24 of the Best Date Night Restaurants in Cleveland

Zhug

12413 Cedar Rd., Cleveland Heights

With the unveiling of this new venture, Doug Katz has created a new gravitational center for this side of town, attracting diners with such force that many get turned away. If your idea of Middle Eastern food consists largely of tightly wrapped falafel sandwiches, shawarma carved from a twirling spit and grilled beef shish-kabob on a bed of rice, Zhug will expand your culinary horizons in a million little ways. With its dazzling small plates, meticulously crafted cocktails and ripped-from-Tel Aviv-vibe, this cosmopolitan eatery upends every Cleveland dining convention.

Photo by Emanuel Wallace

ML Tavern

34105 Chagrin Blvd., Moreland Hills

With Hyde Park being around so long, it’s almost an afterthought in the Cleveland steakhouse scene, but that shouldn’t be the case with ML Tavern from the Hyde Park Restaurant Group. Thick-cut steaks, a healthy portion of chicken milanese, lobster mashed potatoes and the roasted corn are highlights at this beautifully decorated Moreland Hills joint that will make you feel like you’re sitting in a Ralph Lauren advertisement and are dining after you’ve finished riding your horse.

Photo via Scene Archives

Flour

34205 Chagrin Blvd., Moreland Hills

Is it just us or does Flour get better and buzzier over time? We've been fans of the Italian restaurant since the start, lured out to suburbia by the four skilled hands belonging to Paul Minnillo and Matt Mytro. This tag team of tagliatelle put the panache back in pasta, elevating the genre from dependable gut-buster to captivating, elegant cuisine. The perfect pairings of noodles and sauce, like rigatoni with lamb neck gravy, are memorable to the very last bite.

Photo via Scene Archives

Bar Oni

2173 Professor Ave., Cleveland

During the pandemic, chef-owner Matthew Spinner closed Ushabu, his fine-dining Japanese bistro in Tremont. Fear not, a few months later, he and chef Dave Kocab opened Bar Oni an izakaya – aka Japanese sports pub – in the same space. Ushabu was one of the best restaurants in town and the food at Bar Oni is predictably as good, albeit at a lower price point. Built around yakitori, literally meaning "skewered, grilled chicken,” the food is cooked atop imported yakitori grills. Those grilled skewers join other delicious menu items like tempura fried vegetable skewers, fried and grilled fish, fresh fish and seafood specials and Wagyu skewers and steaks.

Photo courtesy Scene Archives

Cru Uncorked

34300 Chagrin Blvd., Moreland Hills

Maybe the fanciest joint in town, this Moreland Hills French fine dining restaurant is truly one of a kind in the region. If it wasn't for the table settings, it would be easy to forget that you were touring a public restaurant and not the private home of the wealthiest family on the street — a street that also happened to be located in the ritziest zip code in town. The actual building looks like it was plucked from the Normandy countryside.

Photo via Scene Archives

Il Venetian

100 St. Clair Ave. NE., Cleveland

From the team behind Marble Room, and the fabulous Lockkeepers in Valley View, Il Venetian opened to rave reviews in 2018. While the city in general is full of Italian restaurants, downtown doesn’t have a ton of them. Now, there’s a new option, and it’s up there for the best Italian in town, with a creative menu and beautiful decor.

Photo via Il Venetian/Facebook

Paris Room

7 North Franklin St., Chagrin Falls

If you’re a tiny French brasserie in Chagrin Falls, you almost have to be romantic, no? That’s certainly the case with this gem of a spot, located in the heart of downtown CF.

Photo Provided

Dante

2247 Professor Ave., Cleveland

Native Clevelander Dante Boccuzzi worked his way around the globe, with stints in London, Milan, Hong Kong, San Francisco and New York. But he’s been settled in Tremont since 2010 and his contemporary bistro borrows from Italian, American and Asian cuisines. Still, no meal is complete without a sample of the chef's killer pasta, polenta or risotto, all available by the taste. Head to Dante’s Next Door for weekend brunch and to Coda, his music club, for great live music.

Photo via Dante/Facebook

Aurelia

16 North Main St., Chagrin Falls

Chef-owner James Balchak spent nearly six months converting the North Main Diner, formerly Dink's, from a dowdy luncheonette to a smart little supper club. Energy from the buzzy bar scene boosts the mood and spirit of the entire space, ensuring that the atmosphere never dips to melancholy. This farm-to-table restaurant has recently found its footing after testing some things out and figuring out what worked and what didn’t.

Photo via Scene Archives

Xinji Noodle Bar

4211 Lorain Ave., Cleveland

While it may be hard to ever achieve owner Shuxin Liu's recommended five-minute limit when it comes to consuming a bowl of ramen, a time derived from the lifecycle of a bouncy noodle, it’s damn worth trying. Bowls of chicken and pork-based broth contain fresh noodles, silky slabs of buttery pork belly, corn, scallions, mushrooms and, if you're wise, a soft-cooked egg. If at first you don't succeed in the five-minute drill, try and try again at this fantastic Ohio City noodle bar.

Photo by Emanuel Wallace