Whether you are looking for a lavish night out in the city, live music, or a unique setting experience, the joints on this list go above and beyond with decor and food offerings, making them stand out from the crowd.

Ball Ball Waffle 2999 Payne Ave., Cleveland Owner Aldous Lau says that egg waffles (also known as bubble waffles) are one of the most popular street foods in Hong Kong, his hometown. Around since the 1950s, the trend has slowly been spreading across the globe, where the picturesque, honeycomb-shaped snacks are consumed throughout the day. Up until now, Cleveland has been surprisingly lacking in the treats. After noticing that dearth, Lau and his wife Alice opened Ball Ball Waffle inside Asia Plaza. Both sweet and savory options are available, with some coming naked while others feature cheese, chocolate or matcha and mochi. Photo by Douglas Trattner
Alea 2912 Church Ave., Cleveland For a demonstration on the transformative powers of real-fire cooking, reserve a table at tiny Alea in Ohio City. In place of the typical back bar of booze bottles sits a wood-burning cooking suite that fills the room with the irresistible charm of a backwoods chalet. Alea is not the first Cleveland restaurant to employ a wood-burning cooking suite, but it is the only one to position that apparatus in the middle of the dining room. Photo via Alea/Facebook
Barroco Multiple Locations If you’ve never had an arepa before, you need to head to Barroco ASAP. Arepas, which hail from Colombia and Venezuela, are grilled white tortilla’s stuffed with a variety of ingredients. The ‘La Gringa’, stuffed with braised beef, feta cheese, avocado, chimichurri, greens and mozzarella, and the ‘Buffalo Chicken’ arepa are two of our absolute favorites. And while the arepas are the main draw, it’s the milkshake creations that puts Barroco over the top. The latino banana split comes with a caramelized plantain boat, cinnamon sugar coat, vanilla ice cream, chocolate chip cookies and crumbles, caramelized pineapples, strawberries, chocolate, caramel syrup and a cherry. Photo via Barroco/Facebook
Bearden’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! What makes them over the top? One of their most popular burgers has peanut butter on it. Yes, you read that right. Photo via Bearden’s Rocky River/Facebook
Covered Bridge Pizza Parlor 6541 N Main St., North Kingsville These old bridges now house an old pizza place, which offers Stromboli and salads in addition to their tasty pizza. The historic bridge pizza shop is for all ages to enjoy, a perfect place to take the family. Classic Car Cruise Ins are held Thursday nights throughout the summers. Photo via Theother_woodbrother/Instagram
Lee’s Seafood Boil 2201 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights The seafood-in-a-bag trend rolled into town with a bang, with multiple spots devoted to the concept opening in a few short years. You don’t have to explain why to the diners who crowd this small, boisterous storefront by the Cedar Lee Theatre. Digging your hands deep into a bag of spicy, saucy steamed seafood might be the most fun one can legally have in a restaurant. Photo via @BoilingSeafood/Instagram
Buckeye Express Diner 810 State Route 97 W., Bellville This diner is located right inside of an Ohio-themed train car. The menu offers all of your favorite diner and comfort meals. With railroad crossing signs and a sign that says “Michigan fans park across the street”, the train theme is set both inside and outside the restaurant. The drive to Buckeye Express isn’t close from Cleveland, but worth the effort. Photo via Bemtography/Instagram
Rood Food and Pie 17001 Madison Ave., Lakewood The only way this concept rises above the level of novelty is by offering not just delicious food, but by presenting it in a way that transforms it into a convivial, communal experience, much like Korean barbecue without all the splatter. A restaurant based on pies? Well, when you have the quality of pies that Rood Food has, it just works. Photo via Rood Food & Pie/Facebook
Chez Francois 555 Main St., Vermilion If you’re looking for a romantic destination restaurant for a special occasion, bring your date to Chez Francois in Vermillion. Upscale cuisine, like Filet de Boeuf Wellington à la Périgourdine is served at this French Restaurant with a great waterfront view. They’re also known for their excellent selection of fine wines. Just be aware of the restaurant’s dress code beforehand, which they defend and stress on their website. Photo via Scene Archives
