There’s a whole lot to look forward to later this year and a bit beyond in the Greater Cleveland restaurant scene. Scene dining editor Doug Trattner has all the details on what’s opening, expanding and arriving to make this year even tastier than it’s already been. Here’s what’s on tap.

Boom’s Pizza 14370 Detroit Ave., Lakewood Customers who shopped at Keep The Change Kitchen Collective, the now-closed virtual food hall from Spice Hospitality Group, often looked forward to “doughball Fridays.” That’s when chefs Ben Bebenroth and culinary partner Jonathan Bennett would add Boom’s Pizza to the roster of menus. In June, the group announced that Boom’s Pizza would become a full service concept in the heart of Lakewood in the former home of Campbell’s Popcorn. Named after Bebenroth’s grandfather, Boom’s Pizza is described as a hybrid between New York and Neapolitan style pie. Slightly larger than a traditional Neapolitan pizza, these pies are perfect for one or two diners. Credit: Scene Archives
Hola Island Provisions 2235 E. 55th St., Cleveland For eight years, Luis Roman operated the successful Latin eatery Campus Grille in Berea. But in the end, a spate of pandemic-related issues such as soaring food costs, scarcity of supplies and struggles with staffing conspired to compel him to close. When he opens Hola Island Provisions, he will begin testing what might be a blueprint for future expansion. For the next year, fans can find him on the Vocational Guidance Services campus, where he will be reviving a dormant cafeteria. His approach will be a Subway-style sandwich shop, but with pressed Caribbean-style sandwiches. Beginning in June, Roman will be offering pressed sandwiches like Cubans, tripletas, traditional ham and cheese, and grilled shrimp Po’ boy with creole sauce. He’ll also be offering empanadillas. A large atrium offers customers plenty of seating for dine-in enjoyment. If all goes well, Roman might relocate to a ghost kitchen. Credit: Scene Archives
Cleveland Bagel Cafe 436 E. Main St., Kent When Starbucks closed its Kent store at E. Main and Lincoln streets last summer, the move set off a wave of concern for the future of the building. After many discussions, the property has landed in the hands of Mike Beder, a well-known businessman in the area. Beder has operated numerous businesses in the area, namely Water Street Tavern, Venice Café, Franklin Hotel Bar and Tree City Coffee. Along with partners Evan Bailey, Charlotte Varney, and Nicole Awad, Beder will open Cleveland Bagel Café in early May. Beder knew that he wanted to feature Cleveland Bagel at the café, having carried them at Tree City Coffee, but he decided to take the partnership one step further. “Our concept will be a broadened version of Cleveland Bagel Co.’s great offerings, including an expanded sandwich menu and full coffee bar,” he says. Credit: Scene Archives
Muze Gastropub, Eat Me Pizza and Trellis Rooftop Bar 1384 Hird Rd., Lakewood First announced in 2019, Studio West 117 is gearing up for its first big debut. The Lakewood-based development is modeled after LGBT-focused neighborhoods like the Castro in San Francisco and the Short North in Columbus. Phase one, which is called the Fieldhouse, will feature two restaurants and a rooftop bar. Located at West 117th Street and Detroit, Studio West 117 aims to be the new hub for LGBT dining, nightlife and entertainment in Cleveland. In addition to the Fieldhouse, which will include two restaurants, a rooftop bar, a 5,000-square-foot event space and demonstration kitchen, future phases will include a 56,000-square-foot theater, smaller venues, retail spaces, and maker and studio spaces. First up for the multi-faceted development will be Muze Gastropub, Eat Me Pizza and Trellis Rooftop Bar, all three of which are on pace to open in early October. Michael Kittle, who has worked for Doug Katz, Jonathon Sawyer and Marigold Catering, oversees all of the food and beverage spaces. Credit: Scene Archives
Fahrenheit 55 Public Square., Cleveland Rocco Whalen is relocating his 20-year-old Tremont hotspot Fahrenheit to the long-dormant John Q’s Steakhouse spot on Public Square. When it opens in late 2022, the restaurant will boast an 8,000-square-foot main floor and 4,300-square-foot second level with rooftop seating. Expect an even finer-dining version of the celebrated restaurant. Credit: Scene Archives
Nighttown 12387 Cedar Rd., Cleveland Heights When Nighttown, the iconic Cleveland Heights jazz club and restaurant, closed in 2020, its future looked bleak. But stepping up to save the day was Gregg Levy, whose Red Restaurant Group announced that it would reopen the storied property after extensive renovations and infrastructure improvements. Credit: Scene Archives
Half Moon Bakery Tower City Despite opening at one of the worst times in recent history, Half Moon Bakery (3460 W. 25th St., 216-255-7714) is absolutely thriving, says owner Gerson Velasquez. To take some of the pressure off the original spot, Velasquez has his eye on expansion. His first move is to open a satellite shop at Tower City, where he’ll take over the former McDonald’s space in food court for another Half Moon. The menu will be nearly identical to that of the Clark-Fulton café, with Argentinian empanadas, Colombian empanadas, empanada-style tacos, Cuban sandwiches and Latin pastries. Velasquez expects the Tower City shop to open in October or November. More ambitious plans are on the horizon, says Velasquez. Those plans include converting a vacant commercial building in Brooklyn Centre to a full-service restaurant. Located at Denison and W. 34th Street, the sit-down restaurant will feature an expanded menu of empanadas, but will also offer breakfast service and other items to the mix. That project will take about a year and a half, says the owner. Credit: Scene Archives
