If you’re looking for somewhere to get a drink or a bite to eat this weekend, these patios are opening  and ready to go with all safety measures in place.

Best Brewery: Great Lakes Brewing Company 2516 Market Ave., Cleveland The competition for this particular award gets steeper every year with the absolute explosion of local breweries in Northeast Ohio. But Great Lakes, which opened in Ohio City in 1988, is still the archbishop of Cleveland’s microbrewery diocese and it continues to innovate even as it pumps out its standbys. Whether you’re trying something fresh and experimental at the pub or buying a six-pack from Dave’s, Great Lakes is the city’s beer — and that’s not changing anytime soon. Photo via Scene Archives
Tartine Bistro 19110 Detroit Rd., Rocky River Tartine Bistro boasts a masterful arrangement of setting, mood, food and drink to recreate the unfeigned quintessence of a charming french bistro. Plus, there’s really good pizza! A small kitchen puts out not only small plates, but also sandwiches (tartines), right-sized entrées, and classic desserts. Photo via
La Dolce Vita 12112 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland The regulars at this Little Italy joint swear by it. You won’t catch them at any other Italian restaurant. The kitchen serves up homestyle Italian food; the staff offers even homier hospitality, and a quirky sense of fun plants tongue firmly in cheek. On live opera nights, a tenor spices-up an eight-course dinner served between musical interludes. Photo via @LaDolceVitaCleveland/Instagram
The Woods 21919 Center Ridge Rd., Rocky River These family style dinners for four include your choice of spaghetti and meatballs for $45, lasagna (meat or veggie) for $55 or chicken parmigana and fettuccine marinara for $65. All meals come with salad and bread and garlic butter. Photo via
Barroco Grill Multiple Locations If you’ve never had an arepa before, you need to head to Barroco ASAP. Arepas, which hail from Colombia and Venezuela, are grilled white tortilla’s stuffed with a variety of ingredients. The ‘La Gringa’, stuffed with braised beef, feta cheese, avocado, chimichurri, greens and mozzarella, and the ‘Buffalo Chicken’ arepa are two of our absolute favorites. Barrocco also has fantastic live Latin music three nights a week. Photo via Barroco/Facebook
The South Side 2207 West 11th St., Cleveland Casually hip and artfully unpretentious, this clubby Tremont tavern offers good food, cold beer, stylish surroundings and frequent appearances by local bands and DJs. And if all that isn’t reason enough to visit, remember that during warm weather, the handsomely landscaped patio is one of the coolest destinations in town. Photo via The Southside/Facebook
Sainato’s at Rivergate 1852 Columbus Rd., Cleveland Down in the Flats, on the West Bank, is this hidden gem. This is Cleveland-style pizza, round pies, sweet sauce and a buttery crust. Photo via @Sainatos_At_Rivergate/Instagram
Strip Steakhouse 36840 Detroit Rd., Avon Housed in a 160-year-old Pennsylvania Dutch barn, this steak house is anything but old-fashioned. Owner Ron Larson spiffed up the interior in ways that will pleasantly surprise diners expecting doilies and drapes. First-rate steaks and chops share the menu with less conventional steakhouse fare, like smoked chicken, pasta Bolognese and horseradish-crusted grouper. Photo via @Stripsteakhouse/Instagram
The Fairmount 2448 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Heights Located in the Cedar Hill neighborhood, the Fairmount takes pub food to the next level. With a warm and lively atmosphere and one of the best patios in town, you’re missing out if you haven’t been. Photo via The Fairmount Cleveland/Facebook
Nora 2181 Murray Hill Rd., Cleveland Nora upends the Little Italy stereotype of the spag-and-ball joint by applying classic French technique to Italian ingredients to come up with dishes that are in sync with the season, if not the surrounding restaurants. While you won’t be dabbing red sauce off your shirt, you will be awash in the Old World charm that attracts us to the Hill in the first place. Here, diners dig into creamy burrata, crunchy polenta fries, wild mushroom stuffed agnolotti, and fettuccine carbonara topped with crispy matchstick potatoes and a buttery poached egg. Photo via Scene Archives
The Tavern Company 2299 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights The Tavern Company has been a Lee Road staple for over ten years. In 2014, they took over the space that the iconic Colony operated in after owner Jim Brennan’s tragic passing. The Tavern Company, or TavCo as locals call it, is as Heights as it gets. Photo via The Tavern Company/Facebook