Nautica Queen 1153 Main Ave., Cleveland There aren’t many places to dine than on a lavish dinner cruise. Each dinner aboard the Nautica Queen features an all-you-can-eat buffet, tea, and live music, along with views of the Cleveland skyline. Some packages even offer discounted tickets to the Greater Cleveland Aquarium. Photo by Emanuel Wallace
Close Quarters 31953 Lake Rd., Avon Lake Did you know that one of the smallest bars in the world is located in Cleveland? Anyone who can squeeze into the bar can taste their delicious burgers and fries. Close Quarters may be small, but the spot is known for having a really friendly community. You might even end up on their wall of fame. Photo via Hausmalts/Instagram
Acqua Di Luca 500 West St. Clair Ave., Cleveland For those looking for a restaurant to celebrate life’s big moments, thankfully, there’s Acqua di Luca, the latest restaurant from the husband-and-wife team behind Luca Italian Cuisine and Luca West. In true “special-occasion restaurant” form, the menu is unabashedly extravagant. The walk-in coolers are filled to the brim with shellfish, fin fish, veal, filet mignon, Kobe beef and menacing tomahawk chops. Those luxe foodstuffs are gilded with saffron, brown butter, Nebbiolo wine reductions and freshly shaved truffles. Photo by Douglas Trattner
Cru Uncorked 34300 Chagrin Blvd., Moreland Hills Maybe the fanciest joint in town, this Moreland Hills French fine dining restaurant is truly one of a kind in the region. If it wasn’t for the table settings, it would be easy to forget that you were touring a public restaurant and not the private home of the wealthiest family on the street — a street that also happened to be located in the ritziest zip code in town. The actual building looks like it was plucked from the Normandy countryside. Photo via Scene Archives
Dante 2247 Professor Ave. Ste. C, Cleveland Chef Dante Boccuzzi takes what he has learned from around the world into his gourmet fusion cuisines. The restaurant is also located in an old bank building and even features a candy bar. Ask to sit in the vault, and sample various dished through the 21 course tasting menu. You will for sure be left with an over the top experience. Photo viaDante/Facebook
Good Night John Boy 1050 West 10th St., Cleveland Forward Hospitality Group recently opened this 1970s-themed nightclub in the Flats after two years of planning. According to co-owner Bobby Rutter “It looks like your grandparents’ crazy basement, with wood paneling all over the place, shag carpet, linoleum floors and some crazy wallpaper that I can’t believe exists in the world,” Rutter says. “It’s awesome. It’s everything that’s beautiful about the ’70s. We’re way out there on the spectrum of cool design.” Rutter, who proudly claims to be “high on disco,” says that the whole ’70s craze is one of the hottest things going right now. Photo via Scene Archives
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. Oh, and it’s the original “throw your peanuts on the floor” spot, long before those chain steakhouses did it. Photo via Scene Archives
Nauti Mermaid 1378 West 6th St., Cleveland There’s always fish on the menu at this downtown bar and restaurant, but of course there’s a special for Lent. Check this place out.2 Photo via Nauti Mermaid/Facebook
Osso 9145 Old State Rd., Hambden Osso is a restaurant on a 40-acre farm outside of Chardon. It’s a one-of-a-kind dining experience, where the animals are literally right on the property. Nose-to-tail cooking means that once the prime steaks, chops and loins have been extracted, the real fun begins. Hams are hung to cure into prosciutto, jowls into guanciale and shoulder muscles become coppa. Photo via Osso/Facebook
Black Box Fix 25359 Cedar Rd., Lyndhurst Boasting some of the best, most creative sandwiches in town, this Legacy Village spot from Chef Eric Rogers has built up a very loyal following. Here’s a description of one of their sandwiches, so you know we’re not joking around: cajun Fried catfish and shrimp, smoked cheddar, bacon, arugula, tomato, red onion, pickles, creole remoulade. It’s as delicious and overstuffed as it sounds. Photo via Black Box Fix/Facebook
