The Hottest New Restaurants That Opened in Cleveland This Year

Mendel’s Kansas City BBQ

20314 Chagrin Blvd., Shaker Heights

Mendel Segal, who is known to his many fans as the “rabbi pitmaster,” at his barbecue restaurant in Miami, opened an output of his delicious kosher barbecue in Shaker Heihgts in January. The 80-seat restaurant is full-service, but family-friendly. And with items like brisket, smoked pastrami, giant beef ribs, beef back ribs, smoked veal brisket, lamb ribs, smoked turkey, burnt ends and smoked chicken, few diners will miss the pork. In addition to the foods coming out of the pit, the restaurant offers non-BBQ foods like soups, salads, wings, burgers, fish and steak. To drink, there’s plenty of craft beer and a full liquor license.

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.

Doinks Burger Bar

15519 Waterloo Rd., Cleveland

Doinks Burger Joint enjoyed a long, fruitful run as a garage-based biz before setting up semi-permanent residency at the Cleveland Brewery, which continued until they opened this summer in their own location. The outpouring of community support persuaded partners Bonn Rassavong and Peter Brown to make the jump to a brick-and-mortar venture. The 1,200-square-foot space sits a half a block west of Brown’s Six Shooter storefront. The star of the show is the OG Doinks burger, a double smash burger with American cheese, shredded lettuce, pickles, sauteed onions and special sauce. They also offer a handful of burger specials, a veggie option and few hot and cold sides. The “seltzer bar” features a selection of hard-seltzer cocktails made with muddled fruits and house-made syrups.

Tutto Carne

2181 Murray Hill Rd., Cleveland

This Italian-themed steakhouse, which opened in late spring of 2023, is operated by Ladner and Carl Quagliata, the chef-owners behind Giovanni’s, Smokin’ Q’s BBQ, Paloma and The Village Butcher. In the former Nora spot in Little Italy, the space has been completely transformed into a stylish and sophisticated 45-seat bistro. Chef de cuisine Ryan O’Driscoll oversees a steakhouse-style menu that benefits greatly from the owners’ sister establishment, The Village Butcher. A selection of other steaks and chops is joined by items like seared halibut with littleneck clams in horseradish broth, pan-seared scallops with bacon, potato and spring pea pesto, and a dry-aged beef burger topped with taleggio, short rib onions, bacon and special sauce. For pasta fans, Ladner and his team have assembled a roster of classic dishes.

Dukes `n Boots

4027 Erie St., Willoughby

Chef Dante Boccuzzi's first foray to the East Side welcomed its first guests in May. Located in the heart of Willoughby on Erie Street, the Southern-styled saloon elevates the honky-tonk vibe thanks to warm wood, exposed brick and a menu designed by a Michelin-starred chef. Heading up the kitchen is chef Emily Campion, who has been working at Ginko and Dante for the past year. She takes the reins of the 60-seat restaurant with an eye on quality, consistency and creativity. "The food is traditional Southern but done right, refined but approachable," she explains. Out back is a spacious 60-seat patio ringed by a rusted-metal fence. There is also live country-style music Fridays or Saturdays, inside or outside, weather depending.

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. What exits the kitchen here can only come from the mind of a Culinary Institute of America graduate who grew up in Texas. Proteins like lamb, duck, oxtail, beef short rib and fresh-catch seafood take the place of the ubiquitous ground beef, pulled pork and white-meat chicken. Instead of bland shredded cheese, wilted greens and watery salsas, the tacos here are topped with dewy micro-herbs, crispy veggies, vibrant sauces and salty cotija cheese.

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.The 60-seat restaurant in Independence is studded with Filipino staples and classics like crispy lumpia, filled with either vegetables or pork; pork or tofu sisig served on a sizzling platter; pancit, made with rice or wheat noodles; and longsilog, the all-day breakfast dish of sausage fried rice topped with a fried egg.

Sushi 86 and Bites

1050 E. 9th St., Cleveland

Sushi 86, which operated in the 5th Street Arcades for over a decade, moved to its new location at the Harbor Verandas this fall with an expanded menu. Sushi 86 and Bites joins Nuevo Modern Mexican in serving a tourist-heavy clientele on the way to or from places like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Great Lakes Science Center and Voinovich Bicentennial Park. At breakfast and lunch, Bites will offer StoneFruit coffee, pastries, quiche, frittata, breakfast sandwiches, salads, Cubanos, grilled chicken sandwiches and ice cream. Next door, at Sushi 86, guests can look forward to a newly expanded menu of sushi, sashimi, rolls and poke bowls. For the first time, items off the Bites menu will be available to diners at Sushi 86 during lunch.

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. 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.

Patron Saint

2915 Detroit Ave., Cleveland

Open only since early June, Patron Saint feels like it’s been an essential part of this community for years. Owner Marie Artale tapped chef David Kocab to craft a farm-to-table regional Italian menu that leans light, wholesome, seasonal and satisfying. Patron Saint is the kind of place where “a quick glass of wine” can cascade into a tipsy two-hour feast. As an all-day café, Patron Saint transitions from early morning coffee service through early evening aperitivo hour. The 50-seat café boasts a window counter with lake views, comfortable banquettes, a standing rail, and bar seating. While not a traditional restaurant, Patron Saint’s all-day menu offers enough variety and heft to cobble together a lovely meal.