Oak & Embers Tavern

Started with a shared salad, was amazing… The chicken was devine. We also tried the burnt ends and wings, loved! The service was great and the atmosphere was quiet enough to hold a conversation. We’ll be heading back… Thank you Oak & Embers!

Stopped in here after a Sunday of golfing. Had been meaning to come here because I’m friends with the family that owns it but it’s quite a ways away from where I live.
I ordered the pick 3 with ribs, brisket and half chicken with white cheddar grits, green beans and corn bread.
Everything was fantastic but if I had to pick I’d say the ribs and the grits were my favorite part of the meal. I’ll definitely be back to try the burnt ends and pulled pork.
Some of the best bbq I’ve had in the Cleveland area.

Finally, a real authentic BBQ place in the area! The restaurant itself is located in an unassuming strip mall in Chesterland. The smell of smoke fills the air as you enter the doors, giving you a tantalizing hint of what’s to come. Our service was good, not bad or inconsistent like some other reviewers have stated. We each ordered the full rack of ribs and they’re bathed in one of the best bbq sauces I have ever had-​smokey, sweet, with just a touch of spicy goodness. The ribs were meaty, with a nice smoke ring, and tender. The full rack was filling, we took half racks home. The sides were good– baked beans, creamy succotash, and cornbread that was sweet, not dry, and didn’t need butter to make it better. The bourbon selections were very good. If you want some real, authentic bbq, this is the place. We will definitely be back again.

Good beer. Excellent BBQ. Limp fries. Mac and cheese needs some flavor-​maybe some onion. BBQ sauce a little on the sweet side, but this is the Midwest. Everything could use a little heat, having lived in the South quite a few years. Overall, though, good atmosphere and nice waitress. Will go again.

I had high hopes for this place but I found this place not to deliver the value of food we paid for. My wife and I ordered the burnt ends, however they came with sauce poured all over them ruining the flavor of the meat. I got the brisket, which was completely covered in sauce and it over whelmed the flavor and taste of the meat. When I think of barbecue, I believe that sauce ruins good meat if it is cooked and seasoned right. I can see having sauce on the table but to completely cover all of the dishes in sauce completely ruined my meal. I would not recommend this place to anyone who loves true traditional barbecue. I will not be going back.
Also it was a Saturday afternoon and this place was dead only a handful of customers in the restaurant.

Made reservations, when we got there they could not find the reservation, they were very busy and we had to wait about 30 minutes for our table. We each had a half slab of ribs with two sides. The ribs were very meaty and out of 6 bones I could only eat 3 of them, mainly because they were very meaty but not very tasty, they seem over cooked. Sides were fair. Price in line with other BBQ restaurants, place was very loud.

Always a great time at this restaurant. Some of the best workers and food in this town. The bartenders, Dana and Jordan are amazing bartenders and provide the best service!
Love Love Love going here. I highly recommend the food and the atmosphere helps as well.

So after reading mixed reviews I was a little apprehensive… I really enjoyed the food here. We had the pork tacos to start and they were very good. The apple slaw was really delicious. They were a little «drippy» but that was my only complaint. I got the brisket melt and it was AMAZING… Moist brisket, the pepper spread and mushroom sauce were incredible. My fiancé got the chorizo meatloaf and he said it was better than mine, which was previously his favorite food. Although that makes me a bit jealous, they should take it as a great compliment. The only reason I don’t give this place five stars was the hostesses were super slow and didn’t seem to know what they were doing, they quoted us way longer than the actual wait time. We actually almost left after being told 30 min wait, but after seeing there was only one party ahead of us, I opted to stay. Glad we did!
Update: went again and it was delicious! BUT the magician creepin around while you wait for your food to come was WEIRD. I totally get it might be entertaining when waiting for a table but it’s very awkward when eating!

Now this is what I love. BBQ rules!!! Table of four. We each got something a little different. Apps were burnt ends and smoked wings. Both were outstanding. For the entrees all of us got some sort of smoked items. I got the pick 3. I figured the portions would be a little smaller thinking it was kind of a sampler. Boy was I wrong!!! There was so much food, I had to take a good amount home.
The thing I love the most is that while they sauce up the meat pretty well, the sauce itself flavor wise is not overpowering and lets the meat itself shine. In my pick 3, I got brisket, pulled pork, and ribs. All were done very well. I got the cheddar smashed and mac and cheese for the two sides that come with the pick 3. The cheddar smashed were good. Not sure what it is about the mac and cheese, but it wasn’t to my liking. However that certainly wouldn’t deter me from coming back as they have a great selection of sides to pick from.
Service was good. Waitress was attentive and while the apps took a little while to come out, everything ran very smoothly.
Definitely a place to go back to over and over again!

