While 2021 wasn’t as devastating as 2020 for restaurant closings, we still lost our fair share of beloved restaurants and bars this year. Whether it was due to the pandemic, staffing issues or simply just time to shut it down, some of our favorites served their last dish.

Pour Cleveland 530 Euclid Ave., Cleveland Owner Charlie Eisenstat permanently closed his downtown coffee shop Pour Cleveland, which he opened in 2013. The retail establishment had ceased serving customers in March and never reopened. Eisenstat says that he had hoped normal downtown life would return, but even after a year, the outlook for his business had not improved. Eisenstat still maintains a coffee roastery and e-commerce site for international coffees.
16-Bit Bar+Arcade 15012 Detroit Ave., Lakewood It’s “Game Over” for the Lakewood location of 16-Bit, which opened in August of 2014. The popular “barcade” closed in March. The announcement, which was shared on social media, cited the approaching opening of a new combined 16-Bit and Pins Mechanical in Ohio City as the reason. Credit: Scene Archives
DiCillo Tavern 6088 Mayfield Rd., Mayfield Heights DiCillo Tavern wasn’t just the oldest restaurant in Mayfield Heights; it was the oldest business in Mayfield Heights. The longstanding fixture on Mayfield Road has been around in some fashion or another since the area was more forest than concrete jungle. The space reopened as the Tavern of Mayfield.
Minh Anh 5428 Detroit Ave., Cleveland For many diners in Cleveland, Minh Anh Restaurant was where we first learned to love pho, the Vietnamese beef noodle soup. While pho is now available all across the region, this modest restaurant on Cleveland’s near-west side was a pioneer in the field and unfortunately served its last bowl of pho in September.
Zocalo 1360 E. 9th St., Cleveland East Fourth Street has been on a bit of a roller coaster ride for the past year and a half. Following the huge losses of Greenhouse Tavern, Chinato and Lola, the street scored a big win with Dante Boccuzzi’s splashy new Goma. New tenants also are teed up for the Greenhouse Tavern and Lola spaces. In July, we learned that Zocalo, one of the longest running restaurants on the street, ceased regular service.
The Big Egg 5107 Detroit Ave., Cleveland The Big Egg, the legendary once-24/7 diner at West 52nd and Detroit, permanently closed this October. Enjoying two distinct lives — one as the original, beloved greasy spoon with as many devotees as health code violations that closed in 2002, and the second iteration, opened some seven years later with a fresh interior redo and little carried over from its first life other than the name and egg-shaped menu — the Big Egg had been a part of the near west side since at least the early 1950s. Credit: Scene Archives
Winking Lizard Gateway 811 Huron Rd. E., Cleveland John Lane and his partners at Winking Lizard announced back in August that the Gateway location would be shutting down for an undisclosed period of time. Citing myriad pandemic-related issues, Lane added that any potential reopening would be considered after the first of the year but made the decision to shutter for good in October.
Sweet Moses 6800 Detroit Ave., Cleveland Sweet Moses Gordon Square closed its doors in October after 10 years. Owner Jeff Moreau, who owned both the business and the building, had been in negotiations to transition the beloved business to a new operator, but those plans fell through at the last minute, he says, forcing the old school ice cream shop to close.
Lindey’s Lake House Beachwood 2101 Richmond Rd., Beachwood “I’m humble enough to say that if it doesn’t work, that’s okay. We tried,” said Rick Doody, owner of Cedar Creek Grille, 17 River Grille, Bar Italia and formerly Lindey’s Lake House in Beachwood. In February, Doody announced that he was re-concepting his two-year-old Lakewood eatery, Lindey’s Lake House, to Bar Italia. At the time, the co-founder of Bravo and Brio restaurants expressed a hesitancy to do the same in Beachwood, where another Lake House sits adjacent to Cedar Creek Grille. But that’s no longer the case.
Crop Bistro 2537 Lorain Ave., Cleveland Crop Bistro in Ohio City has been closed since January, explained owner Marcelo Fadul, who took ownership of the grand space four years prior. Fadul says that the struggle to stay afloat in such a large space during the pandemic eventually proved too burdensome. While Fadul says that he officially handed the property over to the landlord, he hopes to reopen the same concept in the same space at some point in the near future.
Corky and Lenny’s at the Casino 10427 Clifton Blvd., Cleveland JACK Cleveland Casino said goodbye to Corky & Lenny’s at the end of January. After nine years delivering gamblers a taste of what they could score at the Chagrin Blvd. location, owners Amanda and Kenny Kurland called it a day downtown, they told Cleveland Jewish News. JACK had once emphasized local brands, sporting a B-Spot from Michael Symon and a Rosie & Rocco’s Italian concept from Rocco Whalen, both of which departed in 2017 at the end of their leases, in addition to the eastside deli import in Corky’s.
