The Best New Cleveland Restaurants of 2025 (So Far)

We’ve still got a few months to go, but already the year has blessed Cleveland diners with a bevy of great new food options. From a bustling Latin-themed food hall in Clark-Fulton to a philanthropic burger-and-dog stand in Playhouse Square, from a smart new boutique hotel dining room to a stunning addition to Chagrin Falls, there are new bites from east to west. And who can overlook the much anticipated and highly successful transformation of the former Nighttown space to Edwins? Here’s what we’ve been most excited about so far in 2025.

56 Social

3245 Warrensville Center Rd., Shaker Heights, 56social.com

Jay Leitson and Izzy Schachner recently opened the doors to this charming all-day café in Shaker Heights, adding to their budding hospitality group that also includes 56 Kitchen locations in Solon and Mayfield, 56 Tavern in Aurora, and Elle in Solon.

“If you’ve ever been to Israel, these kinds of restaurants are the most popular,” says Schachner. “They serve fresh food, pastry, good coffee, plus or minus a bar. That combination works very well.”

The former J. Pistone Market spot has received a glow-up and now seats 72 guests in an open and flexible dining room. The new owners cleared out the retail racks, laid new flooring throughout, installed a bar in one corner, and painted every surface.

The all-day menu is an approachable mix of American, Mediterranean and Jewish deli foods. There are snacks like polenta fries with charred-scallion aioli, smoked salmon on focaccia, and sweet and spicy avocado toast. There’s a section of focaccia flatbreads topped with various items, a large sandwich section starring Clubs, house-smoked pastrami, pan-seared salmon, BLTs and creamy egg salad served on house-baked Japanese milk bread.

For the main event, there is a creative “craft your comfort” section that allows diners to design their own entree. Proteins such as grilled flank steak, housemade falafel and chicken schnitzel are paired with a choice of presentations that range from a mezze platter with pita to a veggie plate with potatoes, green beans and chimichurri.

Down the road, the large display coolers will begin to fill with grab-and-go salads, sides, entrees and desserts for the take-home crowd. For decades, Pistone thrived on the prepared foods trade and 56 Social intends to keep the tradition alive.

Batuqui

12624 Larchmere Blvd., Cleveland, batuquicleveland.com

After overseeing an ambitious two-year construction project, Carla Batista and Gustavo Nogueira debuted the new Larchmere location of Batuqui down the block from the original this summer. And while technically not new, the restaurant’s new digs, a Craftsman-style structure built in 1922 that was long home to St. Paul’s Evangelical Church, makes it feel new. Inside and out, the building impresses with soaring ceilings, stained glass windows and stunning fixtures.

The principal asset of the new space, however, is its size. For a decade, Batista and Nogueira managed to make do with just 38 seats at the charming but cramped 130-year-old Victorian down the block. Going forward they will be able to serve about 180 guests when you combine inside and out, upstairs and down.

When guests sit down for a meal at the new location, they will find all their favorite dishes like Brazilian cheese bread, cod fish croquettes, xim xim, grilled picanha and feijoada. But a larger kitchen means that the chefs will be able to offer more specials going forward, says Batista. The space also allowed them to open a small retail shop, reminiscent of the owners’ former Ipanema Market down the street, that stocks Brazilian imports like Pilão coffee, Brahma beer, sweets, biscuits and other dry goods.

Centrovilla25

3140 West 25th St., Cleveland, cv25.org

For years, Cleveland has struggled to create and support the kind of bustling food hall that other cities seem to take for granted. The Market Hall at Van Aken District is still relevant and thriving after more six years, but the Ohio City Galley failed in less than half that time.

One of the most delicious surprises of the new year is CentroVilla25, a Latin-themed food hall and marketplace in Clark-Fulton. After literally decades of planning, the neighborhood hub is finally a reality, filled with the sights, scents and sounds of a vibrant indoor plaza.

