The 25 Best New Restaurants That Opened In Cleveland In 2023

Abundance Cafe

1975 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights

For the past year, chef Liu Fang and Carl Setzer have made themselves known around town. What began as occasional pop-ups selling buns, dumplings and noodles under the name Abundance Culinary advanced to weekly two-day residencies at Larder in Ohio City. At those events, and others across town at Rising Star in Cleveland Heights, the pair cultivated a passionate, dedicated following for Fang’s elevated Chinese cooking. The chef leans into our region’s bounty to craft modern interpretations of classic Chinese dishes. Diners on both sides of town have grown fond of items like Chinese sausage-filled dumplings, dry-fried green beans, Shanghai scallion noodles, honey ma wings and Huainan brisket ramen.The pair opened their own permanent space at the old diners on Lee Road this August and hopefully will be there for a long time to come.

Fahrenheit

55 Public Square., Cleveland

Rocco Whalen relocated his 20-year-old Tremont hotspot Fahrenheit to the long-dormant John Q's Steakhouse spot on Public Square.The 8,000-square-foot main floor and 4,300-square-foot second level with rooftop seating has quickly become one of the hottest meal tickets in town. Apart from the name, some key players and a handful of menu items, Fahrenheit Downtown shares few similarities with the original bistro that helped keep Tremont’s dining scene aloft since 2002. The dishes that did make the move seem spiffier, prepared and plated at a higher level. In many ways, Fahrenheit feels like the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for Whalen: a tribute for a job well done for nearly 30 years. Not many local chefs have the star power required to lure diners to an expensive restaurant in the heart of downtown. But Whalen has always drawn big crowds thanks to his outsized personality, eclectic and approachable foods, and knack for treating everybody like a VIP, from high-powered sports celebs to young couples.

Boom’s Pizza

14370 Detroit Ave., Lakewood

Partners Ben Bebenbroth formerly of Spice and Jonathan Bennett of Moxie and Red started hosting “doughball Fridays” at Keep the Change Kitchen Collective, the now-closed virtual food hall from Spice Hospitality Group, during the pandemic. The pizza became so popular that they decided to open a brick and mortar space which opened in Lakewood in January as Boom’s Pizza. The Neapolitan-style pizza shop has quickly become one of the most popular eateries in town, and for good reason. It’s phenomenal, and even won Scene’s Best Of New Restaurant category in 2023. They’ll soon add a second location and take over the vacated Michael’s Genuine space in the Van Aken District.

Midnight Owl

20312 Shaker Rd., Shaker Heights

It's been a couple years since Joel Warger and Rosemary Mudry set out on their journey to open a craft brewery. In October, the couple opened the first traditional brewery in Shaker Heights. The team has reshaped the former Lucy’s Sweet Surrender space across the street from the Van Aken District into a bright, colorful and welcoming brewpub. A large section of the main floor was removed to provide sightlines to the 10-barrel brewhouse and row of fermenters, which ascend from the lower lever. Midnight Owl will launch with six house beers and grow to a steady roster of eight, with a few guest pours added into the mix. Warger, who cut his chops at Great Lakes Brewing for 14 years before moving over to Goldhorn Brewery, is starting with an assortment of quicker-brewing ales, but will be rolling out lagers down the road. A fully equipped kitchen offesr guests an approachable selection of pub classics like warm soft pretzels served with beer cheese and mustard, beer-battered onion rings, soups and salads, and a trio of smash burgers.

Goldie’s Donuts

4010 Lorain Ave., Cleveland

After six successful years in Lyndhurst (5211 Mayfield Rd.), Dustin and Paloma Goldberg decided to expand their popular donut shop to Ohio City. Goldie’s is a family-owned business that makes its donuts, fillings, frostings and glazes from scratch daily using premium ingredients. They are known for their selection of old-fashioned classics like sour cream donuts, maple-glazed cake donuts, honey-glazed crullers and other tasty treats. Down the road, the owners hope to add breakfast and lunch items to the mix.

