If your kids love grilled cheese, then you simply can't miss Melt! This restaurant not only offers great gourmet grilled-cheese sandwiches, but also offers about 30 different types of them. The simplest is the cheese-only Kindergarten, although the choices get much more intricate and creative from there, including Parmageddon (stuffed with onions, sauerkraut and a potato-and-cheese perogi), the Lake Erie Monster (beer battered walleye, American cheese, and jalapeno tartar sauce), the Godfather (including three-cheese lasagna, fennel-oregano pasta sheets, spicy red sauce, and provolone cheese on garlic-spiked bread), and the Westside Monte Cristo (a beer-battered sandwich with honey ham, smoked turkey, Swiss cheese, American cheese, and mixed berry preserves). The Melt Challenge is a monster grilled cheese sandwich made with 13 different cheeses and three slices of grilled bread -- along with fries and coleslaw -- it's more than five pounds of food. Your kids will likely be more tempted by creations such as Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana (with peanut butter, sweet cream cheese, and mixed berry preserves). Burgers, salads, and soups round out the menu.
Melt also offers about 150 different beers (20 of which are on tap) as well as more soda flavors than you can imagine (including eight different kinds of root beer alone). The restaurantâs original location is in the western suburbs, but the two additional restaurants are on the east side of town (in Cleveland Heights) and on the south side (Independence). Go early -- there's often a wait.
Cleveland Family Restaurants
Cleveland Family Friendly Restaurants
Melt Bar & Grilled 14718 Detroit Avenue•Lakewood, OH •216-226-3699 |
Slyman's Deli 3106 Saint Clair Avenue NE•Cleveland, OH •216-621-3760 Slyman's, known for its legendary mile-high corned beef sandwiches, is the place to eat in Cleveland (but alas, only during the week; it's closed Saturdays and Sundays). Other deli sandwich choices include roast beef, pastrami, turkey, ham, salami, tuna, and even barbecued brisket. You can also order off the grill (burgers, hot dogs, and grilled cheese, for example) or even choose a hearty turkey or beef brisket dinner. Slyman's is also open for breakfast, when you'll have many eggs-and-corned-beef dishes to choose from, along with hotcakes, omelets, and various breakfast sandwiches. |
Sokolowski's University Inn 1201 University Road•Cleveland, OH •216-771-9236 Sokolowski's unique charm and tasty Eastern European food make it a great choice for families. It's a fun combination of cafeteria-plus-restaurant, where diners pass through a cafeteria line to put their selections on trays that are then taken to their tables by the wait staff. (And yes, that is shag carpeting on the floor!) The restaurant is famous for its perogis, smoked bratwurst, and stuffed cabbage, although youâll also find Salisbury steak, Lake Erie perch, meat loaf, and pork chops among the offerings. Be forewarned: the delectable desserts are at the front of the line. |
The Chocolate Bar 347 Euclid Avenue•Cleveland, OH •216-622-2626 Half of the menu at this restaurant (located inside the Hyatt Arcade) is dedicated to sweet stuff. There's a whole menu just for hot chocolate (try the caramel and sea salt), and another one for milkshakes. But not everything here will send you into a sugar rush. Entrees range from lighter fare (like crepes, sandwiches, flatbreads, wraps, and pastas) to more filling choices (such as filet mignon, crab cakes, and pesto salmon). If you order either mac-and-cheese or fettuccine Alfredo, you can add your choice of bacon, shrimp, baby bella mushrooms, roasted red pepper, caramelized onions, grilled steak, and prosciutto. The most sinful desserts include Oreo Mud (double layers of brownie layered with white chocolate cheesecake and white chocolate mousse before being covered with Oreo chunks and chocolate ganache), Peanut Butter Mud (milk chocolate and caramel with peanut crunch layered twice over a brownie base), and Snickerbocher pie (large chunks of Snickers bars layered with fudge brownie, caramel, peanuts and cream-cheese mousse). Family favorites include chocolate fondue and make-your-own S'mores. The Chocolate Bar is open for lunch and dinner (and has a big adult crowd later in the evening). |
Tommy's 1824 Coventry Rd.•Cleveland, OH •216-321-7757 Tommy's started out in 1972 as a humble soda fountain, but when Rolling Stone soon voted it "Best Milkshake East of the Mississippi," it became an overnight sensation. Even so, there's a lot more to Tommy's than milkshakes. In addition to classic diner fare such as burgers, roast beef, hot dogs, and pizza, you can also order from a long list of vegan and vegetarian dishes (including falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, tofu, tempeh and pita stuffed with veggies). In fact, you can even get a vegan shake here. The sandwiches include creative combos like the Mr. Stress -- a BLT with homemade healthy peanut butter (no sugar or salt), mayo, and American cheese. In addition to lunch and dinner, Tommy's is also open for breakfast (try the corned beef and cheese omelet or the pancakes topped with bananas and strawberries). |
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