With eight food kiosks, the Mercado Verde is “at capacity,” and we’ve barely scratched the surface of available food options. Sazón Latino specializes in Cuban food and offers a large selection of ready-to-eat foods. Antojitos Salvadoreños y Mas offers Salvadoran fare, including a large selection of griddled-to-order pupusas. Tombao58, a Latin American restaurant, makes stellar arepa sandwiches stuffed with all sorts of fillings, including a breakfast version with eggs, ham and cheese. Flying Pig Tacos is quickly making a name for itself thanks to exceptional tacos, sold by the item ($5) or in various combos with rice and beans. Other food stands include Algo Diferente, serving Puerto Rican snacks, Panitos, a Salvadoran bakery, Lara’s Cakes, and Cafe Roig, your source for all things caffeinated.

Coppia

1731 Lost Nation Rd., Willoughby, coppiarestaurant.com

Since 2022, the fine-dining restaurant called Chesterland home, but owners and chefs Hedy and Talia Trovato had dreamed of finding a setting that better suited their vision. They ended up building such a place in Willoughby, where they will opened the doors in July to a whole new experience.

“From the very beginning we imagined a fine dining experience where the food, service and atmosphere were completely harmonious,” Hedy explains. “During our time in Chesterland, we did start to noticeably outgrow our kitchen and dining room space. So, we wanted to design an area that could allow our concept to keep growing and moving forward.”

The restaurant features a “modern-organic design” with seating options that include a bar, dining room, patio and chef’s table, where eight diners will enjoy an exclusive seasonally-driven multi-course tasting menu and wine pairing. It’s everything you loved about the original, and so much more.

Edwins

12383 Cedar Rd., Cleveland Heights, edwinsrestaurant.org

After the roller-coaster ride that we all endured with Nighttown – one that included the abrupt closure of a Cleveland Heights landmark, a four-year wait for a refurbished replacement, and the subsequent collapse in one quarter of that time – the transition to Edwins has been a breath of fresh air. Chrostowski’s outsized personality fills every nook and cranny of the meandering place, the food feels uniquely suited to the rooms, live jazz has returned to the stage, and people are eagerly filling the seats.

The true beauty of Edwins lies in its range and flexibility. Under one roof there are multiple bars, dining rooms, menus and vibes. Where one sits on the property determines whether he or she will be ordering off a brasserie menu, fine-dining menu or smaller bar menu. Sundays usher in a family friendly buffet brunch.

A freshly installed raw bar welcomes visitors in the main pub and Edwins’ brasserie dishes feel right at home alongside. The steak tartare, potato and ham croquettes, and frog legs are superlative interpretations while mains such as the chicken paillard, braised beef short ribs, and steak frites are true French comfort food classics.

Diners in search of a more upscale experience should book a table in the main dining room, where a menu offers a choice between a la carte dishes or luxe multi-course tasting menus. The latter requires a table-wide commitment. This is where you’ll find Edwins chestnuts like foie gras terrine, Maine lobster salad, seafood sausage, duck confit, bouillabaisse, horseradish-crusted salmon and others.

Fidelity Hotel

1940 East 6th St., Cleveland, fidelityhotelcle.com

Chef Dan Young has returned home to Cleveland after working in some of the best restaurants in the country, suffering personal tragedy, and getting sober. And he’s made the food at the new Fidelity Hotel a destination not just for travelers but locals.

The menu in the Club Room is one that comes across as approachable and familiar American fare, the type you’d find at hotels and country clubs around the nation. The lunch and dinner rosters are concise with an eye on expansion down the road. But you can tell that a veteran chef and leader is behind the scenes. From the ingredients to the preparation to the presentation on tasteful ceramic tableware, the “familiar” gets a major glow up.

Young reaches into our city’s shopping basket when creating his menus. His uber-crispy chicken schnitzel, served on a pool of roasted beet and mustard sauce, is one example. So too are the pierogies, stuffed with braised beef short ribs and gilded with creme fraiche. The appetizer (pulled from the latest menu) is an obvious nod to the beef cheek pierogies they served at Lola. The next time you’re downtown and looking for a stylish escape from same-old places, check Young and Fidelity out for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Good Pizza

2057 East 4th St., Cleveland, goodpizzacleveland.com

Since launching his YouTube channel in 2019, Charlie Anderson has amassed 195,000 subscribers who come back time and time again for the host’s no-nonsense at-home pizza-making instruction. Now Anderson has a physical space where people can watch him make New York-style pizza IRL and enjoy the spoils.

