Heat Wave Heat Wave Heat Wave 31 new Cleveland restaurants to try this summer

BY DOUGLAS TRATTNER

WE’RE NOT EVEN HALFWAY INTO 2023 but already the year is looking pretty exciting for food lovers. New bars, cafes, sandwich shops and bistros are opening at a feverish pace from east to west. Here are the ones that have debuted since the New Year, plus a handful of new places that will soon be opening their doors later this spring and summer.

Tutto Carne

The red-brick corner property in Little Italy that has been home to a handful of restaurants over the years including Salvatore’s, Tutto Giorno, Il Bacio and Nora welcomed a new operation in May with Tutto Carne. The Italian-themed steakhouse is operated by Zachary Ladner and Carl Quagliata, the chefowners behind Giovanni’s, Smokin’ Q’s BBQ, Paloma and The Village Butcher. At the 45-seat bistro, guests will be encouraged to linger thanks to posh and plush velvet-wrapped chairs to dine on steaks, chops, seafood and classic pasta dishes.

Fire 45 Grille + Social

Owner Chad Trush spent a year and a half gutting and rebuilding the former Mario’s restaurant in North Royalton into a stylish American grill. Fire 45 Grille + Social features a small but diverse menu with starters like oysters Rockefeller, roasted bone marrow and crabcakes, in-between plates such as wedge and Caesar salads and a gruyere-topped French onion soup, and entrees like grilled strip steak, Rockefeller-style salmon and a half dozen pizzas.

Watami Sushi

Instant gratification is the name of the game at Watami Sushi in Parma, billed as Ohio’s only conveyor-belt sushi restaurant. The dining room is small but efficiently arranged so that all the dishes pass within arm’s reach of every table, every diner.

Items are color-coded, with green, yellow, pink, red and black dishes corresponding to the price. They start at $2.50 for vegetarian items like edamame, seaweed salad or an avocado roll and climb to $3.75 for raw nigiri like salmon, yellowtail and snapper or cooked items such as shrimp or eel nigiri or spider rolls.

Milk + Honey TC

Anisa Rrapaj opened Milk + Honey downtown in 2021. She also operates the Hive by Milk + Honey in the Limelight Building in Ohio City. This month, she opened a new Milk + Honey cafe at Tower City, in the space formerly occupied by Starbucks. On the menu are coffee and espresso drinks, chai drinks, specialty coffee drinks and fruit smoothies. To eat, there are breakfast bagel sandwiches, avocado toast and vegan chia pudding. At lunch, there are sandwiches starring chicken salad, turkey and even steak.

Quinn’s Kitchen and Bar

For nearly two decades, the Greenisland Restaurant was the place to go in Bay Village to enjoy hearty Irish fare in a convivial setting. Now the space is home to Quinn’s Kitchen and Bar, an upscale American bistro. Owner Quinn Goehring grew up working in his parents’ restaurants, which include Wood Fired Oven, 3 Brothers Corner Tavern and Table Six Kitchen + Bar.

Fiyah Korean BBQ

For nearly three years, diners have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Fiyah, a contemporary Korean barbecue restaurant in the St. Clair Superior neighborhood. Now open, Fiyah features two dozen booths featuring built-in gas grills, allowing groups to enjoy the interactive art of tabletop grilling. The bar is equipped with built-in induction burners that, along with tabletop stoves, fuel the Asian hot pot meals.

Au Jus

Wedged between a Marco’s Pizza and a nail salon in a dinky Parma strip, Au Jus flies through 100 to 150 pounds of slow-roasted top round beef per day and about 12 gallons of au jus, which is made from the drippings. The small, mainly carry-out shop has quickly become Cleveland’s favorite source for Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches.

Zina Greek Food

Demetrios Atheneos, who operates the popular Chicken Ranch, has opened Zina Greek Street Food in a shop a few doors down from that University Heights restaurant. Zina offers “good, clean Greek street foods,” says the chef. A concise menu of staples like lamb sliders, gyros, chicken and pork souvlaki, spanakopita and loukoumades (Greek donuts) will be joined by daily or weekly specials like pastitsio and moussaka.

Poppy

Fifteen years ago, Felice opened in a warm and woodsy Craftsmanstyle home on Larchmere Boulevard. This month, Poppy opened in that same turn-of-the-century property. Now in the hands of Jill Vedaa and Jessica Parkison of Salt, the attractive restaurant seats 75 in the main and second floor dining rooms. The menu is divided into categories for vegetables, fish and meat, with plates growing in size within those categories as well as across the page.

