Not everything has to be a whole meal. Whether you’re looking for a pre-show snack, a post-beach bite, something sweet or salty, Cleveland’s blessed with shops delivering that little something when only a little nibble is needed. 

Sweet Bean Candies 819 East 185th St., Cleveland The prettiest snack in town can be found from Sweet Bean Candies, a chocolate bon bon company with a storefront on East 185th Street. Sweet Bean, owned by husband and wife Bob and Kristin Barnes, makes chocolates that are individually hand-painted by Kristin, making them almost too beautiful to eat. You can also find their chocolates at Arabica Coffee, Flight Cleveland, Gingham Market, Northside Marketplace, The Corner at Van Aken and Made Cleveland Makers. Credit: @SweetBeanCandies/Instagram
Aladdin’s Baking Co. 1301 Carnegie Ave., Cleveland Not to be confused with the local chain by the same name, this Middle Eastern spot has been serving up some of the best pita in town since 1972. They’re also the spot if you’re looking for freshly baked Middle Eastern goods to satisfy that craving. Credit: Scene Archives
Mount Granita Italian Ice 2024 Murray Hill Rd., Cleveland Ice cream in Little Italy means Italian ice. The treat is made from 100-percent fresh fruit and cane sugar. What started out as a food cart is now turning into a full blown brick and mortar location, opening in late May. Fans can also pick up pints of Mount Granita Italian Ice at Heinen’s stores in Mayfield Village and Pepper Pike as well as Murray Hill Market in Little Italy and DiStefano’s Authentic Italian Foods. Credit: Scene Archives
Blackbird Baking Company 1391 Sloane Ave., Lakewood At this hip Lakewood shop, each rustic loaf is a one-of-a-kind creation, with loaves and loaves of focaccia, ciabatta, baguettes, challah and soda breads inhabiting the shelves. In the sweets department are airy delights like fruit tarts, sticky buns, cranberry scones, peanut butter cookies and coconut macaroons. Credit: Scene Archives
Gingham Market 17000 Madison Ave., Lakewood Ever since opening Gatherings Kitchen in Lakewood, Ruth Kostadinov had her eye on the next-door space, which finally in July of 2022 after 13 years of wanting to acquire the space. Shoppers will find a bright and inviting space filled with prepared foods, local pantry items, beer and wine, and more than a few surprises. Rounding out the offerings are more than 90 local products that range from hot sauces and mustards to fermented foods and small-batch cheeses. Cold beer, wine, cocktail mixers and cooking utensils also are in supply. Credit: Scene Archives
Hillson Nut Company 3225 West 71st St., Cleveland For 88 years, Hillson Nut has been filling the air with the satisfying aroma of freshly roasted almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts and peanuts. This tightknit, family-owned-and-operated company sprang to life in 1935, when Robert Hillson opened up a nut roastery on Woodland Avenue. Ever since, their roasted nuts have been some of the tastiest snacks in town. Credit: Doug Trattner
Chagrin Falls Popcorn Shop 53 North Main St., Chagrin Falls Since 1949, the Popcorn Shop has been a staple for Chagrin Falls residents and visitors. There’s old timey and modern candy, tons of kinds of popcorn, great ice cream and pretty much everything else you’d want out of a candy and ice cream shop. There’s also a second location at Shaker Square. Credit: Scene Archives
Credit: Scene Archives
Campbell’s Sweet Factory 2084 West 25th St., Cleveland When it comes to snacks, not much tops Campbell’s in Ohio City. Campbell’s is a Cleveland staple, serving up tons of creative and traditional flavors of popcorn, from the sweet like cinnamon roll and cotton candy flavors to the savory like buffalo ranch and salt and vinegar. They also have tasty chocolate covered treats and much more. Credit: Scene Archives
West Side Market 1979 W. 25th St., Cleveland Looking for all the snacks under one roof? The West Side Market is the spot for you. From baked goods at Vera’s, Spanos, and Reilly’s to jerky from Czuchraj and J&J to nuts from the P-Nut Gallery, cheese from the Cheese Shop, spreads from Meister, olives from Rita’s and much, much more, you’ll never run out of snacks to try as you nibble your way around the market, and take some home to try later, of course. Credit: Scene Archives
Ball Ball Waffle 2999 Payne Ave., Cleveland Owner Aldous Lau says that egg waffles (also known as bubble waffles) are one of the most popular street foods in Hong Kong, his hometown. Around since the 1950s, the trend has slowly been spreading across the globe, where the picturesque, honeycomb-shaped snacks are consumed throughout the day. Up until now, Cleveland has been surprisingly lacking in the treats. After noticing that dearth, Lau and his wife Alice opened Ball Ball Waffle inside Asia Plaza. Both sweet and savory options are available, with some coming naked while others feature cheese, chocolate or matcha and mochi. Credit: Doug Trattner
Presti’s Bakery 12101 Mayfield Rd., Cleveland Presti’s has been a staple of Little Italy since 1943. The renowned bakery, in addition to their Italian desserts like tiramisu and cannolis, also is a great spot to hang out at outside during the warm months. Credit: Scene Archives
808 Shave Ice Multiple Locations If you haven’t tried the special treats that 808 serves, you’re totally missing out. And with locations in Avon, Fairview Park, Strongsville and the Zoo, you really have no excuse. The combination of flavored shaved ice with vanilla ice cream, snow caps and whipped cream is out of this world. Credit: source
