Cleveland dining scene 2025: Top trends that defined local restaurants this year

Mosaic Brewing Company in Tremont opened in 2025.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Another year has come and gone, and the Cleveland dining scene experienced several highs, and a few lows, that will be remembered far beyond 2025.

Rising costs, a turbulent economy and changing dining habits all played a factor in the dining and drinking landscape this year. Additionally, while the local community grasped on to global trends, Cleveland also received national recognition in more ways than one.

In honor of the end of the year, we’re taking a look back at 2025 through the lens of dining and drinking to figure out what trends dominated Cleveland’s culinary scene this year.

Diners prioritize value, but define it differently

While reflecting about being thankful for local restaurants, one recurring theme among modern dining trends that kept coming up was the prioritization of value. Value has a variable meaning — sometimes, it’s a great deal, a memorable experience or the convenience factor that drives choice. Expectations have changed; people are dining out more consciously, picking different places and watching their spending.

Welcome back shadowbox inside Soho Chicken and Whiskey.

We see people finding value in spaces that feel welcoming, as a meal at a dive bar might actually be cheaper than a fast-food place. Quality over quantity is another value some diners share, leading them to seek out high-end experiences.

A prime example of value is to go online and try to order a sandwich from three different restaurants A cookie-cutter Subway footlong that will probably be disappointing sells for about $13 without a side of chips or a drink. In comparison, Sam’s Supper Club in Avon Lake offers a sandwich with house-roasted meat, fresh bread and local ingredients for exactly the same price. Or, a diner could get a killer Hingetown cheesesteak from Little Cloud Sandwiches in Ohio City for just a couple dollars more. And in the two latter instances, the order is not only arguably more delicious, but it also puts money back into the local economy. Value is on top of mind for diners these days, and the habits of where people are going to eat and why are prime evidence of that.

The influence of influencers

It’s no secret that social media has a huge influence on many aspects of our lives, including what we eat. In 2025, trends like the viral Dubai chocolate, or a chocolate bar filled with pistachio cream contrasted with crunchy shreds of phyllo pastry, blew up.

Aside from local chocolatiers making their own versions of the viral treat, variations like Dubai chocolate cookies, ice cream sundaes, crepes and more made their way to Cleveland.

Four chefs in Cleveland earned semifinalist status in the annual James Beard Foundation Awards in 2025.

Additionally, thanks to the popularity of Hulu’s “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” dirty sodas also took off in Cleveland this year. The trend, popularized in Utah, features a blend of soda, flavored syrups and creams for a decadent spin on the classic soft drink. Businesses like Malley’s Chocolates and Rockin’ Refreshments have seen huge success with their dirty soda variations. In fact, The Sugar Social in Wadsworth transformed its vintage candy shop into an old-school soda shop specializing in viral treats. Aside from dirty soda, treats like freeze-dried Fruit Roll Ups or crystal candy, popularized on TikTok are also best sellers at the store.

The presentation of fish at Sushi Kuwahata.

Curated events made diners feel special

Wine dinners and pop-up markets have been a trend in Cleveland long before 2025, but this year, seemingly every bar, restaurant and food business held special events to entice diners to come out for one-of-a-kind experiences. Sante Supper Club, the Prologue Dinner Series and Secret Supper Club are just a few regular events that take the idea of a “supper club” to the next level.

Endless venues like Abundance Culinary, Poppy, Blue Point Grille, Larder, Marble Room and more have hosted wine dinners this year, often centered around a specific theme, region or winemaker.

Whether it’s oyster nights at Patron Saint or the Judith or the endless bars doing holiday pop-up bars, the Northeast Ohio restaurant scene is always trying to turn regular days into occasions worth anticipating.

We said goodbye to old favorites

An arepa from Tumbao58 at Centrovilla25.

Closings are a sad, but normal part of the regular churn of the restaurant scene, but Greater Cleveland bid farewell to a few old favorites worth remembering. The last remaining Melt Bar & Grilled, its flagship in Lakewood, closed at the beginning of the year, leaving a grilled cheese-shaped hole in all of our hearts.

That same month, the Velvet Dog announced the closing of its beloved Cleveland’s Warehouse District venue. Northeast Ohio lost an Italian institution this month when Stino Da Napoli served its last meal. Lava Lounge, Tick Tock Tavern, Rito’s Bakery and more all, unfortunately, said their final goodbye to customers in 2025.

