There are so many damn bars in this city. And that’s definitely not something we’re complaining about. But how does one pick where they want to hit up? Well, we tried to select some of our favorites to help you better enjoy this weekend.
Nano Brew
1859 West 25th St., Cleveland
In 2013, Thrillist named this local brewery’s burger as one of the best 33 burgers in America. If that’s not enough of a reason to hit up this microbrewery, pair one of Nano Brew’s award-winning burgers (or sliders) with any of their 24 draft beers — they’ve got you covered until 2:30 a.m.
Photo via Nano Brew/FacebookBottleHouse Brewing Company
2050 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights
This Cleveland Heights brewery, which recently expanded with a second location in Lakewood, feels more like a community gathering place than a bar. Live music, board games, community tables and no televisions gives it more of that living room feeling. And the beer is delicious.
Photo via @BottleHouseBrew/InstagramThe Harp
4408 Detroit Ave., Cleveland
An Irish bar on steroids, the Harp isn’t just your corner joint with a few shamrocks on the wall. It boasts a large Irish-influenced menu and a spacious patio with a view of the lake. And with the Irish influence, they obviously know their fish and chips. They’ve been closed for COVID but will reopen March 2nd.
Photo via The Harp/Facebook Credit: Scene ArchivesThe Speakeasy at Quintana’s
2200 S Taylor Rd., Cleveland Heights
Walk through the barbershop, up the staircase, and find the secret passageway by choosing the right book on the bookshelf. You’ll be greeted with craft cocktails, a lounge, and, hopefully, a good time.
Photo via speakeasyqbds/InstagramThe Flying Monkey Pub
819 Jefferson Ave., Cleveland
Karaoke? Trivia? Cheap drinks? Relaxed atmosphere? Sign us up for this Tremont dive bar. Also, this is the bar to hit up if you want to bring your dog with you to drink.
Photo via Flying Monkey Pub/FacebookThe 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/FacebookMarket Garden Brewery
1947 West 25th St., Cleveland
This Ohio City brewery, one of the most popular microbreweries in town, is another great spot to enjoy a cold, locally brewed beer. An Ohio Beef Burger and fresh baked pretzel goes great with any of their beers.
Photo via Scene ArchivesAcademy Tavern
12800 Larchmere Ave., Cleveland
Larchmere’s Academy Tavern is one of the oldest drinking establishments not just on the East Side, but in all of Northeast Ohio. Like a well-worn couch, this vintage corner tavern may show its age, but its comfort is undeniable. For proof, just look at the diverse clientele. They started serving cocktails just after prohibition, in 1939, and have been a staple of the neighborhood since.
Photo via @DJMikel/InstagramBecky’s
1762 East 18th St., Cleveland
Located half a block from Cleveland State’s main campus, Becky’s is always packed wall-to-wall with students downing $2 domestic beers and and chowing down on specialty sandwiches. The music, emanating from a small jukebox in the corner, tends toward ’80s faves like Bon Jovi. The bartenders, most of whom are CSU students themselves, mingle freely with the crowd. The partyers linger till closing time, when bartenders have to shoo out the patrons.
Photo via Becky’s Bar/FacebookBoss Dog Brewing Company
2179 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights
After a few year vacancy left by beloved Lemon Grass, Boss Dog took over the space and opened to much fanfare in late 2017. The microbrewery is the standout but the food isn’t far behind.
Photo via Boss Dog Brewing/FacebookBrick and Barrel Brewing
1844 Columbus Rd., Cleveland
This brewery fits perfectly into the low-key vibe of the Columbus Road Peninsula neighborhood of the West Bank of the Flats. The interior feels like your neighbor’s really cool garage and the beers are really fantastic, especially the Noble Saison, which is blended with Riesling wine. This is the perfect spot before heading to a show at Nautica (or whatever the hell it’s called these days.)
Photo via @BrickAndBarrelBrewing/InstagramCollision Bend Brewing Company
1250 Old River Rd., Cleveland
Zack Bruell’s brewpub in the East Bank of the Flats was recently named the best brewpub in the country, according to USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. The combination of the exquisite views, the locally sourced menu and home brewed beers all contributed to that lofty ranking.
