Headed downtown to Playhouse Square... home Brown's football game so we decided to stop for brunch prior... Great choice...craft cocktails terrific food with a great atmosphere read more

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Amazing whiskey selection, on point food and a great atmosphere. Everything is made from scratch and the beef is sourced locally. Love it! Also, the woodwork is AMAZING. So happy to have a place like this in River! read more

Avo - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Rocky River, Ohio

Everything always amazing Love the drinks especially the Hey Jealousy. Also had the cheese board, truffle Mac and cheese and burger. Everything tasted great. read more

Food was great, service was spectacular and the ambiance is great for either dining at a table or hanging out at the bar.

Popped in for a cocktail and was greeted by Rose at the bar... she recommended a perfect wine followed up by the Lobster roll and some killer bourbon. We'll def be back! read more

I had an excellent meal at Char Whiskey Bar + Grille. And if I'm being honest, I wasn't all that excited about going there in the first place. Though I am one who is usually leading the charge to try a new place, when my girlfriend and daughter suggested Char, it just didn't ring true to me. I checked it out in Yelp, and although the reviews were all pretty good, it just came across to me as one of those many gastro-pub-type places that are always trying too hard. Let me be the first to tell you how wrong I was. Char is the real deal. I ordered the 8-oz fillet (secretly thinking to myself that it probably wasn't going to be all that good). When it came out I nearly fell off my chair. It looked really good. Perfect medium-rare steak, quality beef, served with mushroom risotto, al dente with the right amount of creaminess, and haricots verts. This was a 5-star meal by any standard. Service was as top notch as the meal. The right amount of checking-in on the table so that our glasses were always full, and so we were sure to have everything we needed with our meals, but not hovering or overbearing. I did not have a cocktail with dinner that particular evening, however, they have a nice menu of craft cocktails that seem to cover a wide variety of mixes. They also provide a pretty decent-size bourbon list. I'll be back for some of that! Owners Gabe and Julie are quoted as saying that they wanted to create an experience and a place that they would want to go to. They hit the nail on the head. I promise you Char Whiskey Bar + Grille will far-exceed your expectations. I don't know how often i will find myself in this particular part of town, but if I do and I need a great place to eat, Char Whiskey Bar + Grille will be my # 1 choice. read more

Overpriced for the the food and the ambiance. Decent service but The ambiance is cold and the food is pricey. Glad we tried but it won't be one of our regular places. read more

Char has a pleasant ambiance but the food and service left something to be desired. Our waiter although pleasant was rarely to be found. The onion soup and chowder was excellent. The wedge salad was terrible...watered down sour cream. Not sure I'd go back. read more

Couldn't even concentrate on the food because everything from floors to tables was sticky.

So far so good both appetizers were good . Calamari / Char Wedge. Service was ok. Not sure if there's a dedicated host or not but wasn't greeted when we walked in. Waited but less than a minute to show up. Damn that steak was cooked perfect and was told the Lobster Rolls were better than what they had in Boston but not better than Maine. read more

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Never tried this place before, but glad we did! Service was excellent, very attentive without being overbearing. We ordered drinks an an appetizer (corn bread) which came out almost immediately. After we finished that, our main dishes came out lightning quick! My wife had the short rib Mac and cheese, which was quite good, and I had the lobster roll, which wasn't bad, though certainly not New England caliber (no one in New England uses a spicy aioli on a lobster roll, nor adds bacon). Nevertheless, it filled my hankering for lobster. We were very pleased with the food and experience at Char, and will definitely return! read more

Bourbon manhattans and juicy ribeye steak appetizers to die for. So good. Will be back when in town.

My husband and I went at the end of January; plan on making reservations because I'm not sure they allow any type of walk ins. Let me make one thing explicitly clear...GET THE CRAB CAKES. Holy cow. We ended up ordering a second order because they were THAT good. Steaks were also pretty good - mushroom risotto was also bomb. My husband also said, obviously, they have every bourbon out there, so that was amazing for him. But my take away...I would order multiple orders of the crab cakes and mushroom risotto for my entire meal & be happy! read more

