Hidden Cleveland

Everyone knows about the Flats, East 4th, and West 6th. On any given night, you’ll find people on the West Bank at Shooters (in the spring, summer and fall), Flannery’s, Corner Alley, Pickwick and just name any of the West 6th places to hang out. There are some great lesser known places to hang.

I already talked about the South Side in an earlier post about Chicken & Waffles. It’s open with a good crowd every night of the week and even late night after a newscast.

I want to focus on the Velvet Tango Room. You have to be careful when trying to find it or you’ll end up missing it. It’s not well marked and it’s practically in the middle of nowhere. The classy martini bar is located on the corner of Abbey & Columbus. Don’t necessarily trust the directions you might get online either. Mapquest will send you the wrong way. We recently went there and enjoyed a night out on the back patio. There’s also a putting green there. The patio feels like your backyard. Inside, you’ll be treated to a live piano music sometimes accompanied by an upright bass. The drinks are pricey but they’re tasty. The atmosphere makes more than makes up for everything. The word, treated, applies at this place. You’ll be treated like you are a VIP no matter who you are. You’ll notice the nightclub almost reminds you of a speakeasy you see in old movies. Definitely somewhere to end a date with someone special. A special spot in Cleveland.

Tucked in the warehouse district is Little Bar & Grill. It’s down Frankfort Ave off of West 6th Street. I’m not revealing too much of a secret here, many people know of it. It has great burgers. It’s a relaxing hole in the wall type of hangout. The downstairs lives up to its name “Little Bar” but the upstairs provides a couple more places to hang.

Everyone also flocks to Panini’s late night, but there’s another secret you may have missed. A new pizzeria opened up on West 6th. The pizza is almost better and it’s not packed. You normally don’t have to stand in line either.

Everyone also knows about Flannery’s but it just wouldn’t be right if I didn’t recommend the place. It’s been a long time hangout for me. I even worked there for a short time. After all of these years, it’s still a great place to hang out with friends.