Photo via @CollisionBrew/InstagramCorky’s Place
13302 Detroit Ave., Lakewood
Corky’s, which hosts karaoke every Wednesday through Saturday, keeps its songbooks stocked with the newest hits from the Nashville country scene as well as old-school Seattle grunge. And unlike most karaoke spots, where the drunk redneck singing “Ring of Fire” is shoved off into the corner, here you’re the headliner, front and center, with stage lighting, a roaring sound system, and a packed house — especially on the weekends.
Photo via Corky’s Place/FacebookEastland Inn
33 Eastland Rd., Berea
To be in business for 80+ years, you have to be doing something right, which is the case with Berea’s Eastland Inn. Tucked away behind the Fairgrounds, this legendary bar and restaurant has been satisfying locals and travelers alike since the 1930s.
Photo via Eastland Inn/FacebookEdison’s
2373 Professor Ave., Cleveland
You’re not doing Tremont right if you don’t land at Edison’s for at least some portion of your night. It’s the quintessential Tremont bar, the quintessential Cleveland bar — a real bar’s bar, you dig? Whether you’re just stopping in at the pickup door for a pizza or you’re posting up at the lovely bar for an evening round with your finest friends, you’ll be well taken care of here.
Photo via Scene Archives Credit: Scene ArchivesForest City Brewery
2135 Columbus Rd., Cleveland
This brewery, located in Duck Island, between Tremont and Ohio City, recently updated its beer hall and started hosting live music nights in addition to their story club, improv group and cinema group. Try a flight so you can sample all of their delicious beers.
Photo via Forest City Brewery/FacebookThe Greenville Inn
7150 Pine St., Chagrin Falls
While this Chagrin Falls dive goes back since at least the 1920’s, legend has it that it might date back even further than that. With cheap beer, live music every Friday and Saturday nights and karaoke every Tuesday, this place is always a fun time.
Photo via Scene ArchivesHappy Dog
5801 Detroit Rd., Cleveland
Happy Dog is the perfect Cleveland bar – the food is reasonable and good and most weekend nights there’s live music and shows are usually free or cost just five bucks to get in. If you haven’t been to this institution, go next time you have a chance.
Photo via Scene ArchivesHarbor Inn
1219 Main Ave., Cleveland
As the oldest continuously operating bar in Cleveland — open since 1895, thank you very much — the Harbor Inn has many stories to tell. Thankfully, the West Bank of the Flats spot keeps its secrets, and night after night allows patrons young and old to imbibe in witty conversation and general tomfoolery virtually undisturbed while swallowed up in dim yellow light.
Photo via Harbor Inn/FacebookHoopples
1930 Columbus Rd., Cleveland
We give a lot of credit to Hoopples for having one of the best views in the city with its industrial panoramic of the river and Cleveland skyline backdrop. An even more glorious scene: a basket full of filled-to-the-brim tacos. Sure, Tower City looks nice all lit up, but it’s twice as nice when you’re throwing back a pint at this spot in the Flats.
Photo via Scene ArchivesHotz Cafe
2529 West 10th St., Cleveland
This Tremont bar has been in the same family since 1919. Back in the days of League Park, it used to be a favorite hangout of visiting ballplayers and was frequented by the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gherig and Ty Cobb. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is also said to have thrown back a drink or two at this dive.
Photo via Scene Archives Credit: Photo via Scene ArchivesJohnny’s Little Bar
614 Frankfort Ave., Cleveland
Right around the corner from the popular Warehouse district white tablecloth Italian joint Johnny’s, you’ll find Johnny’s Little Bar, an iconic Cleveland spot. In addition to being a wonderful place to go after leaving your downtown job, the bar boasts a “world famous” burger, giving the traditional Italian menu at the main restaurant a run for its money. And the people watching is outstanding here.
Photo via Scene ArchivesThe Jolly Scholar
11111 Euclid Ave., Cleveland
Located on the Case Western campus and run by it’s students, this brewery and kitchen is mainly a la is a real hidden gem.