I've had Lobster Rolls on both the East Coast and the West Coast. In Maine, Lobster Rolls are sold like Chili Dogs at roadside stands and they are very good. My West Coast Lobster roll experience was recently documented on this page ( Sabella & La Torre Restaurant at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco ) Imagine finding East meets West in a suburb of Cleveland at Char Whiskey Bar & Grille. Anytime I find a menu that I read and want to try more items than I can finish or that exceeds my budget , I know I will become a semi-regular there. I am already scheming to go back. Pictured are the LOBSTER ROLLS : served two ways on local buttered split top rolls -lobster salad + warm butter basted This menu item was two sandwiches ( why not?). One was claw meat and butter( served warm or at least the bun was warm and toasty ) and the other was Lobster Salad which was my lobster roll choice - my "best bite" of the meal. And I got the BURRATA CAPRESE - burrata, fresh mozzarella, basil, heirloom tomatoes, balsamic glaze, olive oil pesto. I got this as a compliment to the crunchy buttery goodness of the rolls. This started life as a typical caprese but was bundled with a sack of burrata. Burrata is a piece of heaven. If you have never tried burrata, fast track it on a bucket list. What a great combination! Make a note and try this restaurant. It opened late last year. The owner said they have over 200 types of Whiskey ( none for me I was driving) Jump on their website , i want to try the Goat cheese ( pistachio crusted ) with Naan bread. read more

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Char! You're beautifully decorated and going above and beyond with Covid measures which is great. Beware if you order the french onion soup it's big enough to be your whole meal, but it's so good! I wanted like, everything off the menu. I felt portions were pretty big!! Plus they offer the beyond burger, yay! Always good to see local restaurants hip to the non meat options. And the lobster mac & cheese is INCREDIBLE. My favorite part of the meal. I was a little bummed because their seafood chowder is what brought me in, but I quickly learned the bacon is infused into the soup and not just a garnish that can be held on request. This was sad to me. Also, it was so dark I had to read the menu by cell phone light which was interesting, but it adds to the ambiance, right?! However, I think they did a great job with everything. Their cocktail menu looked impressive but i did not try anything off of it. I want to come back and try the scallop dish soon. Happy to add this restaurant to my safe, rotating list of local restaurants during these times! read more

Best whiskey menu in the Cleveland area. There are some good items on the menu as well. My friend and I had a couple bourbons and each had a burger. The atmosphere is casual but it doesn't match the expensive items on the menu. High end steaks don't reconcile with cafeteria setting. I still like the place and will come back to try other menus items. Adding local draft beers would be a nice fit. read more

3-20-21 First visit to Char. Let me share the good first, followed by only one negative remark that unfortunately gives the rating a significant decline. Also, I will go back in the future and update accordingly if needed. Called on a Saturday late morning and the staff was extremely helpful with getting me a reservation set for early evening and also let me know I can do it online. Got there and were seated promptly at the bar, which we requested. The place is small but very inviting and has a fun feel to it. The bartender was pleasant, helpful and happily took care of everything we needed. My date started with the mussels that were cooked very well, perhaps a bit light on flavor and my salad was good. We both ordered the filet and she added a crab cake. She said the crab cake was one of the best she has ever had. The presentation was good and the flavor of the entree was also very good. The steak was seasoned well and was accompanied by flavorful risotto and good broccolini. Now comes the 2 star problem, both steaks were over cooked. We both ordered medium and I would put these somewhere between medium-well to well done. I hope that this was a one time issue with our steaks as I think that had these been medium, my review would easily be a 4 if not 5 star. Even though many other things were so right with our experience, I cannot overlook such a significant issue. read more

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One of the best meals we have had in a long time! I definitely recommend Char! Great service, fun cocktails, and the entrees were excellent! Scallops and Wagyu were cooked to perfection and the sides were yummy too. We can't wait to go for brunch. read more

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The seafood chowder was good. The hey jealousy was good as well but not amazing - might just be preference. A bit pricey even for happy hour

Hubby and I came here for Valentine's Day/Anniversary. We both like whiskey, and I will say that the whiskey list is very impressive. However, personally I would like to have a flavor profile of the bourbons since I'm not super familiar of which ones I would I like and the prices aren't horrible but I don't want to pay $17 for something I'm not going to enjoy. My husband got the Char Burger which was really good and cooked to the perfect medium temp. I got the chicken Mac and Cheese... well the Mac and cheese portion was good, however I'm a little upset I paid $4 to add chicken which was bad. It was a thin grilled chicken breast, I realize the name of the restaurant is Char but that doesn't mean my entire chicken breast should be charred and dry. I didn't even bother eating more than 2 pieces of it because it was that disappointing. The maplehattan was delicious and the char julep was good as well. Our server wasn't horrible but definitely wasn't the greatest. When we got there they had a small crowd the place was definitely not busy. He was very nice but very slow coming to get our orders. Both upon arrival and for the next round. This place is about a 25 minute drive for us and honestly we were pretty disappointed. If we are out this way we would stop in solely for the bourbon list. The food was nothing to write home about which is disappointing. read more

