What is comfort food? Well, it’s anything, really, as long as it does the job, whether it’s warming you up on a cold night or bringing back waves of nostalgia. For Scene dining editor Doug Trattner, his favorite comfort foods in Cleveland run the gamut from a warm bowl of pho to poutine, Hungarian dessert to Jewish deli staples, breakfast to late night. Here’s what he’s ordering when he needs that dose of comfort.

Angie’s Soul Cafe, Smothered pork chops Angie’s might be in a new home but it’s still delivering comfort food for the ages in Cleveland. Doug’s been going for 20 odd years now and, “I’ve always been deeply enamored of Angie’s pork chops ($14.95), a pair of semi-thick bone-in chops that are fried, baked and smothered in sweet onions and thick gravy. As with all entrees, the price includes two sides and a fragrant corn muffin. The mac and cheese is thick, creamy and mild, the collard greens are pleasantly meaty, the black-eyed peas earthy and firm-tender, and the steamed rice ideal for sopping up anything saucy.” Credit: Photo by Emanuel Wallace
Balaton, Veal Crepe It wasn’t the end of the story for Balafon when the Hungarian restaurant shuttered at Shaker Square, and we should all be thankful. It’ll soon open in Bainbridge, its third location since the 1960s when it launched on Buckeye Rd. It won’t be soon enough until we can all once again enjoy one of Doug’s favorites — an eggy crepe folded around a mixture of ground veal and mushrooms and bathed in a rich paprikash-like gravy. Credit: Photo by Emanuel Wallace
Banter, Poutine   As the west side counts down the days until Banter makes its return to Detroit-Shoreway, a reminder that there are few better pleasures in this world that bring comfort as immense as a plate of frites, gravy and cheese curds. Credit: Photo by Peter Larson Photography
Bearden’s, Double Steakburger Bearden’s has been around since 1948, with a brief one-year closure, but Doug didn’t step foot in the doors or try one of the legendary burgers until ten years ago. So, when he vouches for it, know that it’s not just nostalgia talking: “Bearden’s serves old-school, diner-style burgers. That means thin patties cooked on a flat top, then nestled into soft buns with fresh toppings. At just north of three ounces, each patty is petite and not altogether bursting with meaty flavor. But these sandwiches are a ‘sum of all parts’ experience: bun, meat, tomato, lettuce, and thin-sliced onion coming together in perfect harmony. Upgrade to the Beardenburger and you’ll get two patties. You won’t likely find a better version of onion rings than the ones served up at Bearden’s. Dipped in a housemade batter and fried to a perfect copper hue, these shockingly crisp rings are the gold standard of fried sides. Gilding the lily, the rings come with a choice of dips like dill-spiked ranch, honey mustard, or barbecue.” Credit: Bearden's Facebook
Bialy’s, Big Bag of Mish-Mosh Bagels Bialy’s Big brown bag filled with warm mish-mosh bagels A start to a snowy winter day, the centerpiece for a quick brunch on a sunny one? The mish-mosh bagels from Bialy’s are all-weather and all-comfort. As anyone who follows Doug on Instagram knows, the trick is to get a bag, slice ‘em up, and freeze what you don’t eat that day for ready access down the road without having to leave your house. Credit: Photo by Doug Trattner
Big Al’s Diner, Biscuits & Gravy Doug’s tweeted, IG-ed and written more about Big Al’s Diner than most other places in town, and for good reason. As he crowned the biscuits and gravy one of the best things he ate in the 2010s: “Mornings are for suckers, but there’s one dish in town that makes breakfast bearable: the biscuits and gravy at Big Al’s Diner. While everybody else in the room is naively tucking into plates of corned beef hash, discerning diners are slicing into runny eggs to spill that liquid sunshine onto sausage-gravy soaked biscuits. On the side is a hill of onion-spiked hash browns.” Credit: Photo by Doug Trattner
Cordelia, Tongue on Toast East 4th Street’s newest and most daring restaurant is already a huge hit. Chef Vinnie Cimino’s contemporary takes on seasonal Midwest cookery are propelled by whimsy but grounded by execution and flavor. One standout, among many, from Doug’s visits last year: the tongue on toast, a dish that lingers in his memory months later. Credit: Photo by Doug Trattner
