Hodge’s

I went here last night for the first time for their happy hour.
I ended up having three drinks, an app and a small plate. My bill was $ 30 including a healthy tip. I’m a fan.
Not only was it cheap, it was actually delicious. For a drink I had the rum punch which was really delightful and not too sweet, although I did have 3 and didn’t feel a buzz. For an app I had their tots and aioli, which was seasoned nicely. The real treat for the night was the duck confit flatbread. The flatbread had more duck meat on it than I expected which was nice and the flavors of the fig and cheese accompanied it nicely. I’m not a huge fan of crust on pizza or flatbreads, but I ate it and loved it!

My wife and I visited Hodge’s on MLK day just before the Cavs game. We had a reservation and were promptly seated. The entire front of house staff wore Cleveland gear, which was a really great show of support for the city.
I started with a Mean Green, which was a really great drink. Crisp, refreshing, and just flat out tasty. It would be, (and will be), even better in the summer. Appetizers followed suite with great flavors. The Hanky Pankies have an amazing jam on top. My wife also had the Broccoli Cheese Soup, which was INCREDIBLE. Such a great choice on a cold Cleveland winter day. The extra zip of the korean chili flakes really make the dish special.
Entrees were also excellent. The Salmon was served on a bed of really fantastic fried rice that mixed perfectly with the fruit salsa on the fish. It was cooked to a perfect medium and was really great. We also had the mac and cheese, which deserves to be called something higher than mac and cheese. It was familiar and comfortable but with a huge amount of additional flavors. It was well balanced and amazingly good.
We finished the meal with the cookie sundae. If there’s Mitchell’s Ice Cream involved, I’m in. This was one of the most satisfying desserts I’ve had at a downtown restaurant in quite some time. I’m not big on sweets, but this sundae makes me think I could learn.
This review is actually more of a 4.5 /​5 instead of just a 4. I’d give higher marks, but I’ve had better service at other places. Service wasn’t bad, but there were instances when we waited just a little too long to be asked for our order. We also weren’t asked if we wanted dessert. But, this is nitpicking on my part.
All in all, a great meal and a great experience. I’m excited for a second visit and to try many more things on the menu!

We came in for their happy hour on a Saturday evening. I would definitely recommend! They have great deals on appetizers, and drinks with everything being about half their normal price. We couldn’t believe the total bill for all the drinks, and food we got! They were also very fast to get our food out once we ordered.
Both the drinks, and food were very good. We ordered the potstickers (our favorite), the duck confit flatbread, and the snack trio (deviled egg, hanky panky, and devils on horseback). We also ordered all three of the happy hour special drinks, and I would recommend all of them!
Great happy hour spot before heading to The Q, for sure!

Stopped here for lunch while in CLE for work. The Dunk Confit Tacos were delicious. Would go back for sure.

My fiancé and I stopped in for dinner on a Sunday night on our road trip back from Christmas. The place was a little empty (we were the last to be seated that night), but we were warmly welcomed. The wine and beer list was great — they had a delicious local beer of the month for only $ 4 which was a good steal.
We ordered a bunch of appetizers since we couldn’t settle on one thing. The duck and squash flatbread was my favorite thing, along with the house made cornbread that comes served in a skillet. We also had the goat cheese tarte, which was tasty too. I wasn’t a huge fan of the deviled eggs — they were a little bland for my taste.
Overall a really enjoyable experience — would definitely go again next time I find myself in Cleveland.

