30 Classic Cleveland Restaurants And Bars That Have Been Around More Than 40 Years

Jack’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 Archives

Eastland 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/Facebook

Herb’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/Instagram

Slyman’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/Instagram

Gunselman’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/Instagram

The 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 Archives

Giovanni’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/Facebook

Johnny’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/Facebook

Geraci’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 Archives

Longo’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 Archives