Overview
The East Side is a district in Cleveland consisting of the areas outside of Downtown that are east of the Cuyahoga River. The district includes several important neighborhoods, including:
- University Circle – Home to 3 higher education institutions and numerous museums and cultural attractions
- Little Italy – Traditional Italian restaurants, bakeries, and numerous art galleries
- Shaker Square – A small neighborhood built along the Rapid rail line with several excellent restaurants. Adjacent to the historic suburb of Shaker Heights.
- Collinwood – A growing arts and entertainment district
- Asiatown – Featuring traditional Asian restaurants, shops, and art galleries
- Fairfax – Home to the world-renowned Cleveland Clinic hospital and most of the hotels on the East side
14 sights · 11 things to do · 14 places to eat · 2 bars & cafés · 6 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about East Side
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000 works of art from around the world. An incredible collection of Impres…
Museum of Contemporary Art
Museum with exhibits of contemporary art. The museum particularly highlights artists from northeastern Ohio.
Western Reserve Historical Society
Includes two turn of the (20th) century mansions as well as displays about Cleveland history from the days of Moses Cleveland to the present. The buildings also house the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum and an extensive Cl…
Cleveland Museum of Natural History
Established in 1920, this museum features collections that include more than four million specimens of paleontology, zoology, archeology, mineralogy, ornithology, and other scientific subjects. Among the collection is a …
Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum
Home to an excellent collection of pre-war automobiles, as well as the very first DeLorean DMC-12 to roll off the assembly line.
Dittrick Museum of Medical History
A collection of rare books, museum artifacts, archives, and images teach visitors about the history of medicine.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: May–Oct. Summer highs reach about 84°F; winter lows dip to about 22°F. Cold months (Jan, Feb, Dec) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: Sep and Apr. (climate data from nearby Cleveland)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- CLE Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Cleveland — 13 mi away (major hub). Directions
- CAK Akron Canton Regional Airport, Akron — 42 mi away. Directions
For information on getting to Cleveland, see Cleveland#Get in
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 3-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Cinematheque, Cleveland Botanical Garden
- Lunch L'Albatros
- Afternoon Cleveland Institute of Music, Western Reserve Historical Society
- Dinner Etna Ristorante & Wine Bar
- Evening The Jolly Scholar
Day 2
- Morning Dunham Tavern Museum, Agora Theater and Ballroom
- Lunch Presti's Bakery
- Afternoon Shaker Square Farmer's Market, Cleveland Garlic Festival
- Dinner Batuqui
- Evening Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
Day 3
- Morning Cleveland Cultural Gardens
- Lunch Empress Taytu Ethiopian Restaurant
- Afternoon Cleveland Lakefront Nature Preserve
- Dinner Trattoria
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Get in
For information on getting to Cleveland, see Cleveland#Get in
The East side has far less access to highways than the West side. The main east-west routes through the East side are the parallel avenues: Carnegie, Euclid, and Chester. North-south travel is more difficult as few of the numbered streets actually continue across the entire city. Main N/S routes include E 55th, E 105th, and Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. Transit access is much better however, with the East side served by all 3 Rapid rail lines, a bus rapid transit line called the HealthLine, which connects downtown to University Circle, and numerous conventional bus lines. The Blue and Green lines serve Shaker Square. The Red line serves University Circle and Little Italy via the Cedar Road and Little Italy stations.
See
Museums & Galleries
University Circle
University Circle is located about 4 mi east of downtown and can be reached via Euclid Avenue. Its main attractions are the numerous museums, research institutes and schools which surround it. This rich cultural menagerie is surpassed by few places in North America (e.g., perhaps the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.).
See The Cleveland Museum of Art
Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000 works of art from around the world. An incredible collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, European and American masterworks, an armor court which kids love, and an original casting of Auguste Rodin's The Thinker.
See Western Reserve Historical Society
Includes two turn of the (20th) century mansions as well as displays about Cleveland history from the days of Moses Cleveland to the present. The buildings also house the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum and an extensive Cleveland historical research library.
See Cleveland Museum of Natural History (CMNH)
Established in 1920, this museum features collections that include more than four million specimens of paleontology, zoology, archeology, mineralogy, ornithology, and other scientific subjects. Among the collection is a cast of the skeleton of the Australopithecus "Lucy", which was discovered by a museum curator in 1974 and was the most complete hominid fossil found at the time. Other exhibits include a planetarium (additional fee) and a live mammals and birds in an outdoor display area.
Hough
Asiatown
See Children's Museum of Cleveland
Museum exhibits specifically designed for children. The Wonder Lab is an exhibit that allows children learn about whirlpools, jets, and rivers. Adventure City allows children to build, work, climb, and explore a model city to inspire design, problem-solving, and collaboration. Making Miniatures is a collection of dollhouses that teaches how miniaturists make tiny objects, design tiny rooms, and build small houses. Arts & Parts is an art studio where children can use their imagination to design and build unique art.
