21 New Cleveland Restaurants and Bars Debuting Soon

It might be hard to beat the excitement of the last year around the Cleveland dining scene, but if the nearly two dozen new openings slated for late 2025 and early 2026 are any indication, it’s certainly possible.

Expansions, transitions, cocktails, burgers, plenty of Asian fare, new ventures from the city’s best chefs, and a bevy of new downtown bars await around the corner.

Here’s what we’ve been keeping our eyes on.

Lao Sze Chuan, Strongsville

Since opening at Pinecrest in 2023, Lao Sze Chuan has continued to attract Asian food fans thanks to its elegant interior, tantalizing Sichuan cuisine, and first-to-market standing in the state. Ohio’s first Lao Sze Chuan soon will be joined by its second when Sheng Long Yu opens another location in Strongsville. The famed Chicago-based eatery will open sometime this winter in the former Red Lobster space at SouthPark Mall.

Shinto Japanese Steakhouse, Lyndhurst

Sheng Long Yu did not get where he is today by sitting still. Since opening the original Shinto in Strongsville 20 years ago, he has gone to open more than a dozen other concepts in Northeast Ohio and beyond, including a second Shinto in Westlake. Shinto number three is slated to open this winter at Legacy Village in Lyndhurst. Work currently is in progress in the spacious former home of Granite City near Dick’s Sporting Goods.

EVOO, The Legacy, Lyndhurst

In the coming weeks and months, EVOO and The Legacy will open in the former Bar Louie and California Pizza Kitchen spaces at Legacy Village, respectively. The restaurants will be operated by Brad Friedlander and Michael DuBois, principals in the quickly expanding Cleveland Restaurant Management Group. EVOO is described as a “modern Greek-Mediterranean concept,” while The Legacy is a “love letter to the diners” who have enjoyed Friedlander spots like Café Brio, Moxie, RED, and Cut 151.

Saffron Patch, Lyndhurst

Also at Legacy Village, the former Wild Mango space presently is being rebuilt into a splashy new Saffron Patch Indian restaurant. The original opened 35 years ago in Orange Village, before relocating to Shaker Heights. While that location is expected to close prior to the Lyndhurst opening, there will be no changes to a second location in North Olmsted. This new location is billed as an “upscale Indian restaurant experience and vibe that is typical in Los Angeles and New York.”

Le Burger 4304, Jaja, Ohio City

Jaja and Pioneer restaurants have been closed since Halloween last year when a car crashed into Intro in Ohio City. JJJ hospitality, the new group in charge of food at Intro, will replace Pioneer – and its live-fire cooking suite – with Le Burger 4304, a gourmet burger, sandwich and salad concept that JJJ hospitality launched last year in Minneapolis. After Le Burger opens later this fall, Jaja will reopen a couple weeks later with an all new menu and chef, Logan Abbe.

Nightjar, Woodmere Village

Nightjar, an intimate cocktail and jazz bar, will debut later this year at Eton Chagrin Boulevard in Woodmere. The owners are Sam Friedman, founder of the City Goods project in Hingetown, and Michael Paley, who runs the cocktail bar Cent’ Anni in Little Italy. The pair is aiming for a timeless interior reminiscent of a French Quarter jazz club. Live and vinyl music will be joined by wine, cocktails, snacks, tinned fish platters and dessert.

Domo Yakitori and Sushi, Ohio City

Domo Yakitori and Sushi, which existed at Van Aken District in Shaker for three years, will make its return later this fall in Ohio City. This version is built largely for takeout, but will offer seating for around 20 guests. OwnerCarmen Paponetti prepares made-to-order sushi, yakitori and okonomiyaki, the popular Japanese street food consisting of savory pancakes filled and topped with any number of ingredients.

Hereafter, Ohio City

StarChefs “Rising Star Bartender” Gabriela Holzer will open, Hereafter, an intimate cocktail bar and restaurant this winter in Ohio City. Presently lead bartender at Thyme Table in Bay Village, Holzer is building a “minimalist space that removes distracting visual noise and allows our guests to feel calmness, and therefore be more present with the cocktails, food, and company.” In addition to the beverages, Hereafter will offer a full food menu that focuses on small plates.

Noble Beast Biergarten, Ohio City

This coming spring, Shaun Yasaki, brewer-owner of Noble Beast Brewing, will unveil a new year-round, indoor-outdoor destination for beer, food and fun in Ohio City. He is merging multiple parcels on Lorain Avenue to fashion a compound that combines an alfresco beer garden, greenhouse, restaurant and cocktail bar. Chef-partner James Redford will offer food inspired by European beer gardens that relies on seasonal local ingredients.

