Hipster hangout – Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Eats

Leavened Bakery

I fell in love with Leavened Bakery’s sourdough after ordering and delighting in Old Brooklyn Cheese Company’s tuna melt, which featured their sourdough. A good tuna melt is my obsession, and this one blew me away. I considered it the top tuna melt in town until they closed, which made me sad. The bread toasted up nicely and had a nice crunch. But I was determined to make my own tuna melt, even if it won’t measure up, so I sought out Leavened Bakery. Leavened is located on Auburn Avenue in the Tappan Building at the intersection with Scranton Road in Tremont. My father grew up right around the corner off Starkweather (they tore down his childhood home to put in the I-71 overpass). He wouldn’t recognize the neighborhood, which he grew up in the 1940s-50s. Leavened is located in one of the newer buildings there.

It is a locally owned and operated artisan bakery and cafe that features high quality rustic loaves and pastries as well as coffee(they use beans from Duck Rabbit Coffee), sandwiches and soup. I’ve been there several times to carry out their baked goods. I do plan to find the time to sit and chill soon and order a sandwich and soup. The sandwiches vary and are available daily starting at 10 a.m. They serve a vegan charred tomato soup every day as well as specialty soups occasionally, depending on ingredient availability.

The Classic Sourdough is made using a blend of white flour and local whole wheat and features a thick, dark crust with a creamy and chewy interior. It is phenomenal and stands up well to a variety of toppings and/or fillings. They can slice it for you in the bakery if you prefer that. I prefer to cut my own at home because it doesn’t dry out as quickly.

In addition to their various baguettes, sourdoughs, and foccacias (only available Friday through Sunday), which caught my eye, they serve delicious and huge hand pies as well as various croissants, cruffins, pepperoni rolls, and cardomom and cinnamon buns. I’m a sucker for their spinach and feta hand pie (photo below top left is on a dinner plate). The pastry is flaky and delicious, and the filling is plentiful and fresh. The hand pie in the middle row is a tofu paprikash, which was also really tasty. The coffee cake croissant (middle row left) was a unique choice and had a delicious filling. And they are known for their cruffins (bottom row), which are a combination of croissant dough and muffin. Made with croissant dough, this buttery pastry (which is shaped like a pointy muffin) is filled with seasonal jams made by local producer The Home Pantry and topped with confectioner’s sugar. As the website says, it’s “like a jelly donut but better.” The cruffin below was an apple butter cruffin and it was delicious. The jam was quite creamy consistency and had a great spiced apple butter flavor. If you try nothing else be sure to get a cruffin or two. They are phenomenal.

And pizza on Fridays from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., which I managed to try recently. They serve whole pies and slices to-go every Friday: cheese, pepperoni, and spicy pickled veggie available weekly, with weekly specials available while ingredients last. I called that morning and ordered the weekly special, which was a pepperoni, sausage and banana pepper pizza. I’m not a huge fan of banana pepper so I picked most of them off but wanted the hint of banana pepper that would remain so that I could try the overall vibe of the special. Honestly, I actually didn’t mind the flavor from the cooked juice or the small pieces I overlooked. The crust was actually really tasty, and I enjoyed the leavened dough (see what I did there? LOL). If you are in the mood for a good pizza on a Friday give them a try. I will definitely be ordering one again.

Leavened is closed on Mondays and only open from 6:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as well as from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. They are open from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays.

Contact info:

Leavened Bakery
1633 Auburn Avenue, Suite 1
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 260-1666

Doink’s Burger Joint

Doink’s has been on my radar for a while. I got to know Bonn when he worked at Citizen Pie, so I was thrilled to be able to support his new business venture. My friend Kris and I attended a pop-up at The Wine Spot in Cleveland Heights back in August 2022 and were blown away by the burger. We thought it tasted like an adult Big Mac, with the sauce and the patties. Now known as the OG, it features shredded lettuce, pickles, caramelized onions and Doink’s sauce.