Anderson describes his pizza as an “artisan take on the classic New York pizza,” mentioning buzzworthy places like Scarr’s, L’industrie and Mama’s TOO! as paragons of the category. At Good Pizza, he offers 18-inch pies by the slice and whole, giving downtown workers and pre-event crowds plenty of reasons to come back.

Kyuramen

500 Southpark Ctr., Strongsville, kyuramen.com

Belying its suburban shopping mall address, Kyuramen is a compelling dining destination that marries form with function and flair. Located at SouthPark Mall in Strongsville, the restaurant is the first of its kind in Ohio, brought here by Cleveland-based entrepreneur Sheng Long Yu. Yu is behind a bevy of local eateries, both first-to-market concepts such as Lao Sze Chuan and Dagu Rice Noodle and original creations like Shinto, YYTime and Build the Pho.

Founded in New York City a decade ago, Kyuramen is expanding quickly around the country. The draw, naturally, is the ramen, a mix of regional styles plucked from around the island nation. Those bowls are complemented by a wide variety of tantalizing appetizers, which add depth and complexity to meals.

The most popular starter on the menu is the honeycomb platter, a combination of snacks presented in hexagonal dishes that mirror the stacked-booth arrangement. Yakitori skewers arrive hot from the grill, lightly charred and pleasantly seasoned. Many customers visit Kyuramen just to try the omurice, an eggy phenom made famous on social media. And there’s the ramen – wide, deep bowls of savory broth, bouncy egg noodles and sundry toppings – of course. Pork bones simmer for five days to make the base broth for most bowls. There are also spicy versions, curry flavored brews, Korean kimchi ramen, and broths made from chicken or vegetables.

Kyuu-juu and Sushi Kuwahata

2054 Fulton Rd., Cleveland, instagram.com/kyuujuu.cleveland, instagram.com/sushi.kuwahata

An old Victorian in Ohio City is now home to a one-two punch of some of the most exciting food in the city. Upstairs, Chef Kwan’s exclusive omakase sushi experience builds on the success of the special dinners he hosted in Willoughby in recent years. Diners have quickly made it one of the hardest reservations in town to enjoy a world-class “edomae”-style meal that leans on tradition and technique over creativity with rare, exotic and seasonal fish flown in directly from Japan and Los Angeles.

Downstairs is Kyuu-juu, where Kwan, Chef Ryan Endrian and Executive Chef Dereck White have crafted a modern izakaya. A wide-ranging menu of contemporary Japanese dishes features otsumami (small plates starring fish) and a dozen or so varieties of sashimi. There’s also a selection of cold vegetable-based dishes, hot plates such as grilled broccolini with onion vinaigrette and imported wagyu steak. Clay pot rice dishes come with a choice of mushroom, eel or chicken, and a roster of yakitori skewers are threaded with breast, tenderloin and thigh meat. And don’t miss the exceptional selection of sakes, some of the best Asian lager you’ll find in the region, and batched highballs.

Lola’s Bistro

86 North Main St., Chagrin Falls, lolachagrin.com

The transformation of the former Bell & Flower/Rick’s Café property into Lola’s Bistro in Chagrin Falls has been nothing short of extraordinary. Rick Doody and his team overlooked no detail in crafting the elegant and easygoing French bistro, which features a gorgeous wooden bar, massive skylights, and an airy, energetic vibe.

Modeled after some of the owner’s favorite bistros, Lola’s boasts a menu filled with approachable, familiar French classics that cover all the bases. Diners can start with onion soup gratinee, escargot with garlic butter and steak tartare before moving on to Nicoise or Lyonnaise salads.