I’ve been here a couple times with my family while visiting and its been consistently good. The burnt ends appetizer and the smoked chicken wings are where it’s at! Although the rest of the items I’ve tried on the menu are good as well. The sides are also good, one of my faves is the mac and cheese.
They have good cocktail, beer and bourbon lists to please just about anyone.
It’s pretty consistently busy each time I’m there but the service is always courteous and as speedy as they can be given how busy they are.
The atmosphere is rustic but trendy so it transports you a little bit from the strip mall exterior. It’s definitely a local gem!

This is difficult. I know the food is good, but the kitchen is SOOOO backed up the hour wait for food wasn’t worth the hour and fifteen minute wait for a table. (PS still waiting for food)

Great BBQ selection and always has bourbon barrel aged ale on tap! Awesome service and very accommodating! Worth a little extra driving distance.

i am very glad i heard about this place in the radio it was clean and the food was awesome. been to about every bbq joint in northeast ohio and this is now my new fav though i will be heading to mabels soon.

Was not disappointed in this place. We tried the porkgrinds with their chorizo/​queso which was delicious. For dinner i got the chorizo meatloaf which was awesome. My girlfriend got the filet which was great as well. Service was really great. Was definatley worth the 50 minute drive.

We had a great dinner here last night! My 10 year old saw the restaurant on the Food network and begged to go try it out.
The restaurant itself is in an unassuming strip mall, but that means plenty of parking!
For starters we had the burnt ends, shared by 4 at the table. My husband ordered the chorizo meatloaf dinner– plenty for two to share (or leftovers), I had the Las Marias salad, tons of pulled chicken on top, my son ordered a burger– ½ lb grilled to order with carmelized onions and cheese, my daughter had the popcorn chicken from the kids menu– and my husband grabbed a few pieces of the extra crispy chicken!
On Monday night they even had a magician– which I’m pretty sure my 29 year old nephew enjoyed as much as the kids.
We will definitely be back.

We’re not from this area and have recently been a little disappointed with our culinary experiences on the east side, and when our GPS turned us into a little strip mall I was pretty sure Oaks & Embers would follow suit. Boy was I wrong, this joint blew my expectations out of the water!
The space is a lot larger than I would have imagined from the outside. I’m not sure how to describe it, but the atmosphere is different than what I would have expected from a BBQ joint.
The beer list is definitely decent enough for the area, they have a good enough selection of drafts and bottles. It’s not super expansive, but it’s more impressive than I expected. It was our waiter Harry’s first day on the job and he did excellent and was surprisingly knowledgeable about the menu on some questions we asked that were probably not normal FAQ.
We didn’t look anything up about the business before our visit, just picked a place at random really, so we weren’t aware it was a BBQ place prior to arriving. Because of dietary restrictions, I can’t indulge in BBQ sauce so I was a little worried when I first glanced at the menu. I ordered the Las Maria salad and let me tell you, it’s taken my #1 spot for best salad I’ve ever had at a casual eatery! Everything was very fresh. It comes with pulled smoked chicken on top — it was so flavorful, tender and moist I had to double check that it didn’t have any barbecue on it (there wasn’t).
And ooooh the avocado ranch dressing… let me tell you. This dressing deserves its own paragraph. First off, I’m pretty sure it’s made with fresh avocados. It’s a real treat. I’m very picky about my ranch dressings, but this one made the cut ten fold. Some day, I’m going to go back and order their pulled pork tacos and smother those bad boys with this stuff. I urge you to do the same.
Bravo Oaks & Embers, five stars for you.

BBQ worth the drive.
This place in an unassuming strip mall (you’ll probably miss the first driveway) delivers on expectations. The hidden location and dated signage makes you nervous at first, but the inside is very modern and very spacious.
We did an early Sunday dinner and were craving something different and not too pretentious. Alas, we ended up here. The waitress was friendly, if not a little pushy to get the drinks and meal started. Regardless, she was efficient and everything turned out just fine. GF went with the brisket melt (brisket stacked high) and I don’t know if we were there on a good day, but it was truly stacked high and more than she could manage. I went ribs and was amazed by the amount of meat on the ribs, seriously the meatiest I’ve ever had. Green beans were delicious too. Only the cornbread was a little dry, but you get a brick of it so it’s quantity over quality there.
Big plus: Arrogant Bastard in a big bottle.

Often the second time you go to a restaurant you experience the law of diminishing returns as your expectations exceed the performance. This was not the case for us. We tried many different options and they were all cooked very well. The service was good despite being very crowded. We started with the burnt ends (riblets) and crab cakes, both excellent. We had the filet which was cooked perfectly and tender. We had the bbq chicken, pulled pork, ribs and brisket which are apparently marinated and smoked for 24 hours. We also had the Cajun grouper which was also great. I really loved the sides from scratch, my only problem with the dirty grits and mac and cheese was there wasn’t enough of them (although the portion sizes were more than sufficient).

