Cleveland has long been seen as an overachiever when it comes to eateries. Chefs like Michael Symon, Karen Small, Zack Bruell, Dante Boccuzzi, and Doug Katz launched a culinary revolution in Chicago 20 years ago, putting the city leagues ahead of comparably sized Midwestern communities.
Chefs of that age produced more chefs, who in turn sowed the landscape with a thriving pool of talent. As a consequence, it has been a gastronomic agricultural system that has benefited inhabitants and visitors for many years.
There are plenty of places to eat in Cleveland, and we’re not just talking about your normal American-style restaurant or burrito business. Instead, we discussed Mediterranean, Greek, Italian, Cajun, and Thai cuisines. That is why I have put up a list of the greatest restaurants in Cleveland for you.
From little coffee shops to major eateries, there is something for everyone. Whether you favor pho or pad thai, dim sum or paella, you’ll find cuisine from all over the globe here.
When you visit Cleveland, you start thinking about how difficult it is to locate somewhere to eat, especially if you, like most tourists, live within a five-mile radius of the citys major districts.
The good news is that there are a lot of wonderful places to dine nearby, and these 10 restaurants should be at the top of your list the next time you visit.
Visiting other places in Ohio? Check out our other tasty guides:
- 15 Best Cleveland Restaurants
- 13 Great Must-Try Ohio City Restaurants
- 11 Must-Try Tremont Restaurants
- What Is Ohio Food?
- 10 Best Things To Do In Cleveland, Ohio
- 10 Best Cleveland Pizza Parlors
Contents
Cleveland’s Top Ten Restaurants
Momocho
Cleveland, OH +121669421221835 Fulton Rd.
Eric Williams has been perfecting contemporary Mexican food at his lively and quirky Ohio City café for many years.
The two-story, renovated Colonial restaurant contains a main floor bar and a second-floor dining area.
Both locations are great for eating inventive and attractive Mod-Mex fare such as guacamole topped with smoked trout, tamale dumplings, carnitas tacos, and pepita-crusted trout.
Momocho serves a terrific blood orange margarita, but it’s the tequila and mezcal selection that sets it apart. Moreover, Momocho’s expansive terrace is ideal for unwinding on a warm night.
Avo Mexicano Moderno
Cleveland, Ohio +121633169612058 W. 25th St.
The Avo Modern Mexican structure resembles an antique grocery shop. It’s composed of red brick and has a stucco overhang in the middle. It now contains one of Cleveland’s most popular restaurants.
Shrimp, chorizo, chicken cooked in avocado, barbeque, and ground beef are among the options at Avo Modern Mexican, with the toppings spilling over a corn tortilla.
For a great combination of sour and sweet, this meal blends red cabbage and radish slaw with chipotle-garlic aioli, heirloom pico de gallo, cilantro, and queso fresco.
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Guacamole with honeycomb and candied walnuts, as well as honey, honeycomb, and honey, are among the appetizers.
Great dinners include the Burrito Colorado, which is packed with flank beef and rice cooked in chili sauce and topped with cilantro and fundido, Mexican-style queso. Probably one of the top restaurants in Cleveland to try.
The Oni Bar
Professor Ave., Cleveland, +121671317412173
Clevelanders witnessed something completely new in the fine-dining scene with the entrance of Bar Oni.
Matthew Spinner’s Eastern-bloc origins are clear in his cooking, but rather than recreating classic dishes like Josef Centenos Atla in Los Angeles, Spinner is taking familiar tastes and methods and putting them in a fast-casual setting that is accessible to everybody.
What he lacks in elegance, he makes up for in gutsiness, and this restaurant deserves to be included among Cleveland’s finest.
Spinner focuses on yakitori or grilled chicken skewers and sandwiches, but it also serves a variety of basic foods, such as prawns coated with sugar powder and a burger topped with wasabi mustard.
Takoyaki fritters are topped with sweet kewpie mayo, scallions, pickled ginger, and smoked fish flake for an intriguing snack that shines in late-night gatherings.
Chimi
1975 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights, +12169323333
Chimi, Marcie Turney’s new restaurant, is a great example of one of Cleveland’s increasing culinary strengths, South American fusion. It’s not entirely Peruvian, not entirely Ecuadorian, and not entirely Mexican. Instead, it’s something familiar while yet being subtle and new.
The dining room is bright and airy. We had a great time eating.
Chimi offers a wonderful atmosphere and attentive waitresses who will gladly assist you with any inquiries or requirements that may arise.
The enhanced menu’s small servings are hefty, yet this allows for exploration. When you’re looking for something different, try chayote squash with burned orange segments and coconut.