Dukes ’n Boots

Dukes `n Boots, chef Dante Boccuzzi’s first foray to the east side, welcomed its first guests in the heart of Willoughby on Erie Street in May. The Southern-styled saloon elevates the honky-tonk vibe thanks to warm wood, exposed brick and a menu designed by a Michelin-starred chef. Heading up the kitchen is chef Emily Campion, who has been working at Ginko and Dante for the past year. She takes the reins with an eye on quality, consistency and creativity. Don’t miss the 60-seat outdoor patio, perfect for summer dining and drinking.

Phoenix Coffee LKWD

Phoenix Coffee has made its longawaited return to Lakewood — the city where it all began. Phoenix opened its first cafe in Lakewood in 1991. That shop lasted nearly 20 years before changing hands. Now, after 13 years, Ohio’s only employeeowned cooperative coffee company is back in Birdtown. The new cafe is located in the former Bi-Rite property, a 100-year-old building that is being redeveloped into “The Nest” by Forest City Shuffleboard owner Jim Miketo.

Campus Pollyeyes

If you or a loved one attended Bowling Green State University, then you already know about this iconic restaurant. Since its inception in 1978, the beloved Italian eatery has been a must-eat for students, locals and alumni, who come for the salads, subs and pizzas but stay for the famous stuffed breadsticks. Only recently did Campus Pollyeyes begin to expand, with locations popping up in Findlay, Toledo and now Little Italy.

Arthur Treacher’s Fish and Chips Garfield Heights

When Ben Vittoria closed his Arthur Treacher’s restaurant in Garfield Heights, it reduced the number of surviving locations of the chain that once had more than 820 of them to one, the Cuyahoga Falls store that he also owns. Fortunately George Simon, who bought the property, decided to revive the brand. Like the location in Cuyahoga Falls, the Garfield Heights store serves the same time-honored recipes and products that we have come to know and love from the iconic brand, which started in Columbus in 1969.

Lake Erie Scoops

Jennifer Taggart worked off and on at Sweet Moses for nearly a decade. When that shop closed in 2021 after 10 years in business, Taggart started planning her own ice cream shop. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place when she took over the former Big Momma’s Burritos space in Gordon Square. In February she opened Lake Erie Scoops, a graband-go sweets shop specializing in premium ice cream, pie and other fun surprises.

Taza Rocky River

Taza, the Lebanese restaurant with locations downtown and at Eton Chagrin Boulevard in Woodmere, has opened a new store in Rocky River. This third location opened in February, replacing, coincidentally enough, another Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean restaurant called Al Pita.

1899 Golf and Social Club

After experiencing high-quality indoor golf facilities in New York, Brian Lindenbaum and JohnMichael Speelman opened 1899 Indoor Golf in Canton. A year later, the pair opened a larger facility in Twinsburg. They followed that with

1899 Golf and Social Club, their most ambitious project to date. Located in the former Vogue Theater space in Shaker, the 17,000-square-foot entertainment complex features nine golf simulator bays, a full-service restaurant, two cocktail bars and a stage for live entertainment.

Wolf Pack Chorus

The former Club Isabella space in Little Italy is now home to Wolf Pack Chorus, which owners Chris and Katie Wolf describe as a “modern brasserie.” The attractive bar and dining room attempts to plug the gap between neighborhood trattoria and upscale special-occasion restaurant. (See our review in this week’s dining section!)

Goldie’s Donuts & Bakery

After six successful years in Lyndhurst, Goldie’s Donuts & Bakery has expanded to Ohio City. Owners Dustin and Paloma Goldberg spared no expense on the design and build out of their new shop, which is trimmed in white marble, brass and glass. You can find it at 41 West, a mixed-use development at the corner of Lorain Avenue and W. 41st St.

Dunlap’s Corner Bar

Nick White and Jason Mattern grabbed the reins of Dunlap’s Country Corner, a neighborhood tavern in Clark-Fulton. The partners made some repairs and improvements, being careful to preserve and respect the classic tavern vibe. They refinished the mahogany bar, added a brass rail, built a new back bar, installed a draft beer system and serviced the pool

Brooklyn. But it didn’t take long for another operator to swoop in and take possession of the space. That was Peter Brown of Six Shooter Coffee, who says that he was eager to take over and made quick work of the turnaround: The shop is now open for business.

La Plaza at Re: bar

Taco lovers no longer need to make the trek to the Cleveland-Lakewood border to hit up La Plaza Taqueria. Adrian Ortega’s downtown taqueria is up and running at Re: bar, which is located a block from Progressive Field. The eatery comes thanks to a partnership between Ortega and Re: bar owner Rachel Ulloa. The bar offers the complete taqueria menu, including tacos, tortas, tamales, quesadillas and the all-important salsa bar.

table. New events and happy hours keep the joint active all week.

