20 Cleveland Area Restaurants That Have Closed in 2024

Toast

1365 West 65th., Cleveland

Toast in Gordon Square called it a day on April 3 after 11 years in the neighborhood. Owner Jillian Davis told Scene: "It's not bittersweet — it's bitter mostly. Operating a full-service restaurant is not as fun as it used to be." The neighborhood wine bar and restaurant was beloved for its down-to-earth vibe, personal service, unique wines and seasonal small plates and entrees. Davis mentioned staffing challenges and changing dining habits as some of the reasons behind her decision to close.

Pearl Street Wine Market and Cafe

2523 Market Ave., Cleveland

Pearl Street Wine Market & Café in Ohio City closed at the end of March because of an unexpected rent increase that will make it impossible to continue operating. Chef/owner Karen Small opened the wine bar with partner Jill Davis in the former Flying Fig space about a year and a half ago. “Our landlords tried to raise our rent by $7,000 a month, which takes us up to about $25 a square foot, so we refused to renew our lease with them,” Small explains. Small has been in that space for 25 years, ever since opening Flying Fig in 1999. She says that her current monthly rent of $4,300 will climb to nearly $11,000. The pair hope to find a new home for Pearl Street somewhere down the line in Ohio City.

Melt Locations

It's been a brutal 24 months for Melt Bar & Grilled. In the past two years the company, which at one point had 13 locations, closed all but the original one in Lakewood. “Post-pandemic we were chasing ourselves all over the city and state just trying to keep stores open let alone maintain quality of the products, so unfortunately we probably did a disservice to the brand because we had to cut some corners, reduce the quality of some of the ingredients and maybe not produce as many items in house as we were before because we didn’t have the staffing," he said. To achieve some of those goals, Fish will close the Lakewood location (14718 Detroit Ave.) between September 2nd and September 9th, when the restaurant will celebrate its grand re-opening. Fish says that when guests return to Melt after the pause, they will find a more polished and mature version of the brand they know and love. "We’re 18 years old – we’re not kids anymore, we’re adults – so people are eating a lot differently than they were 18 years ago when we first opened," he said. "It’s time for us to change with them."

Steve's Diner

2024 will mark the ninth anniversary of the demise of Steve’s Lunch, the (in)famous hot dog diner on the western edge of Ohio City. That local landmark burst into flames on St. Patrick’s Day 2015, with the building being razed the following day. Now, unfortunately, the Steve's Diner offshoot opened by Ed Salzgerber after purchasing the business from founder Steve Spanakis in 2022 has also said goodbye after he couldn't secure a lease extension. With the closure, Cleveland also lost one of the precious few remaining 24-hour restaurants around town. Fans of the original chili recipe that dates back to 1953 can still enjoy it at Steve's Doghouse (3850 Pearl Rd., 216-398-1446).

Cafe Avalaun

Citing personal health issues and other obstacles, chef Brian Doyle earlier this year announced that he would be closing Cafe Avalaun in Warrensville Heights in March. Doyle opened the shop in 2015 to serve as a haven for diners dealing with celiac disease. The cafe offers great food that just so happens to be gluten free.

BD’s Mongolian Grill

1854 Coventry Rd., Cleveland Heights

When BD's Mongolian Grill opened its doors in 1997 on Coventry, the restaurant offered a unique and interactive dining experience akin to hibachi, but without all the splatter. Diners took pleasure in piling ingredients and sauces into a bowl and then handing them off to a grill cook, who would stir-fry them up in plain view. Although the thrill may have vanished many moons ago, the restaurant chugged along, seemingly immune from the economic ups and downs of the street as well as the wider hospitality industry around it. Along with Coventry stalwarts like Tommy's, Grum's and Inn on Coventry, BD's Mongolian was a constant presence on the street for nearly 30 years. That all ended this year as it shut its doors. The closure leaves four remaining locations in Ohio, two of which are in the Greater Columbus area.

Gabriel's Southern Table

It's been a challenging two years for Gabriel Zeller's East 4th Street residency. Zeller and his former partner opened Indie in late 2021, taking over the former Greenhouse Tavern space and turning it into a music-themed eatery that never gained traction. A little over a year later, Zeller pulled the plug on that concept. “We felt that after the first year, people either loved Indie or they just didn’t get it,” Zeller told us at the time. “I think that a different atmosphere and a slightly more elevated menu is what people are looking for on Fourth.” The "different atmosphere" arrived in the form of Gabriel’s Southern Table, which opened last spring. That restaurant quietly closed its doors in January.

Mojo World Eats

2196 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights

Mojo, the restaurant that began life in Tremont 25 years ago and was revived in Cleveland Heights in 2020, closed as the calendar turned from 2023 to 2024. In 2010, owner Michael Herschman Herschman began his stint as executive chef at Lopez on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights. In 2016, he purchased the business from longtime owner Craig Sumers. In 2020, just weeks before Covid forced every Ohio restaurant to close, the chef unveiled his new version of Mojo.

Berea Depot

The Berea Depot, a longtime institution in the southern suburb, closed as we welcomed 2024. The restaurant, opened by Lynn McLaughlin in 2017, announced on social media that it would not reopen following a holiday break. The historic property, which includes a 150-year-old train depot and refurbished Pullman car, was long home to the Pufferbelly restaurant. After that, the property was home to the Station and Union Depot Taverne.

Salt

After 20 years of cooking professionally for other owners (at top-flight places like Lola, Flying Fig, Rockefeller's and Black Pig), Jill Vedaa finally struck out on her own with Salt. She and Jessica Parkison forged a different and challenging path by going exclusively with small plates. What's more, the menus would almost completely change multiple times per year. More than three dozen menus later, it was time for a change as the pair announced Salt would close at the end of August.
Despite consistent success at Salt, Vedaa alludes to a tectonic shift in the dining landscape, one that puts small, independent restaurants like hers at a disadvantage.
"This business is changing a lot; it’s something we’ve noticed the past couple years," she explains. "It’s pretty incredible, even during Covid people were more about supporting local and getting out there. The landscape – how people are eating and drinking – has completely changed."