Where to eat, park if you're visiting Cleveland for the NCAA Women's Final Four
Are you visiting Cleveland for to attend the NCAA Women's Final Four games? Looking for the best places to grab a bite before or after?
We have some suggestions. Note that this is not an exhaustive list.
East 4th Street
The pedestrian-only street features several restaurants and bars. Here's a look.
Blue Agave
Street tacos and margaritas make up the lay of the land at Blue Agave, offering "an authentic taste of the south without leaving Cleveland."
Location: 2073 E. 4th St., Cleveland
Citizen Pie
Citizen Pie Roman Cafe brings a taste of Rome to East 4th. Not only does the restaurant tout pizzas with high quality dough and locally sources toppings. It also offers wine, craft beer and nitro coffee, exclusively serving Six Shooter's beans.
Location: 2057 E. 4th St., Cleveland
Cordelia
Cordelia is a newer name on the block opening in the summer of 2022 to much praise in Cleveland Chef Michael Symon's former Lola Bistro space. It was named Cleveland's Best New Restaurant in 2023 by Cleveland Magazine and it was among Tasting Table's 22 Best New Restaurants in the U.S. in 2022.
Categorizing its fare as "Midwest Nice," the restaurant features "heritage-rich recipes and cocktails inspired by the farmer's bounty and generations past, reimagined and showcased in new ways."
Led by James Beard nominated and Akron native Chef Vinnie Cimino, Cordelia is named after the co-owner Andrew Watts' great-grandmother.
Location: 2058 E. 4th St., Cleveland
Flannery's Pub
Flannery's Pub is considered a Cleveland landmark since opening in 1997 with its bar food and beers. It's also known for pouring the perfect pint.
Location: 323 Prospect Ave., Cleveland
Gabriel's Southern Table + Whiskey
Gabriel's is a newer addition to the East 4th lineup. The owners of the restaurant rebranded it from the former Indie on East 4th to better fit the more "elevated" tastes of East 4th of late.
It offers fine casual dining with southern-inspired fare as well as whiskeys, tequilas and whiskey-forward craft cocktails.
The owners also run Avo Modern Mexican in Ohio City and Char Whiskey Bar + Grille in Rocky River.
Location: 2038 E. 4th St., Cleveland
Goma
Goma is a another newer addition to the East 4th lineup taking over the former Chinato space. The fine dining Japanese restaurant features a sushi bar and a speakeasy-style lounge downstairs. It's owned by area restaurateur and Cleveland native Dante Boccuzzi who has worked with and for Nobu Matsuhisa (chef known for Nobu restaurants all around the world featuring Japanese-Peruvian cuisine), Giorgio Armani (Italian fashion designer) and actor Robert DeNiro.
Location: 2079 E. eth St., Cleveland
Mabel's BBQ
Owned by Cleveland native and renowned Chef Michael Symon, Mabel's BBQ is a "Cleveland-style" barbecue restaurant. According to its website, Symon wanted to created barbecue that Clevelanders could call their own, making a sauce inspired by the Eastern European heritage of the city by using Bertman's Ballpark Mustard and smoking meat over local fruitwood.
Location: 2050 E. 4th St., Cleveland
Pickwick & Frolic
Pickwick & Frolic Restaurant and Club is more than meets the eye when you first walk in. It's quite a large restaurant featuring traditional entrees like steak, burgers, fish and pasta dishes.
Downstairs is Hilarities 4th Street Theatre, a venue exclusively for comedy acts that boasts seven shows a week.
Location: 2035 E. 4th St., Cleveland
RED, The Steakhouse
RED has quite the reputation. It's considered one of the top 10 steakhouses in the nation, has received high praise from Esquire and Playboy magazines and has won "numerous" Best Steakhouse awards for both its Cleveland and Miami locations. Not to mention it has a wine list that has received continuous recognition from Food and Wine Magazine.
Location: 417 Prospect Ave., Cleveland
Saigon
With Chinese, Thai, French and Vietnamese influences, Saigon offers "exotic" and "flavorful authentic" cuisine and Asian cocktails. The restaurant notes that its chefs use traditional Vietnamese cooking techniques and the best ingredients in its dishes.
Location: 2061 E. 4th St., Cleveland
Society Lounge
Society Lounge, a speakeasy-inspired establishment, prides itself on its craft cocktails that feature the "finest spirits, fresh squeezed juices and unique and sophisticated syrups made from scratch." The bar also has a short menu of small plates.
Location: 2063 E. 4th St., Cleveland
Butcher and the Brewer
The menu at Butcher and the Brewer is meant to be shared and is served family style while their beers are made with traditional techniques but "create new spins on old-school brews." On the butcher side of things, custom cuts, heritage meats and local products are available in addition to daily specials.
With lots of TVs at its bar, it's a great spot to catch a Cleveland sporting event if you aren't going in person.
Location: 2043 E. 4th St., Cleveland
Where to park in downtown Cleveland
If you're going to East 4th Street, you can self park at the 515 Euclid Garage. It's $4 for two hours plus 75 cents or pay $8.80 for four hours. More info here.
Valet services are offered by MVP Valet on East 4th. Bringing a validated receipt from an establishment on East 4th Street may give you a discount. East 4th Valet on Prospect does the same.
Other places to park
Key Tower underground garage - Entrance is off St. Clair between East 6th Street and Ontario.
200 Public Square garage
JACK garage - Entrance is off Ontario Street past Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Galleria garage - Entrance is off Lakeside Avenue, east of E. 9th Street.
Huntington garage - 999 Chester Ave.
Playhouse Square garage - Entrance is off Chester Avenue, east of E. 13th Street.
US Bank garage - Entrance is at the corner of East 14th Street and Prospect Avenue.
LAZ surface lot - Located at West 9th and St. Clair.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Here for NCAA Women's Final Four? Some Cleveland restaurants to try