It took me a little longer to make it to the brick and mortar location, although I can’t really say why. It’s only a 14-minute drive from my house, which is not much in Cleveland. The brick and mortar location is located on Waterloo Road, smack dab in the middle of the Waterloo Arts District. The space itself is really cute, with a fun vibe and great music. I’ve come at off-hours, so I don’t know how crowded it gets during dinner hours. The cashier and service staff are polite and quick. The burgers are exquisite, with crispy edges, juicy in the middle, and well-balanced toppings. The fries and onion rings have always been perfectly fried and tasty.

My first visit to the burger joint I ordered the Po Boy, which is topped with shredded lettuce, pickles, the house slaw, BBQ sauce and Doink’s sauce as well as French fries. It’s a riff off a Cleveland Po Boy using burger patties instead of kielbasa or sausage. It was a phenomenal burger. I ordered the onion rings and was thrilled to see a wedge salad as a side choice. Other sides include fries, kimchi mac n cheese and spicy cucumber salad.

I love a good wedge salad, and this is definitely a great wedge salad. The pickled onions are a great addition. The lettuce has always been fresh and crisp. The blue cheese dressing is divine and pairs well with the pickled onions, and there is just enough bacon to make it sing.

I have also been pleased with the OG. It continues to delight. I also hear wonderful things about the Bonn Mi, which features an herb mix, cucumbers, kimchi, pickles, jalapenos and a spicy Doink’s sauce. It may be a bit too firey for my palate though. But if you enjoy a bit of heat you should try the Sweet Heat (features bacon, onion rings, house BBQ sauce, jelly (get it? sweet?), jalapenos and spicy kraut) or Bonn Mi. They also offer several hot dogs, and people rave about the ube cheesecake, but I haven’t had room for it after the filling burgers and sides.

So if you are looking for an excellent burger or a great wedge salad, look no further than Doink’s on Waterloo Road just off I-90. There is street parking around the corner as well as a parking lot just to the left of the building. It’s open Tuesday-Saturday from 4-10 p.m.

Contact info:

Doink’s Burger Joint
15519 S Waterloo Road
Cleveland, OH 44119
(216) 417-0211

Crepes n Crisps

Crepes n’ Crisps is a tiny little hole in the wall located across the street from the Cleveland Clinic on Chester (it’s right next to the Domino’s Pizza in the small strip on the north side). It is owned by a lovely Arabic family, and the owner proudly told me about his children, who are very educated health care professionals who were working there to help him out in the beginning. In the meantime they have introduced computer kiosks to order your food. I’m less impressed by the AI-generated images on their online menu, because there is no way the Crepito looks that good in person. If you’re looking for crepes or a quick sweet treat this is the place to go. They have so much, from shakes, to coffee, sweet and savory waffles and (my favorite) crepes. The restaurant is clean and sanitary, and the employees are very friendly.

There is not a lot of seating, so it isn’t ideal for large groups. That said, I have eaten there several times now, in addition to getting a crepe or two to go.

The first time I was there I ordered the salmon crepe (Salmon De Lux). I love a good savory crepe, and the salmon crepe did not disappoint. It was chock-full of Norwegian smoked salmon, fresh spinach, red onion, capers, and sour cream and topped with garlic aioli drizzle.. It definitely hit the spot and was exactly what I was hoping it to be.

The Nutella and banana crepe (called the Monkey Business) was also absolutely perfect. It was full of Nutella and fresh banana slices and accompanied by real whipped cream.

I was less impressed by the Croffle (a cross between a croissant and a waffle). Maybe the sweeter versions would be tasty, but the spinach and cheese croffle I got was nowhere near filled with spinach and cheese as I would have liked (and the AI image made it looked full to bursting). It also would have benefited from some kind of drizzle, because it was quite dry.

Several of my friends ordered the crepes on my suggestion and enjoyed them. One had a chicken crepe (served with several cubes of breaded chicken in the picture below) and a chocolate crepe drizzled with white and milk chocolate. The photos below are the Black and Red crepe, featuring strawberries and Nutella, and fries with cheese curds. I don’t know what my vegetarian friend was thinking when she ordered it, because even the vegetarian fries sound (and probably look) better than these. The fries themselves were crisp and tasty, but I’d definitely try one of the loaded ones next time. For example, the Belgian Chocolate & Fries sounds amazing.