MarMar’s Pizza Location TBD Mar Mar’s Pizza Kitchen made a big impression from its temporary home in Beachwood, where it set up shop in the former Rosso and Red space next to Blu. That residency ended a few weeks back but the owners have been busy searching for a more permanent home, which they hope to secure this summer. Until then, they will be hosting a series of pop-ups to stay in the public eye. Their next pop-up will be at EDWINs Too on June 25th and 26th so get your orders in when you can, because their trademark thick, Sicilian-style, square-cut pies, sold by the quarter-sheet pan is out of this world. Photo via Scene Archives
Lobster and Pho 6901 Rockside Rd., Independence Why go to a restaurant that specializes only in Vietnamese pho, or Maine lobster rolls, or Cajun seafood boils, or Japanese tonkatsu when you can order all four (and more!) in a single sitting? Seafood, namely lobster, is the main draw. The first thing guests notice after crossing the divide is a double-decker tank filled with living, breathing sea life. The electric Cajun-Vietnamese spice blend in the boil elevates the lobster to heights unattainable by a simple steam and butter dunk. Photo via Scene Archives
Mike’s Place 1700 S. Water St., Kent Mike’s Place is a family restaurant that has been around since the summer of 1987. What makes it over the top? Being able to eat inside of a bus, and not to mention the airplane stationed right outside the restaurant. The whole road trip decor with ubiquitous license plates makes this family restaurant stand out from the rest. Photo via Rickeubanks1212/Instagram
Remix Ice Cream and Cereal Bar 11512 Clifton Blvd., Cleveland Lost in the fog of Covid was the recent opening of Remixx Ice Cream and Cereal Bar, a novelty shop that combines two of our favorite treats into one delicious cup, cone or milkshake. Opened in September by Vicki Kotris (who also is the co-founder of Cleveland Cookie Dough Co.), the colorful and festive shop is bound to brighten anyone’s day. Whether you call it breakfast for dessert or dessert for breakfast, Remixx transforms ice cream, cereal, mix-ins and sauces into one dreamy, creamy confection. Photo via Scene Archives Credit: Scene Archives
Strip Steakhouse 36840 Detroit Rd., Avon The restored Ewers barn on Detroit Road may look old on the outside, but the inside offers a modern, elegant steakhouse. The German Dutch style barn used to be a home for military horses during the Civil War. Photo viaDanielle_Troyer/Instagram
Banter 3441 Tuttle Rd., Shaker Heights Banter is the antidote to serious food in somber settings. It’s county fair food with a bowtie, where fries, sausages, and hotdogs are spruced up for a clever crowd. Their Polish Big Boy, that costs $150 and feeds 20 people, was featured on Ginormous Food, for good reason. It’s a 15 pound sandwich featuring kielbasa, a ton of fries, homemade barbecue sauce and cole slaw. Photo via Scene Archives
The Marble Room 623 Euclid Ave., Cleveland Located in the old National City Bank building, it’d be hard to find a more beautiful restaurant in town then the swanky Marble Room. The name says it all – the beautiful marble columns and intricately designed molding is absolutely stunning. And the steak is up there for the best in town. Get the ribeye and thank us later. Photo via Scene Archives Credit: Scene Archives
Roaming Biscuit 3615 Superior Ave, Cleveland Since launching her popular, indulgent breakfast biscuit business in 2019, owner Shawnda Moye says that she literally has been on the move. Not only has she operated solely as a pop-up venture, setting up shop at various farmers markets and cafes around town, but her bake shop has been itinerant as well. As opposed to working out of a dedicated kitchen, Moye had been utilizing restaurant kitchens during off hours. In June, Moye put down roots at the Tyler Village complex in the former home of Byte Café. The Bake Shop and Café will serve as a home base for the Roaming Biscuit, while offering weekday service during which it will sell prepared foods like biscuits, pastries, breakfast and lunch sandwiches and pimento cheese. The Roaming Biscuit will still pop up on weekends around town. Photo via Scene Archives

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