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    Winking Lizard

    3.4 (313 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 11:30 pm
    Updated 3 weeks ago

    Winking Lizard Photos

    Business Info

    WINKING LIZARD ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Loud
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Winking Lizard

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    Chili with way too much onion
    Mary Lynn J.

    We were there on a Saturday prior to attending the Polar Express. Our party was eight (5 adults and 3 kids). The place was packed with many customers clearly planning a trip to the Polar Express. We were told it would be a 45 minute wait. It was only 15 minutes. Our waitress was great. She was prompt, helpful, cheerful and friendly. Our food was delicious and hot, although the chili was so spicy, I couldn't eat it. The restaurant was crowded but they moved people in and out quickly. The restrooms are clean and warm.

    Daily Specials
    Mike S.

    Great ambiance with many TV's to watch sports. Amazing beer list of draft, bottles and cans.

    Chicken cheddar bacon sandwich
    Karla S.

    We were in town for a work trip and was only going to be there one night. This restaurant was recommended so we tried it out. Not a good decision, unfortunately. We gave our name and phone number and were told probably a 30 minute wait and they would text us when a seat on the patio was available. Surprisingly, we got a table in ten minutes! We sat down and decided to order some apps while we reward thru the menu. Our waitress was pleasant but seemed a bit shy. We got the spinach dip & breadsticks and both came out pretty quick. The apps were delicious! Our entrees were not. My salad greens were not tasting fresh and clean so I didn't eat much of it. My friend's salad also she said had the same issue and the chicken was a bit rubbery so she didn't feel comfortable eating hers either. Finally, the other person had the sandwich and said it tasted "dirty" and the bacon wasn't fully cooked. He only had a few bites and passed on the rest of it. Good thing we had decent apps. Well, the guy with the sandwich didn't fare well that night and was up sick all night and missed the work meeting that we had travelled three hours in for; we all felt bad. He only had a little bit, too! Maybe it was an off night there, who knows, but none of us would recommend this place to a friend. I'm sorry to leave a poor review but this meal was a fail.

    Boneless wing special! Mango Habanero , Hot, Peach
    Taylor D.

    This is by far my favorite Winking Lizard location. Not only is it operated smoothly, which is essential because it is always busy there, but the views from the bar area are impeccable. You almost feel like you're at a fine dining restaurant with the view of downtown Cleveland's skyline! The food is always on time and cooked to perfection. They also always offer seasonal/special cocktails which are delish. I'll be back to try more specials and just return for a fun hangout spot!

    Alyssa Z.

    Let's just say I give this a 3.5 star. It took two attempts to come here because the first time they were very busy. Self-serve popcorn is a nice touch however, since the clients are able to grab it themselves, you don't know how sanitary that could be. Definitely a happening spot for the area good prices mid bar food, but overall agreed atmosphere to hang out with friends. Grabbed a couple appetizers shrimp, pickles, pretzel and ribs, just so that we can try some stuff out. My husband loves the fries, steak cut fries or clutch overall feel like in for a sports bar to hang out in. I would recommend it.

    Menu
    Todd C.

    Great place on the hill. Good views good beer large menu. I had the gyro special. Very tasty, the tzatziki sauce was a bit thick, but tasty. Fries are big and delicious.

    Ribs & friesre
    Eddy R.

    Well it wasn't the 1st place we picked but it was 1 helluva meal. My brother &i shared 1/2 a bacon cheeseburger & 1/2 of a full slab. My grandson & wife shared wings & fries, mom ate a bacon cheeseburger. Everything was to die for the ribs were fall of the bones which to me l'm not a fan of but oh well it was very delicious, the cheeseburger had an awesome char flavor. Wings flavor were good the taste were above ordinary wings. The all around ambiance were eye appealing there was a TV with something playing a different sport for all type of occasions from car racing to baseball. We had Tatiana as a server she was very atentful from refilling our refreshment to asking my brother if he wanted his beer refilled.even though we weren't the only table she had. She made sure everyone was satisfied, she was a great waitress hope we have her again next time we go again... ***BUEN PROVECHO***

    Melissa B.

    OH 02-2024 Winking Lizard Tavern at Independence Ohio near Cleveland Ohio With hubby Tony Vanoy. We enjoyed lunch after the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. Tony ordered a Budweiser and I went with iced water with lemon & lime. Tony chose the Chicken Philly with Steak Fries and I went with the Bacon Cheeseburger with Steak Fries. The food was pretty good. They have their own ketchup and BBQ sauce and the fries were killer! There are a lot of restaurants in the area I have never eaten at before, so I would probably try somewhere else before going here again...nothing stood out to me as a definite I git to go back for! I hope your experience is better!

    Cajun chicken wrap

    I'm visiting Cleveland for the week. This location is pretty close to my hotel, so I thought I'd try it out. It's a normal Saturday night crowd, nothing crazy. All they had available was outdoor in the blazing sun. Fine. I ordered fried pickles as I sat down. I then ordered the Cajun chicken wrap before I got the pickles. The pickles came decently quick. They were middle of the road. I then waited well over 30 minutes for my wrap. It was horrible. The Cajun seasoning burned, giving the whole wrap a burnt flavor. The Southwest ranch was awful. I truly can't believe I waited so long and paid so much for this dinky piece of garbage

    Veggie wrap and fries - excellent

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    Great food, great service, affordable drink specials, I have been back a couple times when I'm in town

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    Page 1 of 8

    Ask the Community - Winking Lizard

    Review Highlights - Winking Lizard

    I love the free popcorn they offer, nice little snack until you get your food.

