Forage Public House

First time here. When we walked in, all the servers seemed to be confused as to which one was ours. 20 minutes for two iced teas, and additional 45+ minutes for two sandwiches, one of them being the wrong one! There was supposed to be pork belly on our BLT, when in fact is was some dry, day old crappy bacon. And what exactly was the flavor of the mushy pickle? It tastes like sweet/​dill/​Apple/​gross. 45 minutes later, finally the chicken club comes out. The staff, instead of being attentive after the mistake, actively avoided us. Not the best thing to do by far.
Safe to say we will never be back!

After a raving review from a close friend, I knew I had to get into the Forage the next day for a bite to eat.
We got in a bit after the lunch rush and were seated immediately on a beautiful patio day. Our server was phenomenal, super attentive and helpful with our selections.
We started off with the calamari which was garnished with wasabi honey and apricot infused chile gastrique. The calamari was fried perfectly and the squid itself was very tender.
As for the meals, I was forewarned that the tacos were on the smaller side so I decided to get two of the grilled Amish chicken tacos and two of the yellow perch tacos. Both were exactly what the taco doctor ordered. The chicken tacos had some really tasty toppings, particularly the chile crema and cilantro. As for the fish, it was cooked to perfection, I could see myself eating it without the taco components.
My lunch guest ordered half a dozen oysters along with the Dinosaur Kale salad and seemed thrilled by both choices.
I look forward to coming back and am excited to pass on this review to another friend.

My first time at Forage and I was impressed. Local, quality ingredients, tasty dishes, good service. I had salmon, my husband had steak; both were great. We also had deviled eggs which we both enjoyed. I’d definitely eat here again.

My favorite restaurant in Ohio! Great service, fun cocktail menu and good beer selections! It is a great place for date night, or grabbing drinks and some food with friends or coworkers. For drinks, try the Blood Orange Sangria. The Best B.L.T is truly deserving of it’s name, and I recommend upgrading to the pommes frites with any sandwich, they are delicious! Vegan Mac and cheese is amazing, and the vegan potato dumplings are a delicious summer dinner. They have taco Tuesday (better than Barrio) a vegan night, and half price wine night. Their lunch menu also has great pricing!

My experience so far has been very inconsistent quality. It’s either excellent or so so. Almost as if there are two cooks and you hope the good one is working the time you eat there.

I liked this place. I wish I had something new and interesting to add but the rest of the reviews I pretty much agree with. Good food, pretty pricey, interesting beer drafts. We tried the confit chicken wings, pickles, and calamari. The calamari was really tender and I often judge a restaurant by their ability to cook it well. It had huge drizzles and glops (pretty/​tasty) of sauces all over it though. Next time I would ask for that on the side so I can control how much. The pickles were great and for $ 5, came with a lot. Really fun and affordable. The chicken wings were really good too. Nothing too unique about them to be honest, even though the confit and creative sauces makes it seem so… but that’s ok – yummy all the same. I really want to come back to try dinner.

Where to start?!?
Came in with a group of 8 on a Friday night… the party ended up growing to 11. They accommodated us with a smile and not a hint of unease.
They must have given us a server that was well versed in serving larger groups because she absolutely rocked it. No one ever had to ask for a refill, silverware, napkin… anything. Separate checks were handled very quickly as well, something that almost never happens.
The GM came out to personally explain everything that was on the Meat and Cheese boards that we ordered. Extremely knowledgeable and confident in his descriptions and made for a fun educational part of the meal.
As far as the food goes, you don’t get a better meal in this price point anywhere around… you probably won’t get a better meal at any price point. The menu is perfectly varied… great vegan, vegetarian and GF options along with plenty of meat choices. The selection of toppings for burgers is mouthwatering and although some would say the prices are a little steep on some of the add-​ons, they are absolutely worth it. As are the pomme frittes which are served a la carte.
I have no doubt that I’ll be bringing more people back every time I’m in town.