I visited Hodges on St. Stephen’s Day (26 December) for dinner. I’m in Cleveland visiting family for the holidays, and an old friend is assigned to the Cathedral nearby. This place was his pick.
Mind you, I come from the culinary capital of the country, Chicago, but I’m a proud Clevelander, having been raised on the West Side. I am impressed with the selection of restaurants that have popped up in my old hometown. Hodges is certainly one of them.
We had a series of «small plates» between the two of us. The goat cheese tart we had was very good, it was a warm, extremely buttery crust and tasty, it did lack that little «zing» of the goat cheese. I think it could have gone that «extra mile» and could have been fabulous if they had mixed the greens with it a bit better. Somehow everything on the platter came together, but not as it could have given my experience with warm cheese tarts I’ve had elsewhere. It was good, but with slightly more effort, it could have been better. Nonetheless, an excellent effort.
The «Devils on Horseback» dates were very good. Perhaps my prejudice is the marjool dates I get at Avec in Chicago, but I would order these again. They were flavorful and balanced. It’s easy to over-​do it with chorizo because it’s such a strong sausage.
The «Hanky Pankies» were good. It’s a classic appetizer recipe from the 80’s with a little more imagination. I think it needs a bit more imagination! There was a spot of «fig jam» on top one could barely taste. Putting more jam on there would have gone a long way. The menu mentions crostini. I didn’t see any bread on the plate. Not sure if it was forgotten or not.
The Blue Crab Hushpuppies: I liked them, but didn’t taste any blue crab. They were good as far as hushpuppies go, however they were a bit bland.
I’ll say the highlight for me was the truffle mashed potatoes. They had a healthy infusion of truffle oil, the potatoes were creamy good.
Finally, I should say that the ambience was excellent, a warm and cozy place. The service was exceptional. Our server was the always present but never doting. The wine list is devoid of any pretense, and served an excellent selection. I enjoyed a nice glass of Malbec for less than $ 9.
I would return.
For Clevelanders who don’t know my reviews, I don’t inflate my ratings. Few experiences are worth 5 stars. Four is extremely exceptional. 3 is very good. Two/​One stars… well…it’s obvious!
Way to go Cleveland!

What a great place. This was my first time, but it won’t be my last. I met some people for lunch and we all had the lunchbox. There is a choice between 2 soups, plus a choice between two salads, plus a choice between 3 sandwich halves. I went with the root vegetable salad, tomato bisque, and grilled cheese. Perfect portion for a great lunch. Very complimentary elements and beautifully presented. The service is excellent and I loved the round red chairs for seating. Very fun and funky. Plus, what great glasses for the water and soft drinks. I know that seems like a simple thing, but it is a nice touch. There were many holiday celebrations going on all around us so it’s definitely good for gatherings as well.
I look forward to the next visit.

We had tickets Saturday night to the Last Call Cleveland show at Playhouse Square but no dinner reservations. And when we are in that situation anywhere around E. 6^th St., then our go-​to place is Hodge’s.
Of the mid-​level restaurants along Euclid Ave./E. 4^th St., I would say it has arguably the best food plus there’s the added benefit of having a large bar area so you can almost always get a seat (even easier in the summer when their humongous patio is open).
On this night our drinks were the Old O’ Old-​Fashioned (I just love the single giant ice cube — cools the drink without quickly watering it down) while Jeannene went with the gin-​based Beehive.
Our appetizer is usually the blue crab hushpuppies ($ 12.50) with a sumptious «old bay’onaise» but this time we went with a lighter choice — Peaches + Ginger Toast. The five two-​bite toasts had a soft peach that sat on a small mound of goat cheese with balsamic vinegar drizzled over them. It was not too peachy and the goat cheese was whipped giving at an lighter texture (this is the 2^nd Cleveland restaurant that I’ve seen this technique at so hopefully it is becoming a trend). Overall, a perfect light appetizer, especially considering they serve you get hot, sweet cornbread with every meal.
For main course, I went the opposite of light — crispy pork cutlet and fettuccine ($ 18.50). It seems at Hodge’s that at least one thing we order has a unique spin to it (perhap’s Chris Hodge’s food truck influence?) and in this case it was the pork. Normally this would be breaded but this version had a very light batter which seemed to have been flash-​fried, hence the «crispy.» The dish came with tomato jam which the server warned had a kick to it, but that’s what was needed when dealing with a hunk of pork and luscious fettucine alfredo.
Jeannene had the Bay of Fundy Salmon ($ 25) which came on a bed of fried rice and topped with a pineapple-​habanero salso. Again, the touch of uniqueness — you can find a salmon dish that includes rice, but fried rice? Needless to say, both dishes worked.
One thing about the atmosphere — the large space coupled with the «Hodge’s» sign above the bar spelled out in light bulbs reminds me of an old-​time saloon and it is as loud as one (or so I’ve seen in Hollywood movies). But I think that just adds to the playfulness of the menu,

Crazy good happy hour deals on a Sunday. We each had a craft beer and split more food than we could finish and our bill was under $ 50. They have a $ 7 burger with tater tots during HH that would be twice that price anywhere else.

We like Hodges. Often we go before an event at the Q. Parking is right there. This time we sat at the bar. A patron handed us the Happy Hour menu. Nice. From 4 – 6 every day or later depending on the night. We ordered three plates. The Trio, the meatballs, the duck confit flatbread. (See my photos.). All were delicious. Select beers and wines were also reduced. I know where we’ll sit from now on, except February’s Restaurant Week, when entrees are reduced.

