Some restaurants are born great, while others achieve greatness slowly over time. Over the past couple years, this charming neighborhood tavern has blossomed into a bona fide destination that lures diners from all over town. Small, perennially packed, and boisterous, Thyme Table nails the basics, from creative cocktails to desserts. Chef-owner Mike Smith crafts approachable but snappy plates like lobster-topped tots with bacon and scallion, panzanella with seasonal produce, and a crispy tempura-fried tofu steak with blistered beans and oolong rice.

In March 2020, Rood was just hitting its stride. The unique slider-and-pie shop was generating big buzz for its food, setting, and communal dining style. COVID put an end to the party. What came out on the other side was an entirely new menu, helmed by whiz Rachelle Murphy. Her seasonal menu shuns tedious standards in favor of big-flavored compositions like sweet corn crabcakes with pepper jam, roasted beet salad with smoked whipped mascarpone, and wagyu beef-stuffed tortellini. The shop’s famous pies made the jump to the new menu too, with fat slices of brown-buttery Salt and Honey served with a vial of crunchy bee pollen for topping.

It doesn’t take visitors long to see that LBM is not your typical neighborhood bar. Sporting a “Viking drinking hall” vibe, the kitschy, high-spirited setting might seem at odds with a serious cocktail program. But stick around long enough to see past the artifice and you’ll discover that LBM is an unpretentious cocktail bar with spitfire beverages like the Ocean of Wounds, which blends lime-infused mezcal, Bonal, Cynar, and mole bitters. There’s also some shockingly good grub. Come during happy hour and you’ll eat and drink like a jarl for a pittance.

Equal parts bar, restaurant, and gourmet marketplace, Astoria has become an invaluable neighborhood asset. Locals pop into the bright, spacious, and bustling storefront to stock up on imported olives, cheeses, meats, and wine by the bottle. For those who prefer to leave the cooking to the pros, Astoria boasts a massive menu loaded with Mediterranean snacks, appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, large plates, and desserts. Warm, attentive service and one of the best brunches in town keep this place jumping throughout the week. Seats are available at the bar, at tables, and outside on the patio.

Effortlessly hip, the Judith is the sort of cafe that everyone wishes they had in their own neighborhood. Meticulously curated by the team behind Room Service home decor, the dreamy space weaves art, textiles, wallpaper, and estate sale finds into a warm and cozy retreat ideal for long, lazy Saturday mornings. Enjoy coffee and croissants, open-faced sandwiches topped with butter and radish or whipped labneh and fruit preserves, a fully loaded nicoise salad, or a simple plate of tinned fish dressed to order. Soon, beer, wine and cocktails will be added, giving rise to ebullient happy hours and early suppers. 

Dan Herbst and Geoff Hardman started Cleveland Bagel Co. modestly, baking in a home kitchen and peddling their products at weekly farmer’s markets. The beloved company has expanded significantly. Cold-fermented, hand-rolled, water-boiled, and baked with care, these savory rolls land somewhere between svelte Montreal and chubby New York styles in terms of size. Two shops, one west and the other east, provide customers with fresh bagels, schmears, and a few straightforward breakfast sammies.

After six great years in Lyndhurst, Dustin and Paloma Goldberg felt the time was right to expand to one of Cleveland’s buzziest corridors. Located in a sunny corner spot at 41 West, a mixed-use development in Ohio City, Goldie’s Donuts & Bakery might just be the most ornate donut shop around. Trimmed in white marble, brass, and glass, the spare-no-expense interior is a lovely place to savor old-fashioned treats like sour cream donuts, honey-glazed crullers, apple fritters, croissants, and fudgy brownies. Goldie’s makes everything from scratch daily using premium ingredients.

Experience in Appalachia informs chef Karen Small’s Juneberry Table, a stylish breakfast and lunch diner. The influence is clearest in dishes like biscuits with sorghum butter and jam, chicken and cornmeal waffles, and bourbon-apple pancakes with Ohio maple syrup. If you’re angling for lunch, there’s a killer smash burger, a Cleveland Croque with butter-fried smoked ham and swiss, and glasses of natural wines to wash it all down.

Occupying a former showroom for Vitrolite tile, Patron Saint brings the all-day cafe trend to Ohio City. The sun-soaked space features graceful arches, 15-foot ceilings, and walls clad in various shades and designs of pigmented glass tile. Patron Saint transitions from early-morning coffee service to early-evening aperitivo hour. To match the Italian-inspired vibe, the chef has created a lean menu of composed plates like a continental breakfast, wholesome grain salads, warm vegetable dishes, piadinas, and meatballs.

Set inside an 1850s-era firehouse, Larder is a modern-day version of the classic Jewish delicatessen as seen through the eyes of chef Jeremy Umansky. The old-world setting provides the ideal backdrop to display heavenly breads and pastries like black-and-white cookies, fruit-filled rugelach, chocolate babka, buttery challah, and meaty knishes. Hungry Ohio City neighbors literally line up for the now-famous koji-cured pastrami sandwiches, but you should also try the epic fried chicken sandwiches, matzo ball soup, housemade charcuterie, and daily specials like local beet salad. The Hingetown eatery shares patio seating with Rising Star Coffee.