Taki’s Greek Kitchen 377 Lear Rd., Avon Lake You’ll have to drive out to Avon Lake to chase down the best contemporary Greek food in the region. That’s where chef Peter “Taki” Diamantis works his magic, at a sharp little bistro called Taki’s Greek Kitchen. From dips to dessert, Diamantis treats his ingredients with the care and attention they deserve, resulting in dishes that are bright, clean, fresh and bursting with life. Photo via
Nuevo Modern Mexican 1000 E 9th St., Cleveland Right on Lake Erie, Nuevo is the spot to hit up before visiting the Rock Hall. They originally opened in Akron and expanded to the banks of Lake Erie in 2016 and have been serving up tacos and tequila since. Photo by Doug Trattner
Luca 2100 Superior Viaduct., Cleveland One of the best Italian restaurants in town also contains one of the best views of the city. The sacchetti, which contains white truffles over ricotta stuffed pasta shells, may sound heavy for the summer but you have to get it while sitting on the patio at this Superior Viaduct located spot. Photo via Luca Italian Cuisine/Facebook
The Standard 779 E. 185th St., Cleveland The beloved Colinwood neighborhood gem recently changed ownership, but don’t worry, they’ve kept some longitme favorite dishes of the diehard customer base. In addition to the standards (!) Aromatic, elaborate constructions like Valencian paella, Provençal bouillabaisse and North African tagine reflect the owner’s childhood in Casablanca, where the foods of France, Spain, Italy and North Africa regularly graced his kitchen table. Here, they largely succeed. Photo by Emanuel Wallace
Lago 1091 West 10th St., Cleveland Chef Fabio Salerno’s Lago is the place to be seen in the East Bank of the Flats. The patio is usually jumping and the meatballs are to die for. Photo via Lago East Bank/Facebook
Edwin’s Leadership and Restaurant Institute 13101 Shaker Square., Cleveland In 2013, Brandon Chrostowski opened Edwins Leadership and Restaurant at Shaker Square. Not only is the French bistro one of the finest restaurants in town, they’re also a non-profit organization that hires and trains convicted felons to work in their restaurant. Chrostowski started Edwins with the belief that, “every human being regardless of their past has the right to a fair and equal future”. Everything on the menu is superb, but we’re big fans of the burger that’s prepared table-side, and the duck is also delectable. Photo via Scene Archives
Flour 34205 Chagrin Blvd., Moreland Hills Is it just us or does Flour get better and buzzier over time? We’ve been fans of the Italian restaurant since the start, lured out to suburbia by the four skilled hands belonging to Paul Minnillo and Matt Mytro. This tag team of tagliatelle put the panache back in pasta, elevating the genre from dependable gut-buster to captivating, elegant cuisine. The perfect pairings of noodles and sauce, like rigatoni with lamb neck gravy, are memorable to the very last bite. Photo via Scene Archives
Johnny’s Bar 3164 Fulton Rd., Cleveland This timelessly elegant, little jewel box of a restaurant is the sort of place you suggest when you want to impress the boss, wow a date, or just remind yourself why you work so damn hard. The menu is crammed with upscale Italian specialties, including some stunning risottos and one of the city’s finest long-boned veal chops; at lunch, though — pssst — the char-grilled burger is out of this world. Photo via Johnny’s Bar on Fulton/Facebook
Blu, the Restaurant 3355 Richmond Rd., Beachwood Svelte and sophisticated, Moxie is where you take your business partners to impress them with your good taste. The seasonal American foods, including grilled fish, savory meats, and bountiful salads, are artfully presented by professional servers. Finish your meal with the baked hot chocolate and you are guaranteed to leave happy. Photo via Blu, The Restaurant/Facebook
Lindey’s Lake House Multiple Locations From veteran restaurateur Rick Doody, mostly known as the founder of Bravo and Brio, Lindey’s came to Cleveland in the last couple of years as an extension of the beloved Lindey’s in Columbus, another Doody family restaurant. While their Lakewood and Beachwood locations remain open for pick-up, their Flats location, that used to be Coastal Taco, will open their sprawling patio this weekend. Photo via Lindey’s Lake House/Facebook
Mallorca 1390 West Ninth St., Cleveland If you’re looking to share a giant pot of paella, this is the spot in town. They’re patio puts you in the heart of the Warehouse district, a good place to enjoy a night on the town. Photo via Mallorca/Facebook

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