Stopped in for what was supposed to be a leisurely lunch on a week day. The patio was excellent, but that was probably the best part. We had some cocktails, crab cakes, mac and cheese, and shrimp and grits. The cocktails were good, but too expensive. The crab cakes and grits dish were both delicious, but the mac and cheese was bland and boring. The service was not great. Both our appetizer and our entrees came out before our drinks, which was annoying. Everyone else was clearly there on their lunch break from work, but we obviously were not. Even so, our server treated us like we were in a huge rush to leave. I wouldn’t refuse to come back, but I also wouldn’t feel disappointed if I never do.

Every time I have been here, it’s not remarkable either way… The patio is cool when the weather is nice and they have music from time-​to-​time, but it’s not anything special, and if you’re visiting the area, and have limited time, pass on this one for another great local gem.

Came in at around 8 on a Sunday, and the place was pretty deserted — save for a few people having some drinks. I had bookmarked this place before coming to Cleveland and I was Unilocaling some food spots. They seemed to have pretty good happy hour specials but we were too late. So instead, we ordered the Animal tots that everyone seemed to be raving about. This had goat cheese-​leek fondue, pancetta, cheddar, pickles, and was topped with fried egg. The first few tots were pretty good, but when I got to my fourth or fifth tot, it was pretty nauseating. Everything was just too heavy and it had a weird old bad cheese taste to it.
Luckily, Hodge’s redeemed themselves with the Romaine wedge salad. This had fried onion, pancetta, hard boiled egg, Babylon heirloom tomato, white French, with added herb-​brined chicken. I guess my eyes glazed over the wedge part because I was pretty surprised when it showed up. I like my salads chopped but this one was still pretty good, despite that.
Overall, it seems like a cool place to grab a few beers and catch up with friends.

Why’d I wait so long to go to Hodge’s? I loved it so much, I went twice in one week!
Lunch: enjoyed the crispy chicken sandwich with tots. To.Die.For
Happy Hour/​Dinner: imbibed on a $ 5 Moscow Mule (holla!) and had the scrumptious mac ‘n’ cheese. How about that cornbread, though? Dang.
I loved the big patio and the service was on point.

I’d rather give this place a 4.5 of 5 but I’ll explain.
We went Monday evening, and they advertized their «happy hour», starting at 6PM, which was a decent deal. They also had their house burger half off, so I couldn’t resist such a deal myself. Our servers were pleasant and upbeat, and we had a lovely taller lady with great black eyeliner and dark hair, she was courteous to our table of 4 and was there to refresh beverages and be of assistance.
The restaurant is SUPER cute, somewhat dimly lit but I can see how this place thrives on the big crowd Cleveland culture. We tried lots of different menu options amongst our party: appetizers including deviled eggs, chorizo sausage wrapped with bacon, and this SUPERB pizza with a savory jam on top with duck and goat cheese (this was my favorite & you MUST order!) We also got two burger plates that come with «animal tots» which were delicious and these would be the other item you must try from their menu. My friend ordered the peanut butter port house beer with a shot of vanilla vodka and said he loved it.
As for dessert, we all shared three different skillets which were a lemon tart, a chocolate-​chip cookie sundae, and an apple pie topped with salted caramel soft serve. The lemon tart was much too bitter and too runny, in my opinion. The apple pie was more or less a crumble with ice cream on top and the salted caramel was very good. The chocolatecookie sundae was something I could’ve made myself at home. So thus my 4 stars instead of 5. The desserts are a huge letdown and not very large at all.
Otherwise, we greatly enjoyed our supper here.
Location: ⁷⁄₁₀ a bit difficult to locate if you don’t know your way around the stadium downtown.
Staff: ⁹⁄₁₀
Food: ⁹⁄₁₀
Dessert: ²⁄₁₀
Cost: ⁷⁄₁₀
Interior: ⁷⁄₁₀
Speed of Service: ¹⁰⁄₁₀
Cleanliness: ⁸⁄₁₀
Overall Experience: ⁷⁄₁₀

Absolutely delicious lunch!
Talk about a popular patio for lunch! The patio looked very clean, cozy and every table was taken. We decided to sit inside to see the décor. I was definitely impressed the décor, I love the big red leather chairs.
Our server was great, she greeted us right away and got our waters quickly. Once our glasses were empty, it did take her a few minutes to get to us but it was pretty busy so we couldn’t fault her for it.
I love their Lunchbox idea, you get a little bit of everything. I ordered the tomato soup (delicious), the root stock salad (different but great) and half of the grilled cheese (I am still daydreaming about it). Once I was done eating, all of the plates were empty. Clearly that’s a safe indication that the food was delicious.
All in all, I would definitely return for lunch. I would also like to try the 2 for $ 40 on Tuesdays and the Happy Hour! Keep up the great work Hodge’s!

