Preparing Thanksgiving dinner can be extremely stressful. From cooking turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, casseroles, and so much more, it can be a project to try and make all of the delicious food that is needed to serve your family, friends, and other guests. Although it is quite delicious, it can definitely be stressful, especially if you’re stuck working Thanksgiving day, or even the day before, which is essential to prepping what you’re going to make-- and sometimes it would just be easier not to cook at all.

Since everyone has been stuck at home lately constantly working, or even for essential workers that have to travel to work every day and just don’t feel like coming home to prepare an extravagant meal, sometimes the next best option is to just go out for dinner. There are still lots of restaurants that are opened during Thanksgiving, or even the day before so you can go enjoy a great meal and just spend Thanksgiving day with your loved ones. If you just don’t feel like cooking this Thanksgiving, then we got you covered with the top eight best places in Cleveland to go to instead!

EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute

Taste some of the best high-end French dishes at this upscale restaurant!

13101 Shaker Square | Cleveland | edwinsrestaurant.org

If you want something different for Thanksgiving, why not try out EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute for their exquisite French dishes! This upscale restaurant is located in Shaker Square and has a charming bar and lounge to enjoy some tasty food and some great drinks as well.

EDWINS serves a lot of great food like frog legs, New Zealand lamb lollipops, pan-fried venison, a Mediterrannean flatbread, pan-seared striped bass, and so much more. Instead of cooking for Thanksgiving, we recommend stopping by EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute to enjoy a great meal with friends and family instead of cooking!

“As for the food, each meal comes with fresh baked bread, a salad, the main dish, and dessert. Four servings for only $40! This is an excellent deal for families and even those riding solo!” - Yelp Review 

L’Albatros

A contemporary French restaurant with tasty cheese courses, fancy meals, and even daily specials for you!

11401 Bellflower Road | University | lalbatrosbrasserie.com

If you really like French food and want to go to a fun restaurant with outdoor seating that offer dishes ranging from cheese courses, classic French favorites, and rotating daily specials, then you need to try out L’Albatros today! L’Albatros is a French restaurant in an old carriage house located on the Case Western Reserve University campus that offers lots of tasty and upscale meals to indulge in instead of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.

L’Albatros has lots of great French dishes to offer to you. If you are interested in coming here instead of cooking for Thanksgiving, then you need to try out their duck confit, cassoulet, hanger steak and frites, roasted cod, chicken confit, mussels with pomme frites, and so much more.L’Albatros may be just the place to go to this holiday season, so instead of cooking for Thanksgiving, try out L’Albatros today!

“The food and drinks were also delicious. I highly recommend the fried cauliflower, braised leeks, and scallops entree. Everything was delicious and the service was excellent.” - Yelp Review 

Blue Point Grille

Enjoy skyline views of Cleveland as you taste some delectable seafood options!

700 E St Clair Avenue | Warehouse District | bluepointgrille.com

Are you in the mood for some upscale and delectable seafood dishes this holiday season? If so, then there’s no better place to go to than Blue Point Grille! Blue Point Grille is located in the Warehouse District and it offers hip dining with big, open windows to offer you a magnificent view of the city while you enjoy some of their best seafood dishes!

If seafood is what you’re craving, then Blue Point Grille is the place for you! They offer dishes such as lobster bisque, jumbo lobster tail, crab cakes, blue point oysters, Nags Head grouper, lobster bolognese, grilled salmon, and so much more. There’s no better place to go to if you don’t feel like cooking for Thanksgiving this year than Blue Point Grille, so try it out today!

“First of all, the place is super classy. Beautifully laid out and decorated. The staff were really friendly and showed us to a high top right away since the bar was slightly crowded.” - Yelp Review 

Dante

Try out this New American restaurant with Mediterranean hints of it for something different!

2247 Professor Avenue | Tremont | danteboccuzzi.com

If you’re feeling like trying out some New American dishes with some Mediterranean flavor to it instead of Thanksgiving dinner, then you have to try out what Dante has to offer! Dante is a great restaurant to go to in Tremont that features Michelin star dishes from Chef Dante Boccuzzi where American dishes with an international flavor are his specialty.

