The 38 Essential Cleveland Restaurants

"In a year filled with ambitious openings, Jaja takes top honors. Beneath a garland-wrapped pergola strung with oversized string lights sits an intimate, opulent, and textural 90-seat dining room. Windows on three sides offer picture-perfect views of the city skyline and West Side Market clocktower. On warm evenings, a retractable glass roof gives way to the open sky. Guests are welcomed with a complimentary tulip of cava before diving into the stunning cocktail menu. The modern seafood and steakhouse fare benefits from the same live-fire grill that fuels Pioneer one floor below. Go big with the parillada, a platter loaded with prime meats, shimmering seafood, a variety of sauces, and plenty of grilled bread." - Douglas Trattner