I was exploring restaurants in the area and came across Lox, Stock, and Brisket in the lively…read moreVanAken Market Hall -- and I'm so glad I did. I saw some menu items that sounded light and refreshing (like the lox with cucumbers) and figured it was worth a try. As I followed my GPS and other people walking in, I had no idea what to expect -- but the moment I stepped inside, I was blown away. The space is filled with beautifully curated shops and venues all under one roof, and the energy was vibrant, electric, and welcoming. People of all ages, backgrounds, and cultures were there -- it truly felt like a community gathering spot that instantly felt like home. I placed my order, grabbed the lox and a Coca‑Cola, and found a free table amidst so many people enjoying themselves. The community feel was unmistakable -- people chatting, laughing, and soaking up the atmosphere. The food was wonderful, the service was fantastic, and overall the experience was unforgettable. If you're looking for a place that's more than just a meal -- one with real heart, vibe, and community spirit -- this is it

Tried the brisket sandwich at Lox Stock at van Aken. Flavor-wise, it was very good -- the brisket,…read morecheese, and pickle combo worked nicely and tasted great. That said, I was disappointed by the size. For $20, I expected a thick, hearty sandwich, but this felt pretty skimpy for the price. Ordering was also a bit frustrating -- I had to repeat myself three times, and the employee taking my order had AirPods in. When your job involves communicating with customers, that really shouldn't be allowed by management. Good flavors, but between the small portion and the ordering experience, it's only 3 stars for me.

Large build your own 14 inch sub was $20. It had one meat and one cheese and two sauces. Expensive…read more Delicious basil aioli. The brownies are $7.50!! I was going to get one but it was very hard. No rice pudding today sadly. The chocolate chip caramel cookie was kinda sorta soft and flavorful. Overall meh, better as a little boujie grocery with various beers and dry grains/beans. No sign outside/above so very easy to miss!

Dominik's Deli is a deli/market located in the lively Lee Rd district (DORA) of Cleveland Heights…read more The deli is famous for their pizza, subs, homemade ice cream and Italian ice. You can also find grains, cases with dessert, and beer inside. The deli is extremely tidy. Various dining options exist - inside at a table (one table available) or outside/patio (two tables available). Service here is always top notch, genuinely nice people, and very quick service. Prices are comparable to prices at any other metropolitan spot. I'm obsessed with their Papa sub. It has prosciutto de Parma, Brie, wild arugula, local honey, and toasted pistachio. It tastes like eating a tasty charcuterie, so fresh and delish. Another favorite is rice pudding. It's so gooey and tasty. Every sub I tried here tastes extremely fresh and has quality ingredients. The bread, the meat, and the ingredients. Consistently delicious. It's a quality you'd expect at a restaurant, not a deli. Parking can be found on the other side of Lee Rd (municipal lot) or street parking in the area. If you'll enjoy this experience, the owner also owns Zina and Chicken Ranch in the next city over.

Everything was great! We had a big group and had some complicated orders, so we held up the line a…read morelittle bit, but the staff was quick and kind. The food was so good. Everything tasted fresh and well seasoned. Someone thought their brisket was mid, but that was the only issue. I appreciated how easy it was to make my meal vegan also. Great place to take a group

Went for a quick lunch and it was delicious. I got the chicken hummus plate with a side of falafel…read more Service and atmosphere were both great! Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Atmosphere: 4.5/5

I have a deep love of the smell of bread so, smell-wise, this place is heaven…read more I popped in here with with a friend and left with a number of things. Baguette, red fife bread, cheddar clove scone and a mocha. The bread buts were crusty and beautiful. Since it was around lunch we also got a pork banh mi to split and it was full to the brim with pork and a decent amount of pickled veggies. Everything was delicious, can't recommend enough!

The breads here are good, don't get me wrong. But for a place that entered and placed in a baguette…read morecontest in France, I was perhaps underwhelmed. The baguette was reasonably crispy, but the flavor was nothing special (this might be true for a baguette ordinaire in France, but not for the "baguette tradition" implied by "traditional baguette"). Fougasse was heavily seeded and had a nice flavor. Pastries were pretty good with nice-quality pastry cream but maybe more chocolatey than I'd expect. It's definitely a great option in the neighborhood if you're around, but I don't think I'd make a special trip from out of town.

I've passed Honeybirch Bakehouse more times than I can count, always thinking "oh yeah! This is…read morehere. I want to try it." Finally, my husband and I went because we set a goal for 2026 to try a new bakery. Honeybirch did not disappoint! The friendly couple who owns the shop is hard at work putting out delicious and ever changing goods. I got hooked by the cardamom bun, which luckily is one of their staples. We also enjoyed some savory pastries and loaves of bread. Can't wait to make this a more regular part of our bakery rotation.

Thanks to Too Good To Go (and my love of desserts!), I finally got around to trying Honeybirch…read moreBakehouse a few weeks ago, a "new-ish" bakery on the other side of Cleveland Heights from my house. For a discounted price of about $9, I came home with 4 delicious baked goods and a mini baguette about an hour before they closed for the day. Note: $9 is way less than what you will normally pay for these 5 items. They average around $4 each. I got a savory scone, a massive cookie, a mini baguette, an apple muffin, and a huge cinnamon roll. I ate the cinnamon roll nearly right away once I got home. The cinnamon roll with cream cheese ($6) was SOOOOO moist and decadent! I warmed it up for a few seconds and then enjoyed one of the best cinnamon roll I have ever had. The vanilla and cinnamon were very prominent. Definitely a calorie bomb though. I shared the other sweet treats with my sister the next day and we agreed that the next best item was the muffin. I should also mention that the staff member that helped me that afternoon was very nice and most likely the owner. He was very helpful in explaining what each item I got in my box was and also in helping me decide on a gift for a friend I was about to see soon. I bought my friend a box of locally made teas for about $14 and she loved them! I definitely hope to come back here soon (once I have worked off the pounds from this most recent visit haha)!