The food is fresh and good. You really feel like they care about using local ingredients and it shows in the fun dishes.
I had the banh mi which was excellent. One in our party ordered French toast and I wanted to reach over and grab some it looked so scrumptious. She described it as breakfast, dessert and dinner all in one.
Will definitely have to go back to try it.
While this place serves up some excellent and innovative dishes, it lacks décor. I felt like I was sitting at Pacers minus the sports theme.

Love this place. Went for taco Tuesday and tried one of each of their tacos. They were all so good! It was honestly kinda unexpected. I want to go back because there were a lot of other interesting things on the menu, but I think it’ll be hard to stay from the tacos!
As for drinks, I had «el Diablo». It was really good as well! I think it was a spicy mule. The bartender was super nice and went through the drinks with us as opposed to just asking what we wanted.

Wowzaa Forage!
I really love the menu changes they recently made here and while service here used to be hit or miss, they’ve really stepped it up as of late. We had the cheese curds appetizer (delish, perfectly crispy)… &those perch tacos THO. You can now order 2, 3 or 4 (fish or chicken). These are amazing. I’ve had fish tacos all over the country and these are some of the best I’ve tasted. Great charcuterie, house made pickled veg and selection of beer and wine… I will be coming back here again and again.

This restaurant was extremely satisfying. After days on the road living off of snacks I really wanted a hearty and healthy meal. It finally happened!
Atmosphere: The atmosphere is eh. It kind of still resembles Pacers. Nothing really special about it.
Service: No complaints here. Our server answered all my questions about the menu and was spot on. Friendly and efficient.
Food: Yes! Delicious! We started off with the beets. They are served warm, well seasoned and come with goat cheese. (Goat cheese and beets are like peanut butter and jelly FYI). My party and I finished them in a few minutes. maybe seconds. It was a good appetizer for three to share, not an extremely large portion, but a good snack for three people before the meal.
For my entrée I ordered the special today, which was chili lime crusted tofu over a bed of hash. My tofu was crispy, well seasoned and not too spicy! (I don’t do spicy.) The sweet potatoes were cooked well, (I hate undercooked potatoes) and blended nicely with onions, peppers and greens. Not only was my meal delicious and healthy, but it also filled me up, with a little left to spare in a to-​go box. It will make a great breakfast tomorrow morning.
I can’t wait to come back and try something else on the menu. Do yourself a favor and give this spot a try if you haven’t already.

I really say 4.5 stars. The food is exceptionally good. It’s like a notch up in quality and preparation from Oak Barrel. The burgers are probably my favorite in Cleveland with a host of high end ingredients.
The Devils on horseback are crispy and full of flavor. I think they are a tad better than I’ve had at other places in the area.
Beef short rib had incredible flavor with a perfect hominy grit and sauce that brings it together.
I am not vegan but the Israeli couscous salad with house made huckleberry dressing is filling and delicious.
Best of all is the insanely awesome Single Origin Belgian Chocolate Crème dessert. Like the best chocolate crème brûlée ever. I mean ever. Get it if you love chocolate you will love this.
The only downside in the place is the dining room and music fight against the food. I am glad it is casual and not «fine dining» inside but the rock music that is playing sometimes and the dated environment of the dining room just doesn’t jive with the high level of food that is being served.

Forage is a good option when you are looking to a low-​key place to eat with decent food. The atmosphere is very laid-​back and casual. Food & drink selection are great. Deviled eggs are a MUST (delicious) and I really want to try the vegan mac & cheese– it looked phenomenal, although I wasn’t in the mood for it when we went. I ordered the perch, which I liked, but I would prefer they take it down a couple notches on the breading. Just too much!
The concept is great and I love that even though the menu changes, they still keep the staples included. Maybe my review will change once I have the Mac and cheese…

Arrived on a Wednesday evening about 6:30pm.
Was lucky to find a metered spot in front, but I did notice a parking garage in back if I needed it.
Walked it and greeted with nice décor, a Nice large welcome area and greeter. Everyone here we encountered was very pleasant.
Sat at a booth. I was surprised how many people were here for a cold January evening in the middle of the week.
I got the special drink of the day, I don’t recall all the liquor in it, but a pomegranate molasses was an ingredient. I was afraid it might be thick, but it was not, and it was very good.
A lot of choices on the menu. I love the fact they tell you where some of the food comes from. A lot of local sourcing of food. The prices are higher, but you get what you pay for, the atmosphere, the service, the original devine dishes with high quality ingredients. After eating here, I deemed it my new favorite restaurant in Lakewood, and the surrounding areas!
We had the deviled egg starter. You get 6. They were perfect.
I had the perch and my dinner partner had the reuben sandwich. Everything was perfect! And I don’t say that too often about a place.
We will definitely be back soon!

