The Cleveland Epicure: A Happy Buzz on West 25th

West 25th is picking up some serious buzz of late. Good buzz.

The ABC Tavern is now being run by the same couple that runs the West Side Market Cafe. They want to make it a real neighborhood hang out. They have a great track record so it is a promising change.

Right next to the Garage Bar in the old City Buddha space, Jeff and Ursula Allison of the Garage Bar will be opening Dragonfly, which will be initially a higher end cocktail bar and dance area and then later expanding to a sushi bar and then a full-on Pan Asian mecca. I got a tour of the space and it is going to be great. The bar is huge, the brick walls are warm and welcoming, and the green bamboo floor will be a show stopper.

Just across the street and right next to the Old Angle is Ohio City Burrito. Set to open this Saturday just in time for the Sparx City Hop event, this looks to be a fun, energetic space where you can get Mexican food that is not at the price point of Momocho but different than an old school Mexican place. I'm guessing more like a hip, one of a kind Chipotle-style place. (n.b. conflicting info says it will now open Monday. I may just stalk the place Saturday to see if I can get some samples.)

And while most have heard of Sam McNulty and Co's new Speakeasy, I am just as excited about their recent purchase of the Middle Eastern foods building just across from Bar Cento, next to the West Side Market. The plans are for this to be a family-friendly restaurant with a lot of open outdoor space. Knowing their track record, this will be a winner. We are very fortunate that Sam is dedicated to Ohio City and Cleveland because this concept was originally planned for Chicago but they kept it here instead. Thanks goes out to them.

By the way, the next time you hit any of the places on West 25th or nearby and you are here after West Side Market hours, you can park in those Market lots. This is something that we all recently learned from the city after years of hearing they were off limits. So, if it is after 6 p.m., you can park there.

So, head on out to West 25th and just ignore the people asking for change and enjoy yourself.