What a hidden gem! The food amazed us at an extremely competitive price range. I want to try more…read moredishes, but today we tried the carbonara, Florentine salmon, tortellini soup (the broth was especially noteworthy), and the burrata salad. The ambiance and decor were spot on. Everything was outstanding. We were seated quickly, no wait time. And Mario, our chef and server, is a delight to be around. I can see my wife and our families returning many, many times.

Having a meal with Chef Mario and his team, on a recent weekend, has been a culinary highlight of…read more2025 (for us) in the greater Cleveland area! Tucked in the penthouse floor of a nondescript office building near the outdoor Fairview Mall complex...you navigate your way up the old, rickety elevator and around a couple of awkward corners to emerge in the kitchen of Mario's eclectic yet homey space. Getting a dinner reservation here is no easy task. It typically involves a series of text messages where you can determine when his schedule might allow for an opening for your party. Don't get discouraged as he's a very popular guy so it may be several months before you can find an open slot that meets your needs, but believe me...it is worth the wait! Pre-reservation (by a few days) you'll receive word of his chosen menu options during your visit where you'll be able to select from a variety of salad and soup options and then each guest may also choose their main dish from a variety that was larger than I'd expected for such a small operation. With seating for maybe 20 guests, when you arrive Chef Mario will greet you personally and then places you at one of his dining tables and the adventure begins! Drink orders are taken (only one red and one white wine option will be available), but feel free to bring your own spirits, wine, etc. As the meal began (and progressed), course after course of small bite plates are brought forward with a variety of tastes, textures, combinations and wild flavor mashups. I'm not going to recount each one, but every dish was truly unique and memorable. Interspersed with these "chef's choice" courses came our soup / salad choices and later in the meal our main dishes. My wife loved here burrata salad as well as her black squid ink pasta with lobster. I adored my seafood bisque and filet mignon cabernet. By the time the dessert courses arrived (yes, there was more than one!) it was getting hard to finish the dishes, but we soldiered on! In total, I think we were served nine or ten separate courses (many of which are small plate / bite style) with wine continuously flowing across this price fixe meal. It was a glorious feast in a very intimate atmosphere where you WILL get to know your table neighbors by the nature of of space layout and his intentions for communal meals. Run (don't walk) to make a reservation for this incredibly unique dining experience before Chef Mario decides to call it quits. We cannot wait for our next adventure there!

The atmosphere is very relaxed and rustic feel yet still enough spacing to maintain privacy. Good…read moremusic not overly loud, definitely a place you could just relax at. The food was absolutely amazing, cooked to perfection and plated very professionally. Meals were priced very affordably...the servers were spot on, Mariah was our bartender and our server and her service was excellent as was her mixologist skills. Will definitely return again and tell all of the wonderful experience.

Super sad to write that Char is now called "Avo"......??? I came here last year when it was Char…read moreWhiskey Bar and LOVED it! Atmosphere was a wood, rustic, whiskey barrel feel and the food was great. Came back this year, and it was probably the most brutal restaurant experience I've had in a while. So Char is now called Avo Mexican, but they didn't change the atmosphere to replicate a Mexican place. It's still whiskey themed- with signs slapped on the old logo. They still have some of the old menu items from Char- which is so confusing too. When we walked in I asked the host if the bar was open seating. He said "oh I don't know" and walked away. We just sat at the bar since he didn't come back. We asked the Bartender what happened to Char and he said the owners wanted a rebrand. But it looked like a whiskey bar still....they didn't rebrand anything. I got a marg and my guy asked for a Mexican beer they used to have. Bartender said we haven't had that in a year. So they got rid of all their Mexican beers....? Even though they are now a Mexican place? So he ended up getting a Coors Light. My Marg lacked any sweetness or Agave. It was tequila and lime juice- poor bartender was struggling with 4 bar guests. It was kinda sad. I got a taco salad and my guy got a burger. He used to get the burger with fries, but now that it's Mexican, they only have chips. We had chips and guac for an app, so that was super annoying. Fries used to be really good. And who wants a burger without fries? Place wasn't busy, but our food took 35 minutes. Bartender kept apologizing and saying the kitchen was slammed. It clearly wasn't, I'm sure the cooks were adjusting to a new menu. Food was okay. Used to be really good, but I wouldn't recommend anymore. I guess they close at 8pm some days, because around 7:40 when we just had gotten our food, the bartender said it's last call. We were kinda laughing that they did a last call during normal dinner hours. My fiancé was considering getting another beer after dinner, but I guess they were closing...so weird. I've never seen a place close at peak dinner hours. No idea why they rebranded it. Confusing signage, food is not good anymore, drinks are bad, atmosphere doesn't make sense, menu is lackluster, service and kitchen are lacking, hours are bad. Sucks to write this, but I 100% will not be returning.