In 2022, chef Karen Small shuttered Flying Fig, her pioneering farm-to-table bistro, after 23 years. In its place she created a more casual, flexible European-style wine bar and market. Dine-in customers can order wines by the 2-ounce taste or full glass from the temperature-controlled Cruvinet, or browse the market shelves, where a wonderful selection of natural wines from small producers are sold at retail price (plus corkage fee). Start with a dish of Castelvetrano olives or a charcuterie board starring just-sliced American country hams. Chicken liver mousse is presented in a glass jar and gets smeared across warm, cheesy gougeres. Larger plates include a juicy lamb burger, mussels frites, and flatbreads topped with ham and seasonal produce.

It took a person with great vision to transform the cold, cavernous United Bank Building in Ohio City into a magical supper club. Rather than accentuate the 1920s-era building’s architectural features — soaring coffered ceilings, colossal arched windows, some 10,000 square feet of floor space — owner Morgan Yagi managed to bring it all down to human scale. The room feels surprisingly intimate with its emphatic bookshelves, richly upholstered seating, botanical-themed carpeting, and a large tree rising from the center of the room. This is “fun dining not fine dining,” Yagi likes to say; the approachable modern American menu features pizzas, pastas, burgers, and steaks. A top-flight lounge and cocktail program extend the fun into the wee hours.

In a year filled with ambitious openings, Jaja takes top honors. Beneath a garland-wrapped pergola strung with oversized string lights sits an intimate, opulent, and textural 90-seat dining room. Windows on three sides offer picture-perfect views of the city skyline and West Side Market clocktower. On warm evenings, a retractable glass roof gives way to the open sky. Guests are welcomed with a complimentary tulip of cava before diving into the stunning cocktail menu. The modern seafood and steakhouse fare benefits from the same live-fire grill that fuels Pioneer one floor below. Go big with the parillada, a platter loaded with prime meats, shimmering seafood, a variety of sauces, and plenty of grilled bread.

Though Cleveland’s fine-dining landscape isn’t as strong as it was pre-pandemic, fortunately, there’s Acqua di Luca, run by the husband-and-wife team behind Luca Italian Cuisine. Set in a century-old warehouse space in the heart of downtown, this seafood-focused eatery is loud, lively, and dripping with drama. Jump right in with the seafood platter, an outsized portion of wine-steamed king crab, shrimp, clams, scallops, and a whole lobster. Go light with the mixed crudo or brawny via the tomahawk. The wraparound sidewalk patio is one of the best outdoor dining spaces downtown.

Ian Herrington’s sleek, modern, European-style artisan bakery anchors a residential building on the edge of Tremont. In addition to essentials like rustic sourdoughs in myriad forms, Herrington crafts poofy rosemary focaccia, fragrant cardamom buns, and delectable cheddar and scallion scones, which join drippy cinnamon buns, plum-filled Danishes, and buttery chocolate chip cookies. Rotating soups and sandwiches round out the offerings.

Michael Symon’s downtown barbecue joint has developed a winning formula that pairs truly exceptional smoked meat with a lively industrial saloon setting. Cooked low and slow over Ohio fruitwoods, items like beef brisket, pork butt, pork ribs, turkey, and kielbasa exit the pits supple, smoky, and delicious. Those meats come by the pound or packed into two-fisted sandwiches. Sides and snacks include creamed corn, fried potatoes, broccoli salad, and pork cracklins with French onion dip. Brown booze fans will relish one of the best bourbon selections in town, while craft beer fans will have no complaints either. There is patio seating right on lively East Fourth Street.

One of the buzziest, busiest new restaurants in town is Au Jus, a small sandwich shop wedged between a nail salon and pizzeria in a dinky strip mall. The draw: Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches made from USDA Prime top round, which is slow-roasted, sliced, piled into a hoagie bun, topped with giardiniera, and served with au jus made from the drippings. Also remarkably tasty are state fair-style sausage and pepper hoagies, pressed Cubanos, fresh-cut fries, and batter-dipped onion rings.

Cloak & Dagger offers the cozy appeal of a warmly lit study thanks to shelves of leather-bound books, curious antiquities, and plush furniture. The literary theme carries over to the beverage menu, a seasonal collection of original cocktails presented in a meticulously illustrated booklet. The hip spot pairs those cocktails with an all-vegan roster of bar snacks, sandwiches, and plates with a chef’s touch. Dishes include bread with fig butter, salads loaded with fresh veggies and magic “hard-boiled eggs,” and BLTs piled high with applewood-smoked tofu, heirloom tomatoes, and cucumber aioli.

The grandest dining room in Cleveland belongs to Marble Room, an opulent prime steak and seafood restaurant tucked into a turn-of-the-century bank lobby. Designed by the architecture firm behind Severance Hall, the stunning beaux arts-style interior boasts soaring ceilings, massive pillars, grand staircases, and ornate ironwork. To go with all that eye candy is a menu flush with caviar, seafood towers, sushi and sashimi, and a butcher shop’s worth of steaks and chops. The toughest tables in town come with fine cocktails, professional service, and frequent live music.