We had a rather large party of 15 that this restaurant in greatly accommodated us. Our server was sweet and attentive. The restaurant is decorated with bourbon barrels on the wall kind of cool looking, I half expected a lot more polished mahogany and oak but that didn’t hurt the place at all. It smelled wonderful with the smoky smell of barbecue. I checked the menu and the prices seem right in line with someone favorite barbecue joints in Texas. However, that’s not to say it was a cheap night out by any means.
My dinner was a brisket melt sandwich with a side of bacon sauteed green beans which were delicious. The brisket was ugly a little bit cold and seemed to be reheated, & I wasn’t used to that. Every time I’ve got Biscuit from a barbecue joint it was literally cut to order, and I’m not sure this was. Not that that’s a huge issue, but it just didn’t seem like it was very fresh. Tasty, just not very freshly cut. I tried both be Carolina and sweet barbecue sauce and I prefer the Carolina BBQ sauce with its mustard base. The bread that the sandwiches on seem to be Texas toast and was almost literally dripping with butter, it was crunchy, not soggy but still very very buttery it’s just a preference thing I’m sure other people like it that way.
Everyone else’s meals were great, everyone just about licked their plates clean. My only real gripe and this gripe is with the majority of my reviews is maintenance of the building itself. The restrooms hearken back to the days when this place used to be a bar. For example read about the mens urinal all the drywall was cut out obviously some repairs were made and replaced with OSB and painted looks like crap. The partitions are stained with Rust from the Pee splatter. And I literally felt like washing my hands and I trust her and would actually they make my hands dirtier. The restroom door is well is in dire need of repairs and a good deep cleaning.

This place is ok, the appetizers here are good, the fried wings are not that crispy, so that’s sort of a negative. The positive is they have a good bourbon menu; and plenty of tv’s to watch any sports games on. We came with quite a big party and I ordered the brisket and was sorely disappointed; it was a bit sinewy and did not break apart like a properly smoked brisket would. My buddy ordered the chicken and waffles and that was good, and the service here is just ok… This is more of a 2.5 star review, make your wings crispy and definitely fix the brisket and then I will raise my rating to something better.

4.5 stars
In the middle of farmland, is a plaza that has a restaurant with great BBQ. Yes, decent BBQ in CLE! Our Texan friend actually recommended that we try this place out. He had just eaten at the restaurant the day before, and recommended that we try it so he could come eat here again (yes AGAIN). Guess it must be good if he’s willing to come eat at the same place two days in a row!
We had a medium sized group so we were able to order more and try different dishes. We started off with the «burnt ends in Bourbon BBQ sauce,» oooooh my was that yummy! The fatty meat covered in their delicious sauce just melted in our mouths! We were already impressed just with the starters.
Next we ordered the main dishes, a full rack of ribs, and pulled pork. Of course we needed sides with all that meat, so we got the «dirty grits,» mac n cheese, sweet potato fries, green beans, and cheddar mashed potatoes. The ribs were delicious! The meat was tender and covered with their delicious BBQ sauce (you can be sure we were lickin’ our fingers away while eating)! Our Texan friend kept asking for more BBQ sauce because he loved it so much, unfortunately they came in little sauce cups so multiple requests had to be made. He even asked if they sold their sauce to customers… sorry to say, they haven’t started bottling it for sale. Guess you have to take your BBQ sauce shots in the restaurant! ;p
As for the rest of the meal, the pulled pork was also fairly good. The meat was tender and moist, and of course smothered in their yummy BBQ sauce. The best side dish we had was the dirty grits! That is another dish you have to try when you dine here! We all loved it because you could taste the chorizo chunks mixed in with the creamy grits. The rest of the sides were ok, but nothing to rave about. I guess after having the dirty grits, the rest of the sides weren’t as appealing.
By the end of the meal we did major damage, and almost completely finished everything we ordered. We were happy and fat… oops, I mean full! We were happy and ffffull! Anyway, if you’re looking for a fat and happy meal, check this place out!

We visited this location for the second time on sweetest day, after such a great experience with our first visit. The wait was nearly an hr and this was frustrating watching people who had reservations jump in front while standing and waiting. It also was frustrating not having pages or cell phone system, or app to keep track of seating. They also had large parties of people sitting and not eating but just watching the football game.
The Cuban bean soup was good and so was her salad we got for apps. Once we waited and waited we finally got to order. But then our server never returned until a half hour later. Our fries were average and the apple slaw was mostly Apple which created a unequal balance. The beans were undercooked and didn’t have enough sauce on them.
My sausage was good and so was her pulled pork. But like other reviews were Is the sauce it’s scarce. The service was slow and wait painful. The apps just need some fine tuning I mean how hard is it to make fries,
This location is a few simple things away from being amazing.