Cassie Moore opened Cassie’s Lunch in 1940 at 2284 East 55th Street across the street from the Majestic Hotel. Within two years it was renamed Cassie’s Restaurant and expanded to 24-hour-a-day service. In 1945, Moore turned over the management of Cassie’s to Jimmy Smith, and a second location specializing in barbecue opened two years later […]
Restaurants & Taverns
Cedar Gardens
Cedar Gardens was a restaurant and night spot that achieved regional and even national renown as a “black and tan” club in the 1930s and 1940s. Jacob Hecht opened Cedar Gardens at 9706 Cedar Avenue in January 1934. Hecht, who was White, had hired 65 employees by 1937, all of whom were Black. He turned […]
Creole Kitchen
Creole Kitchen was opened by Andrew and Edna Bishop, an African American couple, in 1938, and quickly became a staple for many Black Clevelanders. In addition to specializing in shrimp, fish, lobster, soft-shell crab, frogs, and gumbo, the restaurant held popular community events such as a clam bake on October 17, 1938. By November of […]
Dearing’s
Dearing’s Restaurant, lauded by the Call & Post as “Cleveland’s Pride,” was one of the most popular Black-owned dining establishments in the Midwest. Owned and operated by Ulysses S. (U. S. or “Sweets”) Dearing, the restaurant opened in 1944 at 1035 East 105th Street and was one of several Dearing eateries over the years. The restaurant was beautifully […]
Log Cabin
The Log Cabin was a popular tavern opened in 1934 by Willie Pierson and Rodger Price at 2290 East 55th Street before expanding into the adjacent storefront at 2294 two years later. Pierson, a Guthrie, Oklahoma, native and World War I veteran who would go on to be one of the first African American homeowners […]
Manhattan Restaurant and Tap Room
The Manhattan Restaurant, located on 9903 Cedar Avenue, had been owned and operated by Beulah Norton Penn for ten years when she married African American businessman Fleet Slaughter in 1952. Slaughter, who was the former manager of the men’s locker room at the Shaker Heights Country Club and a World War II veteran, was determined […]
Mike’s Brown Derby
Mike’s Brown Derby was a bar on Woodland Avenue that was opened in 1945 by Mike Joseph in a building that had previously housed a wholesale grocery. The bar was soon listed in the Green Book and became a go-to drinking spot for many Black Clevelanders. It was integrated, although there were separate areas that […]
Scatter’s Barbecue
Scatter’s Barbecue was a popular restaurant owned and operated by Herman “Scatter” Stephens, a larger-than-life figure in Cleveland’s vibrant barbecue scene at the time. Located at 931 East 105th Street in Glenville, Scatter’s Barbecue offered what some considered to be some of the best barbecue in the Midwest. The owner and namesake of Scatter’s, Herman […]
Solomon’s Gold Bar Delicatessen & Restaurant
Solomon’s Gold Bar Delicatessen & Restaurant (or simply Gold Bar) was owned by Ben Solomon. It moved to 14700 Kinsman Road in 1947 and was replaced by Cafe Tia Juana. It moved again to 13905 Cedar Rd. in the Cedar Center shopping plaza in South Euclid in 1957. Additional information coming soon. Green Book Details […]
State Restaurant
The State Restaurant was located at Cedar and East 79th Street in Cleveland’s Cedar-Central neighborhood (now Fairfax) and offered a menu combining Chinese and soul food options. State Restaurant took over for the Jungle Room and remained operational through the 1970s. The combination of Chinese and soul food is most likely a reflection of the […]