Tost Sandwich Cafe 2341 Scranton Rd., and Detroit and West 28th St., Cleveland t’s only been a year and a half since Tommy Karakostas opened Tost Sandwich Café (13427 Madison Ave.) in Lakewood, but two more locations already are in the works. Before the end of the year, the longtime owner of the Greek Village will open new Tost shops in Ohio City and Tremont. Karakostas says that while he was working on the Ohio City location, he was approached by a developer about a possible Tremont outpost. Now, the two shops are moving forward simultaneously, with the Tremont store likely to open first. Credit: Scene Archives
Pearl Street Wine Market and Cafe 2523 Market Ave., Cleveland Back in March, Karen Small shuttered the Flying Fig, her 23-year-old Ohio City bistro. But when she did, she announced that she would be partnering up with Jill Davis, owner of Toast Wine Bar, on a new project in the same space. Inspired by European bistros, Pearl Street Wine Market & Café will combine the retail aspect of the former Market at the Fig with a casual small-plates, farm-to-table café. In addition to small and shared plates starring local charcuterie and cheeses, there will be larger entrees featuring proteins, pasta, grains and seasonal produce. A rotating selection of wines by the glass, beer and classic cocktails will be available. Credit: Scene Archives
Heck’s Cafe 3355 Richmond Rd., Beachwood Come fall, Heck’s Café will make its triumphant return to Cleveland’s east side. Back in the late-1970s and early-1980s, the legendary burger restaurant had a location at Eton mall in Woodmere, alongside other classic places like the Cheese Cellar and James Tavern. This time around, Heck’s will rise in Beachwood. Fadi Daoud, who owns Heck’s in Ohio City and Avon, has taken possession of the former Blu and Cut 151 spaces at Richmond and Chagrin. Daoud says the plan is to convert the Blu space to Heck’s and use the attached Cut 151 space, which shares the same kitchen, as private event space until he develops a separate concept for that property. Credit: Scene Archives
Dave’s Hot Chicken (Beachwood and Ohio City) Multiple Locations L.A.-based hot chicken chain making moves throughout the Midwest, has announced plans for its first east-side location. The new store will be located at Harvard Park, which sits near the intersection of Harvard and Richmond. This latest shop will join two existing Northeast Ohio locations in Lakewood (15012 Detroit Ave.) and Fairview Park (3120 Westgate Mall). A location in Ohio City that was first announced in 2021 is on track to open before the end of this year, according to reps. That shop is claiming a portion of the former W. 25th Street Furniture space at Chatham and W. 25th Street. Credit: Scene Archives
High 5 1502 Old River Rd., Cleveland In the wake of developer Scott Wolstein’s passing, some in-process projects in the Flats have changed course. One of them is Smokey’s BBQ and Saloon, which was on pace to open this summer. That restaurant was to occupy the second and third floors of the new building that houses Welcome to the Farm. Now that two-level space will be home to High 5, which will be operated by Forward Hospitality. Forward CEO Michael Schwartz describes High 5 as a “happy, chill, let’s laugh kind of sports bar,” where guests can feel comfortable in t-shirts and flip-flops. Credit: Scene Archives
Shake It 3396 Tuttle Rd., Shaker Heights After two bites at the upscale-casual apple, Michael Schwartz is going in a completely different direction with his space at Van Aken District in Shaker Heights. After closing Kindred Spirit late last year, which replaced the short-lived Sawyer’s restaurant, Schwartz of Forward Hospitality is opening a burger concept. Shake It is a family-friendly eatery with roots in a Chicago project of the same name, which has been in the works since 2017. Shake It will feature a menu of single, double and, possibly, triple burgers (not smashed, Schwartz is quick to point out) with Shake It sauce and various condiments. The burgers will be joined on the menu by a veggie burger, hot and non-spicy fried chicken sandwiches, a salad and sides. Given the name, customers can count on milkshakes, boozy or dry. Credit: Scene Archives
Larchmere Tavern Project 13051 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland Larchmere Tavern closed this summer after nearly 30 years. In the coming months, Michael Paley and property owner Louis Jacobs will open a cocktail-forward establishment they hope will be on par in terms of quality with the likes of Velvet Tango Room, Spotted Owl and Porco Lounge. There will be small plates to go with the spirits. Credit: Scene Archives
The Judith 1384 Hird Rd., Lakewood Since taking over Room Service from founder Danielle DeBoe Harper a decade ago, Jennie Doran has grown and cultivated the brand at retail locations in Ohio City and the Van Aken District. The lifestyle boutique is known as much for its design-inspired gifts, home goods and apparel as it is for its artfully curated environment. While the Ohio City location closed last year, Doran and husband/partner Andrew Worm have announced exciting new plans to return to the near-west side. The couple has taken possession of 5222 Lorain Avenue, the former home to Guide to Kulchur, which they will develop over the next year or so into three components. The first space to be unveiled will be The Judith, a French-inspired café. Guests can look forward to a 30-seat space rich with warmth and texture, one that conjures images of an Old World Parisienne café. Next up in the roll-out will be a new Room Service store, which will mark the brand’s long-anticipated return to the West Side. Included in that retail experience will be a garden and gathering space for the community. Credit: Scene Archives
Evelyn 5800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland Three months after chef Jill Vedaa and partner Jessica Parkison shared news that they’d scooped up the former Spice spot in Gordon Square for a new venture, they’re ready to share just what they have in store. When it opens next September, Evelyn, named after Vedda’s mother, will find the pair behind Salt dishing up “elevated tapas.” Credit: Jill Vedaa (left) and Jessica Parkison

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