Hellloooooo! How's everyone doing?? It's my last week here in Cleveland(my Amazon site launch got pushed back) so I decided to do something fun. I am soooo ready to start work in Akron and finally move out of this hotel room (I've been living in a hotel since August!!), but I also want to make the most out of my last week. I love love love trying out new foods and cool foodie spots, so I decided that's what I'm going to do for my last week in the city. Sunday - Wednesday I'm committed to eating out everyday at new places around the city. There are a TON of amazing restaurants/diners/cafes/etc. here so I have quite the list of options. I tried to diversify my choices but they're all cheap-ish, casual, and quick! Take a look below at the places I checked out!
Sunday - REBol
To kick the week off I decided to check out REBol. This super cute cafe is found only in Cleveland and Columbus, so it fits my wishes of only going to places that I can't just eat at anywhere. This cafe puts all its focus on health; all their foods are either organic, gluten free, Non-GMO vegan, or paleo. They serve food all day ranging from bowls, sandwiches, pastries, broths, coffees, cocktails, and more. I decided to build my own unique bowl. My order: sweet potato hash and kale base topped with wild spicy tuna, black beans and corn, grilled veggies, goat cheese, and garnished with cilantro aioli sauce, scallions, crispy garlic, and sesame seeds. I have had many nourish bowls in my time, and this one did not disappoint! My bowl was delicious and even came with a side of coconut crisps which I used to scoop up the contents of my bowl. If you go here, you MUST try the goat cheese... it was truly the G.O.A.T. The second I tasted it it brought me back to my time living in France and eating all the yummy cheeses. Besides the food, the atmosphere inside the cafe is also very hip and trendy and pleasing to the young eye. Although it was a little pricey (my meal was $12), I would definitely try this one out again!
Monday - Lucky's Café
My day 2 of Cleveland eats is good ol' Lucky's Café. This place has been on my radar for awhile now because it was featured on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives! Noah and I enjoy watching this show and making plans to visit all the yummy restaurants. Sadly Noah wasn't with me for this one but being this is my last week living in Cleveland, I thought I'd make the trip. I had heard about Lucky's famous gingerbread waffles, but Guy Fieri ordered the reuben and said it was to die for....so reuben it is! Before I talk about what makes this sandwich so amazing, let's talk about the town. Lucky's is located in historic Tremont south of downtown. This town is CUTE! Lucky's also happens to be located right beside a cat café (you drink coffee while cats run around!) which is also on my bucket list. The actual Lucky's Café building is an old house turned restaurant with a large outdoor seating area on the side and a garden in the back. They use the produce, herbs, etc. from the garden in their meals! Now let's get into the reuben - huge chunks of organic corned beef brined for 7 days, Swiss cheese, house made rye bread, served with homemade Thousand Island dressing. This stuff is legit! I also ordered a side of curry cauliflower soup which I dipped my sandwich in. Okay y'all, this stuff is the bomb dot com. So so delicious! But let me say this- the website conveniently leaves out their prices, so when I thought I was getting a cheap eat, my meal turned out to be almost $20! But yet, it was worth it for the experience and celebrating my last week here. Also heads up, be on the lookout for Lucky's Café to be featured AGAIN on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives! I'll have to make a trip back to try out whatever Guy recommends next.
Tuesday - Taza Lebanese Grill
I've been really craving some different types of food lately. When I came across Taza, I knew I had to give it a try. Conveniently, it's located in Beachwood so it's only 5 minutes from my hotel! Taza is known for its fresh ingredients found in all of its (you guessed it) Lebanese food. I scanned over the menu and saw some traditional Lebanese shish kebobs, gourmet salads, and pita rolls. I was feeling a pita roll so I decided on a kabob style roll. No, this is not meat on a stick; Kabob ≠shish kebob. This roll contained beef tenderloin, grilled tomatoes, green peppers, onion, lettuce, pickles, turnips, and tahini sauce. When I first took a bite, I was brought back to Paris where I ate my first ever kabob. Don't ask me why, but the French must be obsessed with these things because you'll find them in any French city. Having tasted plenty of these before, this one tasted a bit more legit as it wasn't coming from a little tiny kabob shop. It also came with a side of fries that looked heavenly and covered with spices-however, they ended up tasting pretty bland. There also was a complimentary side of pita bread and their house-made oil and spice dip. I threw these babies in the microwave for a quick nuke and they were DELISH. So soft and chewy and all the good tastes. As far as the price goes, for all my food (which I'm not even sure if I was able to eat half of it) was only $12 including a tip! I'm happy I found this unique spot to hit my recent craving before I left the city.
Wednesday - BIBIBOP
Before you get on me that BIBIBOP is not native to Cleveland, let me make the argument that you still can't just find these anywhere!....at least anywhere near where I live in Youngstown. I really wanted to go out with a bang and go somewhere that is absolutely only in Cleveland....yeah those plans fell through real fast. I had a couple places lined up that were going to be bomb but with a race for time with having to get to work earlier than usual and a budget I didn't want to break, I decided on BIBIBOP. I did really want to try this place out, but I'll be honest and say it wasn't my first choice. BIBIBOP first opened in Columbus and quickly made its way up to Cleveland. The name BIBIBOP is inspired by the Korean dish "bibimbap" and the restaurant is like Chipotle but Korean style. You can get bowls or salads loaded with rice, noodles, chicken, steak, veggies, yum yum sauce, and so much more. They also offer free Miso soup on the side which is a nice touch! My order: Japchae Noodles, spicy chicken, black beans and bean sprouts, all the veggies(always just assume I get all the veg because that's just how I roll), eggs(sounds weird but try it) and cheese, all doused in teriyaki sauce. I really wanted to try out the Miso soup too but I just wasn't hungry enough. And good thing I didn't because WOAH this bowl is filling! I only got halfway and I was stuffed. This bowl is yummmmmmy and I felt so good after eating so much healthy and nutritious foods! If I'm ever in the mood for something on the healthy side but also quick and easy, I'd for sure hit this place up again. My whole meal also cost less than $7 which is so nice after my other pricier meals. If you want to try something a little different and branch out from your normal Chipotle or Chick-fil-a, I highly recommend!
Sadly my week of Cle eats has come to an end as well as my time living in Cleveland ☹ I had so so so many more restaurants I wanted to try out while in the city, but that just means I have to go back! My list of restaurants that I must one day visit are: Slymans, Pour Cleveland, somewhere in Asiatown, Happy Dog, and Mitchell's Ice Cream. Although I didn't have time to do everything on my bucket list from when I first moved to Cleveland, I feel so blessed that I had the opportunity to go and see everything that I did get accomplished!
If you have any other fun Cleveland restaurants to try out, let me know! Or if you've been to any of these places that I visited, tell me how you liked them! As always, thank you for reading :)
Till next time!
-Quinnlan
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Matthew 5:16- "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."