Food is always perfect. Breads are the best Scones are…read moredifficult to pick out on the weekends. Have to get all flavors. Specially made Boules are wonderful!!

On The Rise is famous for their sweet and savory carbs…read more We kicked off Halloween with breakfast at this local gem. Since I wanted the inside scoop on this award winning bakery, we ordered a variety of goodies to taste test. This included a chocolate chip cookie, the mushroom quiche, and the classic chocolate croissant. While each was delicious, the mushroom quiche was my favorite of all three items. This creation was warm and savory, while also being light and leaving me ready to take on the rest of a busy day. Highly recommend visiting early, popular menu items sell out fast!

Rated Best Bagels in Ohio, this place is legit. Between quick and friendly service, and generous…read moreshmear & toppings, you're leaving full and delighted every time. Their NY-style bagels have a signature cornmeal crust which takes it all to the next level. They have a cool, urban vibe-- the place small but cute with adequate seating, a nice merch corner, good signage, and even custom-made art by a local artist. The owner, Josh, and everyone who works there is wonderful. Everything is so thoughtful & well-executed, so there's a reason they always get glowing reviews-- they deserve 'em!

Some of the best bagels in town (i.e., East side suburbs) -- their rye bagels are the best I have…read moreever had anywhere ever, just COATED both sides in seeds and super crunchy. The flavor is fantastic, the perfect merger of bagel and rye bread! incredible for sandwiches! No other rye bagels compare. Onion, Garlic, Everything all excellent. I did not care for "spicy" Everything, but that can be just me. I have not yet tried their cream cheeses, they sound good but I'm a "toasted & buttered" bagel girl. BTW: if you like to slice & freeze bagels for later... they sell day olds that are extremely good & fresh and freeze perfectly -- a real bargain! (NOTE: Nubeigel tends to make a "more browned" bagel, almost Montreal style -- vs. the very pale bagels at other local bagel shops. I love this, but YMMV.)

Visiting Cleveland from California my one must is to visit Dave's Cosmic Subs- it is my favorite…read moresandwich I've had and is super nostalgic for me since I grew up in Cleveland. The University Circle location is probably the one I've been to most often. I heard they were under new management but didn't think much about it since they're all franchises of the Original Chagrin Falls location and even with different owners the quality, in my experience, has been pretty consistent. When we stopped in it looked like the same store I've known and loved over the years and I ordered my two favorites- the Original and the Crazy (the best IMO) We took them to go and I could barely wait to dig in. The first thing I noticed as I unwrapped the Original was there was no pickle- I thought it may have fallen out but after unwrapping both and checking the bag and floor I realized they didn't add them. Was this an oversight or has management 86ed the pickles!? That was a small disappointment for sure. The sandwiches also looked a bit smaller than I remember, and I have a lot of pictures over the years to compare them to- I chalked it up to inflation, a lot of things are getting smaller as they rise in price. Then I bit into it and the crispy bread was just not it. The bread was still good, but not cooked enough. Usually pieces of it flake off as you eat and you get the crispy outside with the fluffy, fresh inside. The juxtaposition of texture is part of what makes these sandwiches my favorite. It was soft bread with the amazing sauce, lettuce, tomato meats and banana peppers on the Original- still tasty but not what I've come to expect over the 25 years I've been eating these subs. The staff was friendly and they have the indoor and outdoor seating still, but they might want to do some quality control on the sandwiches they're sending out to customers. I wish I had time during my visit to stop by the Chagrin Falls location to compare and see if it's franchise wide or just this location. To the business, I hope the undercooked bread and lack of pickles was just an off moment. Please keep the original amazing quality going. To people looking to try Dave's, it's still so delicious and I recommend buying sauce to use at home. I got three bottles to bring back to California and I'll be using it on everything.

Just the worst!!Employees are rude dismissive and just mean¡You will never hear them say thank you…read moreand have a nice dayThey literally will have there back to rhe customer until you finally say can you please take my order!

Finally got to try No Fork and I was not disappointed! I ordered the breakfast burrito online and…read morepicked it up in store. I was a little late on picking it up, but it was still warm. The burrito is huge, comes with sausage, bacon, potatoes sautéed onions and peppers and eggs. Everything was really well seasoned, especially the peppers and onions. The burrito was a little expensive IMO at $13 and it didn't come with sour cream. The space was clean and service was fast. I'm excited to try this place again and get something else.

Wanted to like this place more but it just fell flat. Came…read morehere after a hike nearby with a girlfriend. She was hesitant to choose this place at first because she wanted more options than just burgers/sandwiches. Thankfully we found some Google images of the menu that had rice bowls. Friend ordered a salmon rice bowl and I ordered their famous donut burger. I thought the donut was a little too small and skinny for the price at $14. Also, this is a big kicker--no fries or sides! Within the burger, just a square of Kraft cheese, some bacon, smash burger type patty (2) but no onions, tomatoes or even cucumbers (or pickles). The value is just not it for this. Did it taste good? It did but I needed more of a crunch. Just 1 or 2 slices of raw onion would've been good. Oooooh or like crispy haystack onion straws would be perfect. Server said fries were an additional $5. Okay, no thanks! The place was really loud. It echoed slightly and just the clientele were extremely rowdy on a non-holiday Wednesday evening. It took a while to get seated, for server to even come over to take our order and to request our check. Not very impressed with the experience.

I had an amazing chicken sandwich. I definitely would go back. It's a little bit pricey, but the…read moremacaroni and cheese is amazing.

Every time I visit Cleveland and want a Nashville Hot chicken sandwich, I head to the Chicken…read moreRanch! No one does it better!!!