Black Dog Kitchen & Bar

Bartender very nice. Nice place to just hangout and relax. Here during the day so I can’t say how the night life is here. But overall great hole in the wall.

No complaints, but not exceptional. Nice to find a decent place that isn’t too expensive in the Gateway district; the Black Dog is off Euclid, a little ways up an alley– we almost missed it walking past. Inside, the ambience was nice– one room with a bar and bar-​style high tables, another room with table service. Televisions turned on, but no sound. We were here for Saturday lunch, I had the Cleveland Carnitas taco. Unfortunately they were out of the artichoke, but I had a side of brussels sprouts. Also had the black-​dog slaw, which I do not recommend– a bit dry for me.
Service was a little slow, but not painfully slow– enough time to read the lead article out of the Scene.
Fine, but not wow. Overall, a nice place with decent food downtown – I’d go back for lunch.

Wow this place is a lot more than I expected! I’m ashamed it took this long to come here!

I’ve heard good things about the Black Dog from friends, and was looking forward to trying it out. It’s always nice to find a place to eat downtown that isn’t east 4^th or the warehouse district.
The food was alright. The French onion soup was exactly what it should be: a hot bowl with a good amount of cheese. The burgers were ordered medium and shockingly actually came out medium.
The problem lies with timing. The first course of soup took 2 – 3 minutes, the medium burgers took 45 minutes. I can’t say whether the issues came from the server or from the kitchen. The whole place sort of has a family run restaurant feel; two or three people working super hard and several entitled family members standing around taking multiple smoke breaks.
If you have no place to be, the black dog is definitely worth a visit. If you’re trying to have dinner or lunch with 2 hours until a sporting event/​theater/​whatever this place will try your patience.

With the disclaimer that the place has beer and that’s all I’ll be looking for/​it seems to be good for, I will be checking in here often in the future. Whew, glad that’s off my shoulders, so don’t give me crap for coming here to get some fairly cheap drinks after long days in the office. Now onto the reason I actually don’t LIKE the place.
When I first came here, I was excited to finally be checking out this strange little spot and I saw so much potential. The «alley» location, the bright windows, but dungeon-​y atmosphere and bar. It all intrigued me and I was excited. Until we didn’t get service…
I don’t think I’ll ever try dinner entrees here because I don’t trust them. I don’t trust anyone here to actually DO THEIR JOBS. My first visit was punctuated by the worst bar service I’ve ever had when I was one of FOUR customers the bartender had to serve. ONE OF FOUR and we had at least a 5+ minute wait while we just stared the girl down. She was busy flirting, so that makes ignoring the female customers in the place ok? So when we did get some attention, I asked about happy hour and we got a laundry list rattled off to us, no mention of food, no offering of menus. She walked away, and when we finally got to order, she poured a wrong beer, distracted by the man sitting down at the other end of the bar that she was giving shots to. My friend was too nice to say anything and just let it slide. My second visit was the same story, except it was reversed. The bartender was a male, and, granted there were something like 10 people in the bar this time, we had to wait a long time for menus (he actually gave us menus! Yay!!). Then, he left to go flirt with a girl at the other end of the bar, sharing her meal and gazing into her eyes. He finally came back and we put an order in, then he took two steps away and forgot it. We got our food and my friend’s taco was a pile of jiggly, gelatinous pork fat and we had to wait… and wait… and wait for him to come by so we could ask for a different taco, some silverware and NAPKINS. The saving grace this time were the delicious chips, salsa and guac. The third time I came here, we had the same male bartender and he said hi, walked back to the other end of the bar, served everyone at that end, started serving other people that had just sat down, said hi to us again, walked back to someone else again, THEN just asked what we wanted. Then we got a drink menu tossed at us and, again, no mention of food or beer options. We ordered the chips, salsa and guac and some beers and were getting really excited for the chips that I had even talked up, when we got a mixture of soggy, slick greasy chips and about 5 so-​crispy-​they-​explode chips. Major disappointment, especially after waiting on service again, not to mention we got one napkin to share between the two of us and really could have used a beach towel to soak up the grease from those chips.
I won’t even get into the fact that the waitresses, hostesses and bus boys all hang around like they need to hold the walls up and end up being another distraction to the bartenders.
So, yeah, if you couldn’t tell, I don’t like this place. I think they need a management and staff overhaul and everyone needs attitude adjustments. I worked in a customer service food industry job for 6 years and I know when service just isn’t being managed well and this is a great example of that. Just because your establishment is slightly off the beaten path doesn’t mean you don’t need to keep up with customer service standards.
I like sitting here with a beer (mostly because very few other people do and I don’t like crowds – especially for a calming after work drink), and if it takes 20 minutes to get one, I guess I’ll deal with it because it takes me about 90 seconds to walk here from work. It’s just too damned convenient.
But, I’d never recommend this place to someone. Don’t go here, don’t get caught in the convenience trap like I did.

