Editor's Note: All restaurants below opened between Jan. 1, 2024, and Dec. 31, 2024. Find the latest restaurant openings here and the 25 Best Restaurants of 2025 here.
Artis
In a modern, Miami Beach-inspired steakhouse, chef Andrew Mansour delivers much more than just meat. Small plates and non-steak dinners include soup dumplings ($19), Moroccan spiced meatballs ($19) and crispy Nashville-inspired chicken thighs ($18), glazed in a zingy harissa sauce and paired with sweet, cooling pickle rounds. But the main event remains the charbroiled section featuring six cuts of steaks. 17900 Detroit Ave, Lakewood, 216-785-9785, artislakewood.com
Suggested: Artis in Lakewood is a Tale of Two Dinners — Review
Bad Medicine
At Bad Medicine, a "listening bar" in West Park, Two turntables sit on the backbar, within easy reach of the bartenders, who play a curated list of LPs throughout the evening. The eclectic inventory of music spans the spectrum of blues, jazz, hip hop, classic rock, indie rock and more. Along with the Hi-Fi is a menu of classic cocktails, seasonal cocktails, NA cocktails, beer and wine. The beverages are made using custom spirit blends, cold-processed cordials, fresh-squeezed juices, in-house bitters and large-format ice. From the small but mighty kitchen, chef Dennis Davis is putting out some very approachable, but very delicious gems like a fried Caesar salad starring Brussels sprouts and crispy croutons, lamb and rice filled cabbage rolls, an Italian beef sandwich, house-made falafel, and a whopper of a burger, made with twin patties, fried salami, provolone and herbed mayo. 13334 Lorain Ave., badmedicinebar.com
Gather Food & Drink
The Rocky River hangout comes from chef Matt Barnes, who many know from Saucy Bistro or his Manna Food Truck. More recently, he renovated Gourmet Guy, a five-year-old fast-casual cafe space, into Gather Food & Drink. The restaurant's upscale-but-chill approach shines in dishes like the sushi tots ($14) — diced tuna, seasoned tots, spicy mayo, eel sauce, scallions, pickled cucumber — or the pan-roasted cod ($29) with asparagus, chive whipped potatoes, lobster sauce, pomme frites. 20253 Lake Road, Rocky River, 440-799-4083, gatherfoodanddrink.com
Julia’s 1902
Over two years, Paul Neundorfer and José Coronado restored a 17,000-square-foot country mansion. Architect Charles Schweinfurth, who designed many of the houses that comprised Cleveland’s "Millionaire's Row," constructed the Neo-Gothic building with sandstone cut from Amherst quarries. Inside, original oak wood flooring, coffered ceilings, pocket doors, leaded-glass windows, stained-glass door panels and richly tiled fireplace adorn intimate dining rooms, a bar and an upstairs party room. Heavy on daily specials, the menu leans classic with dishes like bouillabaisse ($38) and a duck a l'orange ($35) with goat cheese mousse and blood orange sauce. But dishes like the 12-ounce picanha steak ($50) with chimichurri and fingerling potatoes and creamy short rib croquettes ($18) show a fun side. 37819 Euclid Ave, Willoughby, 440-306-8332, julias1902.com
Kiln
In October, chef Douglas Katz and partner Todd Thompson expanded their universe of cohesive and collaborative small plates with this two-story Van Aken District restaurant. Like Amba and Zhug, Kiln treats guests to exceptional hospitality and a broad range of dishes meant to be shared and enjoyed family-style. But Unlike Amba and Zhug, Kiln offers American bistro fare rooted in classical European cooking techniques from an open kitchen. Some diners might spot some old Fire Food & Drink favorites like the buttermilk chicken livers ($18) with cherry compote, bacon and spinach. Perhaps Katz and Thompson's most approachable restaurant, dishes like the spongy hot pockets of popovers ($10) with housemade strawberry jam and butter; the splayed chicken leg confit ($14) with caraway barbecue sauce, celery root slaw and blue cheese dressing; the crispy, skin-on artic char ($29); and the braised lamb shank ($45) offer a nice on-ramp to the Katz-Thompson dining style for pickier eaters while offering everyone something to be surprised by and fall in love with. 3386 Tuttle Road, Shaker Heights, 216-630-7806, kilncle.com
Never Say Dive
