7 Cleveland restaurants we miss most
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Saved from the garbage, the Luchita's sign now sits in a neighboring business on W. 117th. Photo: Sam Allard/Axios
Cleveland's dining scene never fails to affirm that restaurateuring is a cutthroat business. Every year, the local roster of bars and eateries fluctuates: Chains expand and contract, chefs plant brick and mortar flags, and beloved neighborhood mom and pops call it quits.
Driving the news: Since the pandemic began, Cleveland has lost some of its most iconic establishments – Sokolowski's, for God's sake! – and 2022 was another ruthless year.
My take: Here are the Cleveland spots that shuttered in 2022 that I'll miss most of all.
🏠 Felice, 12502 Larchmere Blvd.
This restaurant-inside-a-house in Cleveland's Larchmere neighborhood was one of the city's most memorable dining experiences. I should know. It was the site of my first official date with my wife!
What's next: A new restaurant will open in the space this spring from Jill Vedaa and Jill Parkinson, the duo behind Salt+ in Lakewood, who also recently took over the former Spice Kitchen in Gordon Square.
- “We’re not really doing much other than changing the name," Parkinson told Cleveland.com in November, "and we will be giving it a good clean, paint."
🍕 Vincenza's, 603 Prospect Ave.
'Twas downtown's best pizza by a country mile.
What's next: Geraci's Slice Shop will open there this spring, with Guardians manager Tito Francona signed on as an investor. The slice life will endure on Prospect.
🌮 Luchita's, 3456 W. 117th St.
Few would argue that Luchita's represented Cleveland's finest Mexican cuisine, but as a young lad on the west side, it was my first encounter with burritos, enchiladas and chicken tortilla soup.
- Yes, but: Tapatia's, a short walk away on Lorain and West 125th, is home to Cleveland's best tacos.
What's next: Unclear. The building remains vacant, its telltale glass block windows dim and inscrutable. Outgoing Ward 11 Councilman Brian Mooney told Axios he was unaware of any new tenants or owners at the address.
🍸 Chocolate Bar, 347 Euclid Ave.
This specialty martini lounge beloved by former Browns phenom Josh Cribbs was the sort of place you didn't go often, but you appreciated as a downtown novelty, beckoning on the periphery of East Fourth.
What's next: Unknown.
🍻 Bier Markt, 1948 W. 25th St.
Sam McNulty's parlor on West 25th Street opened 17 years ago, before the ascendance of West 25th as a true nightlife district. In my early 20s, I lived briefly on West 22nd Street, and Bier Markt's cornucopia of fries, imported draft beers and dusky pool table were late-night staples, (before the inevitable late-late-night domestics and Atomic Dogs at ABC).
What's next: Bright Side, McNulty's new concept — American comfort food with healthful ingredients — opened in June.
- Occupying both the Bier Markt and Bar Cento footprint, Bright Side has the vibes of a well-appointed apartment, decorated by your millennial friend who's really into Art Deco.
🕊️ Flying Fig, 2523 Market Ave.
Chef Karen Small's flagship farm-to-table bistro in Ohio City was an upscale enclave on the near west side for more than 20 years.
What's next: Pearl Street Wine Market & Cafe, a retail wine shop and casual eatery from Small and partner Jill Davis, opened in November after months of renovations.
🍨 Sweet Moses, 6800 Detroit Ave.
Cleveland's current line-out-the-door ice cream shops are Mason's Creamery on Bridge Avenue and Mitchell's on West 25th, but when the Gordon Square Arts District emerged in the early 2010s, Sweet Moses reigned supreme, with a mid-century soda fountain atmosphere and the best Bananas Foster in driving distance.
What's next: Wyne Tasting Bar, a … uh, wine tasting bar, opened in October.
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