In Cleveland, small-plates eateries often struggle for market share. But that isn’t the case at Salt, where chef Jill Vedaa has been winning over skeptics since 2016. The chef has a knack for composing visually compelling dishes, and devoted diners return frequently to sample seasonal menus flush with vedge, fish, and meat dishes. Recent plates include smoked marble potatoes with onion ash and marjoram emulsion, gefilte fish cakes with horseradish-carrot puree, and beef heart kushiyaki with curried pumpkin and pepita brittle. Classic and creative cocktails elevate the experience.

In March 2020, Rood was just hitting its stride. The unique slider-and-pie shop was generating big buzz for its food, setting, and communal dining style. COVID put an end to the party. What came out on the other side was an entirely new menu, now helmed by whiz Rachelle Murphy. Her seasonal menu shuns tedious standards in favor of big-flavored compositions like sweet corn crabcakes with pepper jam, roasted beet salad with smoked whipped mascarpone, and wagyu beef-stuffed tortellini. The shop’s famous pies made the jump to the new menu too, with fat slices of brown-buttery Salt and Honey served with a vial of crunchy bee pollen for topping.

For many years, local Mexican food fans ventured to the rear of La Plaza Supermarket to secure the town’s best tacos, tostadas, tamales, and tortas. The arrangement — a small stand wedged between the store’s bakery and butcher case — was less than ideal. The store’s owners eventually erected a standalone taqueria in the front of the building, allowing guests to enjoy the same great fare along with an expanded condiment and salsa bar and dine-in seating.

It’s hard to put into words how much people adore Il Rione, a buzzy pizzeria in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood. Diners have been known to wait for hours at nearby bars until their phones light up to signal their tables are ready. They are rewarded with dazzling New York-style pizzas dished up in a slightly shabby, slightly chic dining room with an open kitchen and bar. The pizzeria focuses almost exclusively on stellar pies like margherita, sausage, and white clam, but the menu does offer a select few additions like meat and cheese boards and a handful of salads. To drink, there is an equally concise roster of beers, wines, and cocktails.

Equal parts bar, restaurant, and gourmet marketplace, Astoria has become an invaluable neighborhood asset. Locals pop into the bright, spacious, and bustling storefront to stock up on imported olives, cheeses, meats, and wine by the bottle. For those who prefer to leave the cooking to the pros, Astoria boasts a massive menu loaded with Mediterranean snacks, appetizers, salads, sandwiches, pizzas, large plates, and desserts. Warm, attentive service and one of the best brunches in town keep this place jumping throughout the week. Seats are available at the bar, at tables, and outside on the patio.

Dan Herbst and Geoff Hardman started Cleveland Bagel Co. modestly, baking in a home kitchen and peddling their products at weekly farmer’s markets. The beloved company has expanded significantly. Cold-fermented, hand-rolled, water-boiled, and baked with care, these savory rolls land somewhere between svelte Montreal and chubby New York styles in terms of size. Two shops, one west and the other east, provide customers with fresh bagels, schmears, and a few straightforward breakfast sammies.

After four years in the Duck Island neighborhood, Calvin Verga relocated his popular coffee shop to a new home in Ohio City. Verga is a small-batch roaster who prides himself on sourcing the most compelling, rare beans from around the globe. Those coffees appear in the form of pour overs, cortados, macchiatos, cappuccinos, lattes, and cold brews. To go with the coffee (and tea) there is a simple menu revolving around pastries, various toasts, and yogurt- and fruit-topped oats.

For more than 20 years, Karen Small helmed the farm-to-table bistro Flying Fig in Ohio City. The chef recently retired that restaurant to open Juneberry Table, a stylish breakfast and lunch diner in the same neighborhood. Small’s time in Appalachia informs dishes like biscuits with sorghum butter and jam, chicken and cornmeal waffles, and bourbon-apple pancakes with Ohio maple syrup. If you’re angling for lunch, there’s a killer smash burger, a Cleveland Croque with butter-fried smoked ham and swiss, and glasses of natural wines to wash it all down.

Set inside an 1850s-era firehouse, Larder is a modern-day version of the classic Jewish delicatessen as seen through the eyes of chef Jeremy Umansky. The old-world setting provides the ideal backdrop to display heavenly breads and pastries like black-and-white cookies, fruit-filled rugelach, chocolate babka, buttery challah, and meaty knishes. Hungry Ohio City neighbors literally line up for the now-famous koji-cured pastrami sandwiches, but you should also try the epic fried chicken sandwiches, matzo ball soup, housemade charcuterie, and daily specials like local beet salad. The Hingetown eatery shares patio seating with Rising Star Coffee.

