12 of the Best Ethnic Eats in Cleveland, As Determined by You

For a restaurant group that specializes in so-called "foreign" food, Aladdin's Eatery is remarkably user friendly. In fact, when you think about, it was quite the coup for founders Fady and Sally Chamoun to convince a townful of Midwesterners to put down the corned beef sandwiches and pick up pitas stuffed with falafel, shish tawook and shawarma in their place. That sort of Lebanese voodoo has lead to an explosion of locations, with two dozen sites in multiple cities and states. You accomplish that feat, of course, by serving up a steady diet of fresh, healthy, delicious and affordable cuisine. And as more and more people adopt vegan and vegetarian diets, Aladdin's stands to benefit even more thanks to numerous meat-free options.

Year in and year out, Sokolowski's nabs the top honors in this category — and not for a lack of competition. Cleveland's Eastern European roots have sprouted more than our fair share of tasty, rib-sticking Polish restaurants. But this joint, with its non-assuming cafeteria-style approach, just seems to tickle the fancy of most residents. Lucky for us Clevelanders, there's no shortage of amazing, historic places to order up a platter of Old World classics like periogies, kielbasa, schnitzel, stuffed cabbages and Salisbury steak, but for more than 90 years, Sokolowski's has been the first place that comes to mind.

In a town like Cleveland, where top-notch, chef-owned bistros appear to grow on trees, it's increasingly difficult for a diner to be truly blown away by a dining experience. But that's precisely what (still) happens at this Warehouse District institution. The setting is smart, cosmopolitan and befitting a special occasion — as is the service, overseen by a battalion of be-tuxed servers. While expertly prepared fish and seafood is Mallorca's sweet spot, a lengthy list of nightly specials covers pretty much everything else, with Spanish and Portuguese dishes built around beef, chicken, pork and rabbit. Chances are good that if it swims, flies or hops, it's a special. The family-style entrees are served with Spanish rice, a large plate of crisp seasonal vegetables and some very addictive house-fried potato chips.