The coffee offerings are also great. They use locally roasted coffee beans for their espresso drinks. And this would also be a great place to try one of their Dubai Chocolate offerings. They offer a crepe, a waffle, in a cup, a shake, a sundae, an iced latte (and probably a regular latte), and a chocolate bar – all featuring some variation of phyllo dough, pistachios and/or pistachio sauce, Belgium milk chocolate sauce (and sometimes strawberries). I haven’t tried Dubai Chocolate yet, but it’s only a matter of time. Everyone is raving about Dubai Chocolate.

It’s open Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 10 PM, Saturday from 11 AM to 10 PM and Sunday from 11 AM to 6 PM.

Contact info:

Crepes n’ Crisps
10001 Chester Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44106
(216) 293-5522

Fish Fryday #7 2025: Eugene Kitchen at the Bottlehouse Brewery & Meadery

It’s Good Friday and officially the last Friday of Lent. This means the blog will be going back to posts every two weeks. To all of you who have recently found me by searching about fish fries in Cleveland: I hope you have enjoyed my posts and maybe will consider sticking around. I had been thinking about shutting the blog down because I wasn’t sure if people were reading it, but the traffic on Fridays have really be heartening for me. So thank you.

I enjoyed a final tuna melt at Chelo’s Kitchen for lunch, but I won’t bother posting a photo or writing about it since I have talked about it frequently in the past. If you want to see a photo just scroll down to last week’s post. I added a cup of New England Clam Chowder and a side salad today, since I knew my dinner would be fried fish and French fries.

I decided to go to a restaurant fish fry since most churches have Good Friday services today. Eugene at The Bottlehouse has been on my radar all season since I heard about it on Ash Wednesday at Voodoo Brewing, so I was looking forward to finally giving it a try. There are two locations (in Lakewood and in Cleveland Heights), and I chose the one five minutes from my house in Cleveland Heights. I got a parking spot on the street right in front and got there shortly after 4 when they open. The weather was in the 70s, and I was tempted to sit outside on their patio on the first official warm day of spring.

The Bottlehouse holds a special place in my heart. I used to come here when it hosted the Bread and Soup Experiment just before the pandemic, and I have met friends here for beverages on occasion. It has a nice floor plan and is a great place to get together with friends (they have games available and large tables that accommodate groups). They have a nice selection of beer, mead, cider and non-alcoholic beverages. Families and kids are welcome. Eugene Kitchen has been a welcome addition to provide food for its guests. Eugene is known for its Tinman Burger, which I enjoyed back when the food hall on W. 25th (Ohio City Gallery) opened. The Tinman Burger is a “drippy double smash burger with American cheese, special sauce, and sweet and spicy pickles on a brioche bun.”

Eugene is a little enclosed kitchen just inside The Bottlehouse. I walked to the order window and ordered the fish fry, which features Lake Erie walleye, fresh cut French fries, hush puppies and cole slaw for $22. I paid cash, so it was several dollars cheaper than the initial price the employee at the window quoted, which reflected the credit card price. She gave me a beeper (see above), and I then walked to the bar to order a beer. After I asked for a lager, the employee recommended I order the Community, which is a Czech / Bohemian Pilsner that tastes more like a lager than a hoppy pilsner. It paired nicely with the fish fry, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can see myself going back to enjoy one again soon.

The fish fry was fantastic. The slab of walleye was nicely fried, and the fish itself was very moist and flaky. I tore off pieces and dipped it in the nice tartar sauce that came with the fish fry. The French fries were nicely salted and perfectly cooked, and the hush puppies were nice as well. The coleslaw was okay, and if you prefer a less creamy coleslaw you will enjoy it. The sweet, spicy pickles were a nice surprise. I’m not a huge fan of bread and butter pickles, preferring dill, but these were flavorful enough to not be too reminiscent of sweeter pickles. The lemon wedge was also a nice touch to squeeze over the fish. It was a great way to end the Lent season. Thank you for accompanying me on my journey this year.

