It’s been awhile since we could report this many new dining options in Northeast Ohio, and it’s not even fall yet. From novel concepts to big-time new arrivals to more steakhouses than you can throw a bone at, more than three dozen new restaurants have debuted so far in 2024. How many still need to find a way on to your dining card?
Porta Rossa
The former One Red Door has gone through a transition down in Hudson. Shawn Monday said that after much consideration, the team decided to completely remake the restaurant into a high-end Italian steakhouse with fresh pastas, shellfish, seafood and Prime steaks. The 45-seat restaurant is “intimate and sexy,” with a menu loaded with lavish options. In addition to oysters on the half shell, beef tenderloin tartare and grilled octopus, there is tuna crudo and charred langostinos. A chilled seafood tower is stocked with raw oysters, poached shrimp, crab legs, clams on the half shell and poached Maine lobster. Pasta dishes lobster spaghetti, cacio y pepe and lamb spaccatelle star housemade noodles. There are five different chops, including a 45-day dry-aged Delmonico. Non-steak options include parmesan-crusted halibut, bone-in veal parmigiana and “chicken under a brick” with salsa verde. Credit: Scene archivesArtis
Like most big restaurant projects, Artis (17900 Detroit Ave., 216-785-9785) is arriving on the scene a little later than anticipated. Okay, a year later than anticipated. But after two years of work, chef-owner Andrew Mansour opened his restaurant this week. The construction transformed the former Side Quest/Eddy & Iggy’s building into a sleek and modern steakhouse with art deco accents. The 90-seat bar and dining room features a wall of glass that looks out onto Detroit Avenue. Mansour describes Artis as “a steakhouse that’s not a steakhouse.” Credit: Scene archivesAgave & Rye
28601 Chagrin Blvd.
In March, Agave & Rye opened its second Cleveland location at Eton Chagrin Blvd. in Woodmere. Billed as a modern tequila and bourbon hall that serves “epic tacos,” the restaurant is known for its double-shelled tacos, which feature crunchy corn and soft flour shells sandwiched together by beans, queso, pimento or guacamole. Fillings and combinations range from the Plain Jane, stuffed with ground beef, shredded lettuce, white cheddar and diced tomato on up to the Crown Jewel starring butter-and-garlic lobster, shiitake mushrooms and truffle mac and cheese. Others feature kangaroo meat, Nathan’s hot dogs, carne asada and tater tots. The bar stocks one of the largest bourbon and tequila selections around, which wind up in punches, slushies and margaritas that can be purchased by the glass, mug or pitcher. Credit: Courtesy photoBest Steak & Gyro
13620 Euclid Ave.
Since 1968, Best Steak and Gyro has been the place to go for hot breakfasts, speedy lunches and filling late-night eats. In 2022, Butch Love purchased the businesses from the Sarris family, who had operated it since the beginning. He has since remodeled the East Cleveland restaurant and now has plans to expand the brand. That includes a new downtown location at the 5th Street Arcades that opened in March. He will condense the menu to focus on breakfast dishes, gyros, steak and chicken cheesesteaks, breakfast and other dishes, which will be available 24 hours a day and via DoorDash and Uber Eats. Credit: Google MapsBoss ChickNBeer
1791 Front St., Cuyahoga Falls
Heather Doeberling and partner Emily Moes opened the first shop in Berea back in 2018. They have since added locations in Bay Village and Seven Hills and, this year, Cuyahoga Falls. The menu offers the same wealth of wings, including the increasingly popular vegan items. Credit: Douglas TrattnerGood Company
60 S. Maple St., Akron
The southern outpost of Good Company opened its doors in March, taking over the spot that once housed Spotted Owl. Launched by chef Brett Sawyer in 2019, it was folded into Will Hollingsworth’s Buildings & Food Hospitality Group in 2022. The Akron-based Good Company will offer the same chef-driven American food as the original. Diners can expect world-class wings, amazing sandwiches, burgers and patty melts, and enough starters, sides, and salads to please everyone in the group. An excellent beverage program includes beer, wine, cocktails and boozy milkshakes. Credit: Doug TrattnerAntica Italian Restaurant
