The Hottest Hookup Bars in Cleveland

Bright Side/Bird of Paradise

1948 West 25th St., Cleveland

It’s been 17 and 15 years, respectively, since Sam McNulty and co-founder Mark Priemer opened Bier Markt and Bar Cento in Ohio City. In late 2021 they closed them and reopened their new spots, Bright Side with Bird of Paradise below. Bright Side is a restaurant and bar and Bird of Paradise is a dance club and cocktail lounge and both are great places to meet someone.

Barley House

1261 West 6th St., Cleveland

Barley House might be THE bar for singles in town. Nowhere gets as reliably busy with partygoers on the weekends. With DJs and just about everyone know in town hanging around, it's a mainstay of the Warehouse District for a reason.

Tina’s

5400 Herman Ave., Cleveland

There's no better date than embarrassing yourself with some karaoke. And Tina’s Nite Club in the Detroit Shoreway is a quintessential Cleveland dive bar with the most fun karaoke in town. Karaoke is for paying customers only, but the drinks are more than reasonable and they definitely loosen the crowd up.

Corky’s Place

13302 Detroit Ave., Lakewood

Corky's, which hosts karaoke every Wednesday through Saturday, keeps its songbooks stocked with the newest hits from the Nashville country scene as well as old-school Seattle grunge. And unlike most karaoke spots, where the drunk redneck singing "Ring of Fire" is shoved off into the corner, here you're the headliner, front and center, with stage lighting, a roaring sound system, and a packed house — especially on the weekends. What better way to impress a stranger?

Edison’s

2373 Professor Ave., Cleveland

You're not doing Tremont right if you don't land at Edison's for at least some portion of your night. It's the quintessential Tremont bar, the quintessential Cleveland bar — a real bar's bar, you dig? Whether you're just stopping in at the pickup door for a pizza or you're posting up at the lovely bar for an evening round with your finest friends trying to meet someone new, you'll be well taken care of here.

Porco Lounge & Tiki Room

2527 West 25th St., Cleveland

Porco Lounge & Tiki Room is only about ten years old, but its dedication to professionally blended cocktails — even silly sounding ones — has helped its reputation grow at a brisk rate. In 2016, the Food Network named the bar one of the best tiki bars in the country. Come for a drink, leave with a new friend.

The Jolly Scholar

11111 Euclid Ave., Cleveland

Located on the Case Western campus and run by its students, this brewery and kitchen is a real hidden gem. You know any student-run bar gets rowdy at times, and that’s certainly the case here, making it a great place to meet someone to take home.

Jukebox

1404 West 29th St., Cleveland

A music-themed neighborhood bar in the rock n’ roll capital? Sounds like the perfect spot, and that’s what this Hingetown haunt is. The warm, brick-lined space features industrial lighting fixtures, rock-themed art and decorations, and the namesake jukebox, a 100-CD version stuffed with various Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted musicians. It's the perfect place to strike up a conversation.

Lost Social Club

1265 W 6th St, Cleveland

Below Barley House you’ll find Lost Social Club, an exclusive nightclub from the folks at TownHall and DJ E-V. It’s one of the most lively clubs in town and a perfect place for singles ... if you’re hip enough.

Merry Arts Pub and Grill

15607 Detroit Ave., Lakewood

Since 1932, Merry Arts has served up food and drinks to the Lakewood community. It opened during the Great Depression, and if it could make it through that, well, we have a feeling it won’t be going anywhere any time soon. And for an added bonus, you can actually find single men and women here.