ALEA — Restaurant in Cleveland

This is one of, if not THE, best meals in Cleveland. On to of that the service, atmosphere, and opportunity to interact with the chef makes this relatively new spot a must-visit restaurant. We live nearby and decided to drop in on a whim. They don't take reservations, so come early or a bit late to ensure you don't have to wait for a seat. And if you can, sit at the "bar" - it is basically a chef's table as they make the food on the other side of it.

The atmosphere is great - cozy, modern, and good music playing throughout the meal (but not too loudly). The relatively small space makes sure there is a "buzz" in the air with background noise, music, and conversation. The layout is modern and relatively minimalist, with the wood-fired stove/grill being the centerpiece behind the "bar." Wait staff is friendly, funny, and outgoing. We were checked on multiple times and never sat with an empty beverage or wondering when someone would take our order.

The FOOD! The food is phenomenal. We split the grilled oysters and malfatti, both of which were amazing. I will say that it took a while for our food to come out, likely because of how packed it was and how limited the cooking space is. Still, it wasn't problematically long, and neither of us were impatient by the time it arrived. For the main, I got the pork chop with grilled grapes and she got the picanha steak. The steak was very good (especially with the white cheese sauce - WOW), but the pork chop and grilled grapes were out of this world. It is my favorite meal in Cleveland, and I have been EVERYWHERE. I am going to dream of those grapes!!

My only regret is that we didn't have room for dessert, particularly because the olive oil cake looked SO good (we saw them prepare it at least three times for other customers).

In sum, you should absolutely try this place if you like fine dining - it is at least as good as any other restaurant in Cleveland, and I think it is my new favorite. This is a perfect date location. Be prepared to spend - the food is expensive, but absolutely worth every penny. Also be prepared to spend some time having a meal, particularly if you go during peak hours, as the food...

Alea is found on Church St., in a quaint spot in Hinge Town/ Ohio City area. The ambiance of the interior matches the dishes perfectly, with clean lines, subtle plants, and casual yet refined atmosphere.

We had 2 appetizers and 2 main courses to share. Starting with the tuna crudo and bone marrow. The crudo was exceptional, capers for the salt, olive oil and shallots for acid and sweetness, and the tuna was tender and fresh. The bone marrow was good as well. It was my girlfriends first experience with this and if I had to liken it to anything it pairs well with bread similar to an olive oil but delivers the irony and meat flavor you would expect from consuming red meat.

The main courses we shared were the spanish mackeral and the picanha steak. Both of these dishes flavors were spot on, perfectly salted and seasoned. Delivered juicy and tender. The spanish mackeral was pan seared skin on and paired with a small fennel salad, this dish was very much the highlight for my girlfriend. The picanha steak was perfectly cooked to medium rare. They were out of the rapina, but paired it with the muhammara sauce from their lamb chop dinner to accommodate.

At this point, we were both pretty full but decided to take a view at the dessert menu as we continued to drink our tea and coffee. Which the mint tea and french press coffee are both expertly prepared, steeped at the optimal time and heat, certainly delivers much for the experience. We did elect to go with the panna cotta for dessert as it was recommended. I will hands down be coming back just for the dessert and coffee now.

Staff and chefs are friendly, courteous, and engaging. Easy to talk to and offer recommendations based on the tastes you provide them. We even had a good laugh at their response to the 1 star review they received with no comments. I would highly recommend this new venue to anyone. Photos by the...

So disappointed... I was so excited to try this place. Granted, I saw the mixed reviews. Some people loved it, others hated it. Unfortunately our experience falls with the latter.

To be completely direct, the food is subpar and it's expensive for the taste and the amount you get. We were excited to try the oysters and they were okay. A little too salty. All the other dishes we ordered were okay as well. The best was the pork chop. The other dishes simply felt like a concoction of pretty and aesthetic ingredients randomly put together (except for the pork chop). Visually the dishes were beautiful; there's no denying that but I could not understand what the rave was about. The combination of textures and tastes seemed aloof and I truly felt like we paid a lot for what and how much we got.

They are slow with presenting the next dish which some may call fine dining, it was on the boarder of too slow. I felt that they could have timed things better cueing when to start cooking certain dishes. The positive of this was that we were satisfied by the end of our fourth dish, agreeing that this is probably better portions than what we're used to.

I do appreciate the portion controlled dishes and while some may call this fine dining... I have been to fine dining and ultimately, this is not what I would consider fine dining. Even with the beautifully curated dishes and medley of different mouth feel foods.

I would say give it a try one a day you prepare to have a late lunch. Definitely go with people you are about to talk your mouth off with since there's plenty of time for talking😅😂. Also we're not big drinkers but the restaurant screams small tapas while we chat and spend money on drinks kind of a vibe. It wasn't for us, but maybe you might enjoy it. Unfortunately, we'll pass for the next rounds with Alea. Sorry! Really hoped to...