Corky and Lenny’s, Three Little Tootsies There’s something about a Jewish deli that offers up warmth and in this case, there’s no need to limit your choice to one thing on the menu: Opt for the Three Little Tootsies, three separate, small dinner roll sandwiches, one with corned beef, one with chopped liver, and one with hot pastrami, and get a little bit of everything for yourself. Credit: Corky & Lenny's Facebook
Der Braumeister, Chicken Paprikash Things, for the most part, don’t change at Der Braumeister, the west side staple that’s been dishing up German comfort fare since 1983 and over three generations. Diners can always expect consistency when it comes to the classic dishes, many of which are still made from the original recipes brought from her native Germany by co-founder Lydia Hoertz. The chicken paprikash, with a breast and a leg, braised and baked then served over a bed of either spätzle or mashed potatoes, tastes like it always has, and that’s a good thing. Credit: Der Braumeister Facebook
Farkas Pastry Shoppe, Hungarian Dobos Torte Created by Hungarian pastry chef, Joska Dobos, this traditional torte is made by stacking six crisp, thin wafer cake layers with equal amounts of rich chocolate buttercream. Farkas’ adaptation is topped with handcrafted marzipan and decorated with the same decadent chocolate buttercream. Just look at that beautiful creation. Credit: Farkas Facebook
Geraci’s Restaurant 4127 Erie Street, Willoughby Geraci’s new full-service Italian restaurant in the heart of Willoughby followed two seasons of a slice shop it operated out of The Yard on 3rd. Trading in slices for a standalone operation, the new restaurant is more in line with a traditional Geraci’s restaurant. Diners can expect a full roster of classic dishes like lasagna, veal parmesan, chicken marsala and, of course, pizza. Credit: Courtesy Geraci's
Hola Tacos, Birria Tacos The shop’s success is no surprise to its fans, who crave killer tacos topped with wood-grilled carne asada, al pastor sliced off a twirling trompo and slow-roasted pork carnitas – all gilded with bright, zippy salsas. The menu’s can’t miss dish, however, is the birria de res, tender braised beef tacos griddled in braising juices and served with flavorful consommé. Credit: Courtesy Hola Tacos
Taste of Jamaica, Oxtail Stew It really doesn’t matter the season, a combo of oxtail stew with rice and beans and steamed cabbage from Taste of Jamaica, a postage stamp-sized shop on Mayfield in Lyndhurst does the trick. Credit: Taste of Jamaica FB
Little Polish Diner, Pierogies No list of comfort food in Cleveland would be complete with pierogies and the versions dished up in this petite Parma Polish cafe have few rivals in Northeast Ohio, which is saying something. Credit: Courtesy Little Polish Diner
LJ Shanghai, xiao long bao Soup dumplings, or xiao long bao, are just one of the reasons to eat at LJ Shanghai, but they might be the most popular . Tucked inside the delicate housemade wrapper is a dollop of meat swimming in intensely flavored broth. A half dozen ($5) arrive in a small bamboo steamer basket, and the trick is to carefully move a dumpling from basket to spoon without tearing the fragile shell and losing all the soup. Once safely on the spoon, the dumpling can be nibbled or poked to release the soup so that it can be slurped. Ginger-infused black vinegar is on hand to cut the richness of the filling. Credit: Photo by Emanuel Wallace
Lox, Stock and Brisket; Chicken schnitzel sandwich Four years later, we’ve probably lost track of how many of these sandwiches Doug’s had, and that’s for the best. As he’s written before: “As appetizing as the brisket and turkey might be, the number one seller at LSB is the Lincoln Park ($10), a sandwich that flirts with perfection. Twin hot and crisp fried chicken schnitzels are tucked into a butter-soft egg roll with sweet pickles and a slather of mildly spiced aioli. The uber-crunchy breading gives way to a hot, juicy interior followed by the cool, creaminess of the mayo.” Credit: Photo by Doug Trattner
