West-side inner-ring suburb along Detroit Avenue. Pier W on a Lake Erie cliff at Winton Place, Cleveland Vegan on Detroit Avenue and a strip of coffee, bakeries and burger counters.
Pier W on Lake Avenue in Lakewood, a 1965 cliff-edge seafood room cantilevered above Lake Erie, runs Cleveland's longest-standing white-tablecloth water view.
Signature: Lake Erie perch, Sunday brunch buffet
Order: Whatever fresh-fish preparation the kitchen is leading the dinner menu with, plus the Sunday brunch buffet for a one-shot visit.
Tip: Reserve a window-side table on OpenTable for sunset; valet only, the cliff lot fills fast.
Cleveland Vegan on Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, a plant-based restaurant and bakery since 2012, runs breakfast through dinner and full-service vegan catering.
Signature: Vegan fried chicken sandwich, Oreo milkshake
Order: The fried chicken sandwich and the Oreo milkshake.
Tip: Closed Mondays; brunch on weekends runs through 15:00.
Phoenix Coffee on Madison Avenue in Lakewood's Birdtown, the west-side cafe outlet of Cleveland's specialty roaster, runs a daytime espresso and filter program.
Signature drink: Single-origin pour-over
Blackbird Baking Company on Sloane Avenue in Lakewood, a naturally leavened sourdough bakery, runs the west-side artisan bread scene with daily country loaves and pastries.
Worth the queue: Country loaf
Breadsmith on Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, the Ginius Macys and Sabine Kretzschmar artisan bakery with 45 from-scratch breads weekly, anchors the West Side hearth-bread scene.
Worth the queue: Country French
Erie Island Coffee Roasting on Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, the surviving Lakewood cafe for the long-running Erie Island roastery group, runs single-origin pour overs and an espresso bar.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Sumatra, Costa Rica
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail