Classic Cleveland Restaurants
Tour Description
In recent years, Cleveland’s reputation as a restaurant Mecca has grown considerably. Buoyed by “celebrity chefs” like Dante Boccuzzi, Zach Bruell, Brandon Chrostowski, Doug Katz, Michael Symon and Rocco Whalen, the city regularly receives shout-outs from national print and online media. Nor has that exposure been limited to the culinary “high-end”: Happy Dog and Sokolowski’s were featured on the Food Network, and Rachel Ray lauded Tommy’s. While Cleveland restaurants from previous eras may not have received quite as much national acclaim, there were nonetheless myriad eateries that thousands remember fondly. Many of these were famous for their consumable masterpieces; others had less-notable food but captured locals with their ambience, location, or the anticipated presence of a local or national celebrity. A majority of them were downtown, but a solid handful thrived for lengthy periods in places such as Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, Lakewood, and Chagrin Falls. The heyday of most restaurants on this virtual tour is long past, but a few continue to tickle palettes today.