Every city that’s worth a damn has a few of these spots: dining gems that remain unknown to locals until they’ve been thoroughly initiated into the grit and grime of the city scene — a dive bar in the rough.
Payne Café (3528 Payne Ave.) is one such spot. What's more, their famous Ruby Burger was just named one of the most underrated burgers in America by Kevin Alexander and Andy Kryza of Thrillist.
Scene's dining editor Douglas Trattner detailed the Ruby Burger in all its glory back in April and basically showed us that the burger contains the ingredients of three burgers packed into one (think ham, cheese, bacon, onion, and a special spice blend). The owner of the bar is also the burger’s namesake, not to mention bartender and burger-chef.
Payne's Café is worth the visit for the novelty alone. (Scene also clocked some drinking time at the bar in 2014 as part of a late-night trip with the Cleveland Bar Experiment.) Throw in one of the best underrated burgers in America and you've got yourself a new guilty pleasure. The guys at Thrillist said it best, "It's a place to drink cheap beer and eat a soul-warming burger."
Let the grease-induced comatose commence.