Chef Doug Katz is on a roll. His 2-year-old small plates restaurant Zhug (see below) is still the toast of the East Side. And now, his Indian-inspired Ohio City eatery Amba is a shoo-in for best new restaurant of the year. Like Zhug, this design-forward space is a feast for the senses, with low lighting, a lively soundtrack, and a menu that all but demands sharing. Start with mixed pickled veggies, chickpea fritters, and smashed-pea samosas before moving onto ghee-basted shrimp, venison keema, and paneer with curry leaf and mustard seed. The attached Bar Amba is the ideal spot to ride out the inevitable wait for a table.

At 17 and 15 years, respectively, Bier Markt and Bar Cento were two of the oldest bars and restaurants in Ohio City. This spring, the owners of those conjoined establishments closed both to pave the way for one shiny new replacement. Unlike the dimly lit venues it nudged out, Bright Side shimmers with gold penny tile, flaming pastels, sparkling tabletop lights, and rose gold mirror balls. A 44-seat island bar abuts a new glass facade that opens up to the sidewalk. A fresh menu of creative comfort foods stars healthy, local ingredients, while a beer and Champagne-heavy wine list draws local barflies.

2020 decimated the fine-dining landscape, leaving a legion of ghost kitchens and fast-casual joints in its wake. Fortunately, there’s Acqua di Luca, the latest restaurant from the husband-and-wife team behind Luca Italian Cuisine. Set in a 140-year-old warehouse space in the heart of downtown, this seafood-focused eatery is loud, lively, and dripping with drama. Jump right in with the seafood platter, an outsized portion of wine-steamed king crab, shrimp, clams, scallops, and a whole lobster. Go light with the mixed crudo or brawny via the tomahawk. The wraparound sidewalk patio is one of the best outdoor dining spaces downtown.

After a decade spent baking for others, Ian Herrington opened his own European-style artisan bakery. The sleek, modern storefront anchors a new residential building on the edge of Tremont. In addition to essentials like rustic sourdoughs in myriad forms, Herrington crafts poofy rosemary focaccia, fragrant cardamom buns, and delectable cheddar and scallion scones, which join drippy cinnamon buns, plum-filled Danishes, and buttery chocolate chip cookies. Rotating soups and sandwiches round out the offerings.

After losing Michael Symon’s Lola Bistro, East Fourth Street was feeling a bit down in the mouth. But after a lengthy transformation of that former space, Cordelia has opened to near-unanimous approval. Now brighter, bouncier, and more approachable, the restaurant welcomes all comers with a hospitality philosophy dubbed “Midwest nice.” From the city’s most dramatic open kitchen, chef Vinnie Cimino reminds diners that eating out can still be daring, delicious, and playful, with overloaded relish and spread trays, fried watermelon, open-face tongue on toast sammies, whole fried spatchcocked chickens, and a four-slider pull-apart smash burger with an epic melted cheese skirt.

Cloak & Dagger offers the cozy appeal of a warmly lit study thanks to shelves of leather-bound books, curious antiquities, and plush furniture. The literary theme carries over to the beverage menu, a seasonal collection of original cocktails presented in a meticulously illustrated booklet. The hip spot pairs those cocktails with an all-vegan roster of bar snacks, sandwiches, and plates with a chef’s touch. Dishes include bread with fig butter, salads loaded with fresh veggies and magic “hard-boiled eggs,” and BLTs piled high with applewood-smoked tofu, heirloom tomatoes, and cucumber aioli.

Long before Tremont became known as Cleveland’s Restaurant Row, there was Fat Cats, a pioneering farm-to-table bistro that has managed to shine for 25 years. Set inside a turn-of-the-century Colonial, this easygoing bar and restaurant wows visitors not with posh surroundings, but rather with friendly service and a creative menu that blends Mediterranean, Asian, and Latin American flavors. Where else can a diner enjoy steamed buns, Filipino pancit, Greek-style grilled octopus, and good old American grilled steak in a single sitting? Toss in a broad, appealing wine list and servers who know one bottle from another, and you begin to see why Fat Cats is still thriving. Outdoor seating is available.