Good New American food with a cozy atmosphere. It’s a much larger space than I expected with both high and low table seating, a few cozy booths, and a bar.
We came here for a dinner on a Monday night. I ordered the vegan mac and cheese appetizer, which ended up being large enough for an entrée! It was a little sweet for me, but still filling and satisfying. We also ordered the fried cheese curd special (I lurve cheese curds) and they were comparable to the ones I’ve had in Wisconsin! I couldn’t help myself…
And then my husband got the pork belly special. We typically get tired of New American menu items, but props to how well they did the dish. The pork belly was tender and its surrounding ingredients (egg, mmm) melded together well.

Since we loved The Oak Barrel, we figured that Forage House would be just as great. It was not the same experience, and the food was not as great. I realize Forage is supposed to be a step up culinarily speaking, but it really ended up being a let down.
We all thought our plates were okay, but not great. Mine was the best of them all. (Salmon) The artichoke hearts tasted like pure lemon and were pretty mushy, but the salmon and potatoes were both great.
Oak Barrel is definitely a better atmosphere, and much more beautiful. I suggest going there if you are deciding between the two!

I’ve only been here a couple of times, but I can say that I haven’t found anything to complain about! (Well, one of the bartenders isn’t one of my favorite human beings, but, hey, not everyone can like everyone, right?) The beer selection is great and I love seeing B. Nektar mead on a menu.
I’ve gotten seafood dishes here both times and the fish alone is so tasty! The fish tacos, though, were my favorite. The breading was nearly perfect (it could have been slightly lighter) and the amount of flavor in the tacos was in perfect balance with the flavor of the fish. We also had devils on horseback here and those were also delicious, though they’re often not my favorite food because I like to have SUPER crisp bacon and that’s hard to do with a bacon wrapped item.
The second time we came here, we sat at a table and the service was fantastic. I shivered a bit when we first sat down and the hostess offered to turn the heat up, but I declined assuming it was just leftover chill from outside. When we weren’t warming up, I mentioned that we would take those few extra degrees after all and our waitress and the manager both came back to our table to make sure we were OK.