Dining feels more diverse than ever

Cleveland established a repertoire of diverse restaurants bringing global flavors to the Midwest. Aside from restaurants in neighborhoods like AsiaTown or Little Italy, 2025 saw the inclusion of even more flavors into our local dining scene. Georgian Tiflis Bakery in Parma Heights became the first Georgian restaurant in Northeast Ohio, and its khachapuri alone is something to be thankful for.

CentroVilla25 transformed a corner of Cleveland’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood into a hub for Latin culture. After quietly opening at the end of 2024, the Latino market and incubator hub established itself as a staple this year, bringing flavors from Venezuela, El Salvador, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and more to the region.

Ebreeq Coffee brought Yemeni flavor downtown, Pierogi House is feeding Parma Heights even more Eastern European cuisine and Le Marché Clifton is bringing a Parisian market experience to the West Side. It’s easier than ever to explore a new-to-you culture through food in Greater Cleveland, and it’s something worth recognizing.

Cleveland upped its sushi game

Cleveland has always had sushi restaurants, but the options in 2025 are better than ever. Dante Boccuzzi and his protégé Jacob McDaniel opened Masu in Brecksville. Business partners Ryan Endrian and Kwan opened Kyuu Juu and Sushi Kuwahata — two separate concepts in one building in Ohio City.

The Velvet Dog nightclub closed in 2025.

Ryan’s restaurant downstairs is a cocktail bar specializing in Japanese small plates, sashimi and wagyu. Upstairs, Kwan runs an 8-seat omakase dining experience that essentially gets you as close to Japan as possible without a plane.

Additionally, the city jumped on the conveyor belt sushi train, with three Funshi locations opening this year in Northeast Ohio. For sushi lovers, the options are better than ever for delving into delicious, new flavors.

Collaborations continue to thrive

Collaboration is truly the heart of the Cleveland restaurant scene. Chefs in town know each other, tend to help one another out and, often, work with each other on one-of-a-kind collaborations. This year was no different.

Erie + Vine opened a nightlife hub in downtown Willoughby and joined forces with chef Anthony Zappola to add a second location of Tony’s Burger Joint inside of the venue. Lakewood’s Rood and Mahall’s teamed up for a one-night-only carnival-inspired menu mashup. Roaming Biscuit headed to Collinwood for a brunch collaboration with Doinks Burger Joint. BottleHouse released a koji beer and hosted Larder at its Cleveland Heights location for a pop-up release event.

Speaking of BottleHouse, its Lakewood location officially got “married” with Eugene. The two businesses are now one under the BottleHouse umbrella, with an expanded food menu that includes brunch.

A wine dinner at Poppy on Larchmere in Cleveland.

There were also moments of community collaboration at places like the MidTown Collaboration Center,which brought The Sixty6 music venue, Pearl’s Kitchen and Black Frog Brewery under one roof this year. Or Kyuu Juu’s guest bartender series, highlighting some of the city’s best mixologists from Lola’s Bistro, Bar Amazonia, LBM and Thyme Table. These are just a few of many of the noteworthy culinary collaborations this year, and it’s no doubt Cleveland will have more in 2026.

While the name is Original Dubai, this New Jersey-made bar is not the original. It has generous filling for a balanced experience.

Cleveland chefs receive more national recognition

Cleveland chefs had another great year in the national spotlight. Four chefs were named semifinalists in this year’s James Beard Awards — Jeremy Umansky and Allie La Valle from Larder Delicatessen and Bakery, Doug Katz and his business partner Todd Thompson of Zhug/Amba/Kiln and Vinnie Cimino of Cordelia. Additionally, Brandon Chrostowski, founder of Edwins Leadership & Restaurant Institute, received the prestigious 2025 James Beard Foundation Impact Award.

Cleveland.com visited several happy hours in 2025 as part of its ongoing series.

Cimino was also named one of Food & Wine Magazine’s Best New Chefs of 2025. The bakers at On The Rise Artisan Breads were one of the top 10 pastry makers in the world at the prestigious Mondial du Pain competition, which is basically the Olympics of bread baking. Although it sometimes feels like the world overlooks Cleveland, our city food scene is getting some of the recognition it deserves.

A reinvention of the classics

Some of Cleveland’s quintessential restaurants either underwent major changes or completely reopened altogether in 2025. Edwins flagship left its longtime home in Shaker Square to move to the former Nighttown space in Cleveland Heights. Cleveland heights also welcomed the return of Arthur Treacher’s to one of its former locations, marking three shops in Northeast Ohio.

Soho Chicken and Whiskey left its original location on West 25th Street and after a few months of renovations, moved to the former home of Xinji Noodle Bar on Lorain Avenue. Although the new Soho location got some upgrades, the same hospitable vibes and personal touches (Charleston Chews on the way out) that regulars have come to love it for.

