Cleveland
You're flying out of Cleveland Airport, you have 90 minutes to kill, and you'd like to do better than a Pret. Good news: airport drinking has improved more in the last five years than the previous fifty. Pre-flight drinks at Cleveland Airport range from chain reliability to surprisingly polished hotel-style bars in the airport hotels. This is barsforKings's editor-curated guide to drinking better at Cleveland's airports.
Detroit-Shoreway · $$$
Cleveland's most awarded cocktail bar.
Tremont · $$$
Tremont cocktail bar with a long bourbon-and-rye list.
Downtown · $$$
Speakeasy below Society Hall.
Ohio City · $$
Restaurant-bar with one of Cleveland's tightest natural-wine lists and a craft-cocktail menu.
Want a real drink before flying? The fastest play is to get to airport hotels next door — most run polished bars that beat anything post-security. We list them at the bottom. If you've got 60 spare minutes pre-airport, see our shortlist of bars in Cleveland proper at the end.
Plays for Cleveland Airport: post-security, pre-security, lounges, and the airport-hotel cheat code.
Pre-flight drinks, hotel-bar reviews, and the openings we're watching across 200+ cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Cleveland? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.