A host of new restaurants have opened in Cleveland this year. We dug into our numbers to find which ones have moved the needle most in order to create your summer dining to-do list.

Watami Sushi 7426 Broadview Rd, Parma Instant gratification is the name of the game at Watami Sushi in Parma, billed as Ohio’s only conveyor-belt sushi restaurant. The dining room is small but efficiently arranged so that all the dishes pass within arm’s reach of every table, every diner. Items are color-coded, with green, yellow, pink, red and black dishes corresponding to the price. They start at $2.50 for vegetarian items like edamame, seaweed salad or an avocado roll and climb to $3.75 for raw nigiri like salmon, yellowtail and snapper or cooked items such as shrimp or eel nigiri or spider rolls. Credit: Douglas Trattner
Patron Saint 2915 Detroit Ave., Cleveland Maria Artale’s lifelong dream was to open a restaurant and she fulfilled that goal when she opened Patron Saint in June, when the long-planned all-day cafe and aperitivo bar opened to the public. As an all-day café, Patron Saint transitions from early morning coffee service through early evening aperitivo hour. The 50-seat café boasts a window counter with lake views, comfortable banquettes, a standing rail, and bar seating. Although there is a full bar, Artale has her sights focused on low-alcohol beverages like amaro-based spritzes, which will go well beyond the ubiquitous Aperol and Campari. Additionally, there will Italian beer and wine on hand. Chef David Kocab has created a farm-to-table Italian-inspired menu that leans light, wholesome, seasonal and creative. Credit: Douglas Trattner
Wolf Pack Chorus 2175 Cornell Rd, Cleveland The former Club Isabella space in Little Italy is now home to Wolf Pack Chorus, which owners Chris and Katie Wolf describe as a “modern brasserie.” The attractive bar and dining room attempts to plug the gap between neighborhood trattoria and upscale special-occasion restaurant. Credit: Douglas Trattner
La Plaza at Re:bar 2132 E 9th St, Cleveland Taco lovers no longer need to make the trek to the Cleveland-Lakewood border to hit up La Plaza Taqueria. Adrian Ortega’s downtown taqueria is up and running at Re: bar, which is located a block from Progressive Field. The eatery comes thanks to a partnership between Ortega and Re: bar owner Rachel Ulloa. The bar offers the complete taqueria menu, including tacos, tortas, tamales, quesadillas and the all-important salsa bar. Credit: Kevin Churkh
Hecks Beachwood 3355 Richmond Rd, Beachwood Back in the late-`70s and early-`80s, Hecks operated taverns on both sides of the Cuyahoga River. In addition to the original Ohio City location, which celebrated its 50th birthday last year, the iconic Cleveland brand had a restaurant at Eton mall in Woodmere. Now, after nearly 40 years, Hecks has returned to the east side. Owner Fadi Daoud had been working since this past summer to transform the former Blu (and Moxie) space into a warm and woodsy American restaurant. Credit: Douglas Trattner
Mendel’s Kansas City BBQ 20314 Chagrin Blvd, Shaker Heights Like his Miami restaurant, Mendel’s Backyard BBQ, Mendel Segal is proving that kosher and barbecue can indeed coexist. Mendel’s Kansas City BBQ opened its doors in Shaker Heights, across Chagrin Boulevard from Van Aken District. The 80-seat restaurant is full-service, but family-friendly. And with items like brisket, smoked pastrami, giant beef ribs, beef back ribs, smoked veal brisket, lamb ribs, smoked turkey, burnt ends and smoked chicken, few diners will miss the pork. Credit: Douglas Trattner
Boom’s Pizza 14370 Detroit Ave., Lakewood Ben Bebenroth and Jonathan Bennett, both of Spice Hospitality Group, have opened Boom’s Pizza in Lakewood. The snazzy corner shop is a pleasant merger between a casual sit-down and pick-up operation, with a comfortable dining room that rewards dine-in customers. Guests order, pay and grab their beverages from self-serve coolers filled with beer, wine by the can, split and bottle and soft drinks. Credit: Agape Photography
The Judith 5222 Lorain Ave, Cleveland Jennie Doran and Andrew Worm, owners of Room Service, have opened The Judith, a French-inspired café. The 125-year-old building in Ohio City, formerly home to Guide to Kulchur bookstore, has been transformed into a charming 28-seat European-style café. In the morning, coffee and tea is served alongside breakfast pastries and open-face sandwiches. Lunches usher in fresh salads, shareable small plates, baguette sandwiches and desserts. When the wine, beer and cocktails are added in the coming months, the café will roll through happy hour and into the evening. Credit: Daniel Lozada
Gray House Pizza 14201 Madison Ave, Lakewood Gray House Pies owner Joe Schlott has been passionate about Detroit-style pizza for years. As soon as it became available, he snagged the Lakewood spot formerly home to Chow Chow and Smokin’ Thyme Kitchen. His technique starts with a 2-day cold proof. He uses high-fat brick cheese, making sure to pile it into the corners and edges. Naturally, they are baked in square steel pans and sauced after they exit the oven to keep the tomato flavors bright and fresh. Credit: Douglas Trattner
Duke’s ‘n Boots 4027 Erie St., Willoughby Dukes `n Boots, chef Dante Boccuzzi’s first foray to the east side, welcomed its first guests in the heart of Willoughby on Erie Street in May. The Southern-styled saloon elevates the honky-tonk vibe thanks to warm wood, exposed brick and a menu designed by a Michelin-starred chef. Heading up the kitchen is chef Emily Campion, who has been working at Ginko and Dante for the past year. She takes the reins with an eye on quality, consistency and creativity. Don’t miss the 60-seat outdoor patio, perfect for summer dining and drinking. Credit: Douglas Trattner
