Cleveland Bar Guide
30+ bars across Cleveland's drinking neighbourhoods, curated by editors who know the city.
Cleveland's bar scene fights way above its weight class. The Velvet Tango Room has run for twenty-five years as one of America's most awarded cocktail bars. Ohio City's brewery district holds Great Lakes Brewing — the brewery that helped start the American craft beer revival. The Tremont and downtown cocktail layers built next.
Five neighbourhoods cluster the scene. Ohio City runs the brewery spine. Tremont holds the speakeasy-and-cocktail-room district. Downtown wraps the lakefront with rooftop bars. Detroit-Shoreway is the new-creative gallery-district drinking quarter. University Circle covers the museum-area cocktail bars.
Cocktails run $11 to $14. Pints $5 to $7. Cheap. Tipping is 20 percent. Most bars run to 2am. Reserve The Velvet Tango Room on weekends — small format and locally famous.
Browse by occasion
Cocktail Bars in Cleveland
World-class cocktail rooms
Rooftop Bars in Cleveland
Skyline drinks
Date Night in Cleveland
Romantic spots
After Work in Cleveland
Apéro-hour bars
Live Music in Cleveland
Bands and DJs
Craft Beer in Cleveland
Microbreweries and taprooms
Hidden Gems in Cleveland
Unmarked doors
Sports Bars in Cleveland
Watch parties
Top Picks This Week
The Velvet Tango Room
Cleveland's most awarded cocktail bar. James Beard semi-finalist multiple years. Speakeasy aesthetic, classics-only menu, and a 25-year track record. Reserve.
Spotted Owl
Tremont cocktail bar with a long bourbon-and-rye list. Long marble counter, leather banquettes, and a tight rotating menu.
Society Lounge
Speakeasy below Society Hall. Long bar, classic-cocktail menu, and a polished after-work crowd. Reserve.
Townhall
Restaurant-bar with one of Cleveland's tightest natural-wine lists and a craft-cocktail menu. The most reliable Ohio City evening.
Great Lakes Brewing
The brewery that helped start American craft beer. Brewpub from 1988. Twelve house taps, the original Eliot Ness amber, and a brewery tour available weekends.
The Harbor Inn
Cleveland's oldest bar. Open since 1895. Long wood bar, cheap drinks, and the lakefront-old-Cleveland atmosphere preserved. Cash-friendly.
Neighbourhood Guide
Ohio City
The brewery spine on the West Side. Great Lakes Brewing, Market Garden, and a dozen others. The densest brewery district in northern Ohio.
Tremont
Hillside neighbourhood south of downtown. Speakeasies, cocktail rooms, and a thirty-something professional crowd. Walk between everything in fifteen minutes.
Downtown
The lakefront central district. Sports bars near Progressive Field, hotel rooftops, and the post-game crowd.
Detroit-Shoreway
The new-creative gallery district west of Ohio City. Boutique cocktail rooms, indie galleries, and an arts-aware evening crowd.
University Circle
The museum and university district east of downtown. Heritage cocktail bars near the art museum, polished after-event drinking.
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