There’s nothing like escaping the frigid winters by grabbing a drink at your favorite watering hole. The rich mahogany tones of an old bar with whiskey and beer flowing can warm up even the coldest of souls. Around Cleveland, there are a bunch of bars that fit this cozy description. Not too crowded with dark lighting and unpretentious.
ABC The Tavern
1872 West 25th St., Cleveland
A classic Cleveland “old-man” bar with a totally modern vibe, this well-run tavern offers a full bar and plenty of tasty noshes, ranging from roasted red pepper hummus to a humongous burger. Nightly happy hours help make this a popular destination.
Photo via Scene ArchivesVelvet Tango Room
2095 Columbus Rd., Cleveland
What was once sort of an open secret around town has now become a full-on Cleveland landmark. The Velvet Tango Room remains the gold standard of martini joints in our city. Here, cocktails aren’t just another drink. Here, there’s a history and a story, not to mention handmade ingredients and the kind of expertise that translates to a few-minute wait for your drink and indelible, endless memories once you take a sip.
Photo viaThe Foundation Room at the House of Blues
308 Euclid Ave., Cleveland
Whether it’s before or after a show or just on any night you want to get a drink in a quiet place, you should check out the Foundation Room at the House of Blues – but make sure you know someone who’s a member in order to get in. This funkily-designed bar makes you feel like you’re somewhere in the far East, with Persian rugs and Indian designs giving the place a very relaxing feel.
Photo via Scene ArchivesProsperity Social Club
1109 Starkweather Ave., Cleveland
Cozy and retro, this former workingman’s watering hole serves up food, booze, and a bowling machine along with the live music. You’ll find locals laying down everything from lounge and jazz to folk and bluegrass. They also have a kitchen that stays open nightly until midnight and brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.
Photo via @ProsperitySocialClub/InstagramThe Little Rose Tavern
14206 Lorain Ave., Cleveland
This little bar, which opened in 2019, opened with a goal of being the neighborhood bar for the West Park area of Cleveland and has succeeded so far. Three friends and former Happy Dog employees turned the space that was formerly Nolan’s Bar into a great hangout spot for near Westsiders.
Photo via The Little Rose TavernJohnny’s Little Bar
614 Frankfort Ave., Cleveland
Right around the corner from the popular Warehouse district white tablecloth Italian joint Johnny’s, you’ll find Johnny’s Little Bar, an iconic Cleveland spot. In addition to being a wonderful place to go after leaving your downtown job, the bar boasts a “world famous” burger, giving the traditional Italian menu at the main restaurant a run for its money. And the people watching is outstanding here.
Photo via Scene ArchivesHappy Dog
5801 Detroit Rd., Cleveland
Happy Dog is the perfect Cleveland bar – the food is reasonable and good and most weekend nights there’s live music and shows are usually free or cost just five bucks to get in. If you haven’t been to this institution, go next time you have a chance.
Photo via Scene ArchivesFlat Iron Cafe
1114 Center St., Cleveland
The oldest Irish pub in Cleveland was established over 100 years ago, all the way back in 1910. They’ve been serving alcohol and pub fare to blue collar Cleveland in the Flats ever since.
Photo via Scene ArchivesCloak and Dagger
2399 West 11th St., Cleveland
This bookish cocktail lounge has nicely settled in at the revolving-door space in Tremont that has been home to many short-lived restaurants. Billed as a neighborhood craft cocktail bar, the library-themed salon boasts a book-like menu filled with libations described with tasting notes like herbal, floral, smoky and spicy. The beverages are buoyed by an all-vegan roster of bar bites like fries, “pork” rinds, BBQ “chicken” skewers and banh mi sammies.
Photo via Scene ArchivesBecky’s
1762 East 18th St., Cleveland
Located half a block from Cleveland State’s main campus, Becky’s is always packed wall-to-wall with students downing $2 domestic beers and and chowing down on specialty sandwiches. The music, emanating from a small jukebox in the corner, tends toward ’80s faves like Bon Jovi. The bartenders, most of whom are CSU students themselves, mingle freely with the crowd. The partyers linger till closing time, when bartenders have to shoo out the patrons.
