What Seafood Should You Try in Cleveland?
Cleveland’s must-try seafood dishes start on the water: smoked fish dip at Alley Cat, Lake Erie walleye at The Lakehouse and The Galley, a lobster roll at Shooters, Pacific rockfish at Pier W and a salmon BLT at 1330 on the River. Then the route heads inland for seafood bouillabaisse at Sazani Oceana, crawfish étouffée at Bourbon Street Barrel Room and Nags Head Grouper at Blue Point Grille.
That makes six waterfront stops and three city favorites away from the shore. You can build a whole weekend around the list, but one riverfront lunch and a lake-view dinner will make the point: Cleveland is a waterfront city, and dinner is one fine way to meet it.
How we picked these nine: Every restaurant is paired with a current, specific seafood dish with a uniquely Cleveland experience; the waterfront got priority, but distinctive inland plates earned room. This is a curated guide, not a ranking. Keep reading if your stomach is already rumbling.
1. Smoked Fish Dip at Alley Cat Oyster Bar
The Flats makes a convincing first stop when the first bite is Alley Cat Oyster Bar’s smoked fish dip. The current menu keeps the description wonderfully short: salmon and Old Bay chips. But the real experience give you a cool, smoky fish against crisp, seasoned chips while the riverfront setting supplies the sense of occasion…