The 38 Essential Cleveland Restaurants

After a few challenging years, full-service restaurant dining is back in a big way in greater Cleveland. In fact, over the past year, the city has welcomed some of the most ambitious new eateries yet, giving diners fresh motivation to make reservations. At places like Jaja, Bartleby, Tutto Carne, the Last Page, and Wolf Pack Chorus, the stage is set for a celebratory night out on the town with friends and family. At the other end of the spectrum are chill new hangouts like Patron Saint, Goldie’s, and the Judith, where aperitivi, old-fashioned doughnuts, tartines, and tinned fish populate all-day menus. Of course, locals and visitors still can’t get enough of star-chef hotspots like Zhug, Cordelia, and L’Albatros too.

As always, this list attempts to cover a broad range of places to eat, drink, and snack. It blends old-school gems with trendy newcomers, cheap eats and spare-no-expense destinations. Like the residents of the city itself, these places come from all over the globe.