Good to Go Cafe at IMG Building 1360 E. 9th St., Cleveland After 20 years in the IMG building, Anna Harouvis closed Good To Go Café in November. The gregarious chef will not be going far; she is in the process of setting up shop across the street at the AECOM building (1300 East 9th St.), where she will join other new food and beverage tenants like Winking Lizard, Colossal Cupcakes and Let’s Talk.
Now Open: Souper Market 1900 E. 6th St., Cleveland Like the other four Souper Market locations, this one will offer 10 from-scratch soups a day, with seasonal favorites joining daily specials. The brews are always served with good-quality bread from Stone Oven. In addition to the bowls, Souper Market offers a variety of salads and one very popular grilled cheese sandwich. There will be seating for approximately 15 at high-tops and a counter. Photo courtesy of Souper Market
The Black Pig 2801 Bridge Ave., Cleveland The Black Pig in Ohio City permanently closed April 12th. “We have operated for almost 9 great years, and are excited to end with a week of positive energy, great food, and familiar faces,” Chef Michael Nowak said in a statement. “Our decision to close is not financially based, or related to the pandemic. We decided about a year ago that it was the right move for my family, as we are looking to relocate to the New England area. We have sold our real estate, passing the torch to the next operator to look over this historic building in Ohio City.”
Tremont Scoops 2362 Professor Ave., Cleveland After nine years in the business of making people happy, Tremont Scoops closed its doors for good. That happened on September 19th. The small, independent ice cream parlor announced on social media that the building had been sold.
Nickleby’s Roundbar 4051 Erie St., Willoughby After ten years slinging beers and burgers in Willoughby, Nickleby’s Roundbar closed their doors. A statement from the restaurant read, “It’s hard to summarize an entire decade’s worth of memories and feelings. It’s even harder when you sum it up with a good-bye. This year has been tough. With a heavy heart, we are officially announcing the closing of Nickleby’s Roundbar. As we reflect on our amazing 10 plus years, we want to thank all the loyal customers, the fantastic community, and our unbelievable staff. It has been great, and we couldn’t have done it without all of you.”
Larchmere Tavern 13051 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland For nearly 30 years, the Larchmere Tavern had been a reliable source of food and community on Cleveland’s near east side. The restaurant, however, came to the end of its run in August. In the end, the losses sustained from the pandemic proved too great to recover from.
Clifton Martini and Wine Bar 10427 Clifton Blvd., Cleveland After nearly 12 years in business, Clifton Martini & Wine Bar permanently and abruptly closed its doors for good in October. Owner Jeff Rumplik said he decided to pull the plug not for any financial reason, labor decision, or anything to do with the pandemic. Business was good, in fact, and the popular westside establishment had made it through the brunt of the pandemic. He decided to close, he said, after four years of what he called “constant harassment” from his landlord, Wilsher Management, which owns the building. Credit: Scene Archives
Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips 12585 Rockside Rd., Cleveland Ben Vittoria, owner of the two remaining standalone Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips restaurants, closed one of them in June — the Garfield Heights location. That means his Cuyahoga Falls store is the last full-service Arthur Treacher’s in the entire country. Vittoria says that his other store in Cuyahoga Falls suffers the same labor struggles, but it is a newer building with a drive-through which means he can cut back hours in the dining room and focus on that pick-up business.
Explore the Van Aken Market District 3401 Tuttle Rd., Shaker Heights The Market District is one of the more exciting spots to open in the area in the last few years. There’s a food hall where you can grab food from a bunch of awesome local spots like Lox, Stock and Brisket and Banter, then grab a pastry at On The Rise bakery and a coffee at Rising Star. Then grab some cheese from Old Brooklyn Cheese Co before exploring the local shops like Whiskey Grade, Emily Roggenburk, Xhibition and Double Rainbow if you have a little one. Photo via Scene Archives
The Plum 4133 Lorain Ave., Cleveland This April would have marked The Plum’s fifth birthday, but sadly the wildly creative Ohio City bistro will not reach that milestone. Owner Jonah Oryszak announced in April that he and chef-partner Brett Sawyer parted ways and that the space will reopen under a different banner and concept. Heart of Gold, the Plum’s replacement, opened in June as a fast casual neighborhood bar and kitchen focused on thoughtfully composed inventive food and drinks.
The Campus Grille 10 Seminary St., Berea Chef Luis Roman’s Latino and Puerto Rican restaurant in the heart of Berea permanently closed this past weekend after seven years in business. Steady traffic beating a path to platters of mofongo, roast pork and beans, and Cubans became less so in the past year as Campus Grille dealt with all the issues — rising food prices, fewer customers, and a struggle to hire and retain staff — that have been felt across the industry.
Kindred Spirit Kindred Spirit, which opened earlier this year at Van Aken District, has permanently closed. Forward Hospitality, the ownership group, says that the space will be home to a new concept in the coming months. Garden City, the cocktail-focused rooftop bar above, will remain open. Any outstanding gift certificates will be honored upstairs or at the new restaurant when it opens.

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