Autumn, as the jazz standard tells us, brings the promise of new love. It also brings the promise of new cafes, bars and restaurants, confirming the unending optimism of chefs, owners and operators. Like years prior, the season is filled with dozens of new projects that will be rolling out in the days, weeks and months to come.

Café Lola, Chagrin Falls This past winter, Rick Doody took over Bell & Flower in Chagrin Falls and operated it until spring. That’s when he shuttered the joint to make way for an ambitious renovation project that is slated to wrap up later this year. When the 150-year-old property reopens as Café Lola, it will feature classic bistro fare and décor, boasting tin ceilings, wood floors, exposed brick walls and a long bar along one side. Doody also operates JoJo’s Bar and 17 River Grille in the Falls as well as Bar Italia, Cedar Creek Grille and Lindey’s Lake House. Credit: Google Maps
Birdietown, Lakewood Over the past few years, the so-called “eatertainment” trend has brought us venues starring classic arcade games, duckpin bowling, shuffleboard and golf sims. Come late-fall/early winter, Lakewood will lay claim to a contemporary mini-golf emporium called Birdietown. The two-level, 12,000-square-foot venue is taking shape in the Nest facility in Birdtown, also home to Phoenix Coffee and Heyday Collective. In addition to a custom-built indoor 18-hole miniature golf course, the destination will feature two bars and a restaurant serving a menu crafted by chef Jill Vedaa. Credit: Scene archives
Fiamma, Woodmere Early last year, Mendel Segal opened Mendel’s Kansas City BBQ, a kosher-style barbecue spot in Shaker Heights. Soon, the owner will bring another kosher eatery to the east side of town, this one focusing on Italian dishes like salads, pizzas, housemade pastas and fish. Those pizzas will be cooked in a wood-burning oven, hence the name Fiamma, which is Italian for flame. Look for the restaurant to open in the former Mabel’s BBQ spot at Eton Chagrin Boulevard in late fall or early winter. Credit: Scene archives
Batuqui, Cleveland After nine years on Larchmere Boulevard, Carla Batista and Gustavo Nogueira are relocating their beloved Brazilian restaurant Batuqui. But they aren’t going far; the restaurant’s new home will be located 130 feet west in the former St. Paul’s Evangelical Church, a stately Craftsman-style building constructed in 1922. The church’s main design features – stained glass windows, soaring ceilings, rich wood accents – will be on full display, alongside heartwarming dishes like feijoada, xim-xim and pasta de mariscos. Credit: Scene archives
Wolf & Co., Bay Village Dan Deagan and Mandi Burman are just weeks away from opening Wolf & Co., a wine bar in Bay Village. Deagan, who also operates Humble Wine Bar and truck parks in Lakewood and Beachwood, took over the former Vivid Jewelers space across the street from Cahoon Park. Like its wine-bar sibling in Lakewood, the new spot will offer starters, salads, thin-crust pizzas and wine in an attractive space that is destined to become a hot date-night spot. Credit: Scene archives
Kyuramen, Strongsville Like he did with Lao Sze Chuan in Pinecrest, Sheng Long Yu is importing a celebrated Asian restaurant brand to Cleveland. When Kyuramen opens later this year at SouthPark Mall in Strongsville, it will be Ohio’s first location for this quickly expanding restaurant. Founded in 2014, Kyuramen currently has about 40 locations in the United States, with another 65 already in the planning phase. The restaurants feature a distinctive interior, including honeycomb seating that stacks booths on top of each other. In addition to numerous ramen options, the restaurant will serve shrimp tempura, fried oysters, yakitori, steam buns, takoyaki and omurice, the social-media sensation that is a fluffy omelet sliced tableside to reveal a creamy core. Credit: Scene archives
Sushi Kuwahata and Issho Ni Izakaya, Ohio City Issho Ni has been selling ramen, sushi and other Japanese foods in Willoughby since 2019. Come winter, the owners will open a new restaurant in Ohio City, in the renovated VFW building on Fulton that was briefly home to Cha Pizza. On the main floor diners will find Issho Ni Izakaya, while the second floor will be home to Sushi Kuwahata. Upstairs will be purpose-built around a high-end omakase experience, with just eight spots for the 20-course meals. In contrast, downstairs will be a high-energy bar serving contemporary Japanese small plates, beer and sake. Credit: Scene archives
Arthur Treacher’s, Cleveland Hts. Later this year, the restaurant chain that grew to 820 locations before dropping to one, will soon welcome number three to the fold. Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips owner George Simon, who owns the shops in Cuyahoga Falls and Garfield Heights, will add a new “express” restaurant in Cleveland Heights before the end of the year. Amazingly, the same address was home to an Arthur Treacher’s restaurant from the early 1970s until the early 1990s. Credit: Scene archives
Jolene, Cleveland The former Greenhouse Tavern (and Indie and Gabriel’s Southern Table) space on East 4th Street will soon be home to Jolene, a honkytonk in the heart of the city. Owners Jason Beudert, Terry Francona and Chelsea Williams, who also run Steak and Geraci’s Slice Shop, aim to bring a little bit of Nashville to Cleveland. The space will undergo a complete overhaul – both inside and out – to create a vibrant atmosphere filled with live music, guitar shotskis and fried chicken. The goal is to be ready in time for the Guardians home opener in spring. Credit: Scene archives