Marchant Manor Cheese 2211 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights Kandice Marchant began making cheese as a hobbyist, working her way through a beginner’s cheesemaking book. While she enjoyed the results – straightforward creations like ricotta, mozzarella and cottage cheese – she had loftier tastes and ambitions and opened Marchant Manor Cheese in the historic Cedar-Lee district of the Heights. In addition to producing their own delicious cheeses, shoppers can find other products for charcuterie like pickles, olives, jams and cheese boards. Credit: Scene Archives
Koko Bakery 3710 Payne Ave., Cleveland and 1767 Coventry Rd., Cleveland Heights For more than 15 years, Koko Bakery has lured Asian food fans to its downtown store for fresh-baked buns, colorful fruit tarts, cakes and pastries, hot lunches and the best bubble tea around. In 2021, they opened their second shop in Coventry Village in the former Piccadilly Artisan Yogurt space next door to Pacific East. Credit: Scene Archives
Mango Mango 3133 Payne Ave., Cleveland Local franchisee Bin Zheng opened the Hong Kong-style dessert shop in late 2022. The original location opened in New York City’s Chinatown neighborhood in 2013. Since then, the colorful confectionery has expanded to include approximately 30 locations in 12 states. The expansive menu includes familiar items like smoothies, milks, bubble teas and mango mochi, alongside house-churned ice cream starring green tea, red bean and mango. There are also many-layered mille crepe cakes, coconut crepe rolls and fresh fruit waffles. Credit: Scene Archives
Old Brooklyn Cheese Co. 4464 Broadview Rd., Cleveland and 3441 Tuttle Rd., Ste. 101, Shaker Heights, Prepare yourself to boldly go where few Cleveland cheese connoisseurs have gone before. Old Brooklyn Cheese Co. not only will be selling upwards of 100 varieties of local and international cheeses, including area favorites Lake Erie Creamery and Yellow House Cheese, but the shop also makes its own delicious products in a state-of-the-art production kitchen and ages others on site. And their freshly made cheese forward sandwiches are out of this world. Credit: Scene Archives
On the Rise Artisan Breads 3471 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Heights and 3407 Tuttle Rd., Shaker Heights On The Rise was recently one of Food and Wine Magazine’s Top 100 Bakeries in the Country and we totally agree. In addition to their freshly baked breads and other baked goods, the bakery is known for having some of the best chocolate chip cookies this side of anywhere, other tasty desserts and a banh mi we’ve called one of the best sandwiches in Cleveland. Credit: Scene Archives
b.a. Sweetie Candy Company 6770 Brookpark Rd., Cleveland Looking for the best candy selection in town and maybe the country? B.A. Sweetie Candy Company on Brookpark is where it’s at. Any candy you can think of can be found in the giant warehouse that also contains a mini-golf course and soda shoppe. Best of all, BA Sweetie has tons of vintage candy from your (and your parents’ and maybe even their parents’) childhood that you probably haven’t seen or thought about in years. Credit: Scene Archives
Sophie La Gourmande 2275 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights For three long years, Bob Sferra, the longtime chef, caterer and culinary was working behind the scenes to open his dream business, a patisserie cafe, which 2022 in the Heights. The café offers sweet and savory breakfast and lunch items alongside high-end French-style pastries. Up front, a mini marketplace is stocked with prepackaged pastries like biscotti, hand-tempered chocolate bars, seasonal shortbread cookies, and Florentines. A lengthy counter is stocked with baked goods like croissants, pain au chocolat, macarons, palmiers, coffee cake, financiers and heartier items like breakfast danishes and ham-and-cheese buns. Credit: Megann Galehouse
The Wine Spot 2271 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights The Wine Spot on Lee Road is one of the most distinctive wine shops in town. In the former Seitz-Agin Hardware spot, you can taste wines, converse with the owners and find that perfect wine for you. They also have recently gotten into the tinned fish craze, which started off with just a few tins of seafood on display by the register. That small selection has blossomed into an entire shelving unit stocked with roughly 50 different cans. Customers can try before they buy thanks to tinned fish boards that include accouterments like olives, cornichons, pickled peppers, lemon and Spanish hot sauce. Platters can be built around any item in the selection. Credit: Doug Trattner
The Judith 5222 Lorain Ave, Lakewood Since taking over the clothing boutique Room Service from founder Danielle DeBoe Harper a decade ago, Jennie Doran has grown and cultivated the brand at retail locations in Ohio City and the Van Aken District. The lifestyle boutique is known as much for its design-inspired gifts, home goods and apparel as it is for its artfully curated environment. While the Ohio City location closed in 2021, Doran and husband/partner Andrew Worm have announced exciting new plans to return to the near-west side. In 2022, the couple unveiled The Judith, a French-inspired café, featuring sandwiches and delicious baked goods that’ll transport you right to the River Seine. Credit: Doug Trattner

Scene's award-winning newsroom oftentimes collaborates on articles and projects. Stories under this byline are group efforts.