Andrew Revy has spent nearly 40 years in the restaurant industry, working from employee to owner across fast food and fine dining. But his story runs deeper than restaurants. A first-generation Hungarian American, his parents fled Hungary just before the 1956 revolution, settling in Cleveland and passing down a strong connection to their roots. For Revy, opening his place wasn’t just business — it was the culmination of a lifelong passion for food, service and heritage.
Courtesy Tiffany Joy Photography
Spice It Up: I like Indian food and spicy food. So, I really love Amba [Ohio City] and everything I’ve tried on the menu, but I thoroughly enjoyed the fried zucchini masala there. What I really like to do there is order multiple dishes to share. There's just such a wonderful variety of dishes, and you got an absolutely wonderful array of flavors going on. Then there’s Abundance [Cleveland Heights]. I really liked the creative dishes that were authentic to Chef Liu Fang’s homeland, and the rotating dumplings. The reason why I like both of them is because they’re constantly changing their menus and trying new techniques, so I always enjoy whatever they’re putting out.
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Courtesy Lizzie Schlafer
Special Occasion: Recently, we had an amazing wine dinner at Poppy [Larchmere Blvd.]. I think that they’re doing some really cool things there. The food pairings with the wine are done for you. Everything is prepared fresh. The chef that they have on board there, Eric [Kneip] is great, and Jessica [Parkinson] has always done a wonderful job. Another spot that just popped into my head is Ginko in Tremont. They have absolutely fantastic sushi, and there’s a great vibe and atmosphere there. And then a standby classic we’ve always enjoyed our time at is Dante’s as well. At Dante’s [Tremont], the pasta dishes are always great, and we usually do a lot of sharing. I really like getting their charcuterie boards and grabbing some wine.
Pour One Out: There are some beers that I gravitate to more than others. I like all styles, particularly the seasonality. Which is why I really love Noble Beast [Brewing Co.], as well as Butcher and the Brewer [both Downtown]. I think we all have the similar vibe of awesome beers, great food, great locations.
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Sweet Tooth: Everyone gives Mitchell’s a shout-out, but those brothers have been doing a fantastic job for years, and they deserve it. Farkas [Bakery & Pastry Shoppe] in Ohio City has wonderful Hungarian pastries. They’ve been doing it for a long time and doing it well. I love coming across great desserts. If a place has an awesome pastry chef, then they have fantastic desserts. I always enjoy finding treasures like that.
Courtesy Humble Wine Bar
Local Gems: My wife and I always like to go to Humble Wine Bar in Lakewood. It’s a perfect spot. They do a really good job with their pizzas, and they have their own pizza oven there. I also want to give a shout-out to Larder in Ohio City. The pastrami sandwich is my go-to, but I love to try whatever daily special they concocted. There’s also Astoria in Detroit-Shoreway. I love the little market there, and I love to go there with a group to try their meat and cheese boards.
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