Photo via Becky’s Bar/FacebookThe Treehouse
820 College Ave., Cleveland
There’s really nothing fancy about the Treehouse, save, of course, the fake tree that sprouts from the middle of the bar and extends its branches outward. Otherwise, you’ll find a nicely stocked batch of taps, a healthy dose of (not always healthy) bar food, and one of the most glorious patios in Cleveland. Really, the patio is huge, and it’s filled afternoon or evening. It is one of the best spots to enjoy a brew under the open sky in one of Cleveland’s favorite neighborhoods.
Photo via The Treehouse/FacebookLiterary Tavern
1031 Literary Rd., Cleveland
When Literary Tavern reopened in 2018, owner Ross Valenti’s goal for the old Literary Café in Tremont, was to create a casual, comfortable and relevant place for neighbors to enjoy themselves: essentially, a new-old neighborhood classic and he reached that goal.
Photo by Douglas TrattnerPorco Lounge & Tiki Room
2527 West 25th St., Cleveland
Porco Lounge & Tiki Room is only about eight years old, but its dedication to professionally blended cocktails — even silly sounding ones — has helped its reputation grow at a brisk rate. The Mai Tai is the best of the bunch, a cold fusion of fresh fruit juices with coconut rum and a soupçon of almond. In 2016, the Food Network named the bar one of the best tiki bars in the country.
Photo via Porco Lounge & Tiki Bar/FacebookEdison’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, you’ll be well taken care of here.
Photo via Scene ArchivesThe Tavern Company
2299 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights
“Everything on the menu is great but you can never go wrong with any of their burgers. The MO burger is my personal favorite. Smoked mozzarella, caramelized onions, and mushrooms on a handmade bun. Life is great when eating that! The Veggie burger is excellent as well. It is made in house, served with greens on-top, a great aioli and a handmade multi-grain bun. It’s a beautiful thing!” Mee Gon S. on Yelp
Photo via The Tavern Company/FacebookHotz Cafe
2529 West 10th St., Cleveland
This Tremont bar has been in the same family since 1919. Back in the days of League Park, it used to be a favorite hangout of visiting ballplayers and was frequented by the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gherig and Ty Cobb. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt is also said to have thrown back a drink or two at this dive.
Photo via Scene ArchivesBrick and Barrel Brewing
1844 Columbus Rd., Cleveland
This brewery fits perfectly into the low-key vibe of the Columbus Road Peninsula neighborhood of the West Bank of the Flats. The interior feels like your neighbor’s really cool garage and the beers are really fantastic, especially the Noble Saison, which is blended with Riesling wine. This is the perfect spot before heading to a show at Nautica (or whatever the hell it’s called these days.)
Photo via Brick and Barrel Brewing/FacebookGunselman’s Tavern
21490 Lorain Rd., Fairview Park
Gunselman’s may mostly be known for their award-winnning burgers, but it’s also a great place to grab a drink. This former speakeasy, which has been opened since Prohibition, is a favorite hangout for locals.
Photo via Gunselman’s Tavern/FacebookAround the Corner
18616 Detroit Ave., Lakewood
The popularity of the Lakewood dining scene and the newest bistro or gastropub can often cause visitors to overlook neighborhood spots like Around the Corner. That would be a mistake, as they are one of the best spots to watch a game and have one of the better bar menus in town, including award-winning wings.
Photo via Scene ArchivesCorky’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.
Photo via Corky’s Place/FacebookHoopples
1930 Columbus Rd., Cleveland
We give a lot of credit to Hoopples for having one of the best views in the city with its industrial panoramic of the river and Cleveland skyline backdrop. An even more glorious scene: a basket full of filled-to-the-brim tacos. Sure, Tower City looks nice all lit up, but it’s twice as nice when you’re throwing back a pint at this spot in the Flats.
Photo via Scene ArchivesParkview Nite Club
1261 West 58th St., Cleveland
Layers of mystery lie just beneath the surface of this rustic, aggressively unpretentious corner bar on Cleveland’s near West Side. Start with the decorative motif: How can the Rat Pack poster mingle with the framed Three Stooges photo? If this is the Parkview, where is the park — or the view? How can a bar tout its live blues bands, even as it advertises the birthday of a regular patron named “Disco Dicky”? Most of all, how has a bar with wood paneling on walls, floor, and ceiling managed to keep from burning down this long? These are matters that require intense study from the barstool and a thorough interrogation of the help.