I see some Unilocaler’s are not feeling the love for Forage, but that’s okay, this is why I highly suggest people read a couple of reviews to get a mix of opinion before they decide to check a place out or not. Everyone has different tastes and different experiences. I went with a group of eight and I personally really enjoyed what Forage had to offer!
Forage is in the old Pacers space on the first level of the tall Lakewood Center North building. You can catch free parking after 6pm along the street or in a lot next door. The décor is simple, clean, and they have a gas (or fake) fireplace in one corner that looks cozy. I had reservations so there was no wait (but it was a week night so you could definitely just walk in and get a table no problem). No issues with service — I thought it was pretty standard, they gave us space to enjoy our meal and chat, but it’s not like we had to flag them down for everything either.
For the food I did get to sample a couple of appetizers:
–Farmer Lee Jones Beets $ 13 — One guest really liked this dish. I thought it was okay, could have used some pepper to season it and some more feta.
–Poutine $ 10 — Came in a big bowl so plenty to share. I did like that they were fresh cut fries and they used cheese curds (instead of cheapening the dish with shredded cheese), but I thought it could have used more gravy (you’re supposed to eat this with a knife and fork, not your fingers).
–Devils on Horseback $ 9 — Simply delicious! Only three in an order, but really tasty and big enough that you can’t pop a whole one in your mouth. Definitely spurge and get this!
–Daily Oysters on the Half Shell $? — First time trying. Not a bad taste… more of a weird texture. Not my thing.
–Stuffed Pasture Raised Eggs $ 9 — This was another really tasty item with six in an order. I tend to stay away from deviled eggs because I think they’d just be simple and bland, but these were so creamy and mmm good.
For main dishes:
–I got the Open Faced BBQ Pork at $ 13 and really enjoyed it! I was happy to see it wasn’t a tiny portion, but instead nicely sized so you don’t miss not having a side and you can share a couple bites with others. I’m a firm believer that shredded pork tastes better with a crunchy slaw and this did not disappoint as it also had crispy onions on it. The pork had some sweetness to it and the cornbread was slightly moist. I’d get this again for sure.
–Ohio Beef Burger $ 9 for plain — One guest said they had this in the past and it was one of the best burgers they’e had. Just watch out for all of the additional charges for each topping you add.
–Bahn Mi $ 10 — I only had a small bite of this, and honestly I don’t remember too much about it besides that it smelled good and that you’d have to have a secure set of teeth to rip the bread. It comes with kettle chips, but you can upgrade to pommes frites with garlic, rosemary and aioli. (Love me some aioli!).
–Rainbow Trout $ 17 — Two guests got this and the overall opinion seemed to be that it was okay, but a little lackluster.
Two guests did get dessert: Single Origin Belgian Chocolate Crème $ 9, and they both seemed to really enjoy it. I was just way too stuffed for dessert, but I will definitely be back to try some!
Their craft beer menu is not that impressive, but hey, they still had some and I was there to eat not be a snob about my drinks.
To sum it up, I think Forage has some really great dishes that your taste buds will enjoy, but like every restaurant, they are going to have some «just okay» dishes as well. Perhaps I lucked out with my choices. I think going out with a pleasant enjoyable group of people also has an impact on your dining experience. I really have nothing that bad to say that would cause me to give this place lower stars. It is a little pricey, but still affordable depending on what you choose and the portions are decently sized. Besides, I don’t know about you, but I’d rather pay a little more for a place that buys their goods locally and tries to make everything in house instead of getting everything pre-​made, in cans or frozen.

I had a really pleasant experience here at Forage Public House. I went with my Mom when she was in town and both of us wanted to try something different and local. I had had this place on my bookmarks list for a long time and it felt like a good fit.
The restaurant is really pleasant and nicely decorated. The tables and booths are both very comfy (and are not torture like some place’s seating). I really like the large windows that run down the entirety of one side of the place. It lets in a lot of natural light while letting people look out at the street which is fairly pleasant.
The service was great. The gentleman who was our waiter was funny, friendly and had a warm personalty which I really appreciated. The only downside was that he didn’t really ‘know’ the menu. He had to go back to the kitchen to ask the chefs questions about the menu that I think any waiter who is familiar with the menu should already know. He could be new, but I doubt it. His attitude did make up for his lack of knowledge though – but I’m deducting half a star for the purposes of this review.
We also ordered a variety of foods from the menu including the stuffed eggs, rabbit loin, mushroom fettuccine and the key lime tart. The hands down winner of the evening was the key lime tart which might have possibly been one of the best I have ever had. They really put a surprising twist on it that I won’t spoil here but I guarantee that it’s yummy.
The other half star that I’m deducting comes from the rabbit loin, which I ordered. The dish was very pretty and well composed but it was overcooked and the rabbit itself was salty. I ate about half of the rabbit and all of the additional stuff on my plate.
Even so, I really do think this was a fluke and that this place is probably very nice. I would absolutely come back when I feel like shelling out for a nice lunch or dinner.