Dubbed as Cleveland's "HiLo bar," the Old Brooklyn elevated restaurant-dive bar mashup made a splash with its caviar- and potato-chip-topped hot dog — a dish that perfectly exemplifies its ethos. The venue gives the kitchen helmed by chef John Haggerty an ability to be playful. Find a collision of influences from Italian to Spanish to Midwestern to Southern. Dishes frequently rotate, but for now, start with the smoked trout dip ($13) before moving to something heavier like the SkyDive ($24) chorizo gnocchi ($24). mushroom toast ($17), which puts a piece of bread in the middle of a salad of mushrooms and chili crisps drizzled in saffron aioli, shows off how executive chef John Haggerty, formerly of the all-vegan Green Kitchen, packs flavor even with minimal ingredients. 4497 Broadview Road, Cleveland, neversaydivecle.com
Suggested: Our Editors Pick Northeast Ohio's 25 Best Restaurants
Oliva Steakhouse
Off St. Clair, a subtle stairway leads to a timeless 100-seat dining room offering a unique rustic Italian steakhouse with a winding stone wine shefl and long bar leading to a chef’s table. A warmth comes not only from the open kitchen but also from a grand fire place and the natural wood and stone. The location is a homecoming for Jacaj, who started her career at Osteria, the space’s predecessor which later moved to Walnut Avenue. The menu centers around “nose-to-tail beef” offerings and pasta with ingredients that would make your nonna scoff. Servers suggest ordering at once and coursing out plates to share, starting with the lighter antipasti section. The primavera ($16) offered a nice summer teaser with roasted peaches and fig vincotto balancing out the creamy burrata and salty prosciutto before moving on to the gamberetti ($20), a sauteed jumbo shrimp in a white wine sauce spiced with aleppo pepper flakes, and the bocconcini di manzo ($18), rolled up ricotta and filet mignon that gave off a twice-baked potato consistency. The steak excels on any budget, from the $55 ribeye steak to the $120 bistecca alla fiorentina, which arrives pre-sliced and assembled around a towering bone. The restaurant is another example of Oliva, Casa La Luna and Acqua di Dea owner Lola Jacaj's speciality of great hospitality and modern takes on classic dishes that play with our preconceived notions of Italian food. 408 W. St. Clair Ave., Cleveland, 216-435-3505, olivasteakhouse.com
Suggested: Oliva Steakhouse Represents Lola Jacaj's Downtown Ambition — Review
Proof Barbeque
Despite his classic training, chef Brandon Lassiter is a barbecue fanatic. Before Lassiter arrived, the restaurant, then located on Professor Avenue in Tremont, had the unlucky distinction of having first opened its doors in March 2020 — mere days before the pandemic descended upon the world. Now in Ohio City, the restaurant has found its audience in a narrow dining room with a patio. Order a half-pound of brisket ($17) or Carolina pulled pork ($15), served with your choice of five homemade sauces, plus a fluffy corn muffin and pickles. But if you don’t want a tray of meat, you'll be just as satisfied with smoked wings ($13), pork nachos or Southern-style mac and cheese ($6). 4116 Lorain Ave., Cleveland, 216-644-4292, proofcleveland.com
Suggested: Proof Barbecue Finds Its Following — Review
Steak
Yet another unique take on the steakhouse, the team at Hangry Brand offers bold decor and a whole-lot-of fun throughout its food and drink menus. The goal from the start, says owner Jason Beudert, is to disrupt the steakhouse category — to fill a niche between budget brands like Outback or Texas Roadhouse and prohibitively expensive white-tablecloth steakhouses. “This isn’t your parents’ steakhouse,” says Beudert. After all, one can "add some bling" to a steak with a 24K gold wrap or customize their seasonings and pair it all with bottomless waffle fries. Finish it off with an ice cream sundae served on a ferris wheel. 2179 W. 11th St., Cleveland, 216-331-2724, steakcle.com
Westsiders
This year's reader-voted Best New Restaurant started out with a mission: bring trendy Downtown food to the Rocky River suburb. It's done that with shareables like whipped ricotta ($12) or beet tostadas ($16), pastas with a twist such as carbonara with lumache, pig's cheek guanciale, pea puree, egg yolk and parmesan, and seasonal scallops ($33). Even handhelds on the lunch menu get a little twist, like the salmon salad avocado BLT ($20) on Leavened Bakery's wheat bread. 19880 Detroit Road, Rocky River, (440) 488-9908, westsiders.comFor more updates about Cleveland, sign up for our Cleveland Magazine Daily newsletter, delivered to your inbox six times a week.
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