EDWINS



It’s been a turbulent five years since Nighttown owner Brendan Ring announced that he was “temporarily” closing the restaurant in March of 2020. Ring, of course, never did reopen the iconic jazz club; in 2021, the property was sold to the Red Restaurant Group. After $2 million worth of improvements and renovations, Nighttown reopened in late 2023, only to close for good just nine months later. Brandon Chrostowski saw an opportunity, one too good to pass up, as he decided to relocate his restaurants to Cleveland Heights. When they arrive — or make reservations — diners will have a choice between two different experiences, each with its own menu, price point and atmosphere. The main room is home to the fine-dining portion of EDWINS, while the smaller rooms, bars and patios is home to the more casual “brasserie” version of EDWINS. The “salon lounge,” which is the small room connected to the main dining room, is open at 8 p.m. for cocktails and light bites. Credit: Douglas Trattner
This Friday marks the beginning of a new chapter, both for the historic Nighttown property in Cleveland Heights and for EDWINS, the mission-based restaurant that Brandon Chrostowski opened at Shaker Square in 2013.

It’s been a turbulent five years since Nighttown owner Brendan Ring announced that he was “temporarily” closing the restaurant in March of 2020. Ring, of course, never did reopen the iconic jazz club; in 2021, the property was sold to the Red Restaurant Group. After $2 million worth of improvements and renovations, Nighttown reopened in late 2023, only to close for good just nine months later.

The EDWINS founder saw an opportunity, one too good to pass up, as he decided to relocate his restaurants to Cleveland Heights.

While he told Scene he was sad to say goodbye to Shaker Square, his home for more than a decade, there were too many upsides to ignore.

“I can’t think of a bigger, better space with history in a neighborhood that has love for its people,” he said. “It’s perfect.”

Last week, Chrostowski shuttered both EDWINS and EDWINS Too. This Friday, the new iteration of both will take flight on Cedar Road in the Cedar-Fairmount neighborhood. The move feels like a win-win for both Chrostowski and the community, which has endured years of vacancy, construction and unpredictability.

When they arrive — or make reservations — diners will have a choice between two different experiences, each with its own menu, price point and atmosphere. The main room will be home to the fine-dining portion of EDWINS, while the smaller rooms, bars and patios will be home to the more casual “brasserie” version of EDWINS. The “salon lounge,” which is the small room connected to the main dining room, will open at 8 p.m. for cocktails and light bites.

EDWINS fans will see some old friends and new on the menu, including starters and salads like foie gras terrine, seafood sausage, Roquefort bread pudding, lobster and avocado salad and warm goat cheese salad. In the “plat principal” category there is bouillabaisse, chicken with foie gras and truffles, lobster mousse-stuffed sole, potato-wrapped sea bass, horseradish-crusted salmon and a grilled bone-in ribeye for two with béarnaise. This is also the place to enjoy five- or seven-course tasting menus, with or without wine pairings. 

On the brasserie side of things, diners can enjoy more budget-friendly meals that start with escargot, steak tartare, frog legs, French onion soup and crab cakes and roll into mains such as steak frites, duck confit, braised beef short ribs, and coq au vin. Most of the brasserie entrees are priced between $23 and $29. A kids menu offers gems like duck confit poutine, ham-and-cheese crepe, and gruyere fondue served with bread and apples for dipping, each for less than $10.

“We want to focus on families; we wants kids,” says Chrostowski.

The owner says that he’s eager to revive and revitalize the spirit of dining and hospitality that seems to be disappearing. He will double down on tableside service such as the pre-meal cocktail cart, post-meal cheese dolly, Dover sole and the fiery bananas Foster. A Sunday brunch buffet will launch in the coming weeks.

There will be live piano music every night from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Larger acts will take to the stage every Friday and Saturday evening, some bigger names requiring a cover charge.

“We definitely needed this,” Chrostowski says about his new home. “We needed a place where, under one roof, we can watch the development and growth of someone’s education through volume, through precision and through dining room service. We’re the number one educator in prisons in America.”

There will be valet, garage and street parking available.

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This article appears in Feb 13-26, 2025.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.