3355 Richmond Rd.
Owner Fadi Daoud in March debuted the second location of Antica, which has been a hit in the original location in Avon. Housed in the former Red and Cut 151 space, the Antica in Beachwood offers a similar menu with the exception of a few more steak and seafood options. Everything from the pizza and pasta dough to the tiramisu is made in house. Appetizers include arancini, Kobe meatballs, shrimp scampi and fried calamari. A roster of soups and salads joins a half dozen thin, crisp pizzas, including the signature chicken parmesan “pizza.” Credit: Photo courtesy AnticaBanter
5428 Detroit Ave.
After nearly four years, Banter (5428 Detroit Ave.) is back in business on the west side of town. Owner Matthew Stipe and Chef Nick Dlugoss have taken the menu back to its classic framework of poutine, sausages, corndogs and starters, with more options in each category. The fried cheese curds are back, joined by a Polish Boy, Mexican street corndog, chicken shawarma poutine and others. Every bottle of champagne comes with a free side of fries. Credit: Douglas TrattnerSchnitz Ale Productions
20102 Progress Dr.
A round of brewery changes allowed Schnitz to take over the former Brew Kettle production facility in Strongsville, which not only allowed the group to expand output capacity from just 600 barrels per year in Parma to 500 barrels per month, but gave them the opportunity to open a tasting room. The 50-seat pub and gift shop carries regular and exclusive Schnitz Ale beers and serve light fare like salads, pretzels, and other snacks along with offerings from the Schnitz Ale food truck. Credit: Courtesy photoLil Ronnie’s
2365 Professor Ave.
The owners of the six-year-old Il Rione in Gordon Square found just what they were looking for in an opportunity to expand in the former Edison’s Pizza space in Tremont. Doing a stripped-down version of what they’re doing in Detroit Shoreway, Lil Ronnie’s sells only whole pies and slices of “Slice Style” pie – no salads, no cheese plates, no beer or wine. In addition to the whole pies, which customers can build from a list of toppings, Lil Ronnie’s will always have three slices available: plain, pepperoni and white. The slices can be taken as is or popped back into the oven to reheat. Credit: Photo by Doug TrattnerGogi En
6025 Kruse Dr., Solon
Last summer, the team behind Sushi En restaurants in Cleveland, Columbus and Twinsburg took over the Solon property long home to Akira Sushi and Hibachi. The former hibachi restaurant was the ideal starting point for their next project — a Korean BBQ concept — because of the existing hood systems installed throughout the dining room. The menu offers a pretty typical lineup of meats bound for the grills. There’s galbi (marinated beef short rib), bulgogi (marinated ribeye), spicy pork bulgogi and marinated pork rib. An a la carte section of the menu lets diners select from more than a dozen beef, pork, poultry and seafood items ranging from thin-sliced pork belly to marinated shrimp. A handful of combos merge three different proteins. Gogi En also offers a lengthy and creative assortment of gimbap, the Korean rice rolls that resemble sushi rolls but without the raw fish. Credit: Douglas TrattnerCuoco Bello
718 SOM Ctr. Rd.
In late December, partners Carl Quagliata and Zachary Ladner announced that they would be putting their Texas-style barbecue restaurant, Smokin’ Q’s, to bed after a six-year run. In its place, the pair have opened this Italian restaurant. A menu of Italian classics like pizzas, pastas, meat and seafood items get the Ladner/Quagliata touch, a formula perfected over decades of service at Giovanni’s. At lunch, which will launch a little down the road, a streamlined menu will offer pizzas, pastas, sandwiches and a selection of entrees from the dinner menu. Credit: Courtesy Zack LadnerParilya
8155 Columbia Rd.
Roger San Juan launched Parilya food truck in 2019. Dubbed “A Taste of the Philippines,” the truck has earned a large following by offering dishes like lumpia, pancit, chicken tocino, BBQ chicken and rice, grilled chicken skewers and other delicious items. And in the last stretch of 2023, they opened a brick and mortar spot in Olmsted Falls. The menu at the restaurant offers many of the same foods typically available from the food truck, along with some weekly or bi-weekly specials such as kare-kare and dinuguan. Credit: ProvidedSalted Dough Bistro