Crowley’s Dive Bar, University Heights

Crowley’s Dive Bar, the “unapologetically unglamorous” home to killer smash burgers and more, just opened its newest location on the campus of John Carroll University in University Heights. Since launching two years ago in Eastlake, the owners have expanded to Kirtland and Painesville. The draw is exceptional pub grub, attentive service and an unpretentious vibe that appeals to a wide audience.

Masu, Flour, Brecksville

Valor Acres, the mixed-use living community taking shape in Brecksville, has attracted Dante Boccuzzi and Matt Mytro, both of whom will open new restaurants in the coming months. First to completion will be Masu, a Japanese restaurant by Boccuzzi that will focus on fast-casual sushi rolls and bowls. Soon after, Flour owners Mytro and Paul and Lisa Minnillo will open a new location in which to enjoy the same chef-driven Italian fare that has made it a success in Moreland Hills since 2011.

Joe’s BBQ, Brimfield

True barbecue fans know that some of Ohio’s best brisket, ribs, pulled pork and smoked chicken are cooked and sold on a gravel parking lot in rural Brimfield Township. Since 2017, Joe Menendez has more than made do operating from an alfresco smoker and food truck, but he has been plotting to erect a brick-and-mortar establishment on the same site for years. When the structure is completed in the coming months, diners can look forward to a fast-casual setup with indoor and outdoor seating.

New Cordelia Joint, Ohio City

Not much still is known about the new project from Cordelia owners Vinnie Cimino and Andrew Watts, which was announced this past summer. Building off the success of “Midwest Nice” hospitality coupled with “Modern Grandma” cuisine, the owners plotted expansion by snagging the former Alea space in the Hingetown area of Ohio City. When it opens later this year, the as-yet-unnamed eatery “will be an extension of who we are as culinary professionals,” says Cimino.

Witch Doctor, Old Brooklyn

The Old Brooklyn neighborhood will be on the receiving end of a new botanically themed cocktail bar called the Witch Doctor, which is expected to open in the coming weeks. “I get a lot of inspiration from herbalism,” explains owner Matt Luebert. He goes on to describe the vibe as “witch doctor in the forest,” with stained glass windows, live plants and a garden growing out back.

Urban Myer’s Pint House, Downtown

It’s been a year since Saucy Brew Works CEO Brent Zimmerman announced that the company had purchased Urban Meyer’s Pint House and planned to open a location in downtown Cleveland. That Buckeyes-themed sports bar is taking shape inside the former Winking Lizard space in the Gateway District. The latest estimates peg opening day early next summer.

Tom’s Watch Bar, Downtown

Willoughby’s K & D Group is bringing Tom’s Watch Bar, a nationally recognized leader in the sports-bar category, to downtown Cleveland. The bar is taking shape in the Electric Building at 700 Prospect Ave. Founded in 2014, Tom’s Watch Bar is known for airing everything from college football games to prize fights on a massive stadium-style screen alongside hundreds of other panels to create a 360-degree viewing experience.

Cosm, Downtown

Cosm, an immersive sports and entertainment venue, will rise as part of Bedrock’s new mixed-use Rock Block development in downtown Cleveland. Our location will join others in in Los Angeles and Dallas, and soon, Atlanta and Detroit. Cosm employs “Shared Reality” technology and wraparound displays to transport guests into real-time sporting events, concerts and other live-action entertainment. The attraction is slated to open in the first half of 2027.

Mason Social, Mentor

Mason Social, another creation from the Cleveland Restaurant Management Group, is taking shape in the former Melt Bar and Grilled location in Mentor. The concept is described by the owners as “sports bar meets honky-tonk.” When it opens in December, the restaurant will offer scratch-made bar food, cocktails served in mason jars, and dozens of TVs for sports viewing.

Pin High, Bay Village

Dan Deagan is putting the finishing touches on Pin High, a golf simulator facility in Bay Village, which opens Friday, Nov. 7. The 13,000-square-foot, two-level complex is located in the old Bay Lanes bowling alley just steps from Deagan’s Wolf & Co. In addition to a dozen cutting-edge golf simulators, Pin High will offer top-flight beer, wine and cocktails alongside a “simple but good” menu of snacks.

Paper Tiger, Tremont

Hangry Brands continues their rapid growth with the addition of Paper Tiger, a contemporary “American-Chinese” restaurant that will open in the former Crust space in Tremont. Like most of their other concepts, this one will be immersive, experiential and fun. Think Chinese zodiac cocktails, complimentary shrimp chips, glowing red dragons, and a mix of traditional and creative Chinese foods.

STEAK, Chagrin Falls

The success of STEAK in Tremont, with its bold décor, playful vibe and all-inclusive price structure, has spurred expansion on the concept. Next up for parent company Hangry Brands is a location in Chagrin Falls, specifically the former Burntwood Tavern on Washington. Following a complete transformation of the building, inside and out, STEAK Chagrin will open sometime in 2026.

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