Contact info:

The BottleHouse Brewery & Meadery
2050 Lee Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
(216) 214-2120

Ash Wednesday at Voodoo Brewing Company

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, and to kick of the Lenten season I decided to head to Voodoo Brewing Company on Lee Road in Cleveland Heights to try their fried walleye. Voodoo has been on my list of Lenten places to try, because numerous people in the neighborhood groups have raved about the fish. This review differs from my usual reviews, because I usually write about a restaurant after I have visited several times. This was my first visit to Voodoo. It opens at 4 PM on Wednesdays, and I got there shortly after 6 PM.

I parked in the large lot behind the strip and entered through the back entrance. I had done a little research, so I knew I needed to order my food at the bar and pick it up at the kitchen window I walked past as I entered through the back.

I took a seat at the bar and was greeted by a friendly bartender. I ordered a Melon Executioner, which is made with vodka, Liquid Death Convicted Melon (apparently a Voodoo creation) and lime juice. It was a refreshing start. I then ordered my food and was given the above pager that notified me once my order was ready for pick-up.

They started serving the fried walleye dinner and shrimp po’ boys today and will continue to offer them on Fridays (until 4/18) during Lent. The fried walleye is a 1/2 pound walleye and a ton of housemade fries. It was available from 4-6 PM tonight. The shrimp po’ boy special for the week features battered fried shrimp, lettuce, tomato & bayou sauce on a toasted hoagie roll. The po’ boy is served with house-cut Old Bay fries. I have to say that I was happy I ordered the walleye, because Old Bay can be a bit much in my opinion. The slab of walleye was perfect. The batter coating was crisp and not greasy (I forgot to grab a fork, so I ate it by breaking off pieces with my hands and dipping it in the tasty tartar sauce), and the fish was flaky and moist. The fries came with a little container of malt vinegar, but I opted to enjoy ketchup with them. I was extremely pleased with the walleye, which is usually not a go-to fish for me.

Wednesday night is apparently also Trivia Night starting at 6:30 PM, and I didn’t plan on staying for it but ended up talking to two guys next to me at the bar who happily let me join them for the first half. When I asked what they recommend on the menu since they are regulars, they suggested the burgers and sandwiches, not so much the pizzas. Good to know. I gave them a fist bump when I left and we/they were ranked 8th. I may just go back another Wednesday night and seek them out, because I really enjoyed talking to them and playing trivia. Quelle surprise., but I guess it isn’t *that* surprising…

I ordered their MOSA, which is a Belgian ale with orange, after my meal. The bartender gave me a sample of it first because it is too sweet for some people, but I thought it was great. The bill was delivered tucked in the front of a book, which made me chuckle. Definitely a unique delivery option. A lot of previous visitors added notes to it. My only complaint is that my feet didn’t reach the metal supports on either the bar or the tall bar chair, which caused my feet to repeatedly fall asleep. I was afraid I was going to fall on my face walking back to grab my fish. But I didn’t.

I would definitely recommend checking out Voodoo Brewing Company if you want a good slab of fried fish and tasty fries as well as a refreshing beer.

Contact info:

Voodoo Brewing Company
2279 Lee Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
(216) 331-6775

Corner 11 Bowl & Wrap in Tremont and Poké & Ramen in Strongsville

I am a huge fan of Hawaiian poké. Poké is a great choice for people with gluten intolerances and people who have to watch their sugar and carbohydrate intake. Corner 11 was the first poké place that let customers choose their portion size, type of rice or salad greens, proteins, toppings, and sauces. And Corner 11 has great poké – at both locations. The first location is is located in the Tremont on the corner of 11th St and Kenilworth Ave, hence the name Corner 11. I met a group of friends here for the first time several years ago. The restaurant is very clean, and everyone enjoyed it. It offers poké bowls and “pokérito wraps”with an array of toppings to choose from. You order at the counter, and they will bring it to your table. The staff behind the counter at both locations have been very friendly and hard-working.

I’ve become a huge fan of Corner 11 Poké & Ramen in Strongsville and have dined here several times. One of my friends noticed it on our way to a tea event, so we decided to dine here. I have also dined here several times on my own. I have always been satisfied. The Strongsville location is a fairly non-descript storefront in a strip mall, but there is plenty of seating.

