When you’ve got visitors, you want to show them the best of Cleveland. From iconic mainstays to new additions, we’ve got you covered on where to take family and friends to enjoy a taste of the best the North Coast has to offer as we gather for food and fun.

Astoria 5417 Detroit Ave., Cleveland “Astoria is a CLE must-go. You get a traditional European style. The cheese boards and wine are by far my fav. Their cocktail list looked pretty amazing, I’d love to give them a try. They have indoor and outdoor seating. They also have a small market area if you need to pick up a bottle of wine for the home. Can’t wait to go back and try a new board,” Kaylyn G. on Yelp Credit: Scene archives
Chicken and Waffles at Juneberry 3900 Lorain Ave., Cleveland Juneberry Table is a showcase for chef Karen Small’s unfussy style of cooking. In this sun-splashed Ohio City diner, breakfast and lunch plates star humble Appalachian ingredients like buckwheat, sorghum, cornmeal, fruit preserves, fermented veggies and cured meats. In the exemplary chicken and waffles, local chicken is pickle-brined, dredged in panko and fried to the perfect chestnut brown before joining the Ohio cornmeal waffles. To dress it up, there’s Ohio maple syrup and earthy-sweet sorghum butter. Credit: Scene archives
Batuqui 12706 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland and 17 East Orange St., Chagrin Falls Following more than a year of construction, Carla Batista and Gustavo Nogueira recently opened the second location of their popular Brazilian eatery. Like the original, which opened on Larchmere in 2015, “Batuqui on the Falls” has repurposed an elegant residential building — in this case, a stately brick Victorian a short stroll from Main Street. Batuqui Chagrin features the same popular dinner menu starring authentic Brazilian dishes like Feijoada and Moqueca Baiana and an ongoing selection of specials and cocktails. Both are tough reservations to get, especially on the weekends, so plan accordingly. Credit: Scene archives
Cordelia 2058 East 4th St., Cleveland When speaking of hotly anticipated openings, nothing topped Cordelia taking over the former Lola space. Owner Andrew Watts calls East 4th Street “the best address in the city,” and in July, he and executive chef Vinnie Cimino officially became that street’s newest operators with an approach they call “Midwest Nice”. The restaurant has quickly vaulted to the top of many best restaurant lists so you definitely want to snag a reservation if you want to eat here. Credit: Scene archives
Zhug 12413 Cedar Rd., Cleveland Heights With the unveiling Zhug, Doug Katz has created a new gravitational center for this side of town, attracting diners with such force that many get turned away. If your idea of Middle Eastern food consists largely of tightly wrapped falafel sandwiches, shawarma carved from a twirling spit and grilled beef shish-kabob on a bed of rice, Zhug will expand your culinary horizons in a million little ways. With its dazzling small plates, meticulously crafted cocktails and ripped-from-Tel Aviv-vibe, this cosmopolitan eatery upends every Cleveland dining convention. Credit: Scene archives
Wolf Pack Chorus 2175 Cornell Rd., Cleveland This modern brasserie opened in Little Italy in the former Club Isabella space in early 2023. After signing the lease, owners Chris and Katie Wolf got busy making the contemporary property their own. Nearly every surface received attention, from the bartop to the bathrooms. Wolf Pack Chorus is the rare white-tablecloth restaurant that doesn’t take itself too seriously. The compelling chefy menu benefits from not sticking to the typical Little Italy fare of veal parmesan and chicken picatta. Credit: Doug Trattner
Alea 2912 Church Ave., Cleveland For a demonstration on the transformative powers of real-fire cooking, reserve a table at tiny Alea in Ohio City. In place of the typical back bar of booze bottles sits a wood-burning cooking suite that fills the room with the irresistible charm of a backwoods chalet. Alea is not the first Cleveland restaurant to employ a wood-burning cooking suite, but with a sharply fine-tuned menu of seasonal Mediterranean dishes, diners have been drawn back time and time again for smart execution and a kiss of smoke. Credit: Scene archives
Il Rione 1303 West 56th St., Cleveland Il Rione might be “just a neighborhood pizza parlor,” but it elevates the genre, as its droves of fans will testify to. While the menu is spare, the New York/New Jersey-style pizza exiting the open kitchen is amazing, with the clam pie taking the cake (in our opinion). Diners can choose from a half-dozen predesigned pies or can build their own from the crust up. The team recently announced they’d be taking over the pizza at Edison’s, much to the delight of loyal fans of both establishments. Credit: Scene archives