First, I’ve gotta call shenanigans on Forage. Their online menu pricing is significantly lower than the pricing they show on their in-​restaurant menus. Now I understand that they have the right to change their pricing, but this just has the stink of bait and switch to me. Don’t believe me? Check out the images of the menu I’ve uploaded and then head over to their website and compare the two. One word, Forage management, consistency.
Moving on…
Our main reason for visiting Forage, Unilocaler’s enthusiastic reviews, of course. We got to the Lakewood eatery sometime north of 5:30pm on a Wednesday. There wasn’t anyone at the host station but eventually someone came out from the back and greeted us. The place was empty. I knew we eat fairly early, but I’m talking crickets chirping empty. We were seated at a booth by the large windows up front.
I’m not really that much of a snob when it comes to décor/​atmosphere but I’ve got a few gripes about Forage. First, the benches (cheap green vinyl, ugh) at the booths are not attached to the floor and they have a tendency to move around on you. I also think the kraft paper on the tables is a bit cheesy, especially for a place that charges $ 30 for a steak entrée. Glasses of cold liquids sweat, the paper gets wet, it just looks bad. On a positive note, it is very open and the huge wall of windows lets in alot of natural light. The fireplace in the dining room will probably make a nice touch during the winter months.
NOTE: They are not cheap. Expect to pay over $ 100 easily for dinner for two with a couple of drinks. We actually watched a couple come in, sit down, take a look at the menu, mutter something about prices, and walk out. Just saying. Expect it.
So what about the adult beverage selection? I’ve gotta give them props for decent draught beer menu — 14 taps in total — featuring local and regional selections from Brew Kettle (Strongsville), Fat Head’s (Middleburg Heights), Hoppin’ Frog (Akron) and Jackie O’s (Athens). Another nice thing is all of their draught beers are priced at $ 5. What they don’t tell you is that the beers are served in glasses of varying sizes based upon alcohol content. Pour size should be included on the beer menu. Always. As for bottled beer, don’t bother. While there are some interesting offerings, they are all disgustingly overpriced. Want an example? $ 19 for a 12oz bottle of imperial stout from Evil Twin. I wonder if it comes with a jar of lube. Mixed drink wise, expect to pay around $ 11 for a cocktail.
The menu at Forage reminds me of that Portlandia skit (
) — with its hard sell on the «we know where everything comes from» thing. It’s very clear that’s the shtick of the place. They’ve got a location listed next to nearly every menu item (although conspicuously absent on the vegan mac and cheese… what are they hiding?). I wonder if the parsnips in the suckling pig entrée were humanely raised. How many gallons were in the lake where the rainbow trout were caught? I’ll admit it, I am a bit of a sucker for it, even if most of it’s probably smoke and mirrors.
No complaints with respect to the service. Friendly, knowledgeable, attentive.
We started with the stuffed pasture raised eggs (were the other chickens friends with the chicken that laid them?). Three deviled eggs, halved for $ 9. Nothing special. They were good, but not $ 9 good. They really lacked a textural element and the pile of microgreens covering them just got in the way.
The rabbit entrée ($ 24) was quite tasty albeit a tad disjointed in its plating (everything was separated — the reduction was in a small container, the huckleberries were in a pile, the grains were in a pile). The toasted barley and faro was well-​seasoned and tasty and the wild huckleberries added some nice acidity to cut through the richness of the espresso reduction. I didn’t see the point in the watercress and sliced radishes on the plate. Unnecessary garnish.
My wife opted for the burger. The stripped down model will run you $ 9 (lettuce tomato bun burger pickle) with most toppings costing an average of $ 3 each. A slice of cheddar will run you a buck. Want fries with that? $ 7 please. The burger was cooked perfectly and seasoned well, the brioche bun was soft and buttery. Not a bad burger. But the tomato was cut way too thick (thicker than the meat patty) and I don’t think hydroponics does anything to add to the «flavor» of vegetables. More marketing mumbo jumbo.
Maybe I’m just getting a but jaded with over-​priced, try-​too-​hard, slightly pretentious restaurants charging exorbitant amounts for food because it’s local, organic, humanely raised, non-​GMO, hydroponic, or whatever the buzzword of the day is. Maybe I just expected more from a place that charges $ 13 for a beet appetizer. Beets, people. Who the hell even likes beets? Then again, I’m the one that spent nearly $ 70 on an appetizer, one cocktail, a burger and an entrée. Maybe we should both share the blame.