Best of the Heights 2025
Voting has officially CLOSED!
Winners and runners-up were announced at the Best of the Heights Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 29th at The Fairmount Cocktail Bar.
Check out our photos from the party in the original post linked below.
2025 Best of the Heights Winners Announced
Twenty years ago, FutureHeights established its annual Best of the Heights Awards program to recognize the many unique businesses in Cleveland Heights and University Heights, and to celebrate their contributions to the local economy. The 2025 selection process began with a round of nominations, followed by voting for the top vote-getters in each category. More than 1,000 total ballots were cast, demonstrating how enthusiastically Heights residents support their local businesses.
The winners and runners-up in the 2025 Best of the Heights Awards are:
| Award | Winner | Runners-Up |
| Best Pizza | Dewey’s Pizza | Vero, Marotta’s |
| Best Coffee Shop/Cafe/Breakfast Spot | Stone Oven | Luna Cafe & Bakery, Rising Star |
| Best Place for a Sweet Treat | Mitchell’s Chocolates | Luna Cafe & Bakery, On the Rise |
| Best Place to Take the Kids | Lee Road Library | Coventry PEACE Park, S’il Vous Play |
| Best Place for Live Music | Cain Park | Grog Shop, CLE Urban Winery |
| Best Bar, Pub, or Tavern | The Bottlehouse Brewery & Meadery | The Tavern Co., Kensington Pub |
| Best Restaurant | Tommy’s | Zhug, Foodhisattva |
| Best Place to Take a Date | Cedar Lee Theatre | Zhug, Marotta’s |
| Best New University Heights Business | Angie’s Soul Cafe | Lefty’s, E-Check Kiosk |
| Best New Cleveland Heights Business | Edwins | Hexagon Books, Arthur Treacher’s |
| Best Takeout | Aladdin’s | Foodhisattva, Tommy’s |
| Best Outdoor Dining | The Fairmount | Anatolia, Boss Dog |
| Best Place to Work Out or Practice Yoga | Green Tara Yoga | Cleveland Heights Community Center, Lotus Flower Yoga, Yoga Roots |
| Best Community-Conscious Business | Tommy’s | Green Tara Yoga, CLE Urban Winery |
| Best Place to Work Out | Cleveland Heights Community Center | Green Tara Yoga & Healing Arts, Lotus Flower Yoga Collective |
| Best Barber Shop/Salon/Spa | Quintana’s Barber & Dream Spa | Shawn Paul Salon, Eddy’s on Coventry |
| Best Place to Take Out-of-Towners | Tommy’s | Cain Park, Zhug |
| Best Place to Find Unique Gifts | Heights Arts | Olie’s Gift & Ship, Passport to Peru |
| Best Place to Call for Interior Home Services | Verne & Ellsworth Hann | Herb’s Plumbing, Heights Home Crafts |
| Best Place to Call for Exterior Home Services | Heights Home Crafts | Eve’s Painting, Gutter Guru |
| Best Place to Work | Heights Libraries | Marotta’s, City of Cleveland Heights |
| Best Cleveland Heights Business Overall | Tommy’s | Green Tara Yoga, Marotta’s |
| Best University Heights Business Overall | Bialy’s Bagels | Zina Greek Street Food, Chicken Ranch, Geraci’s |
| Best Place for Youths to Hang Out | Heights Libraries | Grog Shop, Coventry PEACE Park |
| Best Programs for Youths | Lake Erie Ink | Heights Libraries, Cleveland Heights Community Center |
| Best example of that “Heights Vibe” | Tommy’s | The Wine Spot, CLE Urban Winery |
Best of the Heights 2024
WHAT IS THE BEST OF THE HEIGHTS AWARD?
Since 2005, Best of the Heights is an annual public opinion survey focused on honoring businesses in a variety of categories and their contributions to the vitality of Cleveland Heights and University Heights. All nominees must be local, independent merchants.
Check out the article in the August Heights Observer below.
You can support local business by supporting the work of FutureHeights.