You may have grilled Peruvian chicken seasoned with aji sauce to go with your meal. If you want something that breaks apart at the touch of a fork, go for the short rib barbacoa.
Caf Luckys
Starkweather Ave., Cleveland, +12166227773777
Despite its moniker, Luckys Café is a wonderful brunch spot that lives up to its lavish offers. What Luckys does differently is emphasize the utilization of fresh products, baking from scratch, and creating excellent and diverse meals.
Chef Heather Haviland gets eggs, dairy products, fruit, and meats from local farmers on a daily basis and virtually entirely employs local items on the menu.
Breakfast burritos stuffed with everything nice and sweetcorn waffles topped with strawberry compote are just a few of the dishes on the menu.
During weekdays, the menu is reduced yet still delicious. Outside dining is available in a parking area next to the restaurant.
Restaurant and Deli Slymans
St. Clair Ave. NE, Cleveland, +121662137603106
The restaurant is named after its founder, Joseph Slyman, who started selling corned beef sandwiches in the 1940s from his grocery shop. Marvin Slyman, his nephew, purchased the property in 1962 and presented it to the History Society of Greater Cleveland in 1974.
Now, Slymans still maintains its original menu, but enhanced with Swiss or pepper jack sandwiches on thick rye with a heaping rack of fries.
And, as with any good barbecue, anticipate side dishes; in this instance, homemade coleslaw prepared with hand-shredded cabbage.
The busy corner carryout and deli serves the justifiably famous sandwiches, as well as matzo ball soup, potato pancakes, knishes, latkes, and gefiltes.
Excellent Pho
+121678174623030 Cleveland, Superior Ave. #105
There is plenty of wonderful soup in Cleveland, but Superior Pho has made beef noodle soup its hallmark dish, and customers line up even when it is not crowded.
Since fifteen years, a loyal following of Pho aficionados has built around a little mall hidden away in an uber-casual cafe.
This efficient business provides chicken cabbage salads and banh mi sandwiches, as well as bubble tea and other drinks, in addition to a dozen bowls of calming rice and meat broths, noodles, and charred-beef bliss.
Zhug
Cedar Rd., Cleveland Heights, +1216862250812413
Zhug provides the perfect dining experience, with an engaging environment and some of Cleveland’s greatest small meals.
The food is not difficult, yet it is performed well. Katz’s closest culinary buddies, Peter Williams and Amaury Sanchez, prepare feasts fit for a king.
Despite its contemporary style and vibe, Zhang’s cuisine sets it apart from other fashionable eateries. With his cuisine, Katz has embraced and integrated Middle Eastern and Turkish ingredients, as well as Arab and Mediterranean influences.
Zhug entices your taste senses with one beautifully innovative dish after another, from White Bean Hummus to Bulgur Salad with Smoked Almonds to Zahtar Spiced Squash Tartlets.
During all meals, warm pita is served with hot zhug. Innovative cocktails and a worldwide wine selection round out the experience, establishing this restaurant as one of Cleveland’s finest.
Restaurant on the Balaton
Cleveland, +1216921969113133 Shaker Square
Balaton is famed for its traditional Eastern European food, although it also offers a variety of other options.
There are some surprises.
For more than 50 years, this iconic Eastern European restaurant has served real roasted chicken and handmade paprikash with spaetzle.
For dessert, the Dobos torte is wonderful. The bright shop on Shaker Square is lined with strong wooden furniture, family portraits, embroidered tapestries, and colorful pottery.
As you wait for your dinner, you may look at some of the art on the walls inside, or if it’s warm enough, sit outside on their patio and enjoy the Cleveland skyline at one of the top restaurants in Cleveland.
Café Anatolia
Cleveland Heights, Lee Rd. +121632144002270
The Anatolia Caf in Cleveland Heights is a lovely monument to Yashar Yildirim’s great work. These are a few reasons why this Café stands out among Cleveland’s greatest eateries.
You may satisfy your hunger at a restaurant and wine bar that serves delectable Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine.
Tasty dips, luscious grilled fowl, and fragrant stews are just a few of the popular menu items at this renowned eatery. Pan-roasted veal liver, thinly sliced doner, grilled lamb chops, and a flavorful mixed grill plate are all available.
When the weather is nice, the spacious sidewalk terrace out front is packed with cheerful customers, many of whom are sipping wine from the basement.
Final Thoughts on Cleveland’s Top 10 Restaurants
In a word, Cleveland offers a welcoming environment for the kind of restaurants that foodies like. The last several years have been particularly abundant.
And yet, when it came to choose my 10 top restaurants in Cleveland, I found it shockingly difficult, not because it’s difficult to come up with a list of places I want to eat right now.
It’s because so many of my recent eating experiences have been so fantastic that it’s practically hard to choose just one.