Thankfully, the first quarter of 2024 has brought far more openings than closings, against recent trends. But Cleveland still said goodbye to a bunch of beloved institutions, including some notable names in notable locations.
Toast
1365 West 65th., Cleveland
Toast in Gordon Square called it a day on April 3 after 11 years in the neighborhood. Owner Jillian Davis told Scene: “It’s not bittersweet — it’s bitter mostly. Operating a full-service restaurant is not as fun as it used to be.” The neighborhood wine bar and restaurant was beloved for its down-to-earth vibe, personal service, unique wines and seasonal small plates and entrees. Davis mentioned staffing challenges and changing dining habits as some of the reasons behind her decision to close. Credit: Scene ArchivesPearl Street Wine Market and Cafe
2523 Market Ave., Cleveland
Pearl Street Wine Market & Café in Ohio City closed at the end of March because of an unexpected rent increase that will make it impossible to continue operating. Chef/owner Karen Small opened the wine bar with partner Jill Davis in the former Flying Fig space about a year and a half ago. “Our landlords tried to raise our rent by $7,000 a month, which takes us up to about $25 a square foot, so we refused to renew our lease with them,” Small explains. Small has been in that space for 25 years, ever since opening Flying Fig in 1999. She says that her current monthly rent of $4,300 will climb to nearly $11,000. The pair hope to find a new home for Pearl Street somewhere down the line in Ohio City. Credit: Douglas TrattnerMelt, Avon and Independence Locations
It’s been a brutal 13 months for Melt Bar & Grilled. In early 2023, owner Matt Fish and his team made the difficult decision to close the Canton and Dayton locations, stating that as the newest and farthest shops, the move made the most sense as the chain sought to cut costs amid troubling financial headwinds. And earlier this year, it was the Avon store that got the pink slip, closing after seven years. Then, the company announced the closure of the Independence location, which was store number three when it opened nearly 15 years ago. This most recent closure brings the total number of full-service restaurants down to four, which join quick-serve and seasonal satellites at Progressive Field and Cedar Point. Credit: Photo via MeltBarGrilled/InstagramSteve’s Diner
2024 will mark the ninth anniversary of the demise of Steve’s Lunch, the (in)famous hot dog diner on the western edge of Ohio City. That local landmark burst into flames on St. Patrick’s Day 2015, with the building being razed the following day. Now, unfortunately, the Steve’s Diner offshoot opened by Ed Salzgerber after purchasing the business from founder Steve Spanakis in 2022 has also said goodbye after he couldn’t secure a lease extension. With the closure, Cleveland also lost one of the precious few remaining 24-hour restaurants around town. Fans of the original chili recipe that dates back to 1953 can still enjoy it at Steve’s Doghouse (3850 Pearl Rd., 216-398-1446). Credit: Steve's Diner FacebookCafe Avalaun
Citing personal health issues and other obstacles, chef Brian Doyle earlier this year announced that he would be closing Cafe Avalaun in Warrensville Heights in March. Doyle opened the shop in 2015 to serve as a haven for diners dealing with celiac disease. The cafe offers great food that just so happens to be gluten free. Credit: Google MapsBD’s Mongolian Grill
1854 Coventry Rd., Cleveland Heights
When BD’s Mongolian Grill opened its doors in 1997 on Coventry, the restaurant offered a unique and interactive dining experience akin to hibachi, but without all the splatter. Diners took pleasure in piling ingredients and sauces into a bowl and then handing them off to a grill cook, who would stir-fry them up in plain view. Although the thrill may have vanished many moons ago, the restaurant chugged along, seemingly immune from the economic ups and downs of the street as well as the wider hospitality industry around it. Along with Coventry stalwarts like Tommy’s, Grum’s and Inn on Coventry, BD’s Mongolian was a constant presence on the street for nearly 30 years. That all ended this year as it shut its doors. The closure leaves four remaining locations in Ohio, two of which are in the Greater Columbus area. Credit: Scene archivesGabriel’s Southern Table
It’s been a challenging two years for Gabriel Zeller’s East 4th Street residency. Zeller and his former partner opened Indie in late 2021, taking over the former Greenhouse Tavern space and turning it into a music-themed eatery that never gained traction. A little over a year later, Zeller pulled the plug on that concept. “We felt that after the first year, people either loved Indie or they just didn’t get it,” Zeller told us at the time. “I think that a different atmosphere and a slightly more elevated menu is what people are looking for on Fourth.” The “different atmosphere” arrived in the form of Gabriel’s Southern Table, which opened last spring. That restaurant quietly closed its doors in January. Credit: Douglas TrattnerMojo World Eats
2196 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights
Mojo, the restaurant that began life in Tremont 25 years ago and was revived in Cleveland Heights in 2020, closed as the calendar turned from 2023 to 2024. In 2010, owner Michael Herschman Herschman began his stint as executive chef at Lopez on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights. In 2016, he purchased the business from longtime owner Craig Sumers. In 2020, just weeks before Covid forced every Ohio restaurant to close, the chef unveiled his new version of Mojo. Credit: Scene ArchivesBerea Depot
The Berea Depot, a longtime institution in the southern suburb, closed as we welcomed 2024. The restaurant, opened by Lynn McLaughlin in 2017, announced on social media that it would not reopen following a holiday break. The historic property, which includes a 150-year-old train depot and refurbished Pullman car, was long home to the Pufferbelly restaurant. After that, the property was home to the Station and Union Depot Taverne. Credit: Google MapsSkyline Chili
5706 Mayfield Rd., Lyndhurst
The closure on the Lyndhurst store at the end of December, coupled with the 2019 shuttering of the Skyline Chili location in Brooklyn, has made Northeast Ohio a serious Cincinnati chili desert. Now, the closest location is in Stow (4127 Bridgewater Pkwy., 330-940-3929). 137 restaurants out there and zero in Cleveland. Credit: Photo courtesy Skyline ChiliSauce the City at Re:bar
The one constant in life, they say, is change, and that’s certainly been the case recently at Re:Bar in downtown Cleveland. After taking over an adjacent property and converting it into a restaurant space — complete with kitchen and seating — Re:Bar owner Rachel Ulloa partnered with La Plaza’s Adrian Ortega to open a up a satellite taco shop in the space. Less than a year into the residency, however, the partnership ended. Waiting in the wings was Victor Searcy Jr., who stepped in with his popular Sauce the City satellite. That union, which began in January of this year, also has ended. Now, The Kitchen at Re:Bar is open for all your dining needs. Credit: Scene ArchivesCorky & Lenny’s
Sure, it happened at the tailend of 2023, but the shuttering of the beloved eastside deli is still reverberating across Northeast Ohio. Late last year, owner Kenny Kurland made the excruciating decision to not open the doors of his Woodmere deli, which debuted in 1973 – and that’s the NEW Corky & Lenny’s; the original opened at Cedar Center in 1956 and operated until the early 1990s. The Jewish deli was founded by Lenny Kaden and Corky Kurland at a time when real-deal Jewish delis dotted the landscape. Those days, sadly, are behind us. Credit: Photo by Doug TrattnerR. Shea
The Akron-based brewery sought help last year in a fundraiser to cover $2.3 million in costs associated with loans from its expansion and bad economic headwinds in the brewery industry. It wasn’t enough, as R. Shea announced this year that all of its operations would cease come March. Credit: Courtesy R. Shea