Dante offers some of the most unique dishes in all of Cleveland, which makes for a great place to go to if you don’t feel like cooking for Thanksgiving. They offer some delicious dishes such as Hawaiian tuna tartare, mustard maple glazed pork belly, banana butternut squash soup, pan-seared sea scallops, and so much more. Dante is a great place to go to anytime, but it makes up for a Thanksgiving dinner if you’re not in the mood to cook!

“Overall, Dante is a Cleveland staple (in my mind) and is one of the places you have to try while you are here. Especially in the winter, the restaurant and food is especially cozy and offers a nice getaway from the cold outdoors.” - Yelp Review

Lola

Michael Symon’s New American restaurant is a nice change instead of a classic Thanksgiving dinner!

2058 E 4th Street | Gateway District | lolabistro.com

We know that you want to try out something different instead of cooking this Thanksgiving, so why not try out Lola, a restaurant owned and run by Chef Michawl Symon. Lola has been a successful restaurant for over twenty years that is known for making some of the best dishes with an ever changing menu depending on the season it is and what organic ingredients they get from local farms.

Lola is a unique New American restaurant that offers some very diverse and appetizing food options! With dishes ranging from beef cheek pierogies, scallops, smoked Hampshire pork chops, halibut, oysters, calves heart, crudo, beet salad, and so much more, you’re bound to find something here that you absolutely love. Make sure to check out Lola this Thanksgiving for something new and different!

“The beef cheek pierogies are insane, the whole time that you chew them you're really just trying to contemplate how something can possibly have such a multi-dimensionally rich and delightfully funky flavor to it. Must try!” - Yelp Review 

Momocho

In the mood for Mexican food? Look no further than Momocho in Cleveland!

1835 Fulton Road | Ohio City | momocho.com

If you want to enjoy a laid back, hip Mexican restaurant instead of a Thanksgiving meal, then you need to go to Momocho in Cleveland! Named one of the top Mexican restaurants in Cleveland, this modern restaurant features patio seating and wrestler decor inside for something fun and less formal.

We know that sometimes Mexican food is the way to go, so why not try out Momocho and some of their famous dishes today! They offer smoked gouda tamale dumplings, pork chop al carbon, ancho braised beef brisket, goat cheese guacamole, short rib tamales, carnitas taquitos, and so much more. If you want Mexican food this Thanksgiving, then make sure to check out Momocho today!

“If you're visiting Cleveland, Momocho is a place that deserves to be at the top of your restaurant list. Like me, I hope it's one that you remember fondly for years to come and go back to revisit!” - Yelp Review 

Mia Bella Restaurant

Craving some Italian food? Look no further than this restaurant that also serves Mediterranean dishes as well!

12200 Mayfield Road | Little Italy | mblittleitaly.com

If you’re craving a big bowl of Italian pasta, or other classic Italian dishes, then you need to head over to Mia Bella Restaurant today for some of the best Italian food in Cleveland! Located in Little Italy, Mia Bella offers authentic Italian food, Mediterranean food, and even some vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options for a wide variety of dishes that you can try!

Mia Bella Restaurant is the perfect place to go to if you just want some Italian food instead of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and other classic Thanksgiving dishes. Mia Bella offers Italian dishes such as cheese tortellini, lobster ravioli, frutti di mare piccanti, pasta verde pesto, house smoked pork belly, and so much more. With all of these delicious options, head over to Mia Bella Restaurant in Cleveland today!

“The outdoor seating is lovely and the service was spot on. I've been to Italy many times and Mia Bella actually reminded me of Italian (not American Italian) food. I highly recommend dining here.” - Yelp Review 

Flying Fig

Experience some small and large New American dishes that are delicious and one-of-a-kind here!

2523 Market Avenue | Ohio City | theflyingfig.com

New American restaurants are in, so why not try out Flying Fig, a popular restaurant located in Cleveland instead of cooking this year for Thanksgiving! Flying Fig is known for their farm to table dishes using organic ingredients and using locally sourced food to create some wonderful and unique dishes. They also offer an extensive wine list that is ever changing and creative cocktails to complement your meal as well!

Flying Fig has lots of tasty options when it comes to their food. If you’re looking for something delicious and innovative, then make sure to try out their huevos rancheros, short ribs, bacon wrapped dates, soft scrambled eggs, smoked turkey sandwich, pork chops, and even their signature corn cakes. Flying Fig is the place to go to for something different instead of cooking for the holidays, so make sure to stop over and try out