One of the loveliest and most thoughtful bakers! Can tell he takes a ton of passion in his craft…read moreand work. The spicy turkey and cheese croissant was absolutely amazing and super large for its price! The sweet lemon croissant was also a lovely spring treat! Totally recommend and will certainly be back!

Old school traditional Hungarian skilled baker. He was kind and thoughtful in our short…read moreinteraction. It really made an impression on me. Cherry and cheese danish was my favorite. The dough was so so good. I will be back!

Had been craving Leavened for a week and finally decided to give in. Only problem is it's near my…read moregym... so I got pastries after a workout session. Whatever. I'm so sad about this, but this was not my favorite experience at Leavened. Customer service was great of course but my selections fell short. I got a mushroom and ricotta croissant, which was fine. I forgot the ricotta was supposed to be there because it mostly tasted liked mushroom, but it was good. I also got the cinnamon monkey bread. This was not good. It was seemingly cooked in the paper that it was served in so the top of the bread pieces were crunchy, the middle was softer and then everything else was completely stuck to the paper. I didn't get to eat about 1/3 of what I paid for and I had to work really hard for the other 1/3. Also, the bread had a very spicy taste. It must have been cinnamon and allspice, but it was entirely too much and very overpowering. It truly tasted like a spicy savory bread which is not what I was expecting or wanted. Monkey bread is usually gooey and sweet. This missed the mark, but that's okay. I'll certainly return for another treat soon. Also the bread was looking fire this day.

I think I've tried this place enough to finally declare it an overall disappointment. Today I tried…read morethe hoisin tofu sandwich. The bread was fresh and crusty, there were two small strips of tofu that had maybe been dribbled on by hoisin sauce at some point, some lettuce and jalapeño slices, and carrots. The sandwich was dry as a bone and a really sad empty version of a banh mi. The chocolate rye cookie I bought as a back up was thankfully still deliciously chocolatey and soft as usual. The guy at the register said the bread pudding still has a "cinnamon roll base, so it has orange in it" despite nothing in the sign denoting this awful addition to bread pudding and the fact that cinnamon rolls are not orange rolls. But I digress and I won't fight with a cashier over their poor decisions lol. Also got a cherry chocolate sourdough on impulse. Pray it is soft inside.

Wandered in after lunch at Great Lakes interested in trying Hungarian pastries. Got the Chocolate…read moreNapoleon, it was like a puff pastry , cream and custard dessert 10/10. Also tried the Apple Linzer which tasted like apple pie and Sos Stangli. Affordable as well, I'm going to have to go back next weekend.

The vanilla napoleon is delicious! Very fresh pastries with kind owners. You can tell everything is…read moremade from scratch and all of the staff have a passion for the rich culture behind every recipe.

The pastries exceed all expectations from appearance, to flavor, to robust quality. The servers…read moreare polite and helpful. Great service. Ambience is very appropriate if you can ever take your eyes off of the pastries. They are a must visit whenever you're in town or passing through. I love this place. In contrast there is not a single bakery worth a nickel west of the Mississippi.

Not only do I love supporting small, local businesses, they have The Best Boston Cream doughnut!…read more I love to stop in for fresh dough when making homemade pizza, calzones, pepperoni bread, etc. Great deli and prepared foods along with fresh hoagie rolls to grab a sub on the go or my family loves when I bring all the fixings home from Fragapanes to make it ourselves. Definitely a North Olmsted favorite and staple to the community!

Greek! Yes, if you're looking for an authentic Greek bakery "Despina's Bakery" is definitely one…read moreplace you want to check out. A cute little establishment on Detroit Blvd. in Lakewood. We went there today for the first time. It's a small place with a few tables and comfortable chairs to sit and relax with a cup of Rising Star coffee. A single counter at the back of the room clearly displays the days offerings. I couldn't help but try their stuffed grape leaves, zucchini balls, and rice pudding. All of it looked marvelous. Can't wait to get home to try it all. The owner, a very pleasant and helpful woman, explained everything to us without hesitation as we asked question after question. If you long for Greek bakery, or just any bakery, give them a look-see. FYI... update: I just had everything I purchased for dinner. It was FANTASTIC!!! I'm definitely going back.