Waiter did a fantastic job discussing the menu. Discussing how they made specials and certain…read moredishes. Nander two was one of the best drinks I've ever had. Dinner was amazing with the starter of the chickpea vegetables and mains of the pork chop and ribeye.

Went to Sofia's Kitchen for Valentine's Day with a reservation. We were seated pretty quickly after…read morearriving. We waited briefly near the bar. It is not really set up as a standing or social bar space, but the wait was short so it was fine. The menu is fairly small but has some interesting selections. It feels curated, though limited. Service felt slightly off throughout the night. Our waiter's style felt more casual than the setting called for. The tone and pacing did not fully match a Valentine's dinner atmosphere. It is possible they were overwhelmed by the holiday rush, which may have contributed. I ordered the ribeye rare. It came out closer to medium. The steak itself was decent, but not cooked to request. It was served directly on top of vegetables with very little open space on the plate, which made cutting into it awkward. I also ordered the crispy potatoes as a side because they were described as crispy, but they were not crispy at all. Additionally, the steak already came with potatoes, which was not clearly stated on the menu, and the waiter did not mention it, so we ended up with a duplicate side unnecessarily. The cocktails were good and probably the strongest part of the meal. We had a couple and both were well made. Overall, it felt like a 3.5 star experience. Not bad, but not memorable. It is possible Valentine's Day volume impacted execution. There were solid elements, but not enough to make it somewhere we would actively plan to return to.

Gunselmans is a neighborhood tavern that serves great food. They have a outdoor patio…read more It's been in business since the 1930's. I've had many of the menu items over the years. Everything is awesome! The service is always friendly and attentive. Tonight I had the pierogi melt burger. The bun is 2 large pierogies. It had provolone cheese and grilled onions. It came with peppers and onions on saurkraut. I added mushrooms. Plus it came with a cup of smoky sour cream. It's definitely a place worth checking out. All

Visited Gunselmans after reading a Reddit post regarding "best burger in Cleveland"…read more I came here seeking a good burger as I was recently disappointed by my experience at Whitey's Tavern in Richfield. This place had a gnarly wait. Front house staff was transparent but kept pushing my party of 2 back. Lent menu was small, a few fish fry options and only one burger on the menu. I ordered the cheeseburger with everything on it. Ketchup mustard onions lettuce tomato American cheese. Burger was large and favorful. In fact you can tell its a really good mix of 80/20 because it was dripping in juices. Fries were crispy and came with just the right amount (and a pleasant surprise of nacho cheese sauce). Burger was well worth the price of only $12 and 25 min drive. I will be back. Hard to get such a good burger with fries at this price. 8.8/10 I do recommend visiting.

I've been hearing about the "Aviator" for a long time and for one reason or another just never got…read morethere. Well we finally made it tonight. It is not what I expected. The facility is far bigger than I thought it would be. They have a central restaurant with multiple party centers on either side. It's a really BIG facility. New, modern, and quite attractive. With plenty of convenient parking. The wall of the restaurant that faces Cleveland Hopkins Airport is all glass. It affords you quite an impressive view of the airport and the planes landing. The staff we met was pleasant and efficient. Our server, Mina, did an excellent job all night. If there was a weak point, it would be the food. It was not bad (I'm trying to be kind); it was just uninspired, limited, and not really well prepared. Because they do not offer bread for the table our only option was to order the "Soft Pretzel". It arrived badly overcooked, crunchy not soft, and even boardering on burnt. The charcuterie board was OK, but uninspired. I ordered the "Lemon Chicken" which was a full half chicken in a reasonably good sauce. But the meat was dry and it came only with brussel sprouts (yuk!). My wife had the "Walleye" which she simply said was "okay"... oh well. Our guests weren't any more impressed than we were. I will say our coffee and "Pot de Creme" were very good... thank goodness. All in all, our overall experience was "meh"... just "meh". Sorry - really probably should be 3.5

Celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary called for something simple, yet memorable--and The…read moreAviator delivered exactly that. We dropped in for Happy Hour, looking for cocktails and a few bites, and were immediately struck by the well-appointed space. The runway views at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport added an unexpected layer of entertainment--watching planes take off and land while toasting 14 years of marital bliss felt like the perfect backdrop. We started strong with a French 75 and an Old Fashioned--both expertly crafted, but that Old Fashioned? Smooth, balanced, and memorable enough to set the tone for the entire evening. Wednesday happens to be Wing Day ($2 whole wings), and we took full advantage. We sampled Buffalo, Sweet & Tangy BBQ, Lemon Pepper Dry Rub, and the undeniable star of the show: Garlic Parmesan. Each had its own personality, but that Garlic Parmesan was simply elite. Service was impeccable--Emily was attentive without being intrusive, making sure our experience flowed as effortlessly as the cocktails. Speaking of which, round two brought a Cosmo alongside a repeat of that Old Fashioned...because when you find the right note, you stay in that key. For food, we shared the French Dip Baguette--shaved prime rib, provolone, horseradish aioli, and au jus done right--and paired it with the Mega Crunch Fries, elevated with sea salt, rosemary, and a light truffle oil drizzle. Simple menu items, executed with intention. We closed the evening the same way we began--together, with one final round of Old Fashioneds. A Happy Hour well spent. A celebration well honored. A 14-year journey still taking off.

Great neighborhood spot with lively atmosphere. I believe it was a former Lawsons quite almost…read moreenough parking. Overflow is the side street in front. Good food

A nice local restaurant. Food is always well prepared and the service was friendly…read more My caprese grilled chicken was tasty, and the salmon with risotto was delicious. The only suggestion would be to add a vegetable to the entrees. Added color and health would be nice.

Food was very good. I had the shrimp stir fry andy wife had the chicken risotto…read more Service was great and the prices were very reasonable.

Gotta love places like this that know what they're about. Good food, hearty portions, and friendly…read morestaff--a combination that will always hit the spot. The pesto chicken flatbread and chicken risotto were the stars for me.

This is a GREAT restaurant chain out of Toledo. Many items on the menu are all you can eat. This…read morelocation has an outdoor patio. The North Olmsted location has private rooms for parties and corporate events. The new Rocky River location might also have this. Some locations let people use their space in the evening or night for events. The waitress on 7-20-25 at 6:30 am was very nice, I used my birthday reward. They are open from 6:30am to 3:00pm daily.

I was a bit disappointed. It has been there long but it looked pretty beat up inside. The food…read morewas ok except the breakfast sausage patties. They were very salty. I wondered if maybe it was over salted by mistake. I couldn't eat them. Service was good.

Herb's Tavern has been around forever and I'm embarrassed to say that it was my first time here !…read moreAnd I loved it !!! There's a parking lot in the back, which is always helpful. We walked in for brunch on a Sunday morning, and we were able to snag the last seat on the patio. I loved the little shade sails over the patio! It really helped keep things cool. The wait staff seemed a little stressed. But we were waited on by a man and were brought our food by a younger girl. Both were very sweet and pleasant ! I was with three other people and we all loved our food! I'm kind of a French toast snob, and it was incredible ! My husband got a ham & Swiss omelette and loved all the cheese on it. He said it was great. We also both agreed that the hash browns were incredible. A perfect balance of crispy and soft. My only little complaint was that our food all came out at different times, so I was done eating before two of the people in my party even received their food. One of the other servers came over to apologize to us for the scene, which I was confused by. Apparently the next table over were throwing a fit because they couldn't split their checks. I had no idea! So kudos to the staff for handling it discretely. Afterwards though, we DID hear the disgruntled guests honking obnoxiously at the patio and flipping us all the bird. lol what in the world? Hopefully their day got better. Lol

A Rocky River classic. Some fun specials and different things on the menu, but the Herb burger will…read morekeep you coming back time and time again. A little small on the inside and feels like a time capsule but that just amps up the charm. Make sure to get the onion rings-- some of the best in the area. Service is always good, and you'll leave satisfied.

Great ambiance and conviviality! Irish bar, tea! Nice taps. Service is tops! Nothing more to be…read moresaid; come in!

Best Irish pub in town. Make sure to stop in for a perfectly poured Guinness and some fun…read moreconversation. A perfectly decorated Irish pub with a fairly grumpy yet lovely owner.