Parks
See Cleveland Botanical Garden
Garden with over 350 species of plants and 50 species of animals, including hundreds of butterflies. Includes the Hershey Children's Garden, the Elizabeth and Nona Evans Restorative Garden, the David and Paula Swetland Topiary Garden, the Western Reserve Herb Society Garden, the Japanese Garden, the Sears-Swetland Rose Garden, the Ohio Woodland, the C.K. "Pat" Patrick Perennial Border, and the public Campsey-Stauffer Gateway Garden.
See Lake View Cemetery
A beautiful cemetery where many famous people are buried. Notables include President James A. Garfield, John D. Rockefeller - founder of Standard Oil, Jeptha Wade - founder of Western Union Telegraph, Eliot Ness - head of The Untouchables, John Hay - U.S. Secretary of State under President Lincoln, Newton Baker - U.S. Secretary of War during WWI, Marcus L. Hanna - U.S. Senator and Republican Party Boss.
Architecture
See Maltz Performing Arts Center
The Temple was built in 1924 as the synagogue of the Temple-Tifereth Israel, a Reform Jewish congregation that relocated to Beachwood in 1971; the museum exhibits on Jewish art and religion that were later housed here have also since relocated to the Beachwood campus. CRWU has transformed this building into a performing arts center.
Do
Music and performing arts
Do Cleveland Orchestra
One of the nation's Big Five orchestras. In addition to their regular home at Severance Hall, the Cleveland Orchestra also performs at Blossom Amphitheatre in Cuyahoga Falls in the summer months.
Other activities
Buy
Eat
Budget
Eat Presti's Bakery
A Little Italy institution, Presti's has existed for years and provides homemade baked goods including donuts that are often cited as some of the best in America.
Eat Mama Santa's Restaurant and Pizzeria
Another Little Italy institution, Mama Santa's offers inexpensive but tasty Italian fare in a family-run environment.
Eat Corbo's Bakery
Another locally-famous Little Italy bakery, highlights include the Cassata cake and cannoli.
Eat Superior Pho
Traditional Vietnamese soup in Asiatown
Eat Chili Peppers
Build your own burritos with fresh ingredients
Mid-range
Eat Etna Ristorante & Wine Bar
Original, contemporary Italian cuisine, in a cozy, "old world" atmosphere, featuring fresh seafood specials daily.
Eat Empress Taytu Ethiopian Restaurant
Serves food community style on large, round trays lined with injera (crepe-like bread).
Eat Slyman's
A local icon known for its towering corned beef sandwiches
Eat Wonton Gourmet & BBQ
Authentic Chinese cuisine
Eat Batuqui
Brazilian food in the Larchmere neighborhood
Eat Citizen Pie
Neapolitan-style pizza from a wood-burning oven
Splurge
Eat L'Albatros
French brasserie in the heart of University Circle
Eat EDWINS Leadership and Restaurant Institute
The French-inspired food is excellent, but EDWINS is also known for its mission of training recently released prisoners for jobs in the hospitality industry.
Drink
Drink Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
Live music venue.
Drink The Jolly Scholar
Typical college bar, a popular hangout for CWRU students
Sleep
Budget
Mid-range
Splurge
Stay safe
Cleveland's East side contains some of both the city's most prosperous neighborhoods as well as some of its most poverty and crime-ridden, often in surprising proximity to each other. Certain areas should be avoided at night, others should be avoided entirely. Always be aware of your surroundings when traveling by foot at night. If you see boarded-up buildings and check cashing stores, you're probably in the wrong neighborhood, but crime is possible anywhere.
Go next
- Cleveland Heights – Home of the eclectic Coventry neighborhood with local restaurants, shops, bars, and music venues.
- Shaker Heights – Established in 1822 as the North Union Settlement by the religious Shaker community, Shaker Heights became one of America's oldest planned communities in 1912 when it was redeveloped as a garden community for commuters to Cleveland. Today the suburb offers stunning architecture, with many of the homes and other buildings featured in architectural texts. Visitors will also enjoy several picturesque man-made lakes, a 20 acre nature preserve, and a historical museum that documents the area's early Shaker roots. Amenities include an excellent public library, numerous restaurants, and shopping destinations including the historic Shaker Square.
Nearby
Cleveland Heights
City / town · 9 listings · 4 mi away
Shaker Heights
City / town · 11 listings · 5 mi away
University Heights
City / town · 3 listings · 5 mi away
Beachwood
City / town · 13 listings · 7 mi away
Valley View
City / town · 9 listings · 8 mi away
Lakewood
City / town · 23 listings · 8 mi away
Northfield
City / town · 5 listings · 12 mi away
Middleburg Heights
City / town · 12 listings · 13 mi away
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