Photo via @NoneFlyer/InstagramJukebox
1404 West 29th St., Cleveland
A music-themed neighborhood bar in the Rock N’ Roll capital? Sounds like the perfect spot and that’s what this Hingetown haunt is. The warm, brick-lined space features industrial lighting fixtures, rock and roll themed art and decorations, and the namesake jukebox, a 100-CD version stuffed with various Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted musicians, beginning in the ’50s and running clear through modern indie rock and hip-hop.
Photo via @JukeboxCle/InstagramLBM Bar
12301 Madison Ave., Lakewood
To jump into our favorite bars after only being opened only a couple years says something about how much we love LBM. Located in Lakewood, this spotinitially opened as a bar, but don’t sleep on their food offerings.
Photo by Emanuel WallaceMahall’s 20 Lanes
13200 Madison Ave., Lakewood
Coming up on their 100th anniversary in a few years, this bowling alley, music venue, bar and restaurant was established by the Mahall family in 1924. It’s still one of the more happening spots in town.
Photo via Scene ArchivesNoble Beast
1470 Lakeside Ave. East, Cleveland
In a quieter part on the city on the edge of Downtown sits Noble Beast, one of our favorite breweries in town. Their Imperial Cookies and Milk Stout is a real standout, as is their Catchweight Kolsch.
Photo via Noble Beast Brewing Co./FacebookNighttown
12383 Cedar Rd., Cleveland Heights
The anchor of Cleveland’s jazz scene since 1965, Nighttown isn’t just a place that locals love; it’s received national recognition for its music programming. Down Beat magazine has called it one of the 100 best jazz clubs in the world. The Irish-themed bar and restaurant features a welcoming bar area, a casual lounge, an intimate private room, an all-weather outdoor area and a more formal main dining room that features a small stage where the bands play.
Photo via Scene ArchivesMerry Arts Pub and Grill
15607 Detroit Ave., Lakewood
Since 1932, Merry Arts has served up food and drinks to the Lakewood community. It opened during the Great Depression, and if it could make it through that, well, we have a feeling it won’t be going anywhere any time soon, especially with how beloved Taco Tuesday’s are.
Photo via Scene ArchivesParkview Nite Club
1261 West 58th St., Cleveland
Layers of mystery lie just beneath the surface of this rustic, aggressively unpretentious corner bar on Cleveland’s near West Side. Start with the decorative motif: How can the Rat Pack poster mingle with the framed Three Stooges photo? If this is the Parkview, where is the park — or the view? How can a bar tout its live blues bands, even as it advertises the birthday of a regular patron named “Disco Dicky”? Most of all, how has a bar with wood paneling on walls, floor, and ceiling managed to keep from burning down this long? These are matters that require intense study from the barstool and a thorough interrogation of the help.
Photo via Scene ArchivesPlatform Beer Co.
3506 Vega Ave., Cleveland
The Ohio City-based brewery owned by Justin Carson and Paul Benner debuted with a wee 3-barrel system in the summer of 2014. Six months later the team upgraded to its current 10-barrel system, supported by a battery of new 15-barrel fermentation and conditioning tanks. It’s a microbrewery that feels like a bar you just want to chill at for hours.
Photo via Scene Archives Credit: Sam Allard / ScenePorco Lounge & Tiki Room
2527 West 25th St., Cleveland
Porco Lounge & Tiki Room is only about six years old, but its dedication to professionally blended cocktails — even silly sounding ones — has helped its reputation grow at a brisk rate. The Mai Tai is the best of the bunch, a cold fusion of fresh fruit juices with coconut rum and a soupçon of almond. In 2016, the Food Network named the bar one of the best tiki bars in the country.
Photo via Porco Lounge & Tiki Bar/FacebookProsperity Social Club
1109 Starkweather Ave., Cleveland
Cozy and retro, this former workingman’s watering hole serves up food, booze, and a bowling machine along with the live music. You’ll find locals laying down everything from lounge and jazz to folk and bluegrass. They also have a kitchen serving tasty, hearty grub that stays open nightly until midnight and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
Photo via @ProsperitySocialClub/InstagramSibling Revelry Brewery
29305 Clemens Rd., Cleveland
Two sets of brothers, who are also cousins with each other, and their fathers, decided to open a brewery in Westlake in 2016, which just is so quintessential Cleveland. While this place is fun to eat and drink at all year round, the patio in the summer, being dog-friendly, with live music, corn hole, food trucks and more, is a huge draw here. And their summertime beers are perfect for the occasion, like their Lavender Wit, a Belgian-style white ale, and their Tangelo Fruit Haze, a tasty hazy fruit IPA that blends grapefruit and tangerine.