My friend, who is a vegetarian, particularly enjoyed the tofu wings. The tofu wings were nicely fried and crisp and topped with a nice spicy Thai seasoning and chili sauce. She’s looking forward to organizing a dinner there in the next few weeks for our group. There are quite a few vegetarian choices to choose from, which are indicated with “(V)”.

I ordered the ramen recently, which appears to be the big seller there. It just reminded me that I’m not a huge fan of ramen, but Cleveland Scene Magazine named Corner 11 as one of the “Top 5 Ramens in Cleveland” in 2022. It was a nice bowl of ramen, but give me a bowl of pho and I am much happier. I chose pork for my shoyu ramen and one of the pieces was quite large because I was given the end. The pork was fatty, which I am not a fan of but many people like. If you don’t like fatty pork you can choose chicken or vegetarian ramen instead. The ramen noodles, menma and boiled egg were great.

My go-to there is a medium poké bowl (which comes with 2 proteins – the small features 1 protein, the large has three). The quality of the fish like salmon and tuna is awesome, and the portion is huge for the money. One of the highlights is the unlimited toppings, allowing for endless customization and ensuring each bowl is perfectly suited to your taste. You can choose between white sushi rice, midnight (“black”) rice or mixed greens, choose raw or cooked proteins like salmon, tuna, spicy tuna, shrimp, chicken, squid or tofu, and then from a wide variety of toppings. The choice of toppings are avocado, carrot, cilantro, corn, cucumber, edamame, jalapeno, sushi ginger, scallion, kimchi, lime wedge, mango, pickled mustard greens, pineapple, seaweed salad, spicy seaweed salad, tomato, masago, and roasted black & white sesame. Certain items have an upcharge if you ask for more. I always load mine with lots of toppings and top it with Yum Yum and teriyaki sauces. The sauces are all gluten-free and include Thai spicy, tom yum, spicy mayo, sweet shoyu (V), yum yum, and teriyaki (V).

Even the beverages are special. In addition to various American and Japanese sodas, you can order a variety of juices, smoothies, milk and fruit teas as well as Thai iced coffee and tea. You can get most drinks with or without boba (tapioca balls). I enjoyed the fruit tea with passion fruit and strawberry puree (although $7 is pretty pricy for something I can easily make myself at home) and especially the Thai Iced Tea with milk. And the mango sticky rice is not to be missed! I have gotten it to go for a treat later in the day and always enjoyed it.

Contact info:

Corner 11 Bowl & Wrap
2391 W 11th Street
Cleveland, OH 44113
(216) 713-1757

Corner 11 Poké & Ramen
17100 Royalton Road, Unit 9B
Strongsville, OH 44136
(216) 713-1757

Mochinut

Mochinut is an American restaurant chain specializing in mochi donuts, boba, and Korean-style hot dogs with locations in the U.S. and South Korea. It was founded in California in 2020. A location opened on Detroit Road in Westlake near the Columbia Road exit on I-90 in August 2022. The next closest location is Ann Arbor, Michigan and then another is in southern Indiana. It is open 7 days a week from 11 am to 8 pm.

My friend Judi is obsessed and stops there whenever she is in the area. Her daughter lived in Japan and got her hooked. She took me there after a tea presentation at Bay Village Library. I of course had to try the boba (bubble tea) and mochi donuts. The dining area was very clean, and the staff was very friendly and helpful.

I ordered a Thai Tea boba, which was perfectly made. They have a cool plastic can with a metal lid that they make the tea in. It was not super environmentally friendly though, and they don’t recycle them (I asked). The milk and sugar ratio in the tea was just right. If you want more sugar order the brown sugar ones.

The mochi donuts are made with rice flour, making them flexible and recognizable due to their distinct shape of eight small balls connected as a circle. Mochi doughnuts have a crispy exterior, due to being fried or baked, and a chewy interior thanks to the use of sweet rice flour. Apparently some of the donuts are gluten free, since they use rice or tapioca flour rather than the conventional wheat variety. Be sure to ask, and they encourage you to do so with some signage. The flavors change daily and they serve eight different flavors each day.

