With the summer crawling to a close, debuts on the Cleveland food scene have thankfully outnumbered places that we’ve had to say goodbye to. Still, 2024 has seen its fair share of notable departures from east to west. Here’s what’s closed so far.

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 Archives
Pearl 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.
Melt Locations It’s been a brutal 24 months for Melt Bar & Grilled. In the past two years the company, which at one point had 13 locations, closed all but the original one in Lakewood. “Post-pandemic we were chasing ourselves all over the city and state just trying to keep stores open let alone maintain quality of the products, so unfortunately we probably did a disservice to the brand because we had to cut some corners, reduce the quality of some of the ingredients and maybe not produce as many items in house as we were before because we didn’t have the staffing,” he said. To achieve some of those goals, Fish will close the Lakewood location (14718 Detroit Ave.) between September 2nd and September 9th, when the restaurant will celebrate its grand re-opening. Fish says that when guests return to Melt after the pause, they will find a more polished and mature version of the brand they know and love. “We’re 18 years old – we’re not kids anymore, we’re adults – so people are eating a lot differently than they were 18 years ago when we first opened,” he said. “It’s time for us to change with them.” Credit: Photo via MeltBarGrilled/Instagram
Steve’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 Facebook
Cafe 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 Maps
BD’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 archives
Gabriel’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 Trattner
Mojo 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 Archives
Berea 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 Maps
Salt After 20 years of cooking professionally for other owners (at top-flight places like Lola, Flying Fig, Rockefeller’s and Black Pig), Jill Vedaa finally struck out on her own with Salt. She and Jessica Parkison forged a different and challenging path by going exclusively with small plates. What’s more, the menus would almost completely change multiple times per year. More than three dozen menus later, it was time for a change as the pair announced Salt would close at the end of August. Despite consistent success at Salt, Vedaa alludes to a tectonic shift in the dining landscape, one that puts small, independent restaurants like hers at a disadvantage. “This business is changing a lot; it’s something we’ve noticed the past couple years,” she explains. “It’s pretty incredible, even during Covid people were more about supporting local and getting out there. The landscape – how people are eating and drinking – has completely changed.” Credit: Courtesy Photo
Ohio City Pizzeria The near west side is about as blessed with pizza as any neighborhood in Cleveland, from higher-end options such as Cent’s and Il Rione to fast-casual outposts like City Slice.For the past five years, Ohio City Pizzeria (version 2.0) operated somewhere in the middle, slinging hearty pie in a cozy dining room alongside a robust takeout business, all with a side of a positive impact in the community. Unfortunately, the shop, owned by the West Side Catholic Center, recently announced Aug. 10 would be the last day the ovens would fire. “We survived the pandemic through the grit and dedication of those who believed in the social good we aimed to provide through OCP,” the center wrote in an email. “However, post-pandemic challenges have not allowed us to achieve the operating results and impact we had hoped for, leading us to this difficult decision… We believe closing Ohio City Pizzeria is the most prudent decision for the overall well-being of the Center at this time.” Credit: Scene Archives
Sauce the City Victor Searcy launched his business at the Ohio City Galley in 2018, keeping it going long after the Galley Group pulled out of the building. After that venture closed for good in 2022, he moved into the University Heights location and opened a satellite location at Re:bar downtown. The latter closed earlier this year and in July the shop at Cedar Green shopping plaza followed. “We just ran our course out here,” he told Scene. Credit: Scene Archives
