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    Flat Iron Café

    3.8 (146 reviews)
    ModeratePubs, Irish
    Closed 11:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)

    Flat Iron Café Pubs Photos

    FLAT IRON CAFÉ ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Flat Iron Café

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    New York Reuben with a side salad.
    Mallory S.

    Granted, my first visit to this century old Cleveland institution, was for dinner before a big baseball game, but my god, they were very, very understaffed today. It took over 20 minutes for our server to take our order and then an hour to get our food. We ended up taking most of it to go to eat at the stadium... My order was a Diet Coke ($3) and a sandwich and a side. My side salad was basic, especially since it had a $2 upcharge to be a side. I was talked out of getting the Shepherd's Pie. That's fine but I still wanted to get an Irish specialty for my first time at Flat Iron, so I chose to get a New York Reuben with dressing on the side. I think it was the first Reuben I didn't really like. Ever. And it's one of my favorite and go-to sandwich types so I've tried a lot! It was just way, way too buttery/oily/just plain sloppy and my arteries felt very, very clogged after I ate it. I finished it since I am not a quitter and I was also hungry, but it wasn't an amazing experience. I am glad it was only $12 (plus $2 for the salad upcharge). I am rarely critical of food - that comes with being a hungry, hungry hippo, but the food here is a 2/5. They've been around for 115 years. You'd think they'd perfect their food at this point! The bathroom was also filthy and everything was very sticky. As for the good aspects - it's cheap, staff is friendly (when they finally get around to serving you), and the free shuttle to the Guardians stadium is a 10/10 perk that'll probably be the main reason why I would come back here in the future. Flat Iron is not what I expected, unfortunately.

    High Level Burger w cheddar
    Renee B.

    We popped in on a Tuesday evening for dinner. Great seats at the bar with a very attentive bartender. For a starter, we enjoyed their Colossal Onion Rings with a zippy horseradish sauce. Then we had a perfect cooked to temperature burger and a tasty primanti sandwich. Fries were nice and hot.

    Eileen O.

    Every time I say Flat Iron, my mouth begins to water. The infamous Wing Wednesday got me! I've always heard of this incredible deal at The Flat Iron, but haven't had the opportunity to try until recently. AND where have I been hiding? This place is a gem and the deal is like no other! The rule: Bone in wings must be ordered in multiples of 6 per flavor. I have never had such juicy and decent sized wings until that night. Please do yourself a favor and stop by Flat Iron to try this out yourself!

    Shepherd's Pie
    Cameron Q.

    I heard this place is the oldest Irish pub in Cleveland. I decided to check it out. For appetizers, I got the clam chowder soup and my boyfriend got fried pickles. He loved the fried pickles because the batter was so light and crispy. The clam chowder was a bit salty for me. For entrees, I chose shepherd's pie and my boyfriend got the corned beef platter. The shepherd's pie was okay. I think there was just too much cheese on top. The lamb was good but I feel like there was something missing. My boyfriend's corned beef platter was a bit mediocre. The corned beef was not very good. However, the drinks were fun and super sweet for me. Our server was superb and nice. Overall, it is a historic pub but the food was meh.

    Interior
    Olga N.