Elevated sushi concepts, Dubai chocolate, reinvented restaurants, celebrity sightings and the closure of classics were major moments in the 2025 Cleveland dining scene.

Another long-awaited reopening was the Courtyard Café in Brecksville, a neighborhood staple that suffered $1 million in damages from a kitchen fire. The “real-life version of Cheers” finally reopened in May after months of closure, continuing its 40+ year legacy.

Cleveland said goodbye to familiar places like Banter in Gordon Square, although its Van Aken shop remains open. We also welcomed back old favorites, like La Casa de Luchita’s, the revival of Luchita’s, in Shaker Square. Other places, like In Forno in Avon or No. 1 Pho in AsiaTown, transferred ownership, giving longstanding restaurants a refreshed identity.

It was a bad year for breweries, but the city is still drinking

Northeast Ohio lost several breweries this year. Railroad Brewing Co. in Avon, Hoppy Dude Brews in Medina, Mentor Brewing Co. and Voodoo Brewing Cleveland Pub are just a few examples. Bookhouse Brewing in Ohio City also closed its doors, alongside Tricky Tortoise Brewing Co. in Willoughby. It comes after several closings in 2024, so the Cleveland beer community has been through it recently.

However, that doesn’t mean that Greater Cleveland isn’t drinking. Mosaic Brewing Co. opened this year, proving to be a successful addition to the Tremont neighborhood. New cocktail bars like Hemingway’s Underground in Medina, Flower on Freeman in Duck Island and Encore in Playhouse Square have added new flavor to the bar scene. So it’s not all doom and gloom, but perhaps evidence of changing drinking habits.

Happy hours aren’t dead yet

It’s no secret that the after-work happy hour isn’t the time-honored tradition it used to be. There’s no guarantee that every restaurant will offer happy hour food and drink deals, which makes it feel like it’s dying. However, if Cleveland.com’s Happy Hour Project is evidence of anything, it’s that a wide variety of restaurants, from fine dining to dive bars, have created a culture around happy hour specials.

It also depends on the occasion, but many restaurants set the mood with discounted deals and distinct vibes to make a regular weekday afternoon an event worth looking forward to.

Celebrity sightings weren’t uncommon

Cleveland’s culinary scene received A-list recognition in 2025, drawing a string of celebrity visitors eager to sample the city’s diverse flavors. From pop icons and star athletes to world-renowned chefs and filmmakers, Northeast Ohio’s restaurants have become the backdrop for headline-making meals. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at JoJo’s Bar, Gordon Ramsay, James Gunn and the Superman cast at Marble Room, Michael Symon returning to East 4th Street and Bill Murray dining on Rudy’s Strudel pierogi were just a few memorable celebrity moments from the year.

Local restaurant groups are growing

Restaurant management groups rooted in Cleveland have been steadily growing this year, adding more restaurants to their portfolios. Cleveland Restaurant Management Group recently added restaurants like Jack’s Deli in University Heights, Capriccio’s in Solon, Oddfellows in Chagrin Falls and more to its portfolio. Hangry Brands acquired properties like Edison’s Pub and Danny’s on Professor in Tremont, opened Jolene’s Honky Tonk on East 4th Street and is planning an American-Chinese concept Paper Tiger in Tremont.

Buildings and Food just appointed chef Jill Vedaa as its Vice President of Culinary Operations this month, overseeing back-of-house operations at Prosperity Social Club, Good Company, La Cave du Vin and more. These growing operations join steadily successful groups like Vessel Hospitality and Edgewater Hospitality in investing into the local restaurant scene.

We all showed up to feed each other

2025 wasn’t an easy year by any means. When 1.4 million Ohioans temporarily lost SNAP benefits due to the government shutdown on Oct. 1., local restaurants, businesses and nonprofits showed up to help. The Greater Cleveland Food Bank was the biggest line of defense, with many businesses hosting fundraisers and food drives to help its efforts.

Other local food pantries, even new ones, tried to feed as many people in need as possible.

Something Good Social Kitchen opened up this year, donating one meal for every meal purchased at the Playhouse Square Plaza eatery. Thanksgiving Heroes Cleveland delivered more than 2,000 Thanksgiving meals to families this holiday season.

Restaurants like Ohio Pie Co., Swensons, Sam’s Supper Club, Bearden’s, Thai Thai, EDWINS and more provided free meals to anyone in need, no questions asked, when the times got tough.

It was a silver lining in a scary time for so many — Clevelanders show up for Clevelanders, no matter what.

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