Bistro on the Falls In April, Marcelo Fadul closed Bistro on the Falls, which opened in September 2021 in Olmsted Falls (8134 Columbia Rd.). He says that health issues have forced his hand as he sold the property to a new owner who has thus far not announced future plans. Credit: Google Maps
Citizen Pie Roman Cafe After operating Citizen Pie pizzeria in Collinwood since 2015 and Citizen Pie in Ohio City since 2017, chef Vytauras Sasnauskas opened Citizen Pie Roman Café on East 4th Street in April of 2020. Unlike the Neapolitan-style pies crafted at the first two shops, the downtown restaurant specialized in grab-and-go Roman-style pizza. While the slices were great, the location didn’t catch on and landlord MRN and the shop decided to call it a day in June. The upside: A promise to bring the Roman-style pie to the Ohio City lcoation. Credit: Scene Archives
Cha Pizza Susan Walters in May announced that she would be closing her pizza restaurant, Cha at Tinnerman Lofts. The Ohio City restaurant, which is located in a beautifully restored century home, opened in early 2023 as the third iteration of the concept. But the unique restaurant property at 2054 Fulton Road already has been claimed by another operator. Johanes Jonathan, who runs Issho Ni Ramen and Sushi in Willoughby, has ambitious plans for the place. He’s already at work at reworking the spot for an izakaya-style bar on the first floor and an omakase-tasting room upstairs. Credit: Scene Archives
Bell & Flower This past winter, Rick Doody quietly acquired Bell & Flower in Chagrin Falls. The purchase upped the restaurateur’s holdings in the village to three, joining JoJo’s Bar and 17 River Grille. Outside of the village, Doody also operates Bar Italia, Cedar Creek Grille and Lindey’s Lake House. From the start, Doody planned on retooling the restaurant, and that work is underway after Bell & Flower shut its doors in May. Coming sometime this year: Cafe Lola, a french bistro. Credit: Google Maps
El Carnicero Opened 11 years ago by Momocho chef/owner Eric Wiliams, El Carnicero carved out its own niche in Lakewood as far more than a dupe of its Ohio City sister. But after a decade, Wiliams pulled the plug in May. “It’s time to say adios,” he said. “It’s been an honor being a small part of the Lakewood community, and for a restaurant to survive and thrive for 11 years is an accomplishment for whie we can all be proud. But it’s time for a change.” Change happens quick, and after Dan Deagan and Jackie Ramey grabbed the spot, they quickly reworked the space and opened Wine Dive there this summer. Credit: Scene Archives
Aurelia After nearly six years in business, Aurelia (16 North Main St.) in Chagrin Falls closed its doors at the end of April. Owners Diane and John C. Moore — along with chef-partner James Balchak — transformed the former North Main Diner (and Dink’s) into a gracious, unpretentious farm-to-table restaurant that stood out in a very challenging market. The space didn’t sit vacant for long, however, as they sold the business to Michael DuBois and Brad Friedlander who are working to bring Moxie, the once notable Beachwood restaurant, out of retirement sometime this year. Credit: Scene Archives
Mabel’s BBQ at Eton Chagrin Mabel’s BBQ (28699 Chagrin Blvd.) at Eton Chagrin Boulevard had been “temporarily closed” since last Thanksgiving before owner Doug Petkovic officially announced it was permanently closed in April. Initially, Petkovic assumed that the closure would be a shortly lived one, a period of time when he could dedicate all of his attention, effort and staff to the opening of Heritage Steak and Whiskey in the same shopping plaza. But in the end, that’s not how it worked out. “I closed it with the intention of reopening it or doing something else, but with the success of Heritage Steak and Whiskey, I decided to focus on that and on Mabel’s downtown,” he said. Credit: Scene Archives
J. Pistone Market and Gathering Place This past February, Joan and John Pistone announced that they would be closing their beloved business, J. Pistone Market and Gathering Place (3245 Warrensville Ctr. Rd., 216-283-3663) in Shaker Heights, at the end of June. To many in the community, the departure felt like a loss in the family. That’s not surprising given that the brother-and-sister owners have been feeding the neighborhood for nearly 25 years. The good news? Jay Leitson and partner Izzy Schachner took possession of the property. The duo, who run two 56 Kitchen locations, Elle, and Birdigo, will open 56 Social sometime this summer. Credit: Google Maps

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