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Probably won't be a popular review given how much everyone seems to like this place, but went last night and it was just okay. Seems like a great gathering place - meet your friends for a cocktail before going out to dinner. Phenomenal whiskey selections and a really inventive/fun selections of beers and cocktails. Ordering dinner though, was just a series of weird mis-steps. I got the house salad which said it came with "heirloom" tomatoes. Char's version of heirloom tomatoes is apparently 2 or 3 cherry tomatoes cut in half. Entree shows up and the mashed potatoes are cold. Like literally cold. Food in general didn't seem very well seasoned. Blackened salmon had some decent spice, but wasn't crusted or even what looked like seared. Food-wise it had the feel of someone who put a good amount of thought into creating a fun gastropub kind of menu, then hired a bunch of high school kids at $15/hr to cook it - while still charging upper range gastropub prices. The comment in a previous review hits the nail on the head - "Applebees food on a steakhouse budget." Service was decent once you got their attention, and as mentioned drink menu overall was great, but overall just okay and won't be back. read more

I came in with my fiancé and our dog the other day and they had a table open on the patio. The staff that greeted and seated us was very nice and doggo was treated very nicely as well and given a bowl of water. The drink selection has something for everybody but I believe they specialize in bourbons or whiskeys. The food was very good, I had a tuna tartare (I tend to get one wherever I'm going) and my fiancé had a meaty Mac and cheese concoction. Not only was it delicious but for those of you who like a generous portion size - that's a dish for you! We will be back for sure read more

This place has great food, but to be honest, I always order the Waygu burger. I never order burgers anyplace, but there burger is the best I've ever had. Ambiance is not really that special. We usually sat at bar. The bar is wide, the seats DID have backs. NOW, they've gotten rid of chairs with backs and replaced them with stools. We don't even consider Char, any longer. The regular table seating is dark, and the bar seats are not comfortable. Too bad. Perhaps I will do carry out one day, soon. read more

Second visit - first visit was for take out during Co-Vid shutdowns in 2021. Overall, both ended up with a similar synopsis - just OK. On the star scale, 3 stars is for "ok" and this would be our rating - not very good and far, far from excellent. However, OK + would be the rating. Ventured in on a Sat. evening around 6:30. Started our way out of downtown Cleveland, heading up Detroit Road to home. All establishments looked packed, with extended waits. Drove into the small parking lot in the back for Char and Mellow Mushroom, figuring if we were lucky with a spot we would go in. Plenty of spots. No wait, in fact quite a few tables were open. Actually I was seated viewing the dining room and noticed tables were available all evening. Ordered the Mussels' and Calamari as apps. Mussels preparation was the highlight of the whole meal. The broth was fantastic - almost like a parm. cream. Bad news, they give you two super small crostini (I'd say sliced baguette) toasted which did nothing to sop up the juices. The calamari was good although my spouse hit it on the head by saying they need to up their calamari game - all the pieces (tentacles and tubes) were very, very small. Possibly look for a higher grade calamari. Chose the Berry Chicken salad. It was good, and nothing more. Nice char on the chicken with fresh berries a good accompaniment. However hardly any goat cheese or pecans were in the salad. Balsamic dressing was ok, but very little of it. Finished off by splitting a Char Burger - Medium and added on the Rosemary Truffle fries. First off, it arrived far from medium - not a single drop of juice to the burger and no signs of anything pink. The fries - no signs of rosemary at all - not a speck of green in there. Drinks were a glass of red wine and a Catawba Blonde Ale touting brewed with habaneros. Not a hint of spice in there at all. I guess this drink was a precursor to the entire meal - ok/good, but far from reaching that next level. Atmosphere was vibrant and nice (although my spouse hated the chairs) and the service was exceptional (Charge slip said Victoria F.). Also noticed there was no front of house manager - a bit odd. Maybe they were filling for the kitchen staff. Total damage - $87, before tip. Too pricey for what we received. Big Question - Would you go back? Ahh, why do you do this as I hemm and haw. Maybe - possibly. It's not a no, but it's not a yes. Second big question - would I recommend this - again, on the fence. I would say yes, but with major up front disclosures of our experience. Would I try other restaurants from their family (Avo Modern Mexican, Indie E. 4th Street, Lago (Marblehead)? Ahh, again on the fence but I probably would try the mexican. This experience was far from a home run, but also not a strikeout either! read more

