They say some things get better with age. Case and point, these 30 greater Cleveland restaurants that have been dishing out everything from classic Italian fare, pizza, deli food, authentic Hungarian eats, and simply delicious all-American bar food for over 40 years. Though a few selections have nearly shuttered and moved locations, these must-eat-at spots are still standing and, better yet, still serving.
Don’s Pomeroy House
13664 Pearl Rd., Strongsville
This restored mid-19th century mansion, which overlooks the town square of Strongsville, creates a dining experience that can’t be replicated. Since 1979, Don’s has featured a standard menu of steaks, seafood and chops. Don’s is pretty traditional menu-wise, but everything is done right. What’s really cool about this place is all of the different rooms of the mansion you can sit in – the study, the parlor, the library, the pub, or the patio when the weather’s right.
Photo via Don’s Pomeroy House/FacebookDer Braumeister
13046 Lorain Ave., Cleveland
What started as a speakeasy in 1925 still serves up some of the best German fare in Cleveland. In fact, they’ve been given that title multiple times according to Scene’s Best Of Cleveland. What started as Herzog’s turned into Der Braumeister in 1983.
Photo via Der Braumeister/FacebookMerry 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 ArchivesWhitey’s Booze N’ Burgers
3600 Brecksville Rd., Richfield
You know a place means business when they’re cash only in the year 2021. And that’s the case at Richfield’s Whitey’s, home to some of the most beloved burgers in the Cuyahoga Valley. With 15 burgers and monthly specials, this place runs the gamut from traditional delicious cheeseburgers to more unique burgers like the Italian Stallion topped with provolone, pepperoni, marinara and Italian seasoning and the B.O.M.B. smothered with Mac N’ Cheese, topped with bacon, served on a Pretzel roll bun. They’ve been around since 1945.
Photo via Whitey’s Booze N’ Burgers/FacebookGuarino’s
12309 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland
Established in 1918, Guarino’s in Little Italy is Cleveland’s oldest restaurants and is still a family operation. While the decor tends toward Victoriana, the kitchen’s pasta, veal and seafood dishes are all Italian.
Photo via Guarino’s/FacebookClose Quarters Pub
31953 Lake Rd., Avon Lake
The name says it all at this Avon Lake pub that’s been opened since 1930. But it certainly packs a lot of character into 600 square feet of space. Oh, and the wings are awesome.
Photo via Close Quarters Pub/FacebookCorky and Lenny’s
27091 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere
In 1956, Corky Kurland and Lenny Kaden wanted to open a New York-style deli in Cleveland and did so at Cedar Center in University Heights. That location eventually closed, but in 1973, they expanded to Woodmere, where the restaurant still stands, serving delicious corned beef, pastrami and any other type of delicatessen food. The restaurant is currently owned by Kurland’s son Kenny.
Photo via Corky and Lenny’s/FacebookHotz 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 ArchivesBalaton
13133 Shaker Square, Cleveland
Talk about underappreciated. When Balaton opened over a half-century ago on Buckeye Road, in 1964, the primary language spoken in the dining room was Hungarian. But word of the modest restaurant’s remarkable goulash, Weiner schnitzel, and paprikash wriggled out, at first to the immediate neighborhood, and later to the city and region as a whole. Come to the lovely restaurant at Shaker Square, where Balaton has now resided for 20 years, and you won’t be awash in Old World shtick.
Photo via Scene ArchivesDavis Bakery and Deli
28700 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere and 4572 Renaissance Pkwy., Cleveland
With Wax and Mandel and Pincus bakeries closing in recent years, Davis Bakery is one of the only Jewish bakeries left in town. Davis, which opened in 1939, is known for their coconut bars on the bakery side and their hot pastrami when it comes to sandwiches and savory food.
Photo via Davis Bakery/FacebookJack’s Deli and Restaurant
14490 Cedar Rd., University Heights
Not even a month’s worth of visits would be enough to do justice to Jack’s giant menu. It’s been around since 1980 and for good reason. The Jewish deli food is delicious.
Photo via Scene ArchivesEastland 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/FacebookHerb’s Tavern
19925 Detroit Ave., Rocky River
Run out of a building from the 1930s, Herb’s, which opened in 1963 is a rustic Rocky River gem. They’re known for what Scene has previously deemed “The Best Burger in Town.”
Photo via @Herbs_Tavern/InstagramSlyman’s
3106 St. Clair Ave., Cleveland
Slyman’s has been serving up corned beef sandwiches as big as your head since 1965. In recent years, they expanded their concept to the burbs of Orange Village, Mentor and Independence with their Slyman’s Tavern concept. But there’s nothing like the original St. Clair location.