12308 Mayfield Rd.
Chef Jeff Fisher says that he’s been approached numerous times to expand, but no opportunity was as appealing as the one in Little Italy. The Salted Dough owner used the turn-key space located in the newly constructed La Collina mixed-use property, for Salted Dough Bistro, which offers more of a fine-dining experience than the original down south, with a broader focus on hand-made pastas, seafood and meat dishes. Fisher will still be making his quality pizzas, but he hopes they take a back seat to dishes like sweet pea gnocchi, pappardelle Bolognese, braised short rib, and pan-seared filet. Credit: Courtesy photoTost Sandwich Cafe
2341 Scranton Rd.
Like the original in Lakewood, Tost in Tremont specializes in built-to-order sandwiches made from high-quality meats, cheeses and breads. All sandwiches are cooked in a panini press and served hot. The most popular – the Tommy Boy – features thin-sliced corned beef and roast beef topped with cheddar, peppered bacon, coleslaw, tomato and chipotle mayo layered into a choice of Mediterra Bakehouse bread. Those sandwiches are joined by two hot soups a day such as broccoli cheddar and chicken dumpling, deli salads, pastries and desserts, including housemade gelato. Credit: Douglas TrattnerCleaveLand Grill
17024 Pearl Rd.
On October 19 of last year, Cleveland lost one of its best resources for Halal ingredients when a fire broke out at CleaveLand Grocers in Brook Park. But it wasn’t just those who follow that strict dietary law that suffered a blow, the mourners also included fans of great burgers, chicken sandwiches and cheesesteaks. While owners continue to focus on getting the grocery and grill in Brook Park back up and running, they decided to branch out with a second location in Strongsville offering many of the same tasty meals dished up at the original. Credit: Douglas TrattnerGeraci’s Restaurant
4127 Erie Street, Willoughby
Geraci’s new full-service Italian restaurant in the heart of Willoughby followed two seasons of a slice shop it operated out of The Yard on 3rd. Trading in slices for a standalone operation, the new restaurant is more in line with a traditional Geraci’s restaurant. Diners can expect a full roster of classic dishes like lasagna, veal parmesan, chicken marsala and, of course, pizza. Credit: Courtesy Geraci'sDanny’s on Professor
2258 Professor Ave.
In advance of a move to the former Nick’s Diner property in Ohio City, Proof Bar-BQ in Tremont was put to bed last year. With newfound space on their hands, partners Michael Griffin and Dave Ferrante began considering options for lower-level space, which sits beneath Crust and Visible Voice Books. The team contemplated opening a speakeasy, wine bar, even yet another taco spot, but in the end, they settled upon a late-night watering hole helmed by longtime bartender Danny Grim. The new spot runs late night, from 8 p.m. when Crust winds down to 2 a.m. with a small but tasty menu of snacks and “giant slices” from Crust alongside chips and dips, loaded nachos and more. Credit: Douglas TrattnerNever Say Dive
4497 Broadview Rd.
Situated in a renovated classic 1920s-era tavern in Old Brooklyn, the buffed-up shot-and-beer bar features draft beers, housemade seltzers and cocktails and a fun selection of small plates from Chef John Hagerty, also of the Green Kitchen in Clark-Fulton. Those dishes, many of them vegan or vegan-ready, aim to match the high-low vibe of the bar. Guests can mix and match snacks like deviled eggs, pork rinds with whipped blue cheese, and spiced nuts. There’s a cheese board from across-the-street neighbor Old Brooklyn Cheese, Mexican charred corn and Killbuck Valley mushroom toast and a few larger plates including a double smash burger and udon noodle bowl. Credit: Douglas TrattnerProof BBQ
