favorite. Easy and full bar service. Attentive old world type service. There was a band inside and a good crowd at the bar. Easy parking and right off the highway."

Kingfish

★★★★☆ 4 (202) • $$$

"We came here for dinner. The ambience was nice, the seating was excellent. We enjoyed the soft music. It allowed us to both be intimate while dining and not to be able to hear our neighbors conversations.Our server, Marissa, was excellent. She took all of our questions and food preferences without any negative feedback, and was right on task the entire meal I would highly recommend asking for her as your server... Her service is impeccable. Managers if you're reading this, give this human a raise."

The Brewerie at Union Station

★★★★☆ 3.9 (210) • $$

"I love the location and ambiance. It's set up well and very clean. Food is good, some a little pricey, but worth it. Helpful and friendly service."

The Haunted House Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (365) • $$

"these guys get theme-ing right! We hadn't been in the place for more than 30 seconds before a dressed up Pennywise approached and played his part very well. Within about 4 1/2 minutes he was offering beer selections, and suggestions from behind his mask. All of the servers were dressed up and the menu was themed beautifully! I don't write reviews unless something is done right and I have to tell you that these guys really did everything right I got a burger and it really was of utmost quality. It was such a good time to come to this place, and by the time we left, Pennywise had changed costumes into Michael Jackson's wolf character from thriller.If you like horror movies, good theming fandom and great food, it really doesn't get any better than this and anytime someone puts their heart into something the way the owners have in the Haunted House restaurant then it deserves to be applauded. These guys are awesome, and the food was really good too."

Don's Lighthouse

★★★★☆ 3.6 (234) • $$$

"My wife and I had ventured to the west side for a lacrosse game and afterwards one of my friends jokingly said let's go to Don's lighthouse. Doesn't look like a lighthouse but you should try it anyway. So I looked at my wife and she said hell with it let's go! I'm not at all familiar with Cleveland or pretty much anything west of Mayfield Road but the parking lot was easy to get in and out of and it was not busy for a Thursday night. We arrived about 7:50 p.m. and we're promptly seated in the lounge. It was weird they still had the covid plastic crap up that doesn't do anything but to be honest at this point it's nice to cut down on the chatter from adjacent tables. Our server approached us, his name was Eric s. In the world of servers you have good ones great ones and Eric. Eric was neat, tidy, prompt, enunciated had knowledge of the menu and talked just enough. I ordered a diet Coke my wife a glass of wine. My wife got the lobster roll and I got the grilled chicken club. Both of those came with fries however I opted for green beans. After the order was placed in Erica text back and rebuild my diet coke it was in a wine glass almost which was a little weird but glassware choice is a thing with some places. My wife's lobster roll was $25 and came with a very generous amount of lobster. So much in fact it was put in a hot dog roll the kind of look like a wide piece of bread split and she had to eat it with a fork and knife there was that much content. My grilled chicken club was literally right off the grill but it was not a club sandwich in the traditional sense. Chicken breast cheese lettuce tomato onion. The green beans are not something I would ordinarily crow about but it appeared they saute them in just the right amount of butter salt and pepper. Not overcooked and were amazing. Eric promptly cleared our plates and took my card upon request and we were out of there in almost 30 minutes flat. Again I can't say enough how pleasant it is to have a professional server wait on you. One that takes his job seriously makes the dining experience worthwhile. Total amount of the bill was about $57. 10 out of 10 would do it again even with the 35 minute drive to the west side."

Hecks - Avon

★★★★☆ 3.5 (247) • $$

"Went with my aunt for brunch the Sunday before Christmas and expected that it would be crazy busy with a long wait for drinks and food. We were pleasantly surprised to find that not the case. Well. It was definitely busy but the drinks and food were on point and our server was perfection! Good portions and I like their own take on some basic things to give the food and drinks their own unique flare. I'm excited to visit once they can move to the larger location and look forward to another brunch or dinner soon!"

Hook & Hoof

★★★★☆ 4.3 (160) • $$$

"Good food. But really overpriced. I ordered the Scallops with garlic polenta. There were 3 medium-sized scallops. Market price was $45. Ouch. I don't mind paying this price, but the scallops were the same size that I'm served at Fuji at GLM. And to tell you the truth, they didn't taste all that different."