I ordered a chocolate donut with chocolate sprinkles on my first visit (in the first photo – this one on the left is Blueberry Lychee). The donut is light and chewy. I really enjoyed it. I ordered three donuts ($10) on the second visit and enjoyed all three. I liked the Matcha donut I ordered on my second visit even more. I stopped here with a couple friends after meeting them for sushi just down the street at Yuzu King. Being a huge fan of matcha is was a no-brainer the minute I saw it on the board. I also ordered the Milky Fruity Pebbles and Chocolate Funnel Cake donuts. The Matcha donut and Funnel Cake ones weren’t as sweet as the chocolate one, and I really enjoyed them a lot. And who doesn’t enjoy Fruity Pebbles? My friend thought the Pina Colada one was too sweet, so I got to take it home with me and enjoy later. It was sweeter but still enjoyable. I do prefer the less sweet ones though.

They are also known for their Korean hot dogs. The Korean hot dogs are wrapped in a bun similar to a corn dog. You can get a hot dog or mozzarella cheese or a half/half (hot dog and cheese) on a stick. They are then dipped in batter, coated in potatoes, ramen, Hot Cheetos or “Blue Heat” (apparently covered by crushed Takis rice cakethat is a blue hue) toppings, and deep fried. I ordered the half mozzarella half hot dog coated in ramen. I would have prefered it if the mozzarella and hot dog were next to each other sharing space instead of one on top of the other. I still enjoyed it though. It was a crunchy delight. My friend enjoyed her potato-covered mozzarella one.

Look at that cheese pull!

I definitely look forward to my next visit. I can’t wait to see what will be on the board then. And I need to try the Ube boba.

Contact info:

Mochinut
26161 Detroit Road
Westlake, OH 44145
(440) 455-1028

Ice or Rice Cafe

Ice or Rice Cafe attempts to fill the Japanese food void in Asiatown (and dabbles in Hawaiian too). I have been looking forward to the opening of Ice or Rice Cafe for a while. I first got to know Andy and Jessie at the AsianTown Night Markets and their YouTube videos. I even attended a ramen class that Andy taught. Andy and Jessie were the co-founders of the early Ice or Rice, but are not the owners of Ice or Rice Cafe. Andy’s brother is. Knowing that the Cafe is run by Andy’s brother, who is a health inspector, makes me confident that the restaurant and kitchen will always be immaculately clean and the food top-notch.

There’s no parking lot here, so you have to park on the street out front, which usually isn’t too busy, or on the side street. The inside is new and renovated. Everything is made to order, which means it’s fresh. You can watch the cold dishes being made right at the counter, while frying and grilling seems to occur behind the curtains in the back. After ordering at the counter, you can take a seat and food is brought directly to your table.

I gained an appreciation for onigiri in San Francisco, so I was excited to hear they would be featured on the menu. I very much enjoyed all four onigiri (tuna, salmon, pork sung and picled plum) on my first visit, but my favorite was the tuna. My least favorite one was the vegetarian pickled plum onigiri. Onigiri are a “triangle rice ball sandwiching a layer of seasened tuna / salmon / pork sung / pickled plum and wrapped with seaweed with an optinal drizzle of sweet soy sauce or spicy sriracha.” It is a simple yet tasty concept. The rice vs. filling ratio is well-balanced.

The iced milk tea was perfect. The counter workers were efficient and super friendly. They even offered the table next to us a onigiri for them to try when they asked about what I was eating.

My friend ordered a spicy tuna roll, an eel roll, and an onigiri and enjoyed them. The rolls were rolled tightly, which is always a good sign.

The sushi prices are reasonable compared to some other places I have been ($14.99 for a Hawaiian plate lunch with Curry or Katsu Pork Cutlet (the most expensive items on the menu), $9.99 for a Dragon Roll and the spam musubi and onigiri are $4.50 each as of 10/2023).