Winking Lizard Downtown

Winking Lizard closed its Galleria and Gateway District locations over the past two years, but it opened a new downtown restaurant and bar in February. Fans can find the contemporary tavern in its new home in the AECOM building, which has undergone improvements and added retail options. In the coming months, the restaurant will unveil an expanded patio on St. Clair.

CHA Bar + Kitchen

For this latest incarnation of CHA, Susan Walters has chosen a former VFW in Ohio City. The restored Victorian on Fulton Road shares a beautiful courtyard with the Tinnerman Lofts, one that includes a wood-burning oven, gardens and bocce ball courts.

Pho Sunshine

At the tail end of last year, Cleveland diners lost a gem named Szechuan Café. The large space at Asia Plaza did not sit idle for long. Pho Sunshine Vietnamese Restaurant opened its doors in February. Diners can expect a large menu of familiar and not-so-familiar Vietnamese dishes that range from crispy spring rolls to a Vietnamese beef stew served with French bread.

Six Shooter Coffee Old Brooklyn

After a great five-year run, Coffee Coffee Coffee closed its doors in Old

Heck’s Beachwood

Back in the late-`70s and early-`80s, Hecks operated taverns on both sides of the Cuyahoga River. In addition to the original Ohio City location, which celebrated its 50th birthday last year, the iconic Cleveland brand had a restaurant at Eton mall in Woodmere. Now, after nearly 40 years, Hecks has returned to the east side. Owner Fadi Daoud has been working since this past summer to transform the former Blu (and Moxie) space into a warm and woodsy American restaurant.

Mendel’s Kansas City BBQ

Like his Miami restaurant, Mendel’s Backyard BBQ, Mendel Segal is proving that kosher and barbecue can indeed coexist. Mendel’s Kansas City BBQ opened its doors in Shaker Heights, across Chagrin Boulevard from Van Aken District. The 80-seat restaurant is full-service, but familyfriendly. And with items like brisket, smoked pastrami, giant beef ribs, beef back ribs, smoked veal brisket, lamb ribs, smoked turkey, burnt ends and smoked chicken, few diners will miss the pork.

Boom’s Pizza

Ben Bebenroth and Jonathan Bennett, both of Spice Hospitality Group, have opened Boom’s Pizza in Lakewood. The snazzy corner shop is a pleasant merger between a casual sit-down and pick-up operation, with a comfortable dining room that rewards dine-in customers. Guests order, pay and grab their beverages from self-serve coolers filled with beer, wine by the can, split and bottle and soft drinks.

The Judith

Jennie Doran and Andrew Worm, owners of Room Service, have opened The Judith, a French-inspired café. The 125-year-old building in Ohio City, formerly home to Guide to Kulchur bookstore, has been transformed into a charming 28-seat European-style café. In the morning, coffee and tea is served alongside breakfast pastries and open-face sandwiches. Lunches usher in fresh salads, shareable small plates, baguette sandwiches and desserts. When the wine, beer and cocktails are added in the coming months, the café will roll through happy hour and into the evening.

Solstice Roasters

It’s been more than two years since Joe Deinhart of Solstice Roasters announced his plans to open a new roastery and café in the former Peterson Nut Co. space in the Gateway District. At long last, that café has opened. The café has seating for about 20 in a setting that offers a view of the roasting process. In addition to sales and sipping, the space will be used for tastings, barista training and homeenthusiast roasting classes.

Gray House Pizza

Gray House Pies owner Joe Schlott has been passionate about Detroitstyle pizza for years. As soon as it became available, he snagged the Lakewood spot formerly home to Chow Chow and Smokin’ Thyme Kitchen. His technique starts with a 2-day cold proof. He uses highfat brick cheese, making sure to pile it into the corners and edges. Naturally, they are baked in square steel pans and sauced after they exit the oven to keep the tomato flavors bright and fresh.

Geraci’s Slice Shop

Last summer, downtown Cleveland lost a 40-year-old legend when Vincenza’s Pizza & Pasta abruptly closed its shop. But soon, another local legend will take up the mantle to provide hot slices for all. Geraci’s Slice Shop, an extension of the 60-year-old brand, launched last summer in Willoughby as part of The Yard on 3rd. The expanded downtown spot will offer more in terms of food, beverage and setting. The fast-casual operation will feature classic Geraci’s pizzas – either by the slice or whole – plus appetizers, salads, subs and desserts like Italian ice and tiramisu.