🍜 The 216 Food Scene Isn’t Done Yet

Good morning, Cleveland! This is The 216 Scoop: Mortgage rates just dipped below 6% — and suddenly Zillow feels less like a horror movie 🏠📉👀

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John Petkovic & Jude Perez

It’s been a frenetic ride in the food scene.

There has been a rush of bar and restaurant closings since December – as rising food, insurance and rent inflation and fears of a recession weigh on operators.

The landscape is shifting quickly. Here’s a menu of openings and closings to navigate it.

OPENINGS

Rosy: The 50-seat eatery by Codelia chef Vinnie Cimino opened Thursday in Hingetown with an open-fire approach and takes on ancestral dishes popular in Italy, Slovenia and Croatia.

Safar: Recently opened in the old Tick Tock Tavern space, it features a makeover in décor, vibe and menu – a sleek Indian restaurant and a bar that a pays homage to the Tick Tock.

Nightjar: The intimate cocktail and jazz bar in Eton Chagrin mixes classic drinks with European café vibes and New Orleans flair. It rolls out small plates, snacks, desserts and coffees.

Sazani Oceana: The Shaker Square collaboration between restaurateur Akin Affrica and Browns great Josh Cribbs is sleek and sophisticated, with innovative takes on seafood.

Fast Eddie’s: The new location for the former Shoppes at Parma spot rolls out a similar menu and signature cocktails. It’s also smaller and packed tighter, with 118 seats.

Saffron Patch: Maj Patel closed his Shaker Heights Indian restaurant and has opened shop in new in the Legacy Village in the space that once housed Wild Mango.

Pastimes: The popular food truck has taken over the former El Tango Latin Grill spot in Lakewood to serve breakfast burritos, pancakes and bagel sandwiches. Sunny vibes.

CLOSINGS: Roman Fountain Pizza, Barrocco, Hola Taco, Red the Steakhouse Pinecrest (which plans to open a new location).

While everyone else is celebrating that sunset has crossed the 6 p.m. threshold – it’ll go down at 6:15 tonight – real estate agents and mortgage brokers are jumping for another reason.

Woohoo, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage dipped below 6% for the first time in more than three years.

The benchmark rate fell to 5.98% -- the lowest level since September 2022, before climbed sharply amid Federal Reserve efforts to combat inflation.

Rates peaked near 7.8% in October 2023 and remained stubbornly above 6% through much of 2024 and early 2025, even as the Fed began cutting its benchmark interest rate in late 2025.

Thie drop below 6% carries psychological weight for prospective homebuyers and existing homeowners when it comes to the ‘lock-in effect.’

It occurs in real estate when homeowners are reluctant to sell their homes because they have a low mortgage rate (often 2-4% from 2020-2021) and do not want to trade it for a significantly higher current market rate.

This phenomenon limits supply, freezes mobility, and keeps home prices elevated.

Part of it comes down to the fish, yes. But it’s also a communal meal, one served with fries, potato pancakes, coleslaw, hushpuppies.

We’re swimming in fish fry season, and our latest issue of the 216 Insider explores Cleveland’s beloved culinary tradition – and the places that do it best.

We also look at the Midwest origins of the fish fry – from the religious dimensions to the role Prohibition played in making in popular.

Countless bars and restaurants have been doing it for decades.

Yes, there are religious reasons, but the Lenten ritual also appeals to pescatarians and traditionalists looking for a homey spot with classic vibes and an old-school menu.

The 216 Insider is a special edition newsletter that take deep dives into eclectic subjects that impact and animate Clevelanders.

FRIDAY

Jukebox Breakdown: The Emo Night celebrates its 11^th anniversary with a DJ set from JT Woodruff of Hawthorne Heights and emo karaoke. 9 p.m. at Mahall’s. Info.

Lost Social Club: The Warehouse District cocktail lounge marks its fourth anniversary with a Studio 54-themed disco soiree. 9 p.m. Info.

Priscilla: Cleveland’s hair-metal legends led by Brad Slitt -- one of the most flamboyant rock ‘n’ rollers in the scene – hit Mercury Music Lounge. 7 p.m. Info.

SATURDAY

Maple Sugaring: The Metroparks Rocky River Reservation celebrates an old tradition: tapping maple trees in late winter to collect sap, which is boiled into syrup. 11 a.m. Info.

Weekend Hike to the Eagle’s Nest: The guided hike in the Metroparks CanalWay Center, Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation goes in search of winter animals – from beavers to bald eagles. 10 a.m. Info.

👉 View Listing on Zillow

Musical mayhem is upon us...  Whoa, it’s Rustbelt Ripperfest IV.

The hardcore, punk and metal extravaganza brings more than 40 bands to the Grog Shop and its basement club, B-Side, on Friday and Saturday.

At noon Saturday, the club will host Ripper Flea, which features tattoo artists, collectibles, oddities and music and movie paraphernalia. For bands and show info, go here.

Cleveland made music history at Leo’s Casino. The 700-capacity basement club at 7500 Euclid Avenue that hosted so many greats… Nina Simone, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Supremes, John Coltrane, Ray Charles and the Temptations. It was the first stop out of Detroit for Motown bands in the 1960s. Otis Redding played his last show there in1967, the night before he died in a plane crash. Whites and blacks mingled in one of the country’s first integrated clubs, even as riots raged in the neighborhood. Check out our Instagram and Facebook pages for a tribute to Leo’s Casino.

Ooh and don’t forget! Tag @The216Scoop on Facebook & @scoopcle on Instagram to get your photos in the Scoop!

38 °F 🌡️ 22 °F | 🌧️➡️🌨️ (Rain to Snow / Windy & Colder) | 70% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 22 mph (≈ 19 knots)

30 °F 🌡️ 20 °F | 🌥️ (AM Flurries to Partial Clearing) | 20% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 12 mph (≈ 10 knots)

46 °F 🌡️ 34 °F | 🌤️ (Partly Sunny / Warmer) | 0% | 💨 ↑ ≈ 14 mph (≈ 12 knots)

_{Please note that weather conditions can change rapidly. For the most up-to-date information, consider checking a reliable local weather service.}

Away vs. Pistons, 7:00 PM February 27 (Friday)

Away vs. Nets, 3:30 PM March 1 (Sunday)

Away vs. Cubs, 3:05 PM February 27 (Friday)

Home vs. White Sox, 3:05 PM February 28 (Saturday)

Home vs. Rockies (SS), 3:05 PM March 1 (Sunday)

Away vs. Diamondbacks (SS), 3:10 PM March 1 (Sunday)

Thanks for reading The 216 Scoop today. If you found something useful, please share it with someone who swears by Cleveland’s summer music festivals.

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