The staff was friendly and welcoming. I treated myself to a spam musubi and shrimp okonomiyaki the other day. The spam was not salty, but rather was a sweet treat. The rice was firmly packed, topped with a slice of spam with a sweet sauce and wrapped in a sheet of nori. I actually really enjoyed it. It was warm and pliant and definitely hit the spot while I waited for my okonomiyaki, which I was told would take 15 minutes to prepare.

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese cabbage pancake made of shrimp, pork belly or carrots (billed as the veggie okonomiyaki) and topped with okonomiyaki sauce, mayo, powdered seaweed, scallion and bonito flakes. It was so hot that the bonito flakes were curling up and seemed to be waving at me. It was absolutely delicious and the leftovers made my home smell awesome. I couldn’t wait for breakfast the next day (I had eaten half of everything and brought the rest home – they were conveniently served in styrofoam containers. Environmentally unfriendly but I understand why. I wonder if I can bring my own container next time?).

I was also excited to see Ramune Japanese soda ($4). Ramune is a Japanese carbonated soft drink. It is sold in a “Codd-neck bottle” (a heavy glass bottle whose mouth is sealed by a round marble due to the pressure of the carbonated contents). I’m partial to the lychee, but melon is probably also awesome. The photo here was taken at Sushi Train (a conveyor belt sushi restaurant) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

I have loved everything I have tried here. I’m going back soon for a Hawaiian plate lunch with mac salad and rice. I just need to decide if I want a pork or chicken cutlet or the Loco Moco (a hamburger patty smothered in beef gravy served with two sunny side eggs). I thoroughly enjoyed the Loco Moco and mac salad while in Hawaii and can’t wait. I can see this becoming a favorite spot for me.

Contact info:

Ice or Rice Cafe
3713 Payne Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44114
(216) 539-9092

Euro Wafel Bar

UPDATE: Euro Wafel Bar has moved to Coventry Road in the space next to Bodega. The hours have also changed, from 3 PM until 10 PM during the week and midnight on Friday and Saturday. Sundays they are open from noon until 10 PM.

The Euro Wafel Bar is a late night cafe (5 pm to 1 am) that just recently started serving brunch from 10 am-2 pm on the weekend (as of July 1, 2023). It is closed on Mondays. They also have special hours during Ramadan. Euro Wafel Bar is located on Mayfield Road off Euclid Avenue at the Huntington Bank Building on One Triangle Plaza (parking lot available in front and behind the building). It is close to Case Western Reserve University and caters to the college crowd. The place is usually packed with co-eds.

The Euro Wafel Bar serves sweet and savory Belgian waffles and crepes as well as milkshakes, coffee, tea and handmade Hawaiian lemonade. You can order a Liege, Brussels or bubble waffle or a crepe. You can order them savory or sweet.

Their savory offerings include chicken, brie, Swiss, spinach or tomato – for example, The Parisienne features brie, honey and walnuts, while the Spicy Vegetarian features hummus, spinach, avocado, olive oil and red pepper. They also have a Honey Dijon Chicken with chicken, a dijon mustard dressing, cheddar and tomatoes. Their sweet offerings feature an array of fresh fruits, candy flavors like Ferrero Rocher, chocolate, Oreo, Nutella and cookie butter, and even ice cream.

I ordered the Bananas Foster waffle with ice cream on my first visit. My friend ordered the Bananas Foster without ice cream. The portion was huge and the fillings were generous. The Bananas Foster waffle features banana, caramel, cookie butter and whipped cream. It was super-sweet, and I was not able to finish it, which was a shame. But now you can order a mini-waffle of any of the choices for $5.50.

One of the fruit waffles on a Liege waffle had so much fruit in it you couldn’t see the waffle! This waffle with bananas, strawberries and mango totally hit the spot, and every single bite was delicious.

The Hawaiian lemonades are great. I haven’t been able to order a coffee or tea because I like to be able to sleep at night. They also serve Turkish coffee, which would make me jittery and keep me up all night. I guess if I were still in college that would come in handy. I used to work as a night guard from 11 pm to 7 am and developed a serious Mountain Dew addiction back then. Caffeine was king. Now I have to stop drinking coffee before 4 pm. Getting old sucks.