Marie’s, cevapi “I will never have the opportunity to interview Mila ‘Marie’ Sabljic, the matriarch who opened the restaurant on St. Clair, back when that area was home to one of the largest Croatian and Slovenian communities in the U.S. Sabljic passed away a couple of years ago, but Tanya and her sister-in-law Anna and the rest of the family have no intention of packing up,” Doug wrote last year. “We’ve been doing it for all these years,” Tanya told him. “You can’t just give up.” “Little at Marie’s has changed since the start. Guests can still count on a warm welcome, gracious service and huge portions of family-style Eastern European food.” That includes the cevapi, which Doug insists everyone order. “Every meal should include an order of the cevapi ($15.75), grilled, casing-free sausages made from beef, pork and veal. The boldly flavored sausages are served with raw white onion to cut through the richness.” Credit: Photo by Doug Trattner
Martha on the Fly, cornmeal fries with pepper gravy How much does Doug love these? They scored a coveted spot on his year-end list of the best things he ate in Cleveland. “Martha dishes out killer breakfast sandwiches and hearty lunch hoagies, but it was the heaven-scented cornmeal fries that bowled me over. A crispy exterior gives way to a creamy polenta-like core. The corny fingers come with a side of the house Sunshine Sauce for dipping but fork over a couple bucks for the indulgent black pepper gravy.” Credit: Courtesy Martha on the Fly
Superior Pho, Pho Not much more needs to be said. Credit: Photo by BurkleHagen
Szechuan Gourmet, Mapo tofu The first thing that strikes you about the dish, which arrives in a wide casserole, is its color. Set against the white dish, the fiery red contents look positively toxic to tongues. But more memorable than that steady drumbeat of heat is the complex marriage of silken tofu and finely ground, sautéed pork. Credit: Photo by Doug Trattner
Tommy’s Restaurant, Meat pie “Last year, Tommy’s Restaurant on Coventry celebrated its 50th birthday, surviving three fires, 9/11, the Great Recession and Covid. Swept up in the anniversary hoopla, I revisited some of my favorite dishes at one of Cleveland’s most enduring and endearing institutions. Founder Tommy Fello was a vegetarian foods pioneer, selling dishes like hummus, baba ganoush and falafel before Nate’s Deli and Aladdin’s. The whole menu feels like home, but it’s hard to pass up the meat pie ($8.29), featuring lamb, beef and onion baked in dough.” Only two ways to round out the perfect meal at Tommy’s, of course, and that’s with a hand-dipped milkshake and fries. Credit: Courtesy Tommy's
V’s Gourmet, fried chicken If you know you know, as they say. And Doug knows. “When it comes to fried chicken, being told that there will be a wait is a very good thing. It usually means that the chicken will be fried to order. That’s definitely the drill here, where even those wise enough to call ahead end up twiddling their thumbs. But the result is quite possibly the best fried chicken in the city. Diners get to choose among seven different breadings, from the subtly sweet Honey Crisp to the aggressively spiced Cajun. After what seems like forever, the owner of this 20-year-old secret hands over the goods, a breast, thigh and wing shellacked in an armor of flaky, fiercely crunchy batter. The meat, naturally, is screaming hot and dripping with juice.” Credit: Photo by Doug Trattner
Zoma Ethiopian, Special Combo Like Indian curries, the dishes are rich, complex and deeply satisfying. Some are spicy, others well-spiced. Many are crafted with blends 25 ingredients strong. Meat-based items are built around beef, chicken or lamb. Vegetarian dishes elevate humble lentils, peas, chickpeas, cabbage and potatoes to exciting new heights — and that’s not hyperbole. Zoma’s arrival in Doug’s backyard reminded him how much he craves Ethiopian food. Injera, plus the special combo, is always a winner. Credit: Photo by Barney Taxel
Zhug, curried lamb-topped hummus and eggplant moussaka Part of the beauty of Zhug is that with so many options to mix and match, no two meals are ever the same. Ideally, you’re going with a group and ordering half the menu of small plates that get passed around and finished just as another round get delivered to the table. Still, two that Doug seems to find himself ordering over and over again are the curried lamb-topped hummus and eggplant moussaka. Credit: Douglas Trattner

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