    Flat Iron is a long-time iconic pub in the Flats. It was established in Cleveland in 1910. It historically served the Irish community in Cleveland. Now, it's a destination for long-time customers who have probably been going here for years. It's also a destination of Funny Bus, and buses before/after sporting events. It's a casual pub experience. The pub is no frills establishment with wood and exposed brick details. There is a bar downstairs and a few dining tables. There's also a party room upstairs available for reservations. Limited covered patio is available. You can find bar merch here such as shirts, hats, koozies, glasses, and gift cards. I have been visiting this pub for years. I stopped in frequently with friends and family when I lived downtown. I used to constantly crave their perch and pierogies. I always enjoyed beers here. My latest visit was unlike any prior experience, very mediocre. I was in the area for a music event, and stopped in. I was actually very surprised with this decline of the establishment. The bar looked dingy and unclean. Some of the bottles at the bar had thick and visible layers of dust. I ordered pierogies ($11), and received a very strange meal. The pierogies were very small, smothered in an overwhelming amount of cheese and onion. The dish lacked sour cream. The meal did not look appetizing at all. It didn't resemble a meal I'd expect from a bar or a restaurant. So after taking it to go, I changed my mind and never ate it. It was a much different presentation of pierogies than previously. I also remember the service always being jolly and welcoming. It used to be this friendly neighborhood pub. I can't say the same about this visit. It was a more dismissive and apathetic service. I was left unhappy with the changes at this once very tasty and friendly bar. Based on my latest experience I'm unlikely to return. I hope that this establishment can once again become its old self - jolly, fun, with good spirits and food! If you decide to venture out, here's a note about parking. There is limited street parking available in the area. There is also a paid parking lot right across from the pub. The parking lot is Heritage Park with the following prices: $3 daily parking (before 4 PM), $4 evening parking (after 4 PM), $5 weekend parking, and special events as posted. You can pay for parking at the signs with QR codes via mobile payment. The area is not very well lit at night, so remain aware of your immediate surroundings.

    Anita K.

    On 8/5 I purchased the perch and onion rings for a total of $26. Now, it did show on the website that it was a pretty large order and shareable...maybe I saw that wrong, because it was a small order. It was not fried crispy. It was a to-go order. When I came in to pick it up and saw it I asked the bartender if he could do a different order because the onion rings were overcooked and perch undercooked. He stated "nope, because it was already brought out to you".

    Reuben sandwich with local microbrew
    Mark R.

    My wife and I have a pre Christmas tradition of hitting Cantonese's seafood shop for oysters and then getting lunch at Flat Iron across the street. I'm always impressed with the quality of the food here! My Reuben was one of the best I've had, and that includes the very good one at Larder. Neighborhood bar environment, full of regulars, and our server was super attentive and went out of his way to look after us. This year we will be back *before* Christmas!

    Wings
    Cody S.

    What a great dive bar, pre-concert spot. We sat at the bar and the bartender was both friendly and funny. Met some other people from Cleveland, and it seemed like there were some real salt of the earth people in the bar. Oh, and the wings? A very unique almost breaded style wing that was big and flavorful. Will come back!

    Brandi E.

    Oldest Irish pub in Cleveland. Great service. Food was delicious and servings are enormous. You will leave stuffed and in a larger pants size. Decor is cool without looking trendy/hipster. Conveniently located across from Larry Flint's Hustler club if dinner and a show is your idea of a cool time.

    a view of a bridge
    Les R.

    Great food and service! This little Irish pub turned into such a great find for us. We found parking on the street and did the meter app payment. Walking in, we were greeted and we took in the atmosphere. It was a traditional pub with wood tables, chairs and bar seating. The drinks flowing and various sports were on the many tv's. Very clean on the inside too. I had a delicious Hot Ham & Cheese with cheddar. This was such a good sandwich and a solid choice. I went with the homemade pasta salad as my side. The sever let me try a sample before I committed to it and after a bite I was all in. My partner enjoyed the French Dip and he said it was perfect. Our server was great and attentive and was spot on with his recommendations. Extra points for suggesting trying a sample of the Pasta Salad and the cheddar for the sandwich.

    Fried pickle spears
    Natalie W.

    My mom and I were on our way to the aquarium when we saw this spot and wanted a small snack to hold us over until our flight back home. We stopped in and I'm so glad we did. We ordered the pierogis, fried pickle spears (ask for ranch), and the mozzarella sticks. The server was so kind and very attentive. She checked in just the right amount of time. The food was all delicious and very fresh tasting. The pickles are spears and they're beer battered, which I personally love better than a bread crumb coating. The pierogis were delicious and had the perfect amount of filling. If I'm ever back in Cleveland, I'll stop back.

    Fish & Chips
    Zack W.

    I visited here last night after looking at recommendations for the area. I always like to visit local dives and eateries and this seemed like a good fit. It's located in the Flats in a great location on the canal. It was a big menu for pub food. I had the fish and chips. It was a big portion and very good. Great service and good food. I would recommend!

