The 21 Best Cleveland Restaurants for When You Want to Be Alone

The Marble Room

623 Euclid Ave., Cleveland

Newly opened 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 and seafood are up there for the best in town. Get the ribeye and thank us later.

Photo via Scene Archives

Urban Farmer

1325 East Sixth St., Cleveland

At this downtown steakhouse, located in the Westin, step in to a bar with exposed brick, leather couches and reclaimed wood. Move over to the restaurant, and you’ll see a mixture of hip and fancy with more reclaimed wood, chalkboards, colorful rugs and booths with a yellow leather backing. Also, the steak is delicious and the whiskey list is long.

Photo via Urban Farmer Cleveland/Facebook

The Standard

779 E. 185th St., Cleveland

The beloved Colinwood neighborhood gem recently changed ownership, but don’t worry, they’ve kept some longitme favorite dishes of the diehard customer base. In addition to the standards (!) Aromatic, elaborate constructions like Valencian paella, Provençal bouillabaisse and North African tagine reflect the owner's childhood in Casablanca, where the foods of France, Spain, Italy and North Africa regularly graced his kitchen table. Here, they largely succeed.

Photo by Emanuel Wallace

Spice Kitchen

5800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland

Ben Bebenroth is regarded as one of the region's leading farm-to-table chefs for good reason. He puts his money where his mouth is when it comes to sourcing food by managing a working farm just south of town. While the dishes change with the calendar, diners can count on options built around local produce, pork, chicken, and beef and sustainable fish and seafood. The cheery, flower-trimmed Detroit Shoreway bistro makes weekend brunch all the better.

Photo via Scene Archives

Sarita a Restaurant

14523 Madison Ave., Lakewood

The goal of Sarita, according to their website, is to serve healthy, new American cuisine from all backgrounds and cultures to an atmosphere of good friends and family and one trip to the restaurant shows that they certainly accomplish this goal. The food is great - the cast-iron cornbread and Navajo fry bread are both must-orders - but we also really love the relaxed yet hip atmosphere of this spot.

Photo via Sarita/Facebook

Saigon

2061 East Fourth St., Cleveland

Nestled into a relatively small storefront on downtown's bustling East Fourth Street, the room is cozy, comfy, and contemporary. The best bets here are the meal-sized phos — fragrant beef-broth soups featuring rice noodles and several different styles of beef. On the side, an array of condiments — Asian basil, fresh lime wedges and bean sprouts, sliced jalapeños, earthy hoisin sauce, and peppery sriracha — allows diners to customize the dish to their preference.

Photo via Scene Archives

Pura Vida

170 Euclid Ave., Cleveland

Veteran chef Brandt Evans' Public Square restaurant is a breath of fresh air for downtowners, with a spare decor, an urbane vibe, and rustically refined menus built from local, sustainable ingredients and a plethora of vegetarian options. A stickler for details, Evans pays equal attention to every element of a dish. He does, however, leave room for whimsy, as evidenced by the occasional odd ingredient and deconstructed arrangement.

Photo via @Pura_Vida_By_Brandt/Instagram

Parallax

2179 West 11th St., Cleveland

Longtime Cleveland chef Zach Bruell’s salon is as chic as can be, with precise but unpretentious fare that finds its heart in classical technique and its soul in contemporary artistry. Options include excellent sushi, plenty of seafood and such bistro standards as duck confit and grilled hanger steak. There’s really something for everyone here, as it has one of the most eclectic and extensive menus in town.

Photo via Parallax Restaurant/Facebook

Osteria Di Valerio & Al

408 West St. Clair Ave., Cleveland

The anonymous phrasemaker who said "Good things come in small packages" surely didn't have this tiny Italian restaurant in mind, but he could have: the Warehouse District's smallest dining room more than compensates with big quotas of flavor and style.

Photo via Osteria Di Valerio & Al/Facebook

Nora

2181 Murray Hill Rd., Cleveland

Nora upends the Little Italy stereotype of the spag-and-ball joint by applying classic French technique to Italian ingredients to come up with dishes that are in synch with the season, if not the surrounding restaurants. While you won't be dabbing red sauce off your shirt, you will be awash in the Old World charm that attracts us to the Hill in the first place. Beneath a pressed-tin ceiling and behind a wall of windows, diners dig into creamy burrata, crunchy polenta fries, wild mushroom stuffed agnolotti, and fettuccine carbonara topped with crispy matchstick potatoes and a buttery poached egg.

Photo via Scene Archives