Image courtesy of Yelp. 

Strongsville, a suburb of Cleveland, has a fair bar scene, with local pubs and bars open for casual drinking with friends. Across the board, the service is great, and the drinks are good. On top of that, each bar has a bit of its own unique flair. 

As a bonus, you are only a few minutes away from Cleveland! Cleveland has some truly fantastic bars, from a bar with dueling pianos, a bar built inside an old bank vault, and much, much more. Read on to find out about the best bars in and around Strongsville, Ohio!

The Local Bar

A classic bar in the center of Strongsville — perfect for a regular get-together

14751 Pearl Road | Strongsville | thelocalstrongsville.com

The Local Bar is the place to go for drinks, food, and a great atmosphere. Having recently come under new ownership, the Local and all its staff are hard at work to create the best bar they can and turn it into a staple of the Strongsville scene. They bring in a lot of local talent to perform live music as well, so keep your eyes and ears open for live music days. These let patrons enjoy and support a local artist. 

The Local also hosts trivia nights on Wednesdays, so get your thinking cap on and a group of buds and show off your trivia skills! The community around this bar is pleasant to be a part of. So, what are you waiting for? The Local Bar is right around the corner!

“We went on a Saturday, mostly to hear a local band play. We had come a little early to get a table and have something to eat. They don't have a lot of craft beers. But they do have very reasonable prices on their draught beer. The server was excellent, very attentive, gave us time to talk, but kept checking on us. Just a great hang out!” -- Yelp Review

Brew Garden

A beautiful and beer-focused bar in Strongsville

16555 South Park Center | Strongsville | brewgarden.com

Brew Garden is a great bar in Strongsville, Ohio. They have a great selection of craft beers and classics, with something for everyone. You can count on Brew Garden to deliver great beers and a great atmosphere to drink with your friends, family, or both! They have indoor and outdoor seating and fantastic service. Like the Local Bar, Beer Garden brings in live music that creates a fantastic ambiance, perfect for relaxing with company. Or on your own! There is nothing wrong with enjoying a few beers out. 

“Great food! Very nice patio with live music when we were there. Like everywhere else the wait staff was not great but we were happy overall.” -- Yelp Review

Johnny J’s Pub and Grille

Swing by for the game at Johnny J’s for the best atmosphere in town!

15323 Pearl Road | Strongsville | johnnyjspub.com/strongsville

Johnny J’s is a masterclass in how to run a sports bar and grille. Hot food, cold beer, great service, and a phenomenal atmosphere. Even when the bar is packed, the kitchens run like a well-oiled machine, bringing out hot food that is exactly what you’ve ordered. The service is excellent, with a minimal wait between you ordering your drink and it getting delivered to you. The servers are friendly and personable, exactly what you would want at a pub on game day. Go Bengals! The atmosphere in Johnny J’s is excellent as well. The fans are enthusiastic but kind and always lively. 

“Group of 7 came here on Sunday 1/3 for the Browns/Steelers game. Arrived 12:15 pm seated quickly. The food was great and came out hot. You order a drink from your server, a runner from the bar brings it to you in 2 minutes. Very impressive operation during a big and busy game.” -- Yelp Review

Manzo’s Sports and Spirits

An excellent bar in Brunswick

65 Pearl Road | Brunswick | facebook.com/ManzosSportsSpirits

Manzo’s Sports and Spirits is a quaint bar with a unique aesthetic that is sure to make your first time there memorable in the best way. Their staff is great and happy to keep the food piled high and your drinks full. Their food is a great addition to the beer and drinks they have prepared. Swinging by after dinner for drinks and snacks with a couple of buds is a great way to spend a free night. 

“The clientele is 90% regulars, so when you come here often, you become part of the family.. I've made lifelong friends here, so stopping by for some cold snacks after dinner is always something I look forward to. Good food and delicious booze, baby!” -- Yelp Review

Gandalf’s Pub

The best beer in all the Shire is waiting in Gandalf’s Pub

6757 Center Road | Valley City | gandalfspub.com

Valley City is just a hop and a skip away from Strongsville, and it is well worth it! Gandalf’s pub, owned by a powerful wizard, has a great selection of beers and food to go along with it. Although named after Gandalf, the pub does not go too far into the fantasy Lord of the Rings theme. There are tactful touches that, if you are a fan, will stick out and enhance your experience, but if you couldn’t care less, you might not even notice! With indoor and outdoor seating, Gandalf’s Pub is a great place to relax and enjoy a few drinks.

“I AM SO IMPRESSED BY THIS PLACE! The outdoor patio is so cute with the sounds of a trickling fountain. The food is so inclusive for vegetarians and gluten-free eaters. There were so many things on the menu that looked amazing. I had the veggie boxty and WOW. So good. Our waitress was super nice, funny, and personable too!” -- Yelp Review

Cloak and Dagger

Prepare for a night of espionage — and drinks! 