For the main event, there is trout amandine, chicken cordon bleu, coq au vin and braised short rib with pomme puree. Steak frites stars a grilled bavette and fries with a choice of sauces such as Béarnaise, horseradish cream, or fois gras bordelaise. Plats du jour, when they begin, will glide from beef bourguignon to cassoulet to whole roast chicken to lobster thermidor and finally, on Friday, to bouillabaisse.

Despite its French pedigree, Lola’s is a neighborhood-friendly bar and restaurant, stresses management.

“We want this to be very walk-in friendly,” says Tim Davin, Director of Operations.

To that end, only half of the 150 seats will be open to reservations with the balance being set aside for walk-in guests.

Sofia’s Kitchen + Bar

17625 Detroit Ave., Lakewood, sofiaskitchenandbar.com

Taking over the former Salt space in Lakewood was no small task, given the revered rep the restaurant built. But Andrew Revy and his team were up to the task with Sofia’s Kitchen + Bar, leaning into the pithy catchphrase, “Corner bar meets American bistro,” a riff that implies that this is a no-pressure, come-as-you-are joint built for today’s low-commitment guests.

Chef Andy Strizak, a name dating back to Parker’s American Bistro, introduces subtle nods to distant cuisines without being cheeky or heavy handed. The chickpea battered veggies conjure Indian pakoras, sans the characteristic crunch. A cross between poutine and Shepherd’s Pie, the Shepard’s Fries tops tender fingerling potatoes with a rich and meaty lamb. In place of chicken breasts there are spice-rubbed thighs. Instead of a French dip there is a pork dip sandwich with shaved pork, cheddar and sidecar of au jus. From start to finish, Sofia’s manages to offer “something for everyone” while avoiding the pedestrian pitfall.

Something Good Social Kitchen

1302 Euclid Ave., Cleveland, somethinggoodcle.com

Ricky Smith, the local personality behind Random Acts of Kindness Everywhere (R.A.K.E.), opened Something Good in spring in the Playhouse Square kiosk that’s remained dark since Dynomite Burgers closed in 2020. And despite his lack of restaurant experience, he has settled into a tasty groove.

The bill of fare is, by design, concise. There are all-beef hot dogs, chopped cheese sandwiches and seasonal salads. It should be noted the chopped cheese sandwiches, or what Smith calls burgers, are mega-delicious. Picture a Philly but with ground beef that gets chopped and cooked on the griddle with a variety of ingredients, loaded into a soft potato bun and topped with condiments and sauces. Trade up from the chips, which are good, to the crispy straight-cut fries, which are great.

The crisscross-cut all-beef hot dogs ($7.50) are like edible billboards for Cleveland food products, with Cleveland Kitchen, POP Mustard, Cleveland Ketchup and others making appearances. Options include the Sunshine, with ketchup, whole-seed mustard and sweet relish, the Hug, with BBQ sauce, bacon and crispy onion straws, and the Big Warm, a chili cheese dog.

Vino di Luca

7932 Main St., Olmsted Falls, vinodiluca.com

It didn’t take Luca Sema long to see potential in the Olde Wine Cellar space after that wine bar closed earlier this summer. Captivated by the space, the long-time local restaurateur and chef behind Luca West snatched up the location and, after a few weeks of interior work, debuted Vino di Luca in mid-July.

The elegant wine bar features a small bar and dining room ringed by a large retail wine selection. A small kitchen and chef’s table are located just steps from the entrance, and front and rear patios offer plenty of seasonal seating.

To go with the wines, Sema has crafted a concise menu of small plates and pastas including an antipasti platter, caprese salad, smoked salmon crostini, tomato bruschetta, meatballs with sauce, penne with vodka cream sauce, gnocchi with spicy tomato sauce, orecchiette with shrimp, and ricotta-stuffed beggar’s purses with truffle cream sauce.

An expansive selection offers wines, both by the glass and bottle, with choices from around the globe.

“We stuck with our roots, so it’s heavily Italian, but we also have American, French, Argentinian and others,” says Kelley Gatchell, operations manager.

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