I wanted the Black Dog is the best thing that I’ve ever found in a small dirty alley.
It’s surprisingly upscale and has a good beer selection.
The service was friendly, but the food left a little to be desired.
My Beef on Weck, ordered medium rare, was ice cold. To correct it they cooked the beef to medium well. The sauce on their chicken wings was outstanding, I just wish they actually had some chicken on them. Most were about the size of your pinkie.
In Cleveland, there are better places to try.

Service was good, food was not! Coke slaw is literally just cabbage no sauce. Mac and cheese doesn’t have much flavor. Shrimp are tough. Bartender was very nice. They were out of ginger beer so she use fresh ginger and gingerale to make my Moscow mule, which was surprisingly good. Overall not worth it.

This is my new favorite happy hour spot downtown — awesome prices on delicious happy hour specials, combined with friendly servers and really cool interior make for a great evening!
The happy hour specials are some of the most generous you’ll find downtown or anywhere — $ 5 martinis and cocktails. Try the delicious Edgewater — it’s like a dryer blueberry mojito. Among my group, I think we ordered at least one of each of the food happy hour specials. $ 5 gets you a huge bowl of cilantro lime or hot wings, or a plain burger, or, better yet, the most delicious spicy guacamole and pico served with awesome deep fried bread chips that sort of taste like the chalupa shell at Taco Bell. I don’t know how else to describe it. On one hand, not the healthiest options, but on the other hand: Hooray!
I went for drinks and snacks with a group of friends, and we ended up staying until the place closed, because it was just so comfortable and inviting. Our server, Karen, was great!
The only thing that will prevent me from making this my go-​to summer happy hour spot is the lack of outdoor space… But come fall /​winter — I foresee spending many, many after-​work hours here!

Lets see. We stumbled upon this place by accident. Yes it was opening day for the tribe, but they completely flushed their menu down the toilet for $ 5 burgers, $ 2 hot dogs, $ 2 fried potato chips. The real menu looked good. It is a shame I will never get to try it since I will never come back. We were not there for the Indians game, since we work downtown. I would have been better off getting a hot dog from one of the vendors in the street and dropping it in the gravel before eating it. $ 5 Burger… no fries? Really? I would have liked to try your Corned Beef, but no you decided to change your menu for Opening Day. A little advice… On Opening Day, you could probably keep your same menu and increase the pricing a buck. Robert Irvine would have been very upset the way you changed your menu. Your manager should be fired for making such a stupid decision.

Eh… First batch of chips were stale, but they brought a new one promptly. Fried fish was too fishy. Shrimp tacos were just okay. Service was good and bar looked a little busy. Not a gourmet meal, probably wouldn’t come back.

Sorry, Black Dog, I have to knock off one star. After repeated visits, both the food and the service have proven to be a bit uneven. The crispy pork belly shows the nuance that the kitchen is capable of, but a recent mac & cheese bordered on disastrous. It looked and tasted like it had been pre-​made and reheated, which is a crime against mac & cheese. For just $ 1 more, I can go to Lola and have an amazing version. That said, you’re still a-​ok in my book, and I’ll be back for lunch and happy hour.

I got the Terminal Tower salad was good but the portion of steak I got on it was rather small. The pico was a great ‘dressing’ and the balsamic dressing which the waitress recommended I add was a good addition.
The bar area seating was awkward and was the only section of the restaurant being used for Saturday lunch. It was a combination of too high stools by a too low table. Additionally the large barrel base of the tables in the bar area, while visually cool, required your legs to be spread wide around them.
No soap in the men’s bathroom — let’s hope the male bartender and other male employees have a separate bathroom.
Entrance only off of E8th St, not the convenient connection from inside the City Club.
This was a solid 3.5 experience, I rounded up because our waitress was nice.

Get the lobster artichoke dip and get orange ginger shrimp tacos. DO IT.
Now on to the actual review: Came here after reading this blog
and found a very nice, cozy place! The wait staff was attentive and helpful, bar deals were great, and we all very much enjoyed our food. If you do come here after a Monsters game, make sure you save your ticket stub – they advertised a 15% discount for people with Monsters tickets. We were going before the game and were buying tickets there/​had flash seats, so we couldn’t use the discount :(I expect they’d do the same for Cavs games and possibly Indians games?
The local flair given to most of the menu items was rather fun as well. The names of the sandwiches and burgers are clever and include great ingredients like the Dortmunder Gold beer. They also work to use items in season – the ahi tuna wasn’t available, but they were substituting Lake Erie walleye and they offered us brussel sprouts instead of asparagus, but the food was still delicious!
Definitely want to come back to try their other options and enjoy the homey atmosphere!