    Mentioned in 9 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Applebee's Grill + Bar

    Applebee's Grill + Bar

    2.7(77 reviews)
    0.7 mi
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    The food was ok. No problems with the bacon cheeseburger and fries…read more Service was slower than expected but sufficiently friendly. I was turned off by the wait person wearing long, painted nails. Ok, it was weird that a guy was wearing them. However, whether male or female, Health and safety regulations strongly support short, clean nails. Food‑service rules emphasize that nails must be short, clean, and easy to sanitize. Long nails -- whether natural, acrylic, or gel -- can trap bacteria and are harder to clean thoroughly. This increases the risk of cross‑contamination. The FDA Model Food Code (which states and counties base their rules on) also stresses the importance of keeping nails trimmed and clean for anyone handling food. Also, the wait guy addressed me as "hon." That was offensive. I don't know whether Applebee's adheres to the FDA Model Food Code but, if not, I prefer not to dine at this location.

    So, now I understand why the place was nearly empty during lunch time and has low yelp ratings…read more My online order was ready when I arrived. It was brought to me quickly. Nothing was wrong with the service. It was fast and efficient. I had the bacon cheeseburger lunch special. How do you mess up French fries? I couldn't eat them There is a reason why I'm on Weight Watchers. It's because I love to eat. They were terrible and honestly difficult to describe. Sort of gummy, no crunch and a few minutes from being too cold to consume. The burger was over cooked but I still ate it. I had two choices when ordering, pink or no pink. I didn't want to leave it up to the discretion of the cook so I chose no pink. I usually get my burgers medium well. The burger wasn't too bad. It is sitting kinda heavy in my gut right now so time will tell how I feel this afternoon. So, lesson learned. I will go next door next time. Their burgers are the same price.

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    Applebee's Grill + Bar

    Applebee's Grill + Bar

    2.1(49 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    Well first of all..our waitress MAKAYLA A. Was the best to me. She was really really working…read moreHARD....to me she was the only lady doing something she excuse my language, took care of the damn restaurant by herself. I dont know what they get paid, but she needs a raise. I know you all have cameras they look at it. It was 5:07 when I got my receipt. We all got there bout 3:15.... it was like 13 of us. Maybe 2 or 3 of my people weren't satisfied, cause they were tipsy. Makayla was working very very hard, trying to take care of everyone there. She really deserves a raise. Dont wait til January give her one now. The Garfield Heights Applebee's. My name is Janelle. Look out for her, will you A++++++ employee

    I had a mediocre experience…read more Waitress did not introduce herself. Strong aroma of cigarettes. When I noted the unlimited homeless chicken for 2 dollars more than in-bone and asked to change (literally 4 minutes later), I was told "the order is final, no....haha". UNACCEPTABLY UNPROFESSIONAL. Two sodas were actually carbonated water. We had to draw location attention to it. This was corrected but it was grudgingly so (comment later "I got busy making the additional sodas". BUSY? Projecting onto customers now? The food was late, bland, and overpriced. Overall, a bad experience. I tend to be a very generous tipper. This time I left 14% and, honestly, it was marginally deserved. I won't be back. First mistake was not logging into yelp. I have found the Yelp average always to be accurate.

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    Scratch - Side of home fries

    Scratch

    4.5(400 reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$

    I've been to Scratch in Independence a handful of times, but this is my first time finally writing…read morea review and it's well deserved because this place never disappoints. I met a friend for breakfast this morning, and everything from start to finish was spot on. I ordered the Sweet Jalapeño Sandwich: an English muffin piled with jam, bacon, an egg cooked over medium, and cheddar, served with home fries. It was the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and just a little kick. My friend stuck with her usual: the Banana & Bourbon Caramel Bread Pudding French Toast, topped with fresh bananas and their homemade bourbon caramel sauce, plus a side of pork belly. It looked incredible and, according to her, tasted just as good as it always does. We arrived just a few minutes after they opened at 8:00 and were seated right away. The service was friendly, attentive, and very prompt without feeling rushed. Scratch has such a great casual, local diner feel, but with a menu that's anything but ordinary. The portions are generous, the flavors are unique, and the quality is consistently excellent. Definitely a go-to spot for breakfast or brunch...you really can't go wrong here.

    This is the second time I've visited Scratch. The first was roughly 12-18 months ago. Both visits…read morewere awesome. The restaurant has a pleasant, bright, family diner ambiance. White walls, glass windows in front, a few things hung on the walls. Not fancy, but pleasant. Very clean. The food is phenomenal. I've been dreaming about their biscuits and gravy since my last visit. Still perfect. The home fry-style potatoes are what a lot of places try to serve but fail at miserably. They are crispy AND fluffy! Yum! My scrambled eggs were not at all greasy or oily. My iced tea was delicious and refreshing. My lovely wife had the chorizo hash, which I tried. Oh, my. So good. And the chipotle crema on top was just perfect. They have excellent diner coffee here as well. My service experience was immaculate the first time and just OK today. He was fine initially, but I feel like he kind of forgot about us after he checked on our food. We were stuck way in the back. Maybe he was on a break, which is fine. I spent time as a waiter in two different restaurants, so I'm sympathetic, but I did not get a drink refill, and I wanted one pretty badly. This is one of my favorite breakfast spots, and it feels like a hidden gem.

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    Scratch - Biscuits and gravy

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    Biscuits and gravy

    Winking Lizard - tradamerican - Updated June 2026

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