4116 Lorain Ave.
Proof opened in Tremont a month before Covid landed. It closed in December 2022, after owners Michael Griffin and Dave Ferrante announced that they had purchased the Nick’s Diner property in Ohio City. After a year and a half of work, the space bears little resemblance to its former occupant. The menu is largely the same, with burnt ends, smoked wings, fried green tomatoes and “Mile High Nachos” topped with pulled pork, cheese and salsa. Barbecue items like brisket, pulled pork, ribs and chicken thighs are smoked out back in a Southern Pride pit and served with a variety of sauces and sides. Those meats can also be enjoyed as tacos. Credit: Courtesy PhotoCollision Bend Euclid
1261 Babbitt Road
After a few years of planning, Collision Bend opened its new production facility in Euclid to take some pressure off the Flats brewpub, allowing smaller runs to be made there. That task has been completed and the new facility boasts a taproom and kitchen, with the menu handled by Collision Bend (and Alley Cat) chef Andy Dombrowski. Guests can expect starters like clam chowder, chili with cornbread, Swedish meatballs, and jerk-seasoned fish fingers. Larger plates include taco salads, pizzas, burgers, wraps and subs. All paired with on-site brewed Collision Bend beer. Credit: Collision Bend BrewingCharter House Grille
Chris King spent years transforming the old Bistro 185 property into Charter House Grille, which opened in August. It bears little resemblance to its predecessor — or to John Christie’s Tavern, which predated that restaurant. The woodsy neighborhood tavern feel has been swapped for cool, contemporary and posh. King, a versatile entrepreneur with businesses in the hospitality and transportation fields, has teamed up with Justin Spohn, who will act as executive chef/GM. Together, they have created a modern, upscale-casual restaurant that will serve an eclectic but approachable menu filled with elevated and fun American fare. Credit: Scene ArchivesWine Dive
Jackie Ramey and Dan Deagan, who run the nearby Lakewood Truck Park (among other spots), spent months converting the former El Carnicero space in Lakewood into Wine Dive (16918 Detroit Ave.). The mission behind the place, says Ramey, is to “toe the line between dive bar and wine bar.” Wine Dive is a come-as-you-are place that happens to serve wines from Ramey Cellars in Healdsburg, Trefethen in Napa Valley and Pride Mountain Vineyards, which famously sits on the county line between Napa and Sonoma. There are about a dozen wines by the glass, including some drafts “from the tank.” Bottles range from modestly priced — like the Richter dry Riesling from the Mosel Valley — to high-end chards, pinots and cabs. The beauty of a “wine dive” is that low-brow beverages like Blatz and Hamm’s sit shoulder-to-shoulder with heavy hitters like Orval Trappist Ale, Three Floyds Zombie Dust and Duvel Belgian Ale. There are both classic and contemporary cocktails as well. Credit: Scene ArchivesSTEAK
STEAK (2179 W. 11th St.) is the latest creation to join the Hangry Brands family, a local hospitality group that includes Geraci’s Slice Shop and Lionheart Coffee downtown and The Yard on 3rd in Willoughby. The goal from the start, says Beudert, is to disrupt the steakhouse category – to fill a niche between budget brands like Outback or Texas Roadhouse and prohibitively expensive white-tablecloth steakhouses. STEAK, promises management, will be suited equally well for a casual weeknight dinner or a celebratory blowout. Its biggest differentiator is the all-inclusive format that combines steak, salad, unlimited waffle-cut fries and unlimited popcorn for just $35. Also unique is the house cut, a USDA Prime coulotte steak, also referred to as the top sirloin cap or picanha. Credit: Scene ArchivesAffettati
Each day, Kevin Dawe arrives early to bake the bread that will form the backbone of the sandwiches he prepares. Located in a nondescript storefront next to Valerio’s, Affettati is delightfully uncomplicated, offering just five sandwiches, bagged chips and a handful of beverages. Those sandwiches are pre-made, wrapped in wax paper, and placed on display in coolers. It’s an old-school approach that places quality above quantity. The bread is wrapped around choice ingredients like fresh ricotta and mozzarella, sliced prosciutto and salami, and a very small number of condiments. Credit: Scene ArchivesHi 5
Hi 5, a casual sports bar-themed spot sandwiched between the Farm and Glamper rooftop bar, is the latest venture from the prolific Forward Hospitality Group. The handsome bar offers pulled pork nachos, brisket-stuffed egg rolls, smoked chicken wings, smoked turkey clubs and lighter bowls starring smoked chicken or salmon. With an aim to be the “Cheers of the Flats,” Hi 5 is casual but well appointed. Credit: Scene ArchivesGunselman’s Steakhouse & Bar
