22 Northeast Ohio Restaurants With Cult-Like Followings

Caribe Bake Shop

2906 Fulton Rd., Cleveland

Caribe on Fulton began life as a bakery, turning out loaves of that crisp-crusted, airy white bread for Puerto Rican home cooks and restaurants on Cleveland's near-westside. Since 1969, though, this small bake shop has been an invaluable resource not only for fresh breads, but also irresistible sweets like flan, coconut pudding and pastelitos de guayaba, or flaky guava-filled pastries. In recent years, Caribe added food stations serving up some of the most mouthwatering Latin food in town, highlighted by top-notch Cubano sandwiches and Puerto Rican favorites.

Szechuan Gourmet

1735 East 36th St., Cleveland

Chasing that tingling, addictive, and delightfully painful feeling of Sichuan peppercorns, Clevelanders rely on Szechuan Gourmet for cumin beef, three pepper chicken, mapo tofu and what feels like hundreds of other options on the menu. A diner here could order by throwing darts at the menu and still build the Szechuan feast of his or her dreams. Open since just 2012, there's a reason it's already built a legion of fans.

Big Al’s Diner

12600 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland

Big Al's has welcomed all — celebs, politicians, athletes, its neighbors in Hough and its neighbors in Shaker — with open arms and comfort food for the last three decades, building a reliable fanbase eager to introduce newbies to the joys of Al's. This Larchmere diner has all the comforting favorites, like steaming soups, homemade mashed potatoes with gravy, open-faced roast beef sandwiches and chocolate cake for dessert. For breakfast, served until the diner's late-afternoon closing time, the corned beef hash and sausage gravy over biscuits are the stars of the show.

Barabicu Smokehouse

5767 Ridge Rd., Parma

There's a reason this Parma barbecue spot is a regional favorite and slaps that "Sold Out" sign on the window so early in the day, and it's not just the maddeningly short hours it's open every week. The brisket, the cupcake chicken, the ribs and assorted sides are that good. Head down Ridge Rd. and cross your fingers, you might just become one of the converts.

Cleveland Bagel/Bialy's/Nubeigel

There aren't any bagel wars in Cleveland, but if there were, the supporters of the old-school, new-school and even newer-school establishments would line up to fight. Whether you call your everything bagel a mish-mosh, get the schmear on the side, or can barely get in the car before diving in, Northeast Ohio has its favorites when it comes to this breakfast staple. We'll take a dozen if you don't mind.

Balaton

8564 Washington St., Chesterland

When Balaton opened a half-century ago on Buckeye Road, the primary language spoken in the dining room was Hungarian. But word of the modest restaurant's remarkable goulash, Wiener schnitzel, and paprikash wriggled out, at first to the immediate neighborhood, and later to the city and region as a whole. Balaton was in Shaker Square for over 20 years and moved to Chesterland in 2022 and kept their loyal following the whole time.

Superior Pho

3030 Superior Ave., Cleveland

Because pho is an essential part of a balanced diet, not to mention one's sanity, noodle shops like this one hold a very important place in our lives. Winter or summer, a bowl of pho is more than food; it's a restorative elixir that sets us on a brighter path. The pho is so tasty here, you'll heaer customers say they refuse to have a bowl anywhere else, as this was where they were introduced to the dish and where they have found it perfected in Cleveland.

Herb'n Twine

4309 Lorain Ave., Cleveland

People lose their minds over the sandwiches at Herb'n Twine, an 8-year-old sandwich emporium in Ohio City. In truth, they might fit the ‘cult following’ criteria more than any other restaurant in town, highlighted by the fact that you should probably call ahead to make sure they haven’t sold out of sandwiches for the day. Wait times and no dine-in tables have done nothing to deter its fans. The smoked turkey club is probably the most popular, and for good reason. But you can't go wrong.

Il Rione

1303 West 65th St., Cleveland

The New York/New Jersey-style pizza dished up at this Detroit-Shoreway favorite was an immediate hit after it opened its doors at the end of 2017. A neighborhood pizza joint is a treasured thing, and even more so when it's an elevated experience that draws its fans from down the street and across town. There are no complications to the menu here, just straightforward, perfect pie and a tight list of salads. And no reservations. But that doesn't seem to bother everyone waiting for a table.

Johnny’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. The bar boasts a "world famous" burger, and they're not selling it short. From lawyers and judges to bartenders and office drones, the clientele is all-Cleveland and almost all of Cleveland.