2399 West 11th Street | Cleveland | cloakanddaggercle.com

Cloak and Dagger is a fantastically themed bar in Cleveland. While it is a bit of a drive, if you are looking for a great experience, this is the place to go. Don’t let Cloak and Dagger’s dark, mysterious air fool you! The staff are amazing and friendly, providing consistently great service. They all possess a lot of knowledge about their craft, and are happy to help you decide what you want to drink. And that is an important decision when it comes to Cloak and Dagger, because each drink is going to be fantastic in its own unique way. There are so many good drinks that you’ll have to come back for more!

“Cloak and Dagger is probably the best cocktail lounge I've ever been to in Cleveland! I love the dark ambient vibes, with a historical twist with books and candle centerpieces. Our waiter was very attentive, friendly and the staff overall was great! Drinks were so unique and very good! I highly recommend making reservations, especially if you plan on visiting on the weekend!” -- Yelp Review

It is no surprise that Cleveland has a much bigger bar scene than Strongsville. The bars we highlight here are the ones that are well-worth the thirty-or-so minute drive from Strongsville. They are all unique, with great ambiances, like Cloak and Dagger, or dueling pianos, which is one of our absolute favorites. 

In Strongsville, there are a fair amount of places to get a drink with friends, relax, and have a good night out. In Cleveland, there are bars where you can have an unforgettable date night or night out drinking fantastic drinks and enjoying places unlike any you’ve seen before. So, read on for some of our absolute favorite bars in Cleveland, just a half-hour drive from Strongsville!

The Big Bang Dueling Piano Bar

Next-level live music at this Cleveland bar

1163 Front Avenue | Cleveland | thebigbangbar.com

Dueling. Pianos. Does it get any better than that? The Big Bang Dueling Piano Bar is an absolute treat with live music all night long. They take requests, and there is little as satisfying as hearing one of your favorite songs covered by a talented singer playing piano accompaniment. The drinks are good, the crowd is enthusiastic, but the pianos are the main draw of this establishment. Piano bars are a rare gem. People of all musical tastes are going to have a fantastic time here. 

This bar is a great stop on a bar crawl, and awesome enough to spend the whole night, if you want! There are plenty of great bars in Cleveland where you could set up a bit of a crawl, heading to three, four, or more bars around the city to experience different drinks, atmospheres, and, at this one, live piano!

“Live music was amazing! Bartenders were super nice. They didn't have a whiskey drink on the menu, so i asked to make a mixed whiskey drink and they did not disappoint. Definitely would recommend to groups or anyone.” -- Yelp Review

The Bourbon Street Barrel Room

Enjoy authentic New Orleans food and Drink at Bourbon Street Barrel Room!

2393 Professor Avenue | Cleveland | bourbonstreetbarrelroom.com

Looking for a taste of authentic New Orleans food and drink? Bourbon Street Barrel Room must be a stop on your night out. This bar serves fantastic New Orleans-style cuisine with staples like gumbo, jambalaya, and beignets. Alongside great food, this bar serves an unbeatable mixture of famous craft beers and classic New Orleans cocktails that reflect the head chef and Southern Louisiana native Jonny Schulze. He puts love and care into everything on his menu — and it shows! Bourbon Street Barrel Room is an unforgettable experience.

“The bourbon street barrel room is an awesome New Orleans style seafood and steak restaurant. The food is phenomenal and the wait staff is unbelievable. It stands in Tremont Ohio downtown close to downtown Cleveland. Love that place and I frequently at least three times a month. Will definitely be going back” -- Yelp Review

Vault

Sip an exquisite cocktail in this beautiful bar

2017 East 14th Street | Cleveland | vault9cle.com

Last but not least, we present the Vault! Nestled in a centuries-old bank vault beneath the Cleveland Trust Rotunda, the Vault has prospered since its grand opening in 2017. The Vault is an upscale cocktail lounge where each cocktail is handcrafted by its resident mixologists. This place is perfect for those looking to dress up and live the high life for a night out on the town. 

On the topic of living the high life — the decor in the vault is exceptional. Keeping the theme, you walk through open vault doors to get into the bar, an old school-style of decoration that is absolutely perfect and contains many notes of its previous life as a vault. This bar is an absolute must!

“Excellent atmosphere. Excellent service. Excellent drinks. Definitely one of the best bars to visit in Cleveland. I have tried and enjoyed almost every one of their signature cocktails! Be sure to ask about the history of the building when you visit.” -- Yelp Review

Which Bar has Caught Your Fancy?

There are a plethora of great bars in Strongsville! Where are you headed this weekend? Let us know in the comments!