All The New Restaurants That Have Opened in Cleveland So Far This Year

Indie

2038 East 4th St., Cleveland

Owners Gabriel Zeller and Julie Mesenburg have reshaped the former Greenhouse Tavern space on East 4th into a shrine to independent music thanks to 100s of framed concert and tour posters. Diners can look forward to Southern-styled foods, many shareable, along with music-themed brunches.

Filter

740 W. Superior Ave., Cleveland

Since opening his first Sauce Boiling Seafood Express restaurant in 2019, Kyler Smith has gone on to open four more locations in Ohio, with more on the way. In February, Smith opened Filter in the former Take 5 Rhthym and Jazz space in the Perry–Payne Building and the changes are dramatic, to say the least. Sporting a lounge-like atmosphere, with shimmering fabric panels, a DJ booth and lengthy bar, the 120-seat restaurant and bar is already attracting a ton of attention. The menu is under the control of chef Jarrett Mines, whose client roster as a private chef includes top players from the Cleveland Browns. Diners can look forward to American fare like pasta, fish, lamb chops and steak.

Boss ChicknBeer

120 Front St., Seven Hills

Heather Doeberling and Emily Moes made such a splash with their popular food truck Boca Loca that they opened a Berea-based brick-and-mortar operation of the same name a couple years later. They parlayed those early successes into Boss ChicknBeer , which they opened in 2018, also in Berea. Recently, they sold both Boca Loca ventures to focus on Boss, a brand bound for bigger things. Seven Hills will be their third location in addition to Berea and a Bay Village location that opened in 2021.

Bright Side

1948 West 25th St., Cleveland

It’s been 17 and 15 years, respectively, since McNulty and co-founder Mark Priemer opened Bier Markt and Bar Cento in Ohio City. This past October, the partners announced that they were closing both venues to make way for something new. This June, they introduced the neighborhood to Bright Side, a bar forward concept. In the kitchen will be the powerhouse tag team of chef-partners Andrew Bower and Steve Schimoler, who marks his return to Ohio City. Together, the chefs have crafted an entirely new menu of creative comfort food made with healthy, local ingredients. To drink there are 16 craft beers (12 from Market Garden, four rotating locals), cocktails and a Champagne-heavy wine list with other global gems.

Edda Coffee Roasters

2011 West 25th St., Cleveland

Add Edda Coffee Roasters to the offerings that are now open at Intro in Ohio City. Edda is a bright and blissful all-day café that anchors one end of the tree-lined plaza. Charlie Eisenstat, formerly of Pour Cleveland, is roasting “Nordic-style” coffee beans in house for the café. Those beverages are paired with an all-day menu of light, fresh and wholesome foods. A display case is stocked with grab-and-go pastries like power balls, gluten-free cookies, banana bread, triple-berry scones and fruit-filled beignets.

Amba

1430 West 28th St., Cleveland

Walk into Amba and it's clear you have the makings of another one-of-a-kind experience from chef Doug Katz. The building is divided into two connected but distinct spaces, the main Amba dining room and the smaller Bar Amba. As at Zhug in Cleveland Heights, the aim is to foster an energetic, lively and informal atmosphere where diners can feel comfortable standing, talking and visiting with nearby tables. Also reminiscent of Zhug, the menu at Amba is loaded with small plates built for sharing. There are two dozen items that range from small, zesty condiments to composed meat and fish dishes. Many of these “Indian-inspired” street foods have a clear through line all the way back to the tandoor oven at Fire. There are options for vegans, gluten-free diners, seafood- and meat-eaters.

Jade

1048 Old River Rd., Cleveland

Zdenko Zovkic closed his Warehouse District mainstay XO Prime Steaks, but recently opened a new establishment down in the Flats, where he’ll be presiding over Jade. This ambitious Asian-fusion concept offers guests three different experiences on three different levels. Moving up from the ground floor, diners will progress from street food and sushi to upscale dining and finally a stylish rooftop club with awesome views. The main floor is a no-reservation dining room with a lengthy sushi bar, separate cocktail bar and plenty of seating. On the menu will be sushi, steamed buns, noodles and other "street food" style items. The second floor, reached either by an elevator or grand staircase, has its own small bar and lounge plus a dining room with amazing views of the lake. There, diners will enjoy sashimi, whole fish, steak and Asian-inspired items.

Juneberry

3900 Lorain Ave., Cleveland

There is a silver lining to the 2019 closure of Jack Flaps, a popular breakfast diner in Ohio City. Chef Karen Small took the space over and finally opened a diner of her own after much anticipation. The bustling cafe serves breakfast-all-day and lunch items until the early afternoon. Small, who is also in the process of a new concept at the recently closed Flying Fig (2523 Market Ave.,) in the same neighborhood was motivated to grab the space because of what she believes is a gap in the marketplace. Juneberry features an all-day breakfast and lunch menu largely inspired by the chef’s decade spent living outside of Athens, Ohio.

Original Steaks and Hoagies

7894 Broadview Rd., Parma

Since purchasing Original Steaks & Hoagies, Jeff Wiseman has been on a mission to expand the brand throughout the region. For the first seven years of the company’s existence, Twinsburg was the only place a steak lover could sink his or her teeth into an authentic Philly cheesesteak. Then, seemingly overnight, Original Steaks & Hoagies shops began opening in places like Fairlawn, Canton, Lorain and Medina, not to mention an ever-expanding fleet of food trucks. The next pin on the map is Parma, where franchisee Keith Keger recently opened the newest Original Steaks & Hoagies location.Under Wiseman, the menu at Original Steaks has grown from just a handful of cheesesteaks and hoagies to more than two dozen sandwiches starring steak, chicken and deli meats.

Pins Mechanical Co. and 16-Bit Bar + Arcade

1880 West 25th St., Cleveland

A project that was first announced in 2019 finally reached the finish line in March. Pins Mechanical Co. and 16-Bit Bar + Arcade, which opened in Ohio City, was previously home to Daniels Furniture. The sprawling entertainment complex spans 27,000 square feet spread across two floors. While the all-ages social destination is one cohesive attraction, it is comprised of two separate venues. Cleveland gamers likely will be familiar with 16-Bit, the classic arcade game emporium that for six years lured nerds to Lakewood. Joining that concept is Pins Mechanical, Rise’s duckpin bowling brand.