Build the Pho, Ohio City and N. Olmsted Eric Jun Weng, who operates Build the Pho at Uptown in University Circle, has begun work on locations number two and three. One is coming to the former Campbell’s Sweets space on W. 25th St. in Ohio City, and the other to the former Rail spot in North Olmsted. Like the original, the new shops will offer diners a build-your-own-bowl pho experience. The restaurant employs an efficient QR code-based ordering system ideally suited to pho given the variety of noodle, broth and topping options offered. Credit: Scene archives
Rising Star Coffee, Cleveland Hts. For five years, Rising Star Coffee has operated in the old diner property on Lee Road alongside Abundance Culinary. But the local roaster had been on the lookout for a larger, permanent home. They found that space around the corner on S. Taylor Road, a property long home to Cycle Sport and Fitness bike shop. The goal is to be open for business sometime in November. Credit: Scene archives
Kintaro Sushi and Hot Pot, Woodmere Last December, Corky & Lenny’s delicatessen closed its Woodmere location after more than 50 years. The large property at Village Square shopping plaza will not sit idle long as it will be home to Kintaro, a popular all-you-can-eat sushi and hot pot restaurant. The original at Ridge Park Square in Brooklyn opened back in 2016. Next up was Fairview Park in 2019. Since then, Kintaro has gone on to add locations in West Park, Willowick and Akron. The secret to the local restaurant group’s success is a menu that offers unlimited sushi and hot pot at qualities that exceed their price tags. Look for Woodmere to open in spring or summer of 2025. Credit: Scene archives
56 Social, Shaker Hts. J. Pistone Market in Shaker Heights closed this summer after nearly 25 years. This winter, the space will become home to 56 Social, a spinoff of the popular brand that includes two 56 Kitchen locations. Owners Jay Leitson and Izzy Schachner will build off the memory of Cafe 56, a restaurant at Eastgate in Mayfield that offered customers a choice of 56 different salads. Look for a menu of built-to-order salads, larger plates and prepared foods. Credit: Scene archives
Coyoacán, Shaker Square Reynaldo Galindo’s mother, Maria de la Luz Galindo, opened one of the first Mexican restaurants in Cleveland with Luchita’s. For 20 years, the family also operated a Luchita’s restaurant at Shaker Square. Soon, the family will return to the Square with Coyoacán. Set in the former Balaton space, Coyoacán will offer guests two different experiences in the same property: a fast-casual Mexican eatery on one side and a bar and microbrewery on the other. Each will have its own menu, with tacos, burritos, tortas, empanadas and bowls in the first space and regional Mexican foods that change monthly in the second. The goal is to open before the holidays. Credit: Scene archives
Greens Salad Co., Ohio City Come spring, Ohio City will welcome the first location of Greens Salad Co., a locally-owned fast-casual eatery located at Intro in Ohio City. Guests will work their way down the line, selecting ingredients like greens, toppings, proteins and salad dressings. Customers can also opt for one of nearly a dozen signature creations like the Caesar, Cobb, vegan Black Bean Burger Bowl and Tahini. Salad choppers will be on hand to chop and toss the salads, and everything can be ordered as a wrap as well. There will be seasonal salads and soups come wintertime. The goal is to be quick, efficient and affordable. Credit: Scene archives
Pin High, Bay Village When they’re not hitting the links, Dan Deagan and his golf buddies enjoy popping into one of the many golf simulator facilities in the area. But despite the increased popularity of these places, none exist between downtown Cleveland and the far-western suburbs. That will change when Pin High opens this winter in Bay Village. Located in the former Bay Lanes bowling alley, a 13,000-square-foot, two-level property, Pin High will offer pros, duffers and newbies a place to go to work on their swing while enjoying beer, wine, cocktails and snacks in a sports-bar setting. Credit: Scene archives
The Friars’ Table, Playhouse Square Brandon Chrostowski describes his new venture – a partnership with Cleveland Capuchin Ministries – not just as a restaurant, but as a beacon of hope for the city. Set to open this winter in the former Cowell & Hubbard space in Playhouse Square, Friars’ Table will be a restaurant with a mission rooted in the values of “simplicity, dignity and community.” The restaurant will feature a seasonal menu “inspired by monastic cuisine,” with items such as pea soup, cabbage and potato salad, mushroom tarts, pork roulade and cod with tomato chutney. Credit: Scene archives
Coppia, Eastern Suburbs In early 2025, chefs Hedy and Talia Trovato will unveil the new iteration of their three-year-old restaurant, Coppia. While the owners are electing to keep some details quiet for now – including the precise location – they have shared that the newly built restaurant will have a 50-seat dining room with “modern-organic design.” The room will also boast an 8-seat chef’s table. Like the original, the fine-dining eatery will feature seasonally changing a la carte and tasting menus paired with signature cocktails and sommelier selected wines. Credit: Scene archives

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.