37 cheap eats places in Cleveland, editor-picked. the best low-budget spots in Cleveland: the places editors actually return to. All Cleveland food.
Rising Star Coffee Roasters Ohio City ★ 4.8
ohio-city · 1455 W 29th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
Rising Star Coffee on West 29th in the Hingetown Firehouse, the local specialty roaster's flagship cafe, runs the espresso bar alongside Larder Delicatessen.
Steve's Gyros ★ 4.8
ohio-city · 1979 W 25th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
Steve's Gyros inside the West Side Market on West 25th Street, the Steve Bistolarides counter since 1989, runs Cleveland's definitive gyro with daily early.
West Side Market food stalls ★ 4.8
ohio-city · 1979 W 25th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
The West Side Market on West 25th Street since 1912, the 60-vendor public market in the Hubbel and Benes Hall, runs cheap-eat lunches from bratwurst, pierogi.
Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream ★ 4.7
ohio-city · 1867 W 25th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
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.
Tip: Tours run by appointment on weekends; weekday afternoons stay quietest. Free Bridge Avenue parking lot behind the building.
Presti's Bakery ★ 4.7
little-italy · 12101 Mayfield Rd, Cleveland, OH 44106
Presti's Bakery on Mayfield Road in Little Italy since 1903, one of Cleveland's oldest bakeries, anchors the Cleveland-style cassata cake tradition.
Larder Delicatessen and Bakery ★ 4.7
ohio-city · 1455 W 29th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
Larder Delicatessen and Bakery in Hingetown's Ohio City Firehouse, Jeremy Umansky's koji-and-curing project, a 2025 James Beard Pastry semifinalist.
Phoenix Coffee Coventry ★ 4.7
cleveland-heights · 1793 Coventry Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
Phoenix Coffee on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights, the Coventry outlet of Cleveland's specialty roaster since 1990, anchors the daytime cafe scene.
Civilization ★ 4.7
tremont · 2366 W 11th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
Civilization Coffee Bar on West 11th in Tremont, set in the restored 1881 Flandermyer Drug Building, runs filter and espresso with a small pastry counter.
Slyman's Restaurant ★ 4.7
st-clair-superior · 3106 St Clair Ave NE, Cleveland, OH 44114
Slyman's Restaurant on St Clair Avenue, the Slyman family corned beef counter since 1964, runs the city's defining overstuffed corned beef sandwich on rye.
Corbo's Bakery ★ 4.6
little-italy · 12210 Mayfield Rd, Cleveland, OH 44106
Corbo's Bakery on Mayfield Road in Little Italy since 1958, the family-owned bakery known for cassata cake and cannoli, has expanded to a full Italian menu.
On The Rise Artisan Breads ★ 4.6
cleveland-heights · 3471 Fairmount Blvd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
On The Rise Artisan Breads on Fairmount Boulevard in Cleveland Heights, a European-style bakery anchoring the east-side artisan bread scene.
Rising Star Coffee at Cleveland Arcade ★ 4.6
downtown · 412 Superior Ave E, Cleveland, OH 44114
Rising Star Coffee inside the 1890 Cleveland Arcade on Superior Avenue, anchoring the downtown daytime cafe scene under the Arcade's glass roof.
Seti's Polish Boys ★ 4.6
ohio-city · Cleveland, OH (mobile food truck across Northeast Ohio)
Seti's Polish Boys is Cleveland's longest-running Polish Boy food truck on the festival circuit, with the canonical kielbasa-fries-slaw-BBQ stack on a bun.
Superior Pho ★ 4.6
asiatown · 3030 Superior Ave Ste 102, Cleveland, OH 44114
Superior Pho inside the Cleveland AsiaTown plaza on Superior Avenue, a Vietnamese family-run noodle counter, runs heaping bowls of pho, bun and rice plates.
Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream ★ 4.6
ohio-city · 1867 W 25th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
Mitchell's Homemade Ice Cream on West 25th Street in Ohio City, the Mitchell brothers' production-and-scoop room inside a former movie theater.
Blackbird Baking Company ★ 4.5
lakewood · 1391 Sloane Ave, Lakewood, OH 44107
Blackbird Baking Company on Sloane Avenue in Lakewood, a naturally leavened sourdough bakery, runs the west-side artisan bread scene with daily country.
Le Petit Triangle Cafe ★ 4.5
ohio-city · 1881 Fulton Rd, Cleveland, OH 44113
Le Petit Triangle on Fulton Road in Ohio City, a small French cafe in a triangular corner building, runs an espresso bar alongside the brunch and dinner.