It's about time that Despina's starts being recognized as one of, if not the, best bakery in…read moreCleveland. Maybe I am biased--I am Greek after all--but I believe that also makes me uniquely qualified to declare this is about as close as it gets to having a little Greece in your own backyard. The location is warm and inviting, decorated with the trappings you might expect were you to walk into an Athens "kaphenio." Despina is always kind an inviting, and it's one of the few locations in the city you can get authentic Greek coffee drinks However, the real star, of course, is the food. My favorites are bougatsa (a custard pie topped with cinnamon) and the classic spanakopita, which Despina has mastered (in fact, it's even better than what you are likely to find in Greece!). Although the location is titled a "bakery," they don't stop at just pastries however--authentic Greek salad, soups, and casseroles are usually available also and are equally fantastic. I especially recommend "pastitso" and "avgolemono." One final note--catering is another fantastic option. We used Despina to cater a number of graduation parties, and everything we ordered was delicious (too many items to really include in this review) but of special note was how responsive and accommodating to our requests. I could write all day long about how much I love this location...but I would rather spend my time eating there!

Always a treat, hot fresh chai with extra spice paired with a hot croissant, you cannot plan a…read morebetter Saturday morning. The staff at Blackbird are direct, they keep the line moving and put out amazing pastries and bread all while smiling! You can get it to go, or lounge in their sun filled cafe, where locals meet up for coffee, they have their own Rising Star blend, so that's a double bonus.

Awesome bakery on the edge of Lakewood and Rocky River. They have some creative loaves and pastries…read moreand a small drink menu. I love that there are plenty of tables and places to enjoy a treat with a friend. I only got cookies on this visit, but both the sea salt chocolate chip and snickerdoodle were delicious!

Cute little Restaurant with amazing inexpensive meals and the bakery is just wonderful. I highly…read morerecommend!

Been here a few times, just now getting around to a review. Came in at 12:30 on a Friday afternoon…read morefor lunch. Was seated at a booth that was just vacated by the previous party. Outside of the bar, there wasn't an open seat in the joint. Was promptly served a Diet Pepsi and ordered the chicken Parmesan. The waitress was very friendly, fast and attentive. The chicken parm was a perfect size for lunch, and the whole meal was a bargain at $15. The chicken itself was very good, nice and crispy, though not overly cheesy or saucy. The side of spaghetti complemented it well, but the red sauce was more of a tomato topping than a spaghetti sauce. I'm not sure a side of sauce would have changed things, just very thick and not very saucy. The flavor was okay, and on par for a diner. Also got a side of the cucumber salad which was outstanding! Leaving was a bit challenging. There were several old biddies at the cash register selecting bakery items like kids in a candy store. Maybe they were there by design, as I ended up getting a raspberry coffee cake they had on the counter (which was very good). The place is cash only and I needed to make change to tip my waitress. By the time I got back to my table, there was someone already sitting there enjoying her coffee. Since there were only 2 waitresses, it wasn't hard to make sure my server got her just deserves for a job well done. The place was as crowded when I left at 1:00 as it was when I arrived. Also, I'm 60 years old and had to be the youngest in the place by about 20 years!

Best Italian beef in Cleveland! Au Ju doesn't come close! Flavor was on point! I had it slightly…read moredipped and it was perfect! Beef was sliced thinly! And the mild giardiniera was on point!

What is not to love! Anything Italian and sweet you'll find here. I stop anytime I'm in the…read moreneighborhood (& that's a little too often) Staff is knowledgeable and helpful. Very casual ambiance and you can savor your bites on the go or outside

One of the best in the world now! You can't leave there without the monkey bread! But you have to…read moreget there early or they'll run out. Everyone is so friendly and the atmosphere is great.

I was in Cleveland for work and staying with a friend who lives down the street from On the Rise…read moreArtisan Breads. She suggested this place as a breakfast and coffee place. So glad I stopped. Easy street parking. Coming from the opposite direction, I could easily make a u-turn and park. I came here for a latte and left with more. The artisan breads looked so good. I got the cinnamon raisin bread. What a treat! Fresh, fluffy, and delicious! I wish I had one closer to me. Everyone was friendly. Great neighbor spot.

I was recommended the cookies by a coworker. Salted caramel cookies were real good; love the sea…read moresalt. $1.25 a cookie which is reasonable. They also have brownie cookies & maybe 2 other kinds but this was the best looking one. I also tried the pepperoni rolls ($5). It was just dough, cheese, & pepperoni. Mediocre, so I added an egg wash and fresh herbs and seasoning on top and then put it in the air fryer for a few minutes; super delicious. I typically make my own, but for something quick on the go it isn't a bad deal; it is about 3 servings worth. I will definitely try more of their sweets if I get there at the right time when they have more options. I love to support small businesses & this one is great. It is easy to miss, inside Lakeshore Beverage, so I think they need a big sign on the other side of the building to catch drivers attention. I would recommend.

Owner is rude and nasty. The prices are horrible. Way over priced for the quality of the product …read more Does not respond well to criticism. Go somewhere else. Anywhere else