Cleveland, like most major cities nowhere near an ocean, has enough great sushi places to satisfy nigiri lovers. But this one, operated by former Nobu chef Dante Boccuzzi, is unique in terms of style, setting, and selection. Located beneath Boccuzzi’s namesake bistro Dante, Ginko is a grotto-like den dominated by a horseshoe-shaped sushi bar. No expense is spared to secure the finest, freshest fish, which is crafted into an unforgettable omakase or a la carte experience. A pair of dedicated shabu-shabu tables offer an alternative to the fish, while sake aficionados will savor the exceptional list here too.

Cleveland is blessed with many wonderful breweries of all sizes, but Noble Beast deserves special attention thanks to both the brew and brewery. Set in a 5,000-square-foot warehouse on the edge of downtown, the industrial space is airy and comfortable. Guests are practically surrounded by the brewhouse, where brewers craft classics like Belgian strong ales, altbiers, and kölsches, as well as hazy IPAs and double IPAs. Great pairings like corndogs, nachos, salads, and sandwiches round out the offerings.

One of Cleveland’s top cocktail bars, this unique watering hole is located in the lower level of a 150-year-old brick complex. At once rough-hewn and stylishly tailored, the space boasts stained glass windows, exposed brick, and salvaged materials. It’s an easygoing environment to enjoy serious cocktails from an original menu devised with care by owner Will Hollingsworth.

This spot in Cleveland’s AsiaTown neighborhood attracts diners for steamer baskets flush with xiao long bao. But those who explore the menu further find an array of outstanding Shanghai-style soups, noodle bowls, and meat dishes. Worth calling out is the wonton soup with shrimp dumplings, spicy beef noodle soup, scallion noodles, shredded pork with preserved vegetables, and soy sauce duck.

If you polled a large cross-section of Cleveland diners on their favorite restaurants, chances are good that L’Albatros would land near the top of the results. Chef and owner Zack Bruell runs a handful of wonderful restaurants, but it’s this French brasserie that rises above the rest. Set in a renovated carriage house on the leafy campus of Case Western Reserve University, the chic eatery offers deft, modern takes on classic bistro fare like onion soup, escargot, duck confit, cassoulet, and steak frites. Most meals here end with a cheese course, assembled tableside with aid from a knowledgeable fromager. The wine list is smart and broad, featuring Cleveland’s largest selection of natural wines, and the garden patio is one of the most delightful places in town to enjoy a meal.

Famed Cleveland chef Doug Katz closed his 20-year-old flagship eatery Fire during the pandemic, but fortunately for his myriad fans, he opened Zhug just prior. By combining a tempting menu of small plates with a buzzy lounge-like atmosphere, Katz managed to create the most talked-about and in-demand restaurant in recent years. The menu veers from cold-smoked octopus and schmaltz-fried potatoes to curried lamb-topped hummus and eggplant moussaka. All meals include warm pita and fiery zhug. Creative cocktails and a global wine list round out the experience.

Around since the 1970s, Tommy’s is a true Cleveland original. Opened by a dyed-in-the-wool hippie, the restaurant was an early proponent of vegan and vegetarian foods. These days, the long, eclectic breakfast, lunch, and dinner menu is a welcome sight to both vegetarians and meat-eaters. Salads, escarole pies, and toasted cheese sandwiches join falafel, sprout pitas, and mile-high corned beef sandwiches. The hand-dipped milkshakes and french fries here are legendary, as are homemade desserts like carrot cake and rum-soaked pound cake.

Veteran chef, caterer, and culinary instructor Bob Sferra has opened a pitch-perfect patisserie/cafe in Cleveland Heights that gives shoppers countless reasons to visit. In the morning, the display counter is stocked with goodies like croissants, pain au chocolat, financiers, and everything danishes. At lunch, the bright cafe fills with neighbors enjoying ham-and-Gruyere baguettes, savory quiche, and veggie-based salads and sides. Everything is made from scratch by hand in the open kitchen. Up front, a mini marketplace is stocked with prepackaged pastries like biscotti, hand-tempered chocolate bars, and seasonal shortbread cookies.

Anthony Zappola made a huge splash when he opened Lox, Stock, and Brisket, a contemporary Jewish deli with buzzworthy brisket and fried chicken sandwiches. A move to the Market Hall at Van Aken District, where the chef operates out of a 400-square-foot glass-walled space, has only seemed to improve the operation. In addition to those two top-selling sandwiches, the shop offers others starring smoked turkey and tuna salad, along with the obligatory bagel with lox and cream cheese. Matzo ball soup and a few breakfast sandwiches round out the concise but stellar menu.