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    4 months ago

    Unbelievable service and even better vibes. This place will leave you with a smile 10 times out of 10

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    Outstanding atmosphere, service, and food. Prices are so reasonable. Great experience! Can't go wrong here.

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    O'Rielly's Pub - Burger

    O'Rielly's Pub

    3.3(31 reviews)
    8.4 mi
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    We went on a Saturday evening around 5pm and ordered…read more cocktails and wings. I've seen other reviews about the wings being too crispy but I thought they were great! I want them to be crispy on the outside with a mouthful of chicken in each bite and they were just that. The lemon pepper sauce was very salty, but I love salt and vinegar chips so I was prepared. This is your typical Irish bar - long bar with 8-10 rectangle tables. We sat at the bar and our bartender/server was very friendly and helpful.

    The first warning before the actual review is don't even attempt to come to this bar on a Thursday…read morenight after 7pm. Every John Carroll University student attends this bar at this time. You won't even be able to stand. As for my other visit, it was on a Friday night. A nice sized crowd, full bar. Sports game on the television. A nice atmosphere for a neighborhood bar. A great touch is the 1 pinball machine in the corner. Older game but it does take up something to do with friends. As with service we were told that the bar is extremely behind by a rude bartender named Meg. You can tell she was overwhelmed and just seemed to be having a rough day. A few minutes later we were told by staff that the kitchen was now closed. Pretty strange as the menu is mainly all bar served fried food or burgers etc. The bartender also announced that they were out of fish as well. I continued to order drinks, they were cold and tasted as advertised. About an hour or so later , the kitchen was then re opened when the bar was less crowded. I order a dozen wings, garlic Parmesan with ranch. The wings were real solid. Nice and crispy and the garlic and parm combo was just enough. The basket of fries we got were average fries. Not crispy, nor salty but atleast they were hot. The prices were about average, no complaints about that. Overall, the bar does not seem to handle stress or large crowds very well. My wings were good, fries were average like I said. My friends attend this bar often and did tell me that this bar is not like this usually. May have been a rough day. I assume I will be back again, I wouldn't pick this place to go to but the location is close enough to the area we hang out. Not so much of any certain type of theme at the bar but I did notice the staff recognize many patrons by name so it will continue to be the neighborhood bar for many. Overall a 6.7 out of 10.

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    Rowley Inn - Bacon wrapped Tots with a spicy sauce that was delicious

    Rowley Inn

    4.5(589 reviews)
    1.9 miTremont
    $$

    This place is a one stop shop for many Cleveland classics both original and vegan versions…read more My pre-trip research brought this place to my attention. I wanted to try the pierogi and the Polish boy and the KRAUT and having an extensive beer menu doesn't hurt either. Friendly neighborhood watering hole literally on the corner and basically across the street from the a Christmas story house allowing you to eat within eye sight of the leg lamp. I wanted basically everything from the menu that came vegan (spoiler alert there are tons and tons of things) but gastric space comes at a premium on vacation so we settled on the fried cheese. I was very excited to see the Polish boy (and vegan option no less) I didn't have much of a choice. GF ordered the vegan pierogi platter with vegan kielbasa on a bed of kraut. Firstly the fried cheese was head and shoulders above any mozz sticks or anything of the sort that I have had in memory. The breading is seasoned and crispy and heaven on earth. The cheese is PIPING. Like you will burn yourself if you, like me, have no patience. The accompanying tomato sauce is also steaming. So good. The Polish boy was also in a league of its own. Love that they have a vegan version. What a combo. Probably one of Cleveland's most important community contributions. We ordered the latkes to go and they were orgasmic. What a special place.

    The food here is just incredible! The perogis, avocado toast, hashbrowns and everything else we got…read morewas just above average than your usual restaurant. I loved the little small- town feel it gave. Will be back next time I'm in Cleveland. Only taking a star off because of the parking, no (real) iced coffee, and another reason

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    Flat Iron Café - pubs - Updated May 2026

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