New restaurants in Cleveland Ohio
For too long, the neighborhood around the legendary Beachland Ballroom music club was a culinary wasteland. Now, thanks to Citizen Pie, residents and visitors alike can enjoy world-class Neapolitan-style pizza baked in a hand-built, wood-fired Stefano Ferrara oven from Naples. Owner Vytauras Sasnauskas is widely regarded as a pizza savant with legendary skills and a knack for combining toppings in perfect arrangements as in the Verde: a wildly enjoyable marriage of mortadella, spinach, smoked mozzarella, pistachio cream, and olives.
15710 Waterloo Rd
Cleveland, OH 44110
(216) 417-2742
2 Boiling Seafood Crawfish
One of the buzziest new restaurants in town is this hole-in-the-wall, seafood-in-a-bag concept located just east of town. Modeled after popular Cajun seafood shops like the Boiling Crab, this one specializes in by-the-pound seafood that is boiled in a flavorful broth, tossed in an aggressively seasoned spice mixture, and delivered to the table in clear plastic bags. The experience is fresh, spicy, and messy as hell.
2201 Lee Rd
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
(216) 459-7777
3 Nora
In a neighborhood like Little Italy, which runs on red sauce, it's shocking to find an Italian restaurant that lacks a single marinara. Instead, this small and graceful bistro offers seasonal and progressive takes on classic Italian dishes. The menu might sound familiar — burrata, arancini, calamari, agnolotti, marsala — but the composed dishes are anything but.
2181 Murray Hill Rd
Cleveland, OH 44106
(216) 231-5977
4 Bar 32
There’s been a bit of a hotel boom in Cleveland lately and the most conspicuous new entry is the Hilton Cleveland Hotel, a shimmering 32-story, 600-room tower in the heart of downtown. One of the hotel’s best assets is Bar 32, a bar located on, you guessed it, the 32nd floor. In addition to its drop-dead gorgeous views of Lake Erie, the Cuyahoga River, and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, this spot offers a contemporary bar program. The View cocktail, best enjoyed on the 400-foot-high terrace, is a blend of pineapple, lime, crème de cassis, and Patron Silver.
Hilton Cleveland Downtown
Cleveland, OH 44114
(216) 413-5000
5 Mabel's BBQ
Ever since Michael Symon opened Mabel’s BBQ, just steps from his flagship eatery Lola Bistro, there have been lines out the door to sample his take on barbecue. “His take” is Cleveland-style barbecue, a hybrid of Texas-style smoked meats and Midwestern sensibilities. Symon smokes beef, pork, and lamb ribs over local fruitwoods; his brisket is rubbed with deli-style pastrami spices; he serves Polish kielbasa in place of Texas hot links; he uses local ballpark mustard in his thin barbecue sauce; and he sells the kinds of side dishes locals fondly recall from family cookouts.
2050 E 4th St
Cleveland, OH 44115
(216) 417-8823
6 REBoL
After more than a year of construction, Cleveland’s iconic Public Square just wrapped up a $50-million makeover led by landscape architecture firm James Corner Field Operations, designer of New York City’s High Line. And in one corner of the public park you’ll find Rebol, a health-focused quick-casual eatery with the city’s best patio. The just-opened restaurant serves up “taco baos” and “bols, ” steamed buns and bowls with international flair and filled with organic meats and dressings made without refined sugar.
101 W Superior Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 505-5898
7 Bold Food & Drink
When one of Cleveland’s priciest steakhouses closed its doors, diners found a silver lining in its replacement. Bold enjoys a posh perch in the booming Flats East Bank neighborhood, but its food is approachable, affordable, and immensely appealing. Here, steaks and chops from local farms get the same 1, 400-degree broiler treatment, but they arrive without the sticker shock. Start with the lobster nachos and octopus before moving on to the grass-fed sirloin.