So I really wanted to give Black Dog 3.5 stars but Unilocal doesn’t do half stars. Seriously, Unilocal?You’ve been in business since 2004. Half stars can’t be that hard to implement. Anyway…
So I really should love Black Dog. It’s super close to my apartment. It has a separate bar/​dining area and the bar area is super cozy. The dining area is a great space that filters into the City Club, should you want some inspiring, thought-​provoking discussion after eating your meal. So why no love for Black Dog? I’m really confused by their food. I don’t know what their schtick is. I’ve visited here on two separate occasions and both times I was thoroughly confused as to exactly what Black Dog is trying to be. The first time I went here the place was practically empty (lunchtime on a Saturday afternoon) and I was with a big group so I was like sweet! service should be awesome. Honestly, it was kind of slow. We were a group of six with 2 additional kids but there was seriously no one else in the restaurant. So, moving on to the food. Our appetizer was the lobster and artichoke dip. I was a little skeptical that one appetizer would feed six adults but I was pleasantly surprised. This dip is super rich and gooey but good. Order it. Moving on to the mains, two of us ordered the Orange Ginger Shrimp tacos. The description makes these sound divine. In reality, they’re really bland. The ingredients all cancel each other out and what you’re left with is a mix of mushy and solid textures. Not good at all. Another in our group ordered the Terminal Tower. When asked, she said it was «a salad.» Guess that’s all you need to know about that one. For the most part, everyone’s food was pretty forgettable. It’s not that it was bad it’s just that no one seemed impressed. So why four stars for Black Dog, besides the fact that I can’t a give a half star? I think Black Dog has great potential. The location really pumps up the neighborhood and it’s a great place to catch your favorite sports teams. Beyond that, the food is not so awful that it can’t be saved. If they refine their menu a bit and focus on really pulling flavor out of their dishes, they’ll be golden in my book.

I just read the reviews: a lot of hate. As usual I agree with Racheal N. She is the barometer of taste and can be trusted. My friends wanted to grab lunch today and we bounced a few options around. We ended up down at Black Dog. It is right behind the CVS and off the beaten path. There was a nice bum sprawled out on the Euclid sidewalk and he served as the guiding light. All of the dog references are adorable. I am more of a cat lover but dogs are one of the coolest animals if you ask me. The food was good. For a Sunday football game special, one pound of wings was $ 5 and cheeseburgers also $ 5. The bruschetta was also tasty. My friend and I split dishes. I ordered the Euclid Beach chicken sandwich. It was not the most exciting or flavorful sandwich but very fresh and light. It was the perfect counter balance to the other sandwich we split: The Hangover. That was a burger with egg, hashbrowns and bacon. The server was a very nice young man. I asked if I could sub out the fries for something else and he let me. I said «Yeah, I am looking to have my urine stink today» meaning I wanted asparagus. He didn’t catch the reference and thought I was a maniac. From Wikipedia:
However, a 2010 study found variations in both production of odorous urine and the ability to detect the odour, but that these were not tightly related. It is believed most people produce the odorous compounds after eating asparagus, but only about 22% of the population have the autosomal genes required to smell them.
The guy must be part of the population who cannot smell what this food does to your urine. Which makes me think, they should have had asparagus at the Unilocal Science Center party. With all the beverages going around, we could have conducted a study on who can smell the asparagus in their urine. People who could would be considered more Elite than the others.

I’ll keep it simple — A LOT went wrong, but everyone was SUPER nice. I’m willing to bet it’s just new restaurant growing pains. I’ll give them another shot, but it may not be for a while.
They were out of a lot of options, my burger was charred, credit card machine wasn’t working, didn’t have Hot Tea — umm … no tea? Weird.

