Cleveland Magazine’s Most-Read Stories of 2025

1. Cleveland’s 25 Best Restaurants

In a city boiling over with culinary excellence, our annual Best Restaurants issue chopped it down to a list of 25 trailblazers, go-getters and ol’-reliables in Cleveland dining. Plus, we honored Westsiders as Cleveland’s Best New Restaurant in 2025, a notable novice selected by Cleveland Magazine readers.

2. Cleveland Fish Fry Guide

Fish fries are a Cleveland delicacy every Lenten season, and they take on many lives across local restaurants, churches, clubs and bars. Whether it was West Side, East Side or somewhere in between, our interactive map put hundreds of must-try fish fries in one convenient place.

3. ICE Raid Hits Northeast Ohio Small Business

In the wake of nationwide arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), officers entered Cilantro Taqueria’s Cleveland Heights location and detained six individuals in late January. Local outrage ensued even as news broke of their release, and Mayor Justin Bibb quickly addressed the incident, calling the situation “obscene.”

4. Cleveland's 33 Best Summer Patios

The season of sunshine is scarce in Cleveland, so our expansive guide to the region’s best outdoor dining spots made it easy to bask in the rays with a good bite to eat.

5. After the Mall, What Comes Next for Cleveland's Suburbs?

The shopping hubs of yesteryear are changing right before our eyes, faster than we can comprehend. We did a dive into what’s happening to these beloved community cornerstones.

6. Cedar Point Summons Siren’s Curse, a Daring New Tilt Coaster That Defies Gravity

When Ohio’s favorite amusement park unveiled a new ride featuring a record-setting vertical tilt track, we got in line to experience it for ourselves and give skeptics a front-row point of view.

7. Is Cleveland God’s Country? A Morgan Wallen Concert Review

We attended and reviewed one of Cleveland’s largest concerts of the year, as pop-country superstar Morgan Wallen sold out two nights at Huntington Bank Field.

8. 60-Plus Greater Cleveland Events to Put on Your 2025 Calendar

Our ever-expanding list of the city’s hottest concerts, festivals, markets and sports games kept Clevelanders’ calendars packed all year long.

9. Cleveland's 10 Best New Restaurants of 2025

With restaurants galore opening in 2024, Cleveland Magazine editors forecasted 10 must-try spots among the pack heading into their first year of business.

10. Gorge Dam Removal Project Breaks Ground

After decades, Cuyahoga Falls’ infamous dam is officially coming down. Its removal is a multi-phase, complex project expected to be finished by 2030, with a first phase of sediment cleanup slated for completion by fall 2027. The newfound space will unlock great potential for the health of the Cuyahoga River and Cuyahoga Falls’ recreation opportunities.

11. Fireworks Displays to Watch in Greater Cleveland Area

No Fourth of July celebration is complete without fireworks. We compiled the must-see spots for flashy colors in the sky this past summer.

12. Fourth of July Party Guide

Our annual guide shared the city’s best parades, parties and concerts for celebrating America’s birthday.

13. Machine Gun Kelly's Shooters Renovation Is Ready to Get Underway

The musician and local legend, who broke ground in The Flats with 27 Club Coffee, established a new dig in his Downtown business ventures when taking over Shooters On The Water in the spring. The renovation will transform the waterfront spot into a Florida-inspired restaurant with beachy fare and live music.

14. Cleveland's Reader-Voted Best Restaurants: Silver Spoon Awards 2025

Each year, we ask Cleveland Magazine readers for their favorite local restaurants with distinctions ranging from the best in burgers, steaks, soul food, breweries and ice cream. The results kept foodies coming back for more.

15. A Brown Pelican Was Spotted Fishing in Lake Erie This Week

A feathered friend unfamiliar to Cleveland was seen flying over local waters for a quick snack before heading to its home down south for the winter. It's one of many resilient critters to make striking appearances in Northeast Ohio. Other animal coverage included a look at the triumphant comeback of beavers in local waterways.

16. Cleveland's Top 20 Suburbs of 2025: Best Places to Live

Though we don’t need to prove that Northeast Ohio is the best place on Earth, we did it anyway. Backed by informative data on education, safety and population, our annual Best Places to Live issue outlined the homiest spots on the city’s outskirts — with Chagrin Falls taking first place.

17. Report: Downtown Cleveland Federal Building to Close Over the Next Three Years

Four thousand federal employees lost their home base when Downtown Cleveland’s Anthony J. Celebrezze Federal Building was suddenly vacated in the midst of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) eliminating federal jobs and services. It was reported that tenants across the building’s 32 floors would be moved to privately owned office properties in the next three years.

18. Downtown Cleveland's 31 Best Restaurants

We grouped the city’s epicenter of dining hubs into one comprehensive list for those in need of a night on the town.

19. AC/DC’s Power Up Tour Brings a Rock 'N' Roll Triumph to Cleveland: Review

Among a final stretch of shows for the powerhouse band of Aussies, Cleveland contended as one of the rowdiest and jam-packed crowds on AC/DC’s Power Up stadium tour. The show had Huntington Bank Field vibrating with rock ‘n’ roll goodness.

20. Gordon Ramsay Spotted Dining at Northeast Ohio Restaurants

The famed chef was spotted sneaking through town this summer while filming for a TV series. He documented stops at Abundance Culinary, Fahrenheit and The Lakehouse for their fierce fare.

Find More Year-End Reviews in Our 2025 CLE Wrapped Feature

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