Ah Toronto, the culinary Mecca! I luuurve Salad King.
Cleveland has nothing on T.O., but if you by chance visit this fair city, we have a surprising variety of ethnic restaurants. Some of my favorites in the Cleveland area (in the order that I think of them):
Chinese - New Wong’s Hunan. Open late, cheap, and serves real chinese fare, not your usual takeout. They have a great salt baked pork dish and good jook (congee) as well. In Chinatown on Payne Ave.
Dim Sum - A toss up between Bo Loong and Li Wah. Right now, I like Lih Wah better, but Bo Loong has been around longer and sometimes have better dishes. Located in Asia Plaza in Chinatown on Payne Ave. Bo Loong is located on St. Clair.
Vietnamese - Pho Hoa. Although their specialty is Pho, they also serve other Vietnamese staples such as Bun dishes and Bahn Mi’s. The Pho is hands down the best I’ve ever had, anywhere. That includes cities with much larger Vietnamese populations. The Bahn Mi’s are always fresh, warm and sublime. This is probably my wife and I’s favorite restaurant. We recently calculated how much money we’ve spent there since they opened 3 years ago and it it came to about $2,000. Seriously. And this is a cheap spot! Located on Superior Ave. just east of E. 30th.
Indian - Cafe Tandoor. This is in Cleveland Heights, off the intersection of Cedar and Taylor rd. Just a high class, high quality Indian restaurant all around.
Thai - Bangkok Kitchen. This is a small family-run joint on Warrensville Ctr Rd. in South Euclid that has good, inexpensive Thai fare.
Ethiopian - Empress Taytu. Yep, Cleveland has an Ethiopian restaurant. It’s in Little Slovenia on St. Clair. The food is good and authentic, and is served in the traditional way.
Turkish - Anatolia Cafe. Also in South Euclid, on Cedar Ave. Great Turkish food, although the last time we went they stopped serving bread baked fresh on the premises
Jamaican - Caribbean Food Mart & Restaurant. This is a real dive located in East Cleveland. The food is great, and the service is authentic; meaning they are not always open when they say they are, and you have to go in and ask what’s being served on the menu today.
Soul Food - Everything and Then Some. There are plenty of good soul food joints in Cleveland, but this is my favorite. Located on Euclid Ave. in East Cleveland.
Korean - Seoul Hot Pot. Once a pizza place (The Pizza sign is still there, which can confuse people) this Korean restaurant is located on the eastern end of Chinatown on Payne Ave.
Spanish - Mallorca. A great Spanish/Pourtugese place located downtown. This is more of an upscale place.
Cambodian - Phnom Penh. Located on Lee rd. in Cleveland Heights, a great place.
Puerto Rican - Rincon Criollo. Located on the west side on Detroit Rd. Good food, try their specialty the jibarito. It’s a regional (midwestern) puerto rican steak sandwich served between two fried plantains instead of bread. Deeeelicious.
Lebanese - Sahara Restaurant. Although the owners and most of the menu is Lebanese, they serve all sorts of middle eastern fare. On Lorain rd. on the west side. It’s also Al-Jazeera’s favorite restaurant in Cleveland.
Japanese - Shinano. They serve more traditional japanese cusine rather than the hibachi/steakhouse style that’s popular here. Located in Richmond Heights. For sushi, we go to Pacific East on the corner of Coventry/Mayfield Rd.
Czech - **Marta’s Restaurant **. Located in Euclid, they serve your traditional Czech comfort food.
There’s more in my list of favorites, but I think I’ve listed enough for now! If anybody actually IS planning on coming to Cleveland and want any suggestions, just let me know and I’ll be glad to offer my opinion.