Cordelia is upscale enough for a family dinner, but still has the comfort of heading to your grandmother’s for an after-school snack. The owners call their food “Midwest nice,” which basically means fancied up ‘90s-era favorites. Order the White Castle-inspired burger box—you‘ll get a smashburger that can be torn apart into four smaller sliders topped with smoked cheddar, pickles, and onion. If the adults at the table want something they can eat with a fork, get the mushroom and squash gnocchi.

Your budding situationship planned an elaborate scavenger hunt at the Cleveland Museum of Art. One-up them by making a reservation after at Zhug. The muhammara perfectly teeters between spicy and sweet, and you’ll dread going back to grocery store spreads after trying the curried lamb and apricot hummus. As for must-order mains, the curry fried chicken has a great harissa honey sauce, and the braised lamb’s saffron flavor is lined with a little fruitiness, thanks to some dates.

Peanut butter, giardiniera, and blue cheese coleslaw. No, you’re not clearing out the back of your fridge—you’re reading the hot dog condiments list at this Cleveland dive bar. The menu lets everyone play weiner architect: you can build the frank of your dreams with more than 50 toppings. And if that’s too overwhelming, stick with an age-old combo. The Slider Dog, named for the Cleveland Guardians Muppet-like mascot, is an unholy mashup of pimento mac and cheese, bacon, and Froot Loops.

Cleveland isn’t home to many high-roller restaurants, but Marble Room is an old-school legend—the kind of place your boss would go to land that Chicago client during a business dinner. It’s inside a 19th-century bank building with gorgeous marble columns and crystal chandeliers, and the menu matches that energy—there are 10 different cuts of prime beef (try the juicy 16-ounce delmonico with some garlic and chive butter), plus a raw bar and caviar service.

People in Cleveland might have different opinions on how to plow a driveway, but we can at least agree that Little Polish Diner has the city’s best pierogi and Polish boys. This is the kind of place that still thinks it’s 1997—they don’t have any social media, or even a website. Their kielbasa, served in a pillowy bun and topped with barbecue sauce and coleslaw, might be difficult to hold, but it tastes incredible, and it’s easy to see why dads have been grieving Browns losses here for decades.

The first thing you’ll see when you walk to Mabel's is a neon sign that reads "EAT MORE MEAT." Mabel’s has perfected—in fact, invented—Cleveland-style BBQ: a thin, vinegary sauce made with Cleveland-born Bertman Original Ball Park Mustard. Pour it over some brisket, then top it all off with sauerkraut and the Toledo-famous Tony Packo’s pickles—a spread fit for a bowling team celebrating a tournament win. Then, cut lingering acidity with the slight sweetness of the Fat Head Brewery blueberry ale.

Il Rione is a tiny spot for grown-up pizza parties, where you can sip Negronis and eat fantastic pies under candle chandeliers. They roll out thin, crispy crusts, and are one of the few places in town that uses higher-quality toppings like lemon ricotta, fried sage leaves, and speck. The clam pie special is the best thing here, but like the cool substitute teacher who always puts on a movie, it’s not always around. Get here on the earlier side, since they don’t do reservations.

Fahrenheit has been around for two decades, and it’s a great place for a fancy meal paid by someone else’s money (i.e. your date, parents, or boss). The restaurant recently moved into a Public Square building with an indoor/outdoor rooftop space that has a rare 365-degree view of the city. The food skews swanky to match the crowd of sports jackets and sequin party dresses—start off with the sweet miso eggplant lettuce cups and go for the perfectly-seared wagyu short rib with wild mushrooms.

The worst-kept secret in town is that you’ll probably leave Salt+ hungry. But you’ll at least get to spend the night feeling like a judge on Top Chef, using words like “mouthfeel” to describe some of the most creative small plates in Cleveland. Don’t miss the white bean purée with mashed olives, which is one of the few dishes that’s permanently on the menu, or the calamari with coriander-coconut glaze when it’s available. Just plan to supplement with some snacks on the couch once you get home.

This Cleveland institution opens every day at 7am, and cooks up comfort food for third-shift steel mill workers and tourists visiting the famed A Christmas Story House and Museum across the street. The breakfast bangers include avocado toast, bacon-wrapped tater tots, and an omelet stuffed with pierogi and Hungarian kielbasa. There are great latkes (which also happen to be vegan), and the smokehouse mac with pulled pork and peach-bourbon BBQ might just be the highlight of your week