Photo via @AGirlAboutChicago/InstagramGunselman’s Tavern
21490 Lorain Ave., Fairview Park
Locally sourced and served on a cast-iron skillet, these burgers were recently voted the best in town. Gunselman’s is an old-school joint that has been around since 1936. But they keep up with the times. For something special, try the Cleveland Handshake – a burger topped with Ohio City Pasta pierogi, Cleveland Kraut, Bertman’s Dortmunder mustard and Cleveland Pickle’s onion jam, a smorgasbord of ingredients from local businesses.
Photo via @GunselmansTavern/InstagramThe 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 ArchivesGiovanni’s Ristorante
25550 Chagrin Blvd., Beachwood
One of the last remaining grande dames of the region’s formal dining scene, since 1976, this elegant Italian restaurant offers impeccable appointments, attentive service and a luxurious menu of steaks, veal chops, seafood and pasta. Yes, it is expensive. But the chance to put on a suit and feel like a grown-up and have pasta prepared table-side? Priceless. The bolognese is a must have.
Photo via Giovanni’s Ristorante/FacebookJohnny’s Bar
3164 Fulton Rd., Cleveland
Dark, intimate, and timelessly elegant, this manly 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. Johnny’s opened as Louise’s Garden in 1920 and was renamed Johnny’s Bar in 1952.
Photo via Johnny’s Bar on Fulton/FacebookGeraci’s Restaurant
2266 Warrensville Center Rd., University Heights, 6687 Wilson Mills Rd., Mayfield Village and 29425 Chagrin Blvd., Pepper Pike
The thick-cut pepperoni (we recommend ordering double-pepperoni) on their pizzas are the stars of the show at this mom and pop Italian restaurant that’s been a family business for over 60 years. Don’t let that stop you from exploring the rest of the traditional Italian menu, with other staples like spaghetti and homemade meat sauce and eggplant parmesan. Now, you can try their delicious offerings at two locations, one in Pepper Pike in addition to their original home in University Heights, which opened in 1956.
Photo via Scene ArchivesLongo’s Pizza
8907 Mentor Ave., and 7314 Lakeshore Blvd., Mentor
Longo’s Lakeshore Boulevard location opened in 1980. And they’d already been in Mentor for 11 years at that point! That’s how you know a restaurant has been around for a long time, when people say let’s go to the “new” Longo’s and it’s been around for 40 years.
Photo via Scene ArchivesWhitmore’s BBQ
20209 Harvard Rd., Cleveland
Whitmore’s has been serving up barbecue to Clevelanders since 1942! They must be doing something right.
Photo viaHarbor 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/FacebookPier W
12700 Lake Ave., Lakewood
This Lakewood seafood restaurant has won Scene’s best of ‘most romantic restaurant’ multiple times, and for good reason. Since 1965, these views of Lake Erie and the city are unmatched, the atmosphere is sophisticated and elegant and the seafood is delicious.
Photo via Scene ArchivesNighttown
12387 Cedar Rd., Cleveland Heights
The preeminent jazz and blues club in town also serves up some of the best high end pub fare in town, and that’s been the case since 1965. The Dublin Lawyer, their house speciality, is fresh lobster sautéed in a mild cayenne butter cream sauce, mushrooms, scallions and Irish whiskey and is served with rice pilaf and it’s worth the trip alone. The establishment has been closed for a year now and was recently sold with plans to reopen.
Photo via @JCopsey/InstagramBearden’s
19985 Lake Rd., Rocky River
Bearden’s has been around since 1948 – in fact, it says it right in their slogan, “Always fresh, never frozen, original recipe since 1948” – so you know their burgers (with optional and recommended chili topping) have been completely perfected. And it looks like you’re in 1948 inside – in a good, nostalgic way!
Photo via Bearden’s Rocky River/FacebookMama Santa’s
12301 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland
Mama Santa’s has been serving up pies at the same Little Italy location since 1961. With its retro vibe, cheap wine, and stunningly inexpensive Italian eats, there’s no need to change much. Thin, greaseless, crisp-crusted pizza is the specialty of the casa; when you and the gang can score a 15-incher for less than 10 bucks, who cares if there’s a wait for a table?
Photo via Mama Santa’s Pizzeria/FacebookHeck’s Cafe
2927 Bridge Ave., Cleveland
If you’re on a search for the best burgers in town, Heck’s is surely not to be overlooked, as they’ve been serving up burgers since 1974. If you can handle the spice, the Hot Fire Burger is the way to go. Don’t forget an order of Heck’s Fries, topped with salt and pepper and a side of malt vinegar aioli. In addition to their original Ohio City location, they’ve expanded to Avon.
Photo via Scene Archives