The winners and runners-up of the 2024 Best of the Heights Awards are:
Over 400 Heights residents submitted nominations! Your finalists appeared in the June 1, 2024 Heights Observer. Winners were announced in the August 2024 issue of the Heights Observer.
| Award | Winner | Runners-Up |
| Best Pizza | Dewey’s Pizza | Vero, Pizza Bogo |
| Best Coffee Shop | Phoenix Coffee | Rising Star, Stone Oven Bakery Cafe |
| Best Bakery | On the Rise | Stone Oven Bakery Cafe, Sweet Siren Bakery |
| Best Place to Take the Kids | Lee Road Library | S’il Vous Play, Nova’s Performing Arts Center |
| Best Place for Live Music | Cain Park | The Grog Shop, Heights Arts |
| Best Bar, Pub, or Tavern | The Bottlehouse Brewery & Meadery | The Tavern Co., Kensington Pub |
| Best Restaurant | Tommy’s | Zhug, Foodhisattva |
| Best Place to Take a Date | The Fairmount | Gigi’s on Fairmount, Cedar Lee Theatre |
| Best Clothing Store | Passport to Peru | Avalon Exchange, Still Point Gallery & Boutique |
| Best New Restaurant, Bar, Pub, Tavern | Sophie La Gourmande | Abundance Culinary, Market on Lee, Callaloo Cafe |
| Best Place to Get Your Car Serviced | Bryan’s Marathon | Simon’s Automotive Service, Alternative Solution Car Care |
| Best New University Heights Business | Zina Greek Street Food | Boaz Fresh Lebanese, Gold Plumbing |
| Best New Cleveland Heights Business | Olie’s Gift & Ship | Cedar Lee Bikes, Sweet Siren Bakery |
| Best Takeout | Tommy’s | Foodhisattva, Cilantro Thai |
| Best Outdoor Dining | The Fairmount | Boss Dog Brewing Co., The Tavern Co. |
| Best Place for Breakfast | Luna Bakery Cafe | The Inn on Coventry, Nubeigel |
| Best Community-Conscious Business | Tommy’s | Foodhisattva, Green Tara Yoga & Healing Arts, Nubeigel |
| Best Place to Work Out | Cleveland Heights Community Center | Green Tara Yoga & Healing Arts, Lotus Flower Yoga Collective |
| Best Barber Shop | Quintana’s Barber & Dream Spa | Eddy’s on Coventry, The Locker Room Barbershop |
| Best Salon or Spa | Shawn Paul Salon | Quintana’s Barber & Dream Spa, Studio Taylor |
| Best Place for a Manicure/Pedicure | Shawn Paul Salon | Quintana’s Barber & Dream Spa, Studio Taylor |
| Best Place to Take Out-of-Towners | Tommy’s | Zhug, Green Tara Yoga & Healing Arts |
| Best Place to Find Unique Gifts | Heights Arts | Made Cleveland, Olie’s Gift & Ship |
| Best Plumber | Herb’s Plumbing & Heating | Elie’s Plumbing, Gold Plumbing |
| Best Electrician | Skettle Electric | |
| Best Carpenter | Heights Home Crafts | Apple Construction, Hoose Restoration |
| Best HVAC | Verne & Ellsworth Hann | |
| Best Snow Removal/Landscaper | Finley Landscaping Service | E.G. Murcia Landscaping, Saddler Lawn Care Service |
| Best Painter | Eve’s Painting & Home Repair | Edward’s Painting & Home Services, No Limit Painting |
| Best Home Renovation Resource/Contractor | Home Repair Resource Center | Heights Home Crafts, Apple Construction |
| Best Customer Restroom | CLE Urban Winery | Voodoo Brewery, Wizbang |
| Best Place to Work | Heights Libraries | Mac’s Backs-Books on Coventry, The Haunted House Restaurant |
| Best Exterior Style | Gigi’s on Fairmount | Anatolia Cafe, Rising Star, The Fairmount |
| Best Interior Style | Gigi’s on Fairmount | CLE Urban Winery, Wizbang |
| Best Cleveland Heights Business | Nubeigel | Foodhisattva, Green Tara Yoga & Healing Arts |
| Best University Heights Business | Bialy’s Bagels | Chicken Ranch, Odd Dog Coffee |
| Best Place for Youths to Hang Out | Heights Libraries | Lake Erie Ink, Cedar Lee Theatre |
| Best Programs for Youths | Heights Libraries | Lake Erie Ink, Nova’s Performing Arts Center |
Best of the Heights 2023
Here are a few of our past Best of Heights winners. To view the complete list of 2023 winners, visit the Heights Observer archives for the May 2023 issue below.