Black Dog– a little gem you are.
I was a little apprehensive about this place. Really? The place with the gigantic looking dog thing on the wall? Hidden away in the alleyway? Well, nonetheless, fellow Unilocaler Dee and I went to see what this Black Dog was all about.
We went during happy hour on a weekday. The place is spacious. but they crowd everyone in the front for some reason. Unilocaler Dee and I decided to try this place out… to see if the hype was true.
I was actually quite impressed by the food. The drinks? Err, not so much (strong and different, I suppose), but the food was good. We got:
–Crispy Pork Belly: Thick and actually really good. Not too dry, and quite a lot was given.
–Frites with special sauce: Always good– fried just right.
–Some type of taco I don’t remember… it was decent
— Rock&Roll Lobster– definitely a winner. I was expecting tiny bits of lobster, but it was completely stuffed with lobster. Definitely a winner! I’m interested in going back and trying some more…

I don’t see why this place is getting any good reviews as our visit here was bland and boring even though we tried, and tried, to make it pleasant.
So we walked into an empty place on a Sunday afternoon and was greeted by a friendly flighty waitress and a bartender watching the game on the TV behind the bar.
Unfamiliar to the beers in Cleveland area we asked the waitress about some on tap and got a reply of «I don’t drink beer, I really don’t know» So we ask for one, a shot in the dark, oh they’re out of that. Ok, try another, finally get it. The daytime bartender was much more interested in the football game then answering questions from his ONLY customers .
On to the good, we ordered the pork belly to start. It came out looking good, but two bites in, of the only four on the plate, we realize it’s terribly under cooked and more like a block of fat then a crispy rendered pork belly it should be.
So we move on to the guiness bbq wings, Described as fried to a crispy finish in duck fat. Well they were not crispy, in fact they were quite dry. The only redemaing quality was the sauce.
Another attempt at sampling some different beers ended up in more frustration with the non interested incompetent daytime bartender. Luckily the night time bartender came and even though our clueless waitress couldn’t find the strength to ask him about the different beers, he was courteous enough to answer my questions when I walked up to the bar and started down the list of «what is this one, what is that one?»
Really, if you’re going to offer such a nice sampling of beers shouldn’t your staff have a clue as to what is an IPA and what is a stout? Really? At least know what the draught beers are.
OH, and the lazy daytime bartender gave us both a nasty cold to bring home with us. Thanks for that !
Not being able to take any more we got a chicken sandwich to go, nothing impressive there, and left thinking «Wow, they dont’ stand a chance»

First time in today for lunch…
So far so good… got in early and was pleasantly surprised to see a nice crowd dining as the normal lunch-​hour went on. We were seated promptly and our server was attentive. Because it took me/​guest some time to decide, we sent our sever away a few times, and another server stepped in to make sure we were OK. A-​plus for service.
How ’bout the food? My guest and I split the «Cleveland Po’ Boy» (brat-​like thing, with BBQ sauce, fries, and slaw and with another side of fries), «Firestarter» wings, and «Crispy Pork Belly.»
The Po Boy and the wings were just OK, both served on the not-​quite-​hot-​side. As another review mentioned, the wings were a tad over-​done as well. OK for bar food, but not «gotta get back for this stuff.» Gotta disagree with the portion-​size concern voiced earlier… the wings were a nice stack for the price (this ain’t BW3)… just wish they were more tender.
The Pork Belly was great. Again, a bit lukewarm temp-​wise, but nicely done and seasoned just right.
Hopefully, the serving temperature was just «new place» growing pains… I think this place has great promise and can be a nice alternative to that Lizard place just up the alley. I’ll definitely be back to try the burgers and tacos.
PS: Bonus points for the CLE-​centric dish names. 2−1−6, yo!

Popped in for the Grand Opening with high hopes after running into some of the staff at Tremont Ale Fest in August.
Shared the Lobster-​artichoke dip, Fries and Guinness BBQ wings with 2 others. Took advantage of the cocktail «discounts» for happy hour.
About the food: Portions were small for the price. Paid $ 11 for shrimpy-​sized wings. Sauce was good but nothing to write home about and the chicken was a smidge overdone. The fries, while tasty, are a definite rip on the famous Lola fry. Heavy on the rosemary but in a good way. Handcut and well seasoned but barely enough to respectfully spend $ 6. Finally, the dip. GET THE DIP. It’s good… real good. I anticipate that with time the Lobster-​artichoke dip is going to be the star of the starters menu. The portion size is perfect for sharing. Hopefully, the kitchen will provide some better chips one day… all in due time.
How were the Cocktails? Worth it during happy hour. The Jamison was well mixed and essentially a giant Jami-​ginger. Thumbs up. The craft beer selection was decent but not expansive.
The restaurant itself is HUGE. Perhaps a bit too huge even. Many, many tables, two bars and booths in back. Black Dog can easily sit 80 or so people. The waitstaff was friendly buy can’t be judged too harshly this close to opening. Though, our waiter, Steve, did have a rough time doing just about anything in a servers’ job description.
Overall, glad I tried this place and will definitely go back in a month or so to see how it progresses. Next time, however, I will be trying one of the burgers… they look and smell too good too be true. Until round two, 3 stars.