Cedar Road and Lee Road inner-ring suburb feel. Vero Pizza Napoletana, Doug Katz's Zhug at Cedar-Fairmount, EDWINS in the old Nighttown space, Phoenix Coffee Coventry, Stone Oven on Lee and Inn on Coventry diner.
EDWINS, Brandon Chrostowski's French restaurant and culinary school training formerly incarcerated students since 2007, moved into the old Nighttown space on Cedar Road in February 2025.
Signature: Classic French bistro plates, Steak frites
Order: Steak frites and a glass of Burgundy from the wine cellar.
Tip: Reserve on OpenTable; arrive early to walk the expanded teaching kitchen and the new oyster bar.
Zhug on Cedar Road at Cedar-Fairmount, chef Doug Katz's Middle Eastern mezze room named one of Esquire's best new restaurants, runs a casual high-energy dining experience.
Signature: Mediterranean mezze, Tagine
Order: Order four to five mezze for the table including the namesake zhug sauce.
Tip: Reserve on OpenTable; small-plate dinners run faster than the prix fixe.
Vero Pizza Napoletana on Cedar Road in Cleveland Heights, a 900-degree wood-fired Neapolitan pizzeria with imported Italian flour and Vesuvius tomatoes.
Signature: Margherita pizza, Locally made gelato
Order: A Margherita from the wood-fired oven plus two scoops of locally made gelato.
Tip: Walk-ins only; arrive by 17:30 Friday and Saturday to avoid the wait. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Vero Pizza Napoletana on Cedar Road in Cleveland Heights, a 900-degree wood-fired Neapolitan room with imported Italian flour and Vesuvius tomatoes.
Signature: Margherita pizza, House gelato
Order: A Margherita from the wood-fired oven plus two scoops of locally made gelato.
Tip: Walk-ins only; arrive by 17:30 Friday and Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Inn on Coventry on Euclid Heights Boulevard in Cleveland Heights, a Coventry-adjacent breakfast and brunch diner for over 40 years, runs the bottomless mimosa brunch and pancake stacks.
Signature: Chocolate chip pancakes, Lemon ricotta pancakes
Order: Lemon ricotta pancakes plus a bottomless mimosa, or the breakfast burrito on a slower day.
Tip: Arrive by 09:00 for Sunday brunch to skip the line; the diner closes 13:30 daily.
Stone Oven Bakery Cafe on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, an artisan bread, soup and sandwich shop for over 25 years, runs the Cedar-Lee block from morning through evening.
Signature: Artisan bread, House-baked sandwiches
Order: A house-baked sandwich on artisan bread plus the soup of the day.
Tip: Counter service; weekday lunch runs fastest. Additional outlets at Eton and the Galleria.
Phoenix Coffee on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights, the Coventry outlet of Cleveland's specialty roaster since 1990, anchors the daytime cafe scene.
Signature drink: House espresso
Phoenix Coffee on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, the specialty roaster's Cedar-Lee cafe outlet, runs espresso, drip and whole-bean retail through the day.
Signature drink: Cleveland-roasted espresso
Stone Oven Bakery Cafe on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, an artisan bread cafe serving the Cedar-Lee block for over 25 years, pours coffee alongside the soup and sandwich counter.
Signature drink: Espresso and lattes
Inn on Coventry on Euclid Heights Boulevard, a Coventry-adjacent brunch diner for over 40 years, runs the bottomless mimosa brunch from breakfast through early afternoon.
Signature drink: Bottomless mimosa brunch
Rising Star Coffee on South Taylor Road in Cleveland Heights, the east-side cafe outlet of the local specialty roaster, runs espresso and bean retail from morning to evening.
Signature drink: Cleveland-roasted espresso
On The Rise Artisan Breads on Fairmount Boulevard in Cleveland Heights, a European-style bakery anchoring the east-side artisan bread scene.
Worth the queue: Sourdough country loaf
Stone Oven Bakery Cafe on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, a Cedar-Lee artisan bread cafe for over 25 years, runs daily breads, pastries, soups and sandwiches.
Worth the queue: Stone-oven bread
Vero Pizza Napoletana on Cedar Road in Cleveland Heights, an expanded 2024 room with a 10-seat marble-topped bar and Italian wines by the glass, runs Neapolitan pizza with a deepening Italian-wine program.
Signature pour: An Italian glass with a Margherita Vera
Wine focus: Italian wines by the glass and Neapolitan-pairing bottles
Food: Wood-fired Neapolitan pizza, antipasti, gelato
EDWINS in the former Nighttown space on Cedar Road in Cleveland Heights, Brandon Chrostowski's culinary training restaurant, runs a French-leaning by-the-glass and Burgundy list across an extensive dining-room cellar.
Signature pour: A Burgundy by the glass to start a tasting menu
Wine focus: French-leaning by-the-glass and a Burgundy-led bottle list
Food: French menu paired with the dining room
Boss Dog Brewing on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, a Cedar-Lee district brewpub, runs house lagers and IPAs alongside burgers and pizzas in the east-side craft cluster.
Signature drink: House lagers, IPAs and seasonal releases
Food: Brewpub kitchen, burgers and pizza
Boss Dog Brewing on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, a Cedar-Lee district brewpub since 2017, runs house lagers and IPAs alongside burgers and pizzas in the east-side craft cluster.
Tommy's Restaurant on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights, a vegetarian-friendly institution since 1972, runs falafel sandwiches, spinach pies, hand-mixed milkshakes and a meat-eater menu.
Try: Falafel sandwich and spinach pie
Inn on Coventry on Euclid Heights Boulevard in Cleveland Heights, a Coventry Village diner near the bookstore corner, runs eggs-and-hash daily breakfast and lunch through 13:30.
Order: Eggs over easy with hash browns and a side of sausage gravy
Stone Oven Bakery Cafe on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, a daily-bread bakery cafe in Cedar-Lee, runs hot breakfast plates, salads and house-baked focaccia sandwiches.
Order: Eggs Florentine on a house focaccia, plus a sticky bun
EDWINS in the former Nighttown building on Cedar Road in Cleveland Heights, Brandon Chrostowski's culinary training restaurant for formerly incarcerated chefs, runs a Sunday brunch service.
Order: Eggs Benedict and a coupe of sparkling rosé