Eastern European tavern$$tremontMon-Thu 16:00-00:00; Fri-Sat 16:00-01:00; Sun 10:30-22:00
Prosperity Social Club on Starkweather Avenue in Tremont, an Eastern European tavern in continuous operation since 1938, runs pierogi, stuffed cabbage and craft beer.
Signature: Pierogi plate, Stuffed cabbage
Order: The pierogi plate and a brandy Old Fashioned at the bar before sitting.
Tip: First Monday of the month is Prosperaoke karaoke night. Original wood-panel barroom unchanged since 1938.
German$$downtownMon-Thu 11:00-22:00; Fri-Sat 11:00-00:00; Sun 10:00-20:00
Hofbrauhaus Cleveland on Chester Avenue downtown, the German beer hall licensee of the Munich Hofbrauhaus brand, pours imported Bavarian beer and runs the schnitzel and sausage menu.
Signature: Wiener schnitzel, Bavarian sausage plate
Order: Wiener schnitzel with potato salad and a half-liter of Hofbrau Original.
Tip: Reserve on OpenTable for Oktoberfest weekends; the communal tables turn faster than the booths.
Italian-American$$$ohio-cityWed-Thu 16:00-00:00; Fri 16:00-02:30; Sat 11:00-02:30; Sun 11:00-18:00; closed Mon-Tue
Bright Side on West 25th Street in Ohio City, Sam McNulty and Mark Priemer's reimagining of the old Bar Cento space since June 2022, runs house pasta and the Sunnyside egg pizza.
Signature: Sunnyside pizza, Rosemary garlic frites
Order: The Sunnyside pizza with runny-yolk egg and pancetta, plus a basket of rosemary garlic frites.
Tip: Reserve on OpenTable. Bird of Paradise basement bar opens after dinner service.
Vietnamese$$asiatownTue-Sat 10:30-20:00; Sun 10:30-19:00; closed Mon
Superior Pho on Superior Avenue inside Superior Square in AsiaTown, an award-winning Vietnamese family restaurant, anchors Cleveland's pho and banh mi scene.
Signature: Pho tai, Banh mi
Order: Pho tai with raw beef plus a banh mi with house pate and roast pork.
Tip: Cash and card; the small dining room turns fast at lunch.
Ice cream parlour$ohio-cityMon-Thu 11:00-21:30; Fri-Sat 11:00-22:30; Sun 11:00-21:30
Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream flagship on West 25th Street, the Ohio City kitchen and shop in a restored old movie theater, hand-crafts every batch and runs vegan options daily.
Signature: Homemade ice cream, Seasonal vegan scoops
Order: Two scoops of the seasonal flavour the kitchen is leading with, plus the kitchen tour on weekends.
Tip: Tours run by appointment on weekends; weekday afternoons stay quietest. Free Bridge Avenue parking lot behind the building.
Ice cream and ramen$$ohio-cityTue-Sat 16:00-21:00; Sun 13:00-18:00; closed Mon
Mason's Creamery on Bridge Avenue in Ohio City, the Jesse Mason and Helen Qin ice cream shop since 2013, runs small-batch scoops year-round plus a winter ramen pop-up.
Signature: Small-batch ice cream, Winter pork tonkotsu ramen
Order: Two scoops of small-batch ice cream in summer, a pork tonkotsu ramen in winter.
Tip: Ramen runs winter into spring; ice cream year-round. Cash and card accepted.