6 minute read
LET’S EAT
from City Life 2022
10 to Try
Make sure these Cleveland dining destinations — new and old — are on your list.
KAFELA // St. Clair-Superior
With Cleveland awarded the number two spot in the Top 10 Pizza locations in the country*, these pizza restaurants rise to the top as some of the best in town.
* Anytime Estimate analysis
EDISON’S // Tremont & Edgewater Grab an oversized slice of deliciousness and then claim a seat next door at Edison’s Pub for drinks.
MAMA SANTA’S // Little Italy A longtime staple and Little Italy destination featuring medium-thick crust pie served in a traditional, casual setting.
CITIZEN PIE // Ohio City, Collinwood & Downtown Its sauce, crust and toppings have garnered rave reviews since the opening of this brick oven pizza restaurant.
GALUCCI’S // Midtown Sheet pizza is the mainstay at this Euclid Avenue Italian grocery.
IL RIONE // Gordon Square This neighborhood favorite has thin-crust pizza that many deem the best in town.
VINCENZA’S PIZZA AND PASTA // Downtown New York-style, thin-crust pizza is its claim to fame.
L’ALBATROS BRASSERIE // University Circle
Zack Bruell is “returning to his roots” focusing on his original vision for L’Albatros Brasserie.
“My culinary influences are from the ’50s, ’60s and early ’70s, but a lightened version of those periods. Because my interpretation of the food isn’t as rich, it allows guests to order multiple courses and not feel uncomfortable. The fact is, food, like everything else, goes full circle,” he says.
In fact, Bruell was the first in the city to introduce organic wines. 11401 Bellflower Court, 216-791-7880
KAFELA // St. Clair-Superior
Kafela owner Kayla Dial wanted “to bring an L.A. vibe to Cleveland,” she says. Its menu of tacos, nachos, Asian, Latin, Italian, Jerk Jamaican and American is created by and is prepared by Dial.
A native of the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood, this is where her parents had a corner store, which included a market and a deli. “I transformed it into a place where someone can get smoothies or milkshakes, plant-based items and burgers. It’s modern with a ‘new day’ twist.”
Kafela is a 10-seat restaurant focused primarily on carryout business. 6710 St. Clair Ave., 216-862-9603
BETTS // Downtown Casual dining with a dose of tonguein-cheek fun defines Betts, a breakfast, lunch and dinner restaurant in the Schofield Building. Ambassador of Awesome Nicole Bakker describes the menu as healthfocused, offering vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, keto and dairy-free items. But there are also traditional favorites. In fact, the Schofield Burger with homemade bacon jam, Amish white cheddar and cornichon aioli is the top-selling item on the menu. Brunch items include Boozy Blueberry Pancakes with bourbon maple syrup and Braised Short Rib Toast with a toasted everything bagel, BETTS // Downtown gravy and chorizo sausage. 2000 E. 9th St., 216-357-2680
HABESHA ETHIOPIAN AND ERITREAN
RESTAURANT // West Park
This Ethiopian and Eritrean restaurant was originally a stand at various farmers markets throughout Cleveland. In December 2020, it opened as a neighborhood restaurant.
Jamal Musa, who owns the restaurant with Hiriyti Weldeslie and Tigist Gebremichael, emigrated here 20 years ago from Eritrea. Habesha’s vegan menu, derived from family recipes, is served family-style in the 50-seat restaurant. Its injera bread is made fresh using teff, an ancient, gluten-free grain with origins in North Africa, and barley. “Our food is traditionally spicy, but we can cook anything to the customer’s taste.” A coffee ceremony is also offered. 16860 Lorain Ave., 216-400-6539
SLYMAN’S RESTAURANT // St. ClairSuperior
It’s not just hard to get a mouthful of a Slyman’s corned beef sandwich; it’s darnright impossible. Weighing in at nearly 12 ounces (a full pound including bread and cheese), the sandwich that has enticed thousands is stacked high with corned beef goodness.
Since opening its downtown location in 1964, the Slyman family has been handson operators of this Cleveland staple. On its busiest days, Slyman’s sells upward of a couple of thousand sandwiches, according to Freddie Slyman.
“We’re unique in that we are family owned and operated. We are built on quality and quantity, but most significantly, we care about the product that we put out,” he adds. 3106 St. Clair Ave., 216-321-3760
HANSA BREWERY // Ohio City
Microbreweries are not new to Boris Music, owner of Hansa. He had one in Europe. So, when he opened Hansa in 2016, “I tried to brew in the German tradition,” he says.
His 12 on-tap beers have been successful locally, with Schwarzbier taking double gold at the International Beer Competition in New York. But beer is not all Hansa has to offer. Its central European menu includes schnitzel, a sausage platter with sauerkraut and schweinebraten (pork roast). Music boasts that his beef carpaccio is “the best in town according to my guests.” 2717 Lorain Ave., 216-631-6585
BOAZ FRESH LEBANESE // Ohio City
You’ll probably sense a similarity between Aladdin’s and its sister restaurant, Boaz Fresh Lebanese. But the eclectic newcomer’s main differentiation is that it targets a younger demographic — aka “the walk-up community.”
The most popular item on the Boaz menu, according to Aladdin’s Marketing Director Samantha Kauffman, is Pick Your Own Bowl. Guests choose from a base of greens, lentils and brown rice, then add a protein, hummus or baba, vegetables and a dressing.
“Providing access to healthy food is important to us,” she explains. In fact, pita, hot sauce, falafel, grape leaves and hummus are all made from scratch at the company’s bakery and distribution center. 2549 Lorain Ave., 216-458-9225
SUPERIOR PHO // AsiaTown
Pho and bahn mi aficionados have been flocking to Superior Pho, an awardwinning Vietnamese restaurant, since it opened 20 years ago.
The restaurant’s original pho recipe can be traced back to owner Mahn Nguyen’s mother, although he attributes the final recipe and Super Pho’s successful dish to trial and error.
The bahn mi is reminiscent of his youth in Saigon. “When I was little, I loved a certain bahn mi,” he says, recalling the French pate made from homemade ham, homemade mayonnaise and the addition of fresh Vietnamese herbs and vegetables. Over time, this, too, has been perfected leading to his current, very popular version. 3030 Superior Ave. #105, 216-781-7462
PRIMO AFRICAN QUISINE // Downtown
Prior to last year’s opening of Primo African Quisine, Cleveland’s West African population had to travel to Columbus for authentic African food.
Today, popular cultural dishes are available Downtown. The Primo menu includes Nigerian Egusi Soup with melon seeds, leaf vegetables and meat; Beninese Amiwo with chicken stock, tomato paste and corn flour turned into a dough; and Sahel Thiep, a couscous dish with carrots, potatoes, eggplant and cabbage.
Drinks are creative and include a rumbased, green, orange and red Taste of Benin (styled to look like the country’s flag) and Chocolate Covered Plantain with six liqueurs and a graham cracker, chocolate rim. 2123 E. 2nd St., 216-400-6207
KOKO BAKERY // AsiaTown
For the past 18 years, John Xu and his staff at KoKo Bakery have been tempting Clevelanders with their Asian-style buns, pastries, cakes and bubble teas.
Traditional buns filled with red bean, lotus and green tea take their place in displays adjacent to more unusual chicken mushroom and curry beef options. Koko Bakery offers 16 rice bowls, too. “We serve them all day long.” 3710 Payne Ave., 216-881-7600