Larder 1455 West 29th St., Cleveland Much like many others on this list, Larder is in that transition phase from relatively new kid on the block to well established staple. When it opened in 2019, it took the Cleveland food scene by storm, with Chef Jeremy Umansky and partner Kenny Scott’s koji techniques and modern spin on traditional Jewish delicatessen food. Along with Umansky’s wife Allie La Valle-Umansky, who knocks the bakery offerings out of the park, the trio consistently serve up not just the best deli food in Cleveland, but arguably some the best food around regardless of style. If you’ve had anything from the fried chicken sandwich and the pastrami to the house made sodas and chocolate babka, you’ll know what we’re talking about. Credit: Scene archives
Jaja 2050 Gehring Ave., Cleveland Before opening Jaja, Intro, the new nine-story apartment complex across the street from the West Side Market, already had unveiled Edda Coffee Roasters, the all-day café, Pioneer, the wood-fired sports bar, and Truss, the rooftop event space. They then opened Jaja in October, which is described by president of hospitality Dan Whalen as a sexy shared-plate steakhouse with Latin American and Mediterranean influences. When guests exit the elevator on the second level, they will be immersed in a drama-filled space that was designed to foster a fun, casual, free-spirited vibe. Jaja may be the most impeccably designed restaurant in town, looking like a restaurant straight out of Architectural Digest. Credit: Scene archives
Abundance Cafe 1975 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights For the past year, chef Liu Fang and Carl Setzer have made themselves known around town. What began as occasional pop-ups selling buns, dumplings and noodles under the name Abundance Culinary advanced to weekly two-day residencies at Larder in Ohio City. At those events, and others across town at Rising Star in Cleveland Heights, the pair cultivated a passionate, dedicated following for Fang’s elevated Chinese cooking. The chef leans into our region’s bounty to craft modern interpretations of classic Chinese dishes. Diners on both sides of town have grown fond of items like Chinese sausage-filled dumplings, dry-fried green beans, Shanghai scallion noodles, honey ma wings and Huainan brisket ramen.The pair opened their own permanent space at the old diners on Lee Road this August and hopefully will be there for a long time to come. Credit: Provided
Patron Saint 2915 Detroit Ave., Cleveland Open only since early June, Patron Saint feels like it’s been an essential part of this community for years. Owner Marie Artale tapped chef David Kocab to craft a farm-to-table regional Italian menu that leans light, wholesome, seasonal and satisfying. Patron Saint is the kind of place where “a quick glass of wine” can cascade into a tipsy two-hour feast. As an all-day café, Patron Saint transitions from early morning coffee service through early evening aperitivo hour. The 50-seat café boasts a window counter with lake views, comfortable banquettes, a standing rail, and bar seating. While not a traditional restaurant, Patron Saint’s all-day menu offers enough variety and heft to cobble together a lovely meal. Credit: Tiffany Joy Photography
Le Petit Triangle 1881 Fulton Ave., Cleveland “Had a wonderful brunch at Le Petit Triangle . We didn’t have a reservation and they were busy but we got seated pretty quickly . The Chocolat is delicious ; the dark chocolate prevents it from being overly sweet and espresso was perfectly prepared . The mushroom crepe was fantastic ( get it )! Our servers checked on us frequently, to top of drinks and check if we enjoyed the food . There were so many options on the menu I wanted to try , will definitely go again,” Mediha S. on Yelp Credit: Scene archives
Best Desserts Winner: Rood Food and Pie Runners-Up: Marble Room, Cordelia Credit: Scene archives
Thyme X Table 583 Dover Center Rd., Bay Village In Bay Village, Thyme Table, which opened in 2019, has quickly established itself as one of the best restaurants in the near Western suburbs. Chef-owner Michael Smith captured the curiosity and support of the community with his spiffed-up tavern concept, where the menu is approachable at nearly every turn. Thyme Table is the opposite of a special-occasion restaurant, but that doesn’t mean there is nothing special about the place. Lobster tater tots? Don’t miss them. Credit: Scene archives
Bartleby 1430 West 28th St., Cleveland Bartleby opened in the former Crop Bistro space in Ohio City in 2022. Morgan Yagi spent much of the previous 15 months before opening gently reshaping the interior of the historic United Bank Building, a 1920s-era property with soaring ceilings, bronze light fixtures and a run of arched windows that flood the space with natural light. While Crop Bistro leaned more to fine dining, Bartleby aims to be more approachable and accessible in its offerings. Diners can look forward to items like burgers, pizzas and bowls of pasta, but also a great grilled ribeye, all dished up in a supper club-style environment with one of the more jaw-dropping rooms in Cleveland. Credit: @BartlebyCleveland/Instagram