Mon, Tue, Wed and Thurs	3:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Fri and Sat	3:00 PM – midnight
Sun	12:00 PM – 10:00 PM

Contact info:

Euro Wafel Bar
1854 Coventry Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
(216) 280-8037
theeurowafelbar@gmail.com (preferred contact method)

Fiyah Korean BBQ & Hot Pot

For nearly three years, diners eagerly awaited the arrival of Fiyah, the contemporary Korean eatery that opened on E. 55th just north of St. Clair in March 2023. Fiyah offers both Korean BBQ and Asian hot pot experiences in a spacious, attractive setting.

There are more than two dozen booths featuring built-in gas grills, allowing groups to enjoy the interactive art of tabletop grilling. Fiyah is going with two different all-you-can-eat models that offer different selections of meats and seafoods. There’s also a massive wraparound porch and rooftop patio. The big garage-door-like windows will be great in the summer. Drive around the building for plentiful parking and the entrance. The hostess booth is along the wall opposite the bar.

My friends and I met there shortly after it opened. I always try to review a restaurant after visiting twice, but I think I can give it a fair review after our oe visit. The reason being that it is pricey, and I don’t see a second visit in the cards soon enough. Fiyah has several rules. First of all, everyone at the table has to order the same all-you-can-eat tier. This means if one of your friends isn’t that hungry and just wants a soup or something they are out of luck. Also, if one of them insists they want something from the pricier tier like steak you all have to order that. It’s only a $10 difference, but you all have to be on board.

Secondly, there is a two-hour limit and you cannot bring home leftovers. Lastly, groups of 5 or more have an automatic gratuity added. Two of these rules tripped us up, because one of my friends ended up not staying and I still had the automatic gratuity in my head when I calculated what everyone owed and added 2% to the bill. I had to go back the next day and leave our server the missing 18%. Don’t be me. I really hope our server got the money from her coworker.

Anyway, we loved Fiyah. The dining room is industrial but “prettied up” with fake cherry blossom trees. We easily ate our fill of the great items in the AYCE Classic tier, which includes assorted veggies, beef brisket, spicy pork, pork belly and spicy (marinated) pork belly, head-on shrimp, teriyaki chicken and beef bulgogi to grill and rice for $36.99. You also get leaf lettuce to make little Korean leaf cups along with Fiyah sauce and some banchan (pickled veggies and oddly enough a fairly decent potato salad).

Everything was very fresh. I particularly loved the asparagus, shrimp, beef bulgogi and teriyaki chicken. One of our group loved all the pork belly, and the spicy items were not as spicy as you might think. So there was something for every taste. Everyone ate their fill, and we did a good job of finishing everything with minimal waste. If you have a lot of leftover food you will be charged $15.99 per pound, so just order what you can eat and order in small waves.

The AYCE Premium includes everything in the AYCE Classic menu as well as ribeye (1 per customer), salmon, spicy salmon, spicy chicken, Galbi, garlic shrimp and mussels as well as “corn cheese,” which appears to be a creamed corn and cheese dish made with corn, mayo, cheese and seasoning like mustard and doenjang.

They have a wide variety of bubble teas, fruit teas and sodas available, but if you are looking for something really special you should order the Soju Tower. It is a huge tower filled with soju (a clear and colorless distilled alcoholic beverage like vodka), yogurt and fruit. It doesn’t have a super-high alcohol content, because I had probably three or four glasses and wasn’t buzzed in the slightest. But it was super delicious and should be ordered if you are a group.

We really enjoyed our meal at Fiyah despite all the rules. The rules are completely understandable to avoid waste and people cheating the system. Since we were there in April we didn’t get to witness the patio or rooftop bar. We also didn’t notice a ventilation problem (see: Yelp) since it wasn’t that busy when we were there. There is one glaring error that I hope they fixed. I didn’t see any handicap accomodations or entrances, so if you are in a wheelchair or have mobility issues you might want to call to see if they have fixed that.

Contact info:

FIYAH Korean BBQ & Hot Pot
1253 E 55th Street
Cleveland, OH 44103
(216) 862-4267