Photo via Scene ArchivesTina’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.
Photo via @XOXOGarbageGirl/InstagramStone Mad Pub
1306 West 65th St, Cleveland
Everyone who talks about this Detroit Shoreway neighborhood spot mentions two things; the bocce ball court and the beautiful patio. But the interior is a cozy, inviting spot, perfect for drinking on a cold winter night.
Photo via @Joey_Bowling67/InstagramLBM Bar
12301 Madison Ave., Lakewood
To jump into our favorite bars after only being opened only a couple years says something about how much we love LBM. Located in Lakewood, this spot initially opened as a bar, but don’t sleep on their food offerings.
Photo by Emanuel WallaceForest City Brewery
2135 Columbus Rd., Cleveland
This brewery, located in Duck Island, between Tremont and Ohio City, recently updated its beer hall and started hosting live music nights in addition to their story club, improv group and cinema group. Try a flight so you can sample all of their delicious beers.
Photo via Forest City Brewery/FacebookThe Spotted Owl
710 Jefferson Ave., Cleveland
With a detailed eye, reclaimed wood and stained-glass windows, the beautiful Spotted Owl came to Tremont in 2014. A cocktail bar at once sophisticated and approachable, with drinks that change as the Owl debuts new menus throughout the year, and which are seriously and thoughtfully constructed.
Photo via @SpottedOwlBar/InstagramMerry 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, especially with how beloved Taco Tuesday’s are.
Photo via Scene ArchivesHarbor Inn
1219 Main Ave., Cleveland
As the oldest continuously operating bar in Cleveland — open since 1895, thank you very much — the Harbor Inn has many stories to tell. Thankfully, the West Bank of the Flats spot keeps its secrets, and night after night allows patrons young and old to imbibe in witty conversation and general tomfoolery virtually undisturbed while swallowed up in dim yellow light.
Photo via Harbor Inn/FacebookThe Flying Monkey Pub
819 Jefferson Ave., Cleveland
Karaoke? Trivia? Cheap drinks? Relaxed atmosphere? Sign us up for this Tremont dive bar. Also, this is the bar to hit up if you want to bring your dog with you to drink.
Photo via Flying Monkey Pub/FacebookBookhouse Brewing
1526 West 25th St., Cleveland
Differentiating itself from both the rough and ready garage-style brewhouse and the cavernous factory-size production facility, Bookhouse is delightfully cozy, with fine carpentry softening exposed brick walls, tile floors and tin ceilings. Bookshelves line the walls, lending a snug reading room vibe to the 100-seat space.
Photo via Bookhouse Brewing/FacebookSpeakeasy at Quintana’s Barber and Dream Spa
2190 South Taylor Rd., Cleveland Heights
A barbershop in Cleveland Heights doesn’t sound like a place that would have one of our favorite bars in Cleveland. But when you go above the barbershop, and through a secret bookcase, you’ll find a dimly-lit bar with comfy leather couches and some of the best drinks in town.
Photo via Quintana’s/FacebookJukebox
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 and roll themed art and decorations, and the namesake jukebox, a 100-CD version stuffed with various Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted musicians, beginning in the ’50s and running clear through modern indie rock and hip-hop.
Photo via @JukeboxCle/InstagramClose Quarters Pub
31953 Lake Rd., Avon Lake
The name says it all at this Avon Lake pub that’s been opened since 1930. But it certainly packs a lot of character into 600 square feet of space. Oh, and the wings are awesome.
Photo via Close Quarters Pub/FacebookAcademy Tavern
12800 Larchmere Ave., Cleveland
Larchmere’s Academy Tavern is one of the oldest drinking establishments not just on the East Side, but in all of Northeast Ohio. Like a well-worn couch, this vintage corner tavern may show its age, but its comfort is undeniable. For proof, just look at the diverse clientele. They started serving cocktails just after prohibition, in 1939, and have been a staple of the neighborhood since.
Photo via Academy Tavern/Facebook