Tommy's Restaurant ★ 4.5
cleveland-heights · 1824 Coventry Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
Tommy's Restaurant on Coventry Road in Cleveland Heights, a vegetarian-friendly institution since 1972, runs falafel sandwiches, spinach pies.
Phnom Penh Restaurant ★ 4.5
ohio-city · 1929 W 25th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
Phnom Penh on West 25th Street across from the West Side Market, a family-run Cambodian BYOB room, runs cheap noodle bowls, curries and the city's pho.
Stone Oven Bakery Cafe ★ 4.4
cleveland-heights · 2267 Lee Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
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.
Michael Angelo's Bakery ★ 4.4
broadview-heights · 8035 Broadview Rd, Broadview Heights, OH 44147
Michael Angelo's Bakery on Broadview Road in Broadview Heights, an Italian-American bakery since 2000, runs cassata cake, cannoli and a 2026 spring food menu.
Phoenix Coffee Lee Road ★ 4.4
cleveland-heights · 2287 Lee Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
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.
Phoenix Coffee Ohio City ★ 4.4
ohio-city · 3000 Bridge Ave, Cleveland, OH 44113
Phoenix Coffee on Bridge Avenue in Ohio City, a daytime cafe outlet of the Cleveland-since-1990 roaster, anchors the morning routine near the West Side.
Frank's Bratwurst ★ 4.4
ohio-city · 1979 W 25th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
Frank's Bratwurst inside the West Side Market on West 25th Street, the Ratschki family Austrian bratwurst stall since October 31 1970, runs three-generation.
Mama Santa's ★ 4.4
little-italy · 12301 Mayfield Rd, Cleveland, OH 44106
Mama Santa's on Mayfield Road in Little Italy, the Sicilian-style pizzeria run by the Santa family since 1961, anchors the cheap lunch slice scene.
Li Wah ★ 4.4
asiatown · 2999 Payne Ave Ste 102, Cleveland, OH 44114
Li Wah inside Asia Plaza on Payne Avenue in AsiaTown since 1991, the longest-running Cantonese dim sum room in Cleveland, runs weekend cart service alongside.
Diamond Deli ★ 4.4
akron · 378 S Main St, Akron, OH 44311
Diamond Deli on South Main Street in downtown Akron, a long-running deli counter for the University of Akron and downtown lunch crowd, runs hot fat.
Breadsmith of Lakewood ★ 4.3
lakewood · 18101 Detroit Ave, Lakewood, OH 44107
Breadsmith on Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, the Ginius Macys and Sabine Kretzschmar artisan bakery with 45 from-scratch breads weekly, anchors the West Side.
Stone Oven Bakery Cafe Lee ★ 4.3
cleveland-heights · 2267 Lee Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
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.
Inn on Coventry ★ 4.2
cleveland-heights · 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44106
Inn on Coventry on Euclid Heights Boulevard in Cleveland Heights, a Coventry-adjacent breakfast and brunch diner for over 40 years, runs the bottomless.
Tip: Arrive by 09:00 for Sunday brunch to skip the line; the diner closes 13:30 daily.
Inn on Coventry ★ 4.2
cleveland-heights · 2785 Euclid Heights Blvd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44106
Inn on Coventry on Euclid Heights Boulevard, a Coventry-adjacent brunch diner running over 40 years, serves bottomless mimosa brunch through afternoon.
Mt Pleasant Bar-B-Q ★ 4.2
mt-pleasant · 12725 Kinsman Rd, Cleveland, OH 44120
Mt Pleasant Bar-B-Q on Kinsman Road in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, a family-run sit-down rib house and Polish Boy counter, runs the city's archetypal.
Phoenix Coffee Downtown ★ 4.1
downtown · 776 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44114
Phoenix Coffee on Euclid Avenue downtown, the specialty roaster's office-district cafe, runs espresso and pour-overs from the Cleveland-since-1990 roastery.
Phoenix Coffee Birdtown ★ 4.1
lakewood · 12501 Madison Ave, Lakewood, OH 44107
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.
Stone Oven Bakery Cafe ★ 4.0
cleveland-heights · 2267 Lee Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
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.
Tip: Counter service; weekday lunch runs fastest. Additional outlets at Eton and the Galleria.
Rising Star Coffee Cleveland Heights ★ 4.0
cleveland-heights · 2184 S Taylor Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
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 daily.
Crepes de Luxe ★ 4.0
ohio-city · 1979 W 25th St, Cleveland, OH 44113
Crepes de Luxe inside the West Side Market on West 25th Street, the Parisian-style street crepe counter at the market since 2007, runs sweet and savory.