Au Jus 5875 Broadview Rd Unit B, Parma Wedged between a Marco’s Pizza and a nail salon in a dinky Parma strip, Au Jus flies through 100 to 150 pounds of slow-roasted top round beef per day and about 12 gallons of au jus, which is made from the drippings. The small, mainly carry-out shop has quickly become Cleveland’s favorite source for Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches. Credit: Douglas Trattner
Tutto Carne 2181 Murray Hill Road, Cleveland The red-brick corner property in Little Italy that has been home to a handful of restaurants over the years including Salvatore’s, Tutto Giorno, Il Bacio and Nora welcomed a new operation in May with Tutto Carne. The Italian-themed steakhouse is operated by Zachary Ladner and Carl Quagliata, the chef-owners behind Giovanni’s, Smokin’ Q’s BBQ, Paloma and The Village Butcher. At the 45-seat bistro, guests will be encouraged to linger thanks to posh and plush velvet-wrapped chairs to dine on steaks, chops, seafood and classic pasta dishes. Credit: Douglas Trattner
Zina Greek Street Food 13898 Cedar Rd, University Heights Demetrios Atheneos, who operates the popular Chicken Ranch, has opened Zina Greek Street Food in a shop a few doors down from that University Heights restaurant. Zina offers “good, clean Greek street foods,” says the chef. A concise menu of staples like lamb sliders, gyros, chicken and pork souvlaki, spanakopita and loukoumades (Greek donuts) will be joined by daily or weekly specials like pastitsio and moussaka. Credit: Douglas Trattner
Ice or Rice 3713 Payne Ave., Cleveland Ice or Rice Cafe has been in the works for years when you consider the pop-ups and events that owners Brian Ng and Rachel He have hosted in the past. Ice or Rice was a regular vendor at events such as the Asian Festival and night markets, where their Japanese shaved ice dessert was always in demand. At the cafe, diners can start with appetizers like edamame, seaweed salad, tempura shrimp and chicken karaage (Japanese fried chicken). Onigiri, triangular seaweed-wrapped rice balls, come lightly filled with tuna, salmon or sweet pork floss. Credit: Ice or Rice
Pho Sunshine 2999 Payne Ave #142, Cleveland At the tail end of last year, Cleveland diners lost a gem named Szechuan Café. The large space at Asia Plaza did not sit idle for long. Pho Sunshine Vietnamese Restaurant opened its doors in February. Diners can expect a large menu of familiar and not-so-familiar Vietnamese dishes that range from crispy spring rolls to a Vietnamese beef stew served with French bread. Credit: Pho Sunshine
Poppy 12502 Larchmere Blvd, Cleveland Fifteen years ago, Felice opened in a warm and woodsy Craftsman-style home on Larchmere Boulevard. Last month, Poppy opened in that same turn-of-the-century property. Now in the hands of Jill Vedaa and Jessica Parkison of Salt, the attractive restaurant seats 75 in the main and second floor dining rooms. The menu is divided into categories for vegetables, fish and meat, with plates growing in size within those categories as well as across the page. Credit: Douglas Trattner
Geraci’s Slice Shop 603 Prospect Ave., Cleveland Last summer, downtown Cleveland lost a 40-year-old legend when Vincenza’s Pizza & Pasta abruptly closed its shop. But last week, another local legend took up the mantle to provide hot slices for all. Geraci’s Slice Shop, an extension of the 60-year-old brand, launched last summer in Willoughby as part of The Yard on 3rd. The expanded downtown spot offers more in terms of food, beverage and setting. The fast-casual operation features classic Geraci’s pizzas – either by the slice or whole – plus appetizers, salads, subs and desserts like Italian ice and tiramisu. Guests can look forward to a fun, funky décor modeled after an `80s pizzeria, complete with full bar and game room. In the off season, Geraci’s Slice Shop acquired “Manager of the Year” Terry “Tito” Francona as an investor. The prominent Vincenza’s space has been artfully redesigned into an `80s-themed pizzeria where fun, nostalgia and efficiency are the names of the game. A 25-seat sidewalk patio features a turf base and lawn chairs. Credit: Douglas Trattner
Daisy’s 5614 Fleet Ave., Cleveland Daisy’s in Slavic Village has endured its share of ups and downs over the past few years.The 40-year-old ice cream shop closed in 2018 and sat idle for three years. In 2018, chef Walter Hyde revived the shop but passed away in 2021.This past fall, LT Magnotto of Guardian Cold Brew purchased the property for his growing cold-brew coffee business,, using the back for production. Partners Brittany Bissell and Chris Hoke hope to reopen Daisy’s by Memorial Day at the latest. Their plan is to offer a combination of hard pack and soft serve ice creams, brownie sundaes, banana splits, milkshakes and floats. They will be serving Toft’s ice cream from Sandusky, “Ohio’s oldest dairy.” The owners will also offer a small selection of hot foods starring hot dogs and traditional Polish boys, with kielbasa, fries, coleslaw and barbecue sauce. Credit: Provided
Balaton 8564 E. Washington St., Bainbridge This is the fourth location for Balaton since Therezia Olah launched the restaurant as a small takeout spot on Buckeye Road in the early 1960s. A few years later she graduated to a larger full-service restaurant farther up Buckeye Road. That restaurant thrived there from the mid-1960s until 1998, when the family relocated to Shaker Square. The addresses may have changed, but the dynamite comfort food has not. Stop by for the schnitzel and don’t miss the veal crepe. 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 combines 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 are larger entrees featuring proteins, pasta, grains and seasonal produce. A rotating selection of wines by the glass, beer and classic cocktails are available. Credit: Photo by Joe Szabo

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