What started out as a pandemic-era pop-up has evolved into one of Cleveland’s most unique and delicious breakfast concepts. Chef Ryan Beck converted what had long been a carryout-only storefront in Tremont into a micro-diner complete with chrome, mirror, neon, and a few counter seats. The core of Martha’s menu is devoted to breakfast sandwiches starring custardy patties of steamed egg, which get paired with items like zesty sausage or thick-cut baloney and tucked into airy house-baked buns. Sides like cornmeal fries, potato crispies, and seasonal fruit hand pies keep folks coming back again and again.

Cleveland, like most major cities nowhere near an ocean, has enough great sushi places to satisfy nigiri lovers. But this one, operated by former Nobu chef Dante Boccuzzi, is unique in terms of style, setting, and selection. Located beneath Boccuzzi’s namesake bistro Dante, Ginko is a grotto-like den dominated by a horseshoe-shaped sushi bar. No expense is spared to secure the finest, freshest fish, which is crafted into an unforgettable omakase or a la carte experience. A pair of dedicated shabu-shabu tables offer an alternative to the fish, while sake aficionados will savor the exceptional list here too.

Cleveland is blessed with many wonderful breweries of all sizes, but Noble Beast deserves special attention thanks to both the brew and brewery. Set in a 5,000-square-foot warehouse on the edge of downtown, the industrial space is airy and comfortable. Guests are practically surrounded by the brewhouse, where brewers craft classics like Belgian strong ales, altbiers, and kölsches, as well as hazy IPAs and double IPAs. Great pairings like corndogs, nachos, salads, and sandwiches round out the offerings.

If you polled a large cross-section of Cleveland diners on their favorite restaurants, chances are good that L’Albatros would land near the top of the results. Chef and owner Zack Bruell runs a handful of wonderful restaurants, but it’s this French brasserie that rises above the rest. Set in a renovated carriage house on the leafy campus of Case Western Reserve University, the chic eatery offers deft, modern takes on classic bistro fare like onion soup, escargot, duck confit, cassoulet, and steak frites. Most meals here end with a cheese course, assembled tableside with aid from a knowledgeable fromager. The wine list is smart and broad, featuring Cleveland’s largest selection of natural wines, and the garden patio is one of the most delightful places in town to enjoy a meal.

From the name to the space to the food to the people who prepare it, everything about Wolf Pack Chorus is delightfully over the top. The spacious carriage house-turned-restaurant features soaring cathedral ceilings, a mile-long bar, and wall of windows overlooking University Circle. Meals here are punctuated by frequent rounds of applause thanks to live entertainment, which gives the bistro a supper club vibe. The eclectic French-inspired menu gleefully veers from za’atar-spiced asparagus to braised short rib croquettes. Diners can expect seasonal, well-executed entrees starring a range of proteins.

After changing hands in 2022, a prominent corner property in Little Italy has been transformed into a stylish, sophisticated Italian-themed steakhouse. Zachary Ladner and Carl Quagliata, the chef-owners behind a handful of local restaurants, have created a brilliant 45-seat bistro that benefits from ingredients shared by sister establishment Village Butcher. Classic chophouse starters like steak tartare and shrimp cocktail join hot appetizers like coquilles Saint Jacques and veal sweetbreads. Tables can opt for large-format steaks like a 100-day dry-aged tomahawk rib-eye, bistecca alla Fiorentina, or chateaubriand, all served on silver platters. Those delights join other steaks and chops, seafood dishes, and luxurious pastas.

At Zhug, chef Doug Katz combines a tempting menu of small plates with a buzzy lounge-like atmosphere. The menu veers from cold-smoked octopus and schmaltz-fried potatoes to curried lamb-topped hummus and eggplant moussaka. All meals include warm pita and fiery zhug. Creative cocktails and a global wine list round out the experience.

Since opening this pizzeria, owner Marc-Aurele Buholzer has never wavered from his commitment to make the best Neapolitan-style pizza possible. Pies exit the 900-degree wood-fired oven sporting the characteristic puffy, chewy, tender crust dotted with char. The margherita stars fresh ingredients like San Marzano tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and extra-virgin olive oil, while the diavola pizza kicks things up with Calabrian chiles. Like the food menu, the wine list is short but sweet.

Lenny Kaden passed away this year at the ripe old age of 92, but the iconic Jewish deli that he and partner Corky Kurland created lives on. The original Corky & Lenny’s opened in 1956 and was later replaced by the current iteration in 1973. As one of the longest-running Jewish delis in the region, Corky & Lenny’s has introduced multiple generations to the matchless joys of knishes, potato pancakes, smoked fish, chopped liver, sliced beef tongue, and mile-high corned beef and pastrami sandwiches. Breakfasts star lox, onions, and eggs; luscious cheese blintzes; and local bagels with cream cheese. Grab some airy coconut bars, flaky rugelach, or jam-filled Russian tea biscuits on your way out.