The attractive eatery is located on Main Street, where it dead ends at the Charles A. Harding Memorial Covered Bridge. This five-year journey began when the owners, friends since childhood, purchased a historic structure long home to the local public library. After considerable work, the bi-level property now features an upscale-casual steakhouse on one floor and an informal pub on the lower level. Each entity has its own entrance and patio. “We know where our bread and butter is made,” says David Grace. “Downstairs is a Gunselman’s pub – casual, shorts, dog-friendly patio. Upstairs is polished-casual, not quite a Marble Room, not quite an Outback.” Credit: Scene ArchivesOne Pot
When One Pot opened this spring on Coventry, it brought with it the next wave of Korean barbecue. The sleek décor, impressive tabletop technology and all-you-can-eat arrangement is the sort of setup that’s been available elsewhere in this country for years. Korean BBQ has always been an enjoyable and delicious feast, but at One Pot and places like it, the entire experience is elevated and transformed into a lively celebration. Tables can elect to order BBQ, hot pot, or both. The price is $29.99 per person for either one ($19.99 at lunch), but only $5 more person for both. While the table shares one large, central grill for BBQ, each diner gets his or her own hot pot to manage. Both are all-you-can-eat affairs. Credit: Scene ArchivesWestsiders
That mix between chef-driven food and a casual atmosphere — that’s the sweet spot that partners Constantine Katsaros and Jack Messer are aiming for with Westsiders in Rocky River. The restaurant, set in the former home of Bomba Tacos on Detroit Road, will endeavor to bring the “downtown experience” to the near-west suburbs. “Fun, upbeat and accessible,” is how Messer describes the vibe. “We’re not fine-dining, we’re modern-premium. We just want to be in this space that’s elevated but not pretentious.” Chef Chris Suntala, who returned home to Cleveland after a decade working in top New York City kitchens, has crafted a menu of “New American” dishes with equal parts finesse and broad appeal. The roster will be concise but flexible, with both weekly specials and seasonal adjustments. Credit: Scene ArchivesScorpacciata Pasta Co.On paper, Scorpacciata is a casual pizza and pasta joint, dishing up a familiar collection of Italian classics. But on the plate, those chestnuts soar to new heights thanks to killer technique, clever construction and confident execution. The line between a good plate of pasta and an exceptional one is so tenuous that most kitchens fail to make the leap. Chef/owner Peter Reuter does not fail. A Fire Food and Drink alum, he launched Scorpacciata Pasta in the Market Hall at Van Aken District in 2018. A couple years later he opened a second stall, Scorpacciata Pizza. The two businesses thrived until late last year, when the owner closed them to focus on a new brick-and-mortar restaurant. That restaurant, set in the formerly fusty Larchmere Tavern, is a buzzy bistro that brings something different and desirable to the neighborhood. Casual enough for a family pizza party, yet chic enough for a date-night dinner at the bar, this newcomer has nudged Larchmere ever closer to the tipping point. Credit: Scene ArchivesCilantro Taqueria (Tremont)Galindo and his partners purchased the former Fahrenheit property at 2417 Professor Ave. in late 2023. After building a few walls and leasing out some adjoining space, the restaurant is about half the size of the original footprint. The beautiful old bar is gone, purchased and relocated by a private buyer. In its place is the familiar quick-service layout at which diners work their way down the line. Tremont is the sixth location for this fast-growing restaurant group. Galindo opened the first, just off Coventry Road, in 2019. Since then, they have been expanding at a rate that exceeds one new restaurant per year. While simple, the formula of offering quality Mexican food in an efficient and customizable fashion continues to resonate with diners. Credit: Scene ArchivesCleveland Bagel CafeOriginally, this shop was destined to become the third location of Cleveland Bagel, the bagel biz that was launched a decade ago by Dan Herbst and Geoff Hardman. Now it’s called Cleveland Bagel Café, a separate entity operated by Erika Durham and John Antolik in partnership with Herbst and Hardman.Durham, who has been a member of the Cleveland Bagel family since inception, says that equipment necessary to fabricate bagels from scratch on site could not be worked into the construction plans. The obstacle forced the partners to adjust the game plan. What