Photo via Sibling Revelry Brewing/FacebookSociety Lounge
2063 East Fourth St., Cleveland
Everything about this space, from the lit up drinks, to the classy, modern design, is just really cool. Located in the basement of an East Fourth Street building, this place is definitely worth checking out for the decor and the craft drinks.
Photo via Scene ArchivesStone Mad Pub
1306 West 65th St, Cleveland
Everyone who talks about this Detroit Shoreway neighborhood spot mentions two things; the bocce ball court and the beautiful patio. St. Patrick’s Day is next level at this Irish pub.
Photo via @Joey_Bowling67/Instagram Credit: Scene ArchivesThe 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/FacebookThe Foundation Room at the House of Blues
308 Euclid Ave., Cleveland
Whether it’s before or after a show or just on any night you want to get a drink in a quiet place, you should check out the Foundation Room at the House of Blues – but make sure you know someone who’s a member in order to get in. This funkily-designed bar makes you feel like you’re somewhere in the far East, with Persian rugs and Indian designs giving the place a very relaxing feel.
Photo via Scene ArchivesTown Hall
1909 West 25th St., Cleveland
The popular West 25th bar and restaurant, which recently expanded to Columbus’s’ Short North neighborhood, has been the place to see and be seen ever since it opened in 2013. The GMO-free menu is also one of the more vegan/vegetarian friendly places in town.
Photo via Scene ArchivesThe Spotted Owl
710 Jefferson Ave., Cleveland
With a detailed eye, reclaimed wood and stained-glass windows, the beautiful Spotted Owl came to Tremont in 2014. A cocktail bar at once sophisticated and approachable, with drinks that change as the Owl debuts new menus throughout the year, and which are seriously and thoughtfully constructed.
Photo via @SpottedOwlBar/InstagramWilloughby Brewing Company
4057 Erie St., Willoughby
In a town lauded for its craft beers, the contest for “Best Local Beer” is a tough one. But Willoughby Brewing Co., which has been slinging its Peanut Butter Cup Porter for years now, is no slouch. The eastside staple consistently ranks high on lists of our favorite breweries in town and the most underrated gems around here. You’ll always feel welcome when you slip into a booth at Willoughby.
Photo via Willoughby Brewing Company/FacebookVelvet Tango Room
2095 Columbus Rd., Cleveland
What was once sort of an open secret around town has now become a full-on Cleveland landmark. The Velvet Tango Room remains the gold standard of martini joints in our city. Here, cocktails aren’t just another drink. Here, there’s a history and a story, not to mention handmade ingredients and the kind of expertise that translates to a few-minute wait for your drink and indelible, endless memories once you take a sip.
Photo viaThe Treehouse
820 College Ave., Cleveland
There’s really nothing fancy about the Treehouse, save, of course, the fake tree that sprouts from the middle of the bar and extends its branches outward. Otherwise, you’ll find a nicely stocked batch of taps, a healthy dose of (not always healthy) bar food, and one of the most glorious patios in Cleveland. Really, the patio is huge, and it’s filled afternoon or evening. It is one of the best spots to enjoy a brew under the open sky in one of Cleveland’s favorite neighborhoods.
Photo via The Treehouse/Facebook Credit: Scene ArchivesTremont Tap House
2572 Scranton Rd., Cleveland
In the spirit of the region’s finest neighborhood taverns, the Tap House serves its neighbors well with boldly flavored, cleverly packaged and downright affordable American fare. Entrees like grilled hanger steak are proof that this is no pub-grub pub. The beer list, with 24 taps and 50+ bottles is easily among city’s top five. Late-night food and a fun patio make this neighborhood joint one of our favorites.
Photo via @TremontTaphouse/Instagram
