22 New Restaurants That Opened in the Cleveland Area This Year

Good Company

60 S. Maple St., Akron
The southern outpost of Good Company opened its doors in March, taking over the spot that once housed Spotted Owl. Launched by chef Brett Sawyer in 2019, it was folded into Will Hollingsworth’s Buildings & Food Hospitality Group in 2022. The Akron-based Good Company will offer the same chef-driven American food as the original. Diners can expect world-class wings, amazing sandwiches, burgers and patty melts, and enough starters, sides, and salads to please everyone in the group. An excellent beverage program includes beer, wine, cocktails and boozy milkshakes.

Antica Italian Restaurant

3355 Richmond Rd.
Owner Fadi Daoud in March debuted the second location of Antica, which has been a hit in the original location in Avon. Housed in the former Red and Cut 151 space, the Antica in Beachwood offers a similar menu with the exception of a few more steak and seafood options. Everything from the pizza and pasta dough to the tiramisu is made in house. Appetizers include arancini, Kobe meatballs, shrimp scampi and fried calamari. A roster of soups and salads joins a half dozen thin, crisp pizzas, including the signature chicken parmesan “pizza.”

YYTime

3004 Payne Ave
Two years after Sheng Long Yu announced his plans to convert the former National Tire & Battery property at E. 30th and Payne in Cleveland’s Asiatown neighborhood into an Asian food hall, the time to eat is now. The space is the new home to Dagu Rice Noodle, which opened next door to Koko Bakery in 2019. Joining Dagu is a bubble tea bar, yakitori station, and others, all operating out of a large open kitchen.

Banter

5428 Detroit Ave.
After nearly four years, Banter (5428 Detroit Ave.) is back in business on the west side of town. Owner Matthew Stipe and Chef Nick Dlugoss have taken the menu back to its classic framework of poutine, sausages, corndogs and starters, with more options in each category. The fried cheese curds are back, joined by a Polish Boy, Mexican street corndog, chicken shawarma poutine and others. Every bottle of champagne comes with a free side of fries.

Schnitz Ale Productions

20102 Progress Dr.
A round of brewery changes allowed Schnitz to take over the former Brew Kettle production facility in Strongsville, which not only allowed the group to expand output capacity from just 600 barrels per year in Parma to 500 barrels per month, but gave them the opportunity to open a tasting room. The 50-seat pub and gift shop carries regular and exclusive Schnitz Ale beers and serve light fare like salads, pretzels, and other snacks along with offerings from the Schnitz Ale food truck.

Lil Ronnie’s

2365 Professor Ave.
The owners of the six-year-old Il Rione in Gordon Square found just what they were looking for in an opportunity to expand in the former Edison’s Pizza space in Tremont. Doing a stripped-down version of what they’re doing in Detroit Shoreway, Lil Ronnie’s sells only whole pies and slices of “Slice Style” pie – no salads, no cheese plates, no beer or wine. In addition to the whole pies, which customers can build from a list of toppings, Lil Ronnie’s will always have three slices available: plain, pepperoni and white. The slices can be taken as is or popped back into the oven to reheat.

Cuoco Bello

718 SOM Ctr. Rd.
In late December, partners Carl Quagliata and Zachary Ladner announced that they would be putting their Texas-style barbecue restaurant, Smokin' Q’s, to bed after a six-year run. In its place, the pair have opened this Italian restaurant. A menu of Italian classics like pizzas, pastas, meat and seafood items get the Ladner/Quagliata touch, a formula perfected over decades of service at Giovanni's. At lunch, which will launch a little down the road, a streamlined menu will offer pizzas, pastas, sandwiches and a selection of entrees from the dinner menu.

Tost Sandwich Cafe

2341 Scranton Rd.
Like the original in Lakewood, Tost in Tremont specializes in built-to-order sandwiches made from high-quality meats, cheeses and breads. All sandwiches are cooked in a panini press and served hot. The most popular – the Tommy Boy – features thin-sliced corned beef and roast beef topped with cheddar, peppered bacon, coleslaw, tomato and chipotle mayo layered into a choice of Mediterra Bakehouse bread. Those sandwiches are joined by two hot soups a day such as broccoli cheddar and chicken dumpling, deli salads, pastries and desserts, including housemade gelato.

Geraci’s Restaurant

4127 Erie Street, Willoughby
Geraci’s new full-service Italian restaurant in the heart of Willoughby followed two seasons of a slice shop it operated out of The Yard on 3rd. Trading in slices for a standalone operation, the new restaurant is more in line with a traditional Geraci's restaurant. Diners can expect a full roster of classic dishes like lasagna, veal parmesan, chicken marsala and, of course, pizza.

Never Say Dive

4497 Broadview Rd.
Situated in a renovated classic 1920s-era tavern in Old Brooklyn, the buffed-up shot-and-beer bar features draft beers, housemade seltzers and cocktails and a fun selection of small plates from Chef John Hagerty, also of the Green Kitchen in Clark-Fulton. Those dishes, many of them vegan or vegan-ready, aim to match the high-low vibe of the bar. Guests can mix and match snacks like deviled eggs, pork rinds with whipped blue cheese, and spiced nuts. There’s a cheese board from across-the-street neighbor Old Brooklyn Cheese, Mexican charred corn and Killbuck Valley mushroom toast and a few larger plates including a double smash burger and udon noodle bowl.