Verbena Free Spirited Shoppe — Restaurant in Cleveland

Many times I have strolled through Hingetown to visit the various amazing establishments in the area and have been curious about stopping into Verbena ever since they took over the space that once housed Cleveland Tea Revival. For months I’ve tried to coax friends into giving it a whirl with me but was met with confused looks wondering as to why I’d want to go to a dry cocktail bar to drink. Tonight I was finally able to bring a coworker in with me to see what was up and it was fantastic…

Verbena is a cute and intimate spirit-free shoppe, bar, and cafe with eloquent drinks and tasty small plates, perfect to share with friends. We were the only ones in there on a Wednesday night besides the owner and bartender who were both very welcoming and cheerful. We started off with a couple glasses of the NA rosé which had very good and balanced acid with prominent red currant and cantaloupe notes. We paired that with dates filled with coconut yogurt topped with pistachios and a cheese board. The cocktails were also well made and pleasing to our palates, we didn’t miss the booze in them one bit! The “lychee margarita” with tajin dusted across the top is a must try.

We closed the night out with yet a third round of wonderful bevs as well as the “ghia affogato”, again, excellent. I’m so glad I paid Verbena a proper visit and is an amazing weekday after work hang for anyone who isn’t prepared to power through a hangover the next day. I wish my best to the owner and staff and pray for their continued success. I hope they’ll be staying in the space and grow for many years to come. I know my coworker and I will most...

I came here with high expectations and left severely disappointed. I stopped drinking 12 years ago, and have seen the NA industry grow quite a bit over the last few years due to the rising popularity of folks dropping booze. When I heard Verbena was opening, I was excited to try it out, as going to bars is also something that does't appeal to me anymore, with or without alcohol. I came in and was shocked to see there were only like 5 seats at the "bar," which was only a few inches away from the crowded worker's prep area. Having two small tables and a few seats at the bar make it very crowded, even when it is not busy. This place is pretty small to begin with, so there options are already limited. I don't know if the person making my drink had ever made anything in her life before. She immediately tells us she doesn't really know how to make anything. Typically you want to train your staff prior to customers coming in and ordering. Anyway, she absolutely butchers the Manhattan I ordered. The Stoned Shirley was also poorly mixed and tasted like pink water. Just because you aren't serving alcohol, doesn't mean you get to skimp on learning how to actually make a drink. Deliveries and supplies had come in and were all scattered on the ground, making the already narrow walkway even harder to navigate without tripping over everything. Again, not sure if anyone here has any prior food service experience, but this is a bad look. This was the most upsetting amateur hour I have seen in a long time. I really hope another NA spot opens up in Cleveland and does it right, preferably with...

TLDR- it just sucked.

I already don’t drink and my friend wanted to check this place out. I had a hard week and just wanted to catch up with my friend.

When I tried to order my drink, one of the women working was really rude and wouldn’t (couldn’t?) answer any of my questions about the menu. She just kept saying what she liked and when I asked questions she just dismissed me and told me “then you should just do what you want to do” in the high pitch customer service voice we’ve all used when we want a customer to burst into flames. (If you’ve ever worked customer service, you know the one). She didnt seem to know the menu at all and couldn’t describe either of the two drinks I asked about beyond she liked one and didn’t like the other. Thanks 😒

When I went back to my friend, she was also shocked by the conversation and the other poor girl (she said she was new and didn’t know the menu) working with the woman was new and clearly understood customer service but the other woman working with her wouldn’t help her. It was really unfortunate.

The drinks are already expensive for essentially juice. They do put fake alcohol in there (I don’t really get it tbh but whatever works for the sober community I’m happy for them) but they are still $12-15 each.

I’d rather spend $3 on a Shirley temple at my friendly neighborhood bar than go back to a...