ROSY Opens in Ohio City

In advance of opening its doors to the public, ROSY (2912 Church Ave.) in Ohio City held a series of private events last week to pressure-test the systems. These dress rehearsals tend to be tightly controlled affairs, when a few dozen handpicked friends, family and industry colleagues are invited to dine for free in return for honest feedback on the food, service and setting.

ROSY, in stark contrast, hosted a backbreaking marathon, feeding approximately 650 guests over a five-day run. Rather than sip at the font of moderation, owners Andrew Watts and Vinnie Cimino opted to drink from the firehose of experience. Following a week of downtime to regroup and collect themselves, the partners will officially open Cleveland’s buzziest new bistro this Thursday, February 26th.

Watts and Cimino, who also operate Cordelia on East 4th Street, announced this past summer that they would open a second restaurant in the former Alea space in the Hingetown area of Ohio City. The concept is described as “ancestral European cuisine,” with an ever-shifting roster of hyper-local fare cooked over an open hearth. In place of a printed menu is a wall-mounted display of items that are available — until they aren’t.

This “live menu” concept is described as, “a rhythm of shared plates dancing in, dancing out… marking the season, the week, or the hour. Using what’s in, what’s left, and what’s around,”

Diners who attended those “Friends & Family” events sampled items such as a salata plate starring spiced eggplant, bagna cauda, carrot nduja, house-made cheese and ajvar; whipped baccalà with polenta sticks; butter beans with [Sicilian condiment] salmoriglio; pickled walleye cheeks with pickled peppers; Croatian-style hand-rolled pasta with smoked cheese crema; and cotechino, an Italian pork sausage served with anchovy mayo. Of course, the menu will likely shift over the coming days and weeks.

To drink, there are Old World wines from oft-overlooked regions, vermouths, amari and house-made spirits.

Diners who had visited Alea before that restaurant closed will find a dramatically different atmosphere at ROSY. The 50-seat restaurant is dim, intimate and crackling with energy. The former slab bartop has been swapped for a smooth and sweeping Douglas fir kitchen counter. Other warm-wood touches include a winding banquette and communal high-tops. Bauhaus-style details can be found in the many bentwood curves, corners and alcoves.

Once again, chef-partner Cimino has been named a semi-finalist for the 2026 James Beard Awards in the category of Best Chef: Great Lakes. We’ll find out on April 1st if he advances to the finals. Until then, we can sample his and Watts’ latest addition to the Cleveland restaurant scene.

ROSY is a walk-in friendly neighborhood restaurant, but a few reservation spots are released monthly on OpenTable.