they landed on was the Cleveland Bagel Café, which will serve as a prototype for future expansion. Cleveland Bagel Café looks and feels like the Cleveland Bagel shops in Ohio City and Midtown, but the bagels will arrive par-baked and frozen, then baked fresh daily. Those bagels will be sold as is, topped with schmears, or used as a base for sandwiches. The café will have a more robust sandwich menu than the other shops, with additions like turkey club and vegan sausage and egg, and will sell house-baked pastries like muffins, cookies and scones. Credit: Scene ArchivesBoom’s Pizza, ShakerLocated in the former home of Michael’s Genuine, the colorful, casual and attractive space shares plenty of DNA with the Lakewood original, which opened a year and a half ago. The dining room at Van Aken District is twice as large as the one in Lakewood, accommodating 86 guests versus 40. A spacious patio on the edge of the central park offers carry-out customers an alfresco option. The menus are identical east and west save for the beverages. Shaker has four draft beers, four draft cocktails, wines by the glass and a small selection of self-serve bottled beverages. Van Aken District is a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area – or DORA – meaning that customers can take their beer, wine or cocktails with them when they walk out the door. Credit: Scene ArchivesTricky Tortoise Brewing CompanyAfter eight months of work, Bobby Ehasz finally welcomed the public into Tricky Tortoise Brewing Co. (4057 Erie St., 440-306-8372), which lives in the former Willoughby Brewing Co. space, though plenty of upgrades have been made since then. Caleb Brown, a brewer who worked at Platform/AB and Thirsty Dog, has assembled a tasty roster of beers for opening weekend. He’s starting with a couple IPAs, a cream ale, and a helles brewed in collaboration with Akronym Brewing. There’s also a house-brewed lime seltzer. In the pipeline, says Brown, is a brown ale, black lager and West Coast IPA. The lunch and dinner menu is simple, but hearty and scratch-made. The beer-friendly lineup includes loaded nachos, jumbo wings, sausage-stuffed peppers and a Bavarian pretzel served with beer cheese. There are salads, pizzas, fried chicken sandwiches, meatball subs, sausage and pepper sandwiches and a burger. Credit: Scene ArchivesAntica Italian RestaurantAntica rises a few rungs above the typical neighborhood trattoria to deliver a reliable, consistent and satisfying dining experience. All the classics are here, deftly prepared using high-quality ingredients and delivered in a professional manner in an attractive space. Its sister location in Avon has been packing them in for years, and owner Fadi Daoud has brought that quality and energy to Beachwood. Credit: Scene ArchivesIrie Jamaican, LakewoodIt’s been seven years since chef Omar McKay launched his fast-casual version of a Jamaican eatery on East 185th Street in Euclid. Since 2017, McKay has gone on to open Irie Jamaican Kitchen locations in Old Brooklyn, Akron’s Highland Square and, most recently, Shaker Heights. This year, the Jamaican-born chef opened the doors of location number five, this time in Lakewood (13804 Detroit Ave., 216-785-9408). Set inside a former Georgio’s Oven Fresh Pizza, the restaurant will offer the same great lineup of Caribbean specialties like jerk chicken, curry chicken, curry shrimp and braised oxtail. Those items are served in boxes and bowls with cabbage, plantains and various toppings and sauces. Irie also offers pasta and mac-and-cheese plates topped with those same foods. Credit: Scene ArchivesYi Er ChuanKitty Wang opened Yi Er Chuan (3709 Payne Ave., 216-266-0573) in April, bringing one of the first malatang – or spicy hot pot – experiences to Asiatown. Not to be confused with typical hot pot restaurants, where diners add ingredients to a simmering broth at the table, malatang cooking is all done in the kitchen. At Yi Er Chuan and places like it, guests select a broth and any combination of meats, seafood items, vegetables and noodles. A paper check list-style menu makes it easy to pick which of the nearly 50 items a diner wants in his or her bowl. The main broth is spicy thanks to dried chili and Sichuan peppercorns, but there’s also a non-spicy tomato version. From there you move onto meats and seafood like beef, lamb, shrimp, squid, ham and sausage. But also pork ball, fish ball, pork intestine and chicken gizzard. Veggie options include cabbage, corn, wood ear, lotus root, soft tofu and tofu sheets. Finally, there are four noodle options: ramen, udon, egg and sweet potato. Credit: Scene ArchivesYYTimeIt took Sheng Long Yu nearly two years to convert the former National Tire & Battery property at E. 30th and Payne into a sun-soaked