Marble Room 623 Euclid Ave., Cleveland You’d be forgiven for thinking you just walked into a castle when you enter the Marble Room, which is situated in an old bank. The gorgeous setting of the restaurant is one thing, but the food and service is what makes this place special, consistently getting accolades as one of, if not the best, restaurant in town. Raw bar, steaks, impeccable service, and a setting to match make it a must-visit. Credit: @MarbleRoomCleveland/Instagram
Best New Restaurant: Cent’s Pizza 5010 Lorain Ave., Cleveland For nearly two and half years, we have been following the progress of Vincent Morelli as he has endeavored to open Cent’s Pizza on the western edge of Ohio City. Now, one year into the opening of Cent’s, Morelli has quickly established Cent’s as one of the best pizza joints in town with a loyal following. The inviting, hip decor makes way for a lively atmosphere but the pizza is undoubtedly the star of the show. When it comes to the main event, Morelli also bucks convention. Baked in a wood-burning oven, the pies can loosely be described as Neapolitan. Up top, Morelli shrewdly weaves bold ingredients like speck, white anchovies, cream cheese and even Luxardo cherries into cohesive arrangements that surprise as much as satisfy. Even so-called staples like a meatball pie get reworked into more elegant and enjoyable creations. Credit: Scene Archives
Tutto Carne 2181 Murray Hill Rd., Cleveland This Italian-themed steakhouse, which opened in late spring of 2023, is operated by Ladner and Carl Quagliata, the chef-owners behind Giovanni’s, Smokin’ Q’s BBQ, Paloma and The Village Butcher. In the former Nora spot in Little Italy, the space has been completely transformed into a stylish and sophisticated 45-seat bistro. Chef de cuisine Ryan O’Driscoll oversees a steakhouse-style menu that benefits greatly from the owners’ sister establishment, The Village Butcher. A selection of other steaks and chops is joined by items like seared halibut with littleneck clams in horseradish broth, pan-seared scallops with bacon, potato and spring pea pesto, and a dry-aged beef burger topped with taleggio, short rib onions, bacon and special sauce. For pasta fans, Ladner and his team have assembled a roster of classic dishes. Credit: Scene Archives
The Judith 1384 Hird Rd., Lakewood Owners Jennie Doran and Andrew Worm earlier this year opened The Judith, a French-inspired café on Lorain. The 30-seat space is rich with warmth and texture, one that conjures images of an Old World Parisienne café. In the morning, Onyx Coffee and Tea is served alongside breakfast pastries and open-face sandwiches, or tartines. Lunches usher in fresh salads, shareable small plates, baguette sandwiches and desserts. And recently, The Judith launched evening service, so happy hour and small plates can keep you entertained and fed later into the day, which, judging by the crowds, is welcome news. Credit: Daniel Lozada
Fahrenheit 55 Public Square., Cleveland Rocco Whalen relocated his 20-year-old Tremont hotspot Fahrenheit to the long-dormant John Q’s Steakhouse spot on Public Square, where it has quickly become one of the hottest meal tickets in town. Apart from the name, some key players and a handful of menu items, Fahrenheit Downtown shares few similarities with the original bistro that helped keep Tremont’s dining scene aloft since 2002. In many ways, Fahrenheit feels like the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for Whalen: a tribute for a job well done for nearly 30 years. Not many local chefs have the star power required to lure diners to an expensive restaurant in the heart of downtown. But Whalen has always drawn big crowds thanks to his outsized personality, eclectic and approachable foods, and knack for treating everybody like a VIP, from high-powered sports celebs to young couples. Credit: @FahrenheitCleveland/Instagram
Amba 1430 West 28th St., Cleveland Diners are ripped from their comfort zones the moment they cross the threshold of Amba in Ohio City. From the shadowy, lounge-like interior to the menu of Indian-inspired foods, this edgy eatery encourages culinary exploration. Everything is so delicious, its hard to pick what to order. Our advice? Go with a big group, get one of almost everything to share and you won’t be disappointed in a setting that doesn’t feel like it’s in Cleveland at all. Credit: Courtesy Photo
Acqua Di Luca 500 West St. Clair Ave., Cleveland One of Cleveland’s most compelling new seafood-focused restaurants also happens to boast one of downtown’s best patios. After a complete transformation of the former XO Steaks interior, the owners moved on to the outdoors. Less of a sidewalk patio than a tasteful extension of the dining room, this stylish wraparound porch in the heart of the Warehouse District is alfresco dining at its finest. Credit: Emanuel Wallace

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