Heritage Steak and Whiskey

28869 Chagrin Blvd., Woodmere

Yes, it took Michael Symon’s partner Doug Petkovic approximately two years to get to this point, but the wait was more than worth it. Heritage Steak & Whiskey opened in late November, taking the former Fleming’s spot at the ritzy Eton Collection, and the restaurant quickly earned a spot amongst Northeast Ohio’s most highly regarded steakhouses. A bustling open kitchen prepares elevated steakhouse fare, the star of which are the wood-grilled steaks and chops. Guests can look forward to a mix of cuts, grades and purveyors, with a starting lineup that includes a filet, hangar, strip, bone-in ribeye, center-cut ribeye and spinalis, aka the ribeye cap, aka the best part of the best steak.Executive chef Jeff Gable has created a menu that doesn’t skimp on the non-steak items. There is a double-bone heritage-breed pork chop, duck confit, Dover sole, salmon roulade, linguini with clams, and a burger topped with pork belly. Same goes for the sides, which are close to a classic steakhouse, but the preparations will be chef-driven and creative.

Paloma

20041 Walker Rd., Shaker Heights

One of the last remaining marquee restaurant spaces at Van Aken District was snagged by the team behind Giovanni’s and Smokin’ Q’s BBQ. From partners Zachary Ladner and Carl Quagliata of Giovanni’s and the Village Butcher, Paloma is a taco-focused modern-Mexican restaurant that is a bit more elevated than what’s typically offered. Cleveland has been deluged by taquerias of every shape, size and persuasion. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for one more, especially when it outshines many of its contemporaries.

La Playa

6410 Detroit Ave., Cleveland

Since 2018, Rafael Ayala has welcomed Mexican food fans into his popular Gordon Square restaurant Blue Habanero (6416 Detroit Ave.). His new concept, La Playa, opened next door this summer. Ayala spent 6 months converting the former Boiler 65 space into a colorful marisquería ripped from the beaches of sunny Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Ayala, who is from Jalisco and spends a lot of time in the surf towns of that state, says that he has been kicking around the idea of importing his favorite cuisine. The seafood-heavy menu offers Mexican beach staples like ceviche, seafood cocktails, aguachile, steamed shrimp, grilled fish, fried fish and seafood molcajetes. There’s also plenty of beer, vibrantly hued drinks, fun tiki-style beverages and mezcal-fueled cocktails. A DJ inspires a chill vibe that makes the fun extend out to the large patio.

Lao Sze Chuan

Pinecrest, Orange Village

Lao Sze Chuan opened in Chicago’s Chinatown in 1998, where it made a big splash thanks to its stellar Sichuan cuisine. Aside from the dozen or so locations of Lao Sze Chuan in Greater Chicago, there are only four out-of-state locations of the iconic brand. This summer, that number climbed to five thanks to local operator Sheng Long Yu, who opened a location at Pinecrest. Diners familiar with the Chicago-based restaurant can expect a similar menu featuring traditional and elevated Szechuan food and a stylish interior. Yu is behind many local establishments including Shinto Japanese Steakhouse in Strongsville and Westlake, Kenko Sushi in University Circle and Kent, Dagu Rice Noodle in Asiatown, Ipoke near the Cleveland Clinic and Hell’s Fried Chicken in University Circle. He is also the force behind a new Asian food hall taking shape in Asiatown.

Tita Flora’s

6531 Brecksville Rd., Independence

When it comes to cuisines that are sorely lacking in Cleveland, Filipino is at the very top of the list. The melting-pot cuisine of the Philippines continues to climb in popularity around the nation, but locally the options are limited to a couple carry-out-only places such as Mely's Kainan and Nipa Hut Oriental Market. Thanks to Flora Grk, Greater Cleveland diners can now enjoy Filipino foods in a full-service, dine-in setting. For newbies, Tita Flora’s is a great place to go to explore Filipino food. For Filipino-Americans, Tito Flora’s is a great place to go to get out of cooking dinner, with the classics all being done to perfection here.