dining room filled with blonde wood furniture, Chinese decorations, and an open kitchen. Yu’s original plans for the property called for turning the space into a food hall featuring a handful of independent operators slinging things like buns, dumplings, noodle soups, kebabs and bubble tea. In the end, the owner opted to run the operation himself. What didn’t change was Yu’s commitment to building something completely unique to the bustling neighborhood. “A lot of AsiaTown restaurants are pretty much outdated,” Yu explains. “What I want to create is a place with a fun atmosphere where friends can hang out and have a good time.” You can sample tons of dishes without making a dent in the menu. Credit: Scene ArchivesA.J. Rocco’sA. Brendan Walton closed his convivial Gateway District café at the tail end of 2019, but within months he was planning to reinvent the 18-year-old spot a few doors down (828 Huron Rd.). But this was no simple renovation project; his partners started by stripping the 150-year-old building down to the studs. Now, after nearly four years, the former Huron Point Tavern (and Alesci’s Downtown) is welcoming guests. “This is the place I’ve always wanted to grow into – with a full kitchen,” says Walton. “We did a great job through all the years we were there, but it was limited.” The new A.J. Rocco’s has added much more than just a full kitchen. It more than triples the available square footage, with two floors and a front patio. Down the road, a rooftop aspect might be added. Credit: Scene ArchivesOddfellowsBrad Friedlander and Michael DuBois initially planned on reviving the Moxie concept in the former Aurelia space, which they bought earlier this year. But they quickly pivoted to Oddfellows while working with the Cleveland Restaurant Management Group. Aurelia chef James Balchack is still in the kitchen and, “The main vibe that Oddfellows’s menu captures is simple Americana,” Friedlander told a reporter. “A lot of restaurants overcomplicate their menu offerings, so when we set out to make Oddfellows we sought to make simple good food.” Credit: Courtesy PhotoOlivaOliva (408 W. St. Clair Ave.), an Italian-themed steakhouse from Lola Jacaj, is tucked into the subterranean space that was long home to Osteria. It’s a return, of sorts, for Jacaj, who worked at this very address. A year-long renovation project has transformed the room from a close-quartered trattoria to an elegant Tuscan-style ristorante. “This is my style,” Jacaj says. “I like to mix modern and rustic and classic all together. I’m always thinking it’s going to be a mess, but it works out in the end.” Oliva is a steakhouse as seen through the eyes of an Italian chef. Yes, there will be steaks and chops, but also creative appetizers, salads, pastas and seafood dishes. “My vision is to do a nose-to-tail restaurant, where we use every part of the cow, not just steaks,” Jacaj explains. Credit: Scene ArchivesThe AstroAfter sitting empty for the past seven years, the former Hard Rock Cafe location in Tower City welcomed The Astro in April. The restaurant comes from the collective minds of Andre Scott, Ryan Gullatt, Christopher Thomas and Jeremiah Burks – the team behind the Haunted House restaurant in Cleveland Heights. If you’ve visited that restaurant since it opened in 2021, then you know you can expect over-the-top energy, artwork and creativity. “At The Astro, every bite and sip is a nod to the classics that shaped our imaginations – from Star Wars to Star Trek, and beyond,” says Scott. “Our menu is a galaxy of flavors, each dish ingeniously named after beloved characters, ships, and planets from the cinematic universe we cherish.” Credit: Scene ArchivesThe Rooftop Restaurant and Wine Bar at RH Cleveland, The GalleryThe Gallery is a three-story, 55,000-square-foot showroom that blurs “the lines between residential and retail, indoors and outdoors, home and hospitality.” Like those located in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and Banbury, England, the one in Orange Village has a robust food and beverage component. Chef Kyle Anderson oversees lunch and dinner menus populated by “enduring classics” such as burrata with grilled ciabatta, grilled avocado with crème fraiche and caviar, shrimp cocktails and Caesar salads. Lobster rolls and a grilled steak sandwich join larger plates like pesto pasta, roast chicken and broiled salmon. To start the day and at lunch, the menu offers wholesome items like avocado toast, French omelets, Swedish pancakes and a bagel, lox and schmear platter. Salads, burgers, chicken sandwiches and BLTs join larger plates with pasta, chops and fish. A wine bar situated by a pair of wall fountains serves wines from around the globe in a stunning rooftop setting. Credit: Scene Archives