Great food and ambiance. Original dishes, great beer list and spirits. Highly recommend

Absolutely Fantastic!! Food was super fresh, service was great. It's obvious the chef is top quality. I highly recommend the pineapple guacamole appetizer and ask for the homemade version of "ranch" if you order a steak salad or fries. It was like a Parmesan pepper dressing but omg soooo good...And of course the gentleman in our group enjoyed that they had LOTS of whiskey to choose. read more

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We've been here at least 3 times. I'm all about the scallops!! The guacamole is also super yummy and the drinks are on point. I've never had a bad experience here. read more

Went with the girls on Sunday for brunch and everything was fantastic! Drinks were delicious and almost too pretty to drink. Everyone's food was great and our server, John, was very attentive and thorough and had great food and drink suggestions. We will definitely be back! read more

Avo - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Rocky River, Ohio

Had a great dinner experience at Char. I used their reservation on the website, it went very smoothly. Table was ready when we arrived. Tables were separated appropriately, I felt comfortable. They have a great diverse menu. I loved our drinks, if you are in the mood for something sweet the key lime martini was awesome. The lobster roll app was great it comes with one warm and cold. Definitely worth a try in the Lakewood/Rocky River area. read more

Edit: We dined here 2 months ago, on a beautiful, chilly Saturday night. We chose patio seating due to Covid and social distancing. This place used to be Sweet Melissa. I like the industrial decors. It was just the two of us, so we opted for appetizers to share. My friend got Ahi Poke and Hey Jealousy cocktail, while I got the infamous Lobster Rolls and So Bright and Pink cocktail. Let me tell you, we both were full by the end of the night. We didn't even order any entrees. The cocktails were delish and refreshing. We ordered a dessert to share as well, but I cannot remember the name, something strawberry. It was light and not overly sweet, just how I like to end my meal. Overall, the lobster rolls were good portions for the price tag. It's my favorite. I'll definitely come back just for the lobster rolls and cocktails. read more

Avo - Top: Ahi Poke Bottom: Lobster Rolls - Cocktail Bars Near Me - Rocky River, Ohio

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The seafood chowder was amazing. I was super hung over so I didn't get a chance to dig into some whiskeys, very nice collection though. I also got the char burger. It was amazing with the rosemary fries. I'll definitely be back. I bet everything there is amazing read more

The food, location and cleanliness was all four star. The steaks were cooked to perfection. The lobster Mac is amazing. Drinks were perfect. The waitress was pleasant and attentive. So what was the issue? We came in for our 8pm reservation and the hostess felt inclined to remind us they close at 9pm. She also mentioned it to three more parties after us. Our waitress brings us the check while we are still eating. It was just after 9pm and we wanted dessert. We felt very rushed. read more

Best hamburger i have had in a long time. Also very nice employees. Everyone enjoyed their food and will definitely go back again

I've been slowly going to more and more restaurants since the "quarantine" has been lifted- and I'm happy I got to check this place out with my friends. We sat outside on the patio (small narrow patio, but still comfortable for the most part; high-top seating). Service was exceptional- they really had a good system in place. It was nice the owner/chef was involved in bringing the food out and checking in on guests. But the food- WOW- delicious! From the amazing, giant crab cakes, to the excellent burgers- this place had it down! The cocktails were wonderful too. Really looking forward to coming back here and trying other things on the very diverse and well-priced menu. Don't miss this place! read more

This was my and my husbands first time at Char. Service was great and our drinks were exactly what we expected. We shared the lobster rolls and upgraded from chips to fries. We were very disappointed in the amount of lobster in each roll for the price. Would try a different entrée if we visit again. read more

Went here around 2 and they only had a minimal brunch Menu? My food was ok. Super dark... like could not see anything at all. Would maybe try again? read more

Updating review bc the owner went above and beyond to make the issue we had with the steak salad and carryout process right. Unbelievable customer service. read more

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Omg . This place is awesome . I had the chowder soup and the pork tenderloin. . It just melted . Staff is great ! The Julie whiskey flight well worth it Next time I'm in the area I will stop again read more

Cocktails and food are delicious. Servers top notch. We go there whenever we are in River.

Went for Whiskey Wednesday to get some Old Forester single barrel as advertised on their website. When I got there they said they switched out to Buffalo Trace. Very disappointed. Food was good. read more