Really enjoyed my dinner here. The cornbread came out in a cast iron skillet and was still warm. I ate the entire thing myself and thoroughly enjoyed it. As my main meal I got the large chopped salad with Bay of Fundi salmon on top with a side of brussels sprouts. The staff was very friendly and though the restaurant décor wasn’t especially exciting, the food more than made up for it.
I went on a Thursday night around 8 pm and had no trouble getting a table, so reservations are most likely not needed!

I made reservations at Hodge’s for a pre-​Playhouse Square dinner adventure and enjoyed the experience very much. We arrived a bit late for our reservation but the hostess was kind and there was plenty of room in the dining area. It was a tad chilly so we opted out of the patio although the back doors were open and some folks were seated out there. (Maybe another time, patio!)
Being a little short for time we opted for a couple beers and entrees. I like that they have a decent micro-​brew selection including local breweries. The cornbread skillet came out quickly and it was oh so good! In my family, sweet cornbread is king and Hodge’s was sweet, moist, and fall-​apart perfection with crispy edges and made even better with the maple syrup infused butter.
For entrees we ordered the hanger steak and Ohio chicken. I thought both dishes were good — the hanger steak was crisped outside and moist inside and it was offset with roasted asparagus and lovely garlic (heavy, heavy on the garlic!) truffle mashed potatoes that seemed a bit strong (but still delicious) on their own and absolutely heavenly when paired with the steak.
The Ohio chicken was cooked well and perfectly moist, the gnocchi was divine and the brussel sprouts, mushrooms, and carrots great accompaniments but something with the broth was a bit «off» to my taste-​buds. It seemed very strong on vinegar which was a bit disappointing since if the vinegar had been dialed back even a tad, I think my palette would have found it much improved.
All said, we were in and out in an hour — just in time for a pleasant walk back to the theater for our show. I’ll definitely return again!

My boyfriend and I had our first «dinner date» here so I really really really want to love Hodge’s. We came late last summer and they had an awesome patio with a fire pit so it was pretty nice and a great place for a first date. Being a girl on a first date, I didn’t really realize everything (the food, the service, or the cost of the bill at the end of the night) because I was too interested in the boy. The atmosphere was on point that night though and I left more smitten than the night before. I definitely recommend sitting outside in the patio area in the summertime.
Fast forward a several months during a trip downtown looking at apartments and it’s cold and raining. We decide to stop in for a drink and I absolutely fall in love the place again. There is a marquee sign reading «Hodges» lit up above the bar and there are big red bar seats around a dark wood bar. The atmosphere is once again my favorite part about it which is partially why I’m only giving it 3 stars.
Let me just spare you the details of every other trip we’ve made to Hodge’s and talk about the food. Everything we’ve had has been good but nothing over the top. But, the prices are really high. We came for two for $ 40 which they do on Tuesdays and we felt like we finally got what we paid for. From now on, we’ll probably only have dinner there on Tuesdays. We’ll still come for the drinks and the ambiance (obviously), I just think the prices are too steep!

Found this on Unilocal and thought I’d give it a try. I was not disappointed! I was looking for a light lunch and this place hit the spot. The service was a bit slow in the beginning. He eventually noticed me. A nice woodsy feel when you walk in with very low lighting. I sat by a window cause I wanted to read.
I ordered deviled eggs as an appetizer and a salad for lunch. Everything was great! The deviled eggs were served on a wooden block. Nice size bits of hickory smoked bacon inside. A piece on top with a dash of hot sauce. Soooo delicious! I had a salad that was made of lettuce, beets, carrots, root veggies, boiled egg. Sorry forgot the name. Everything was chopped small bit size and tossed in a vingearette. I enjoyed it but thought it could’ve used a bit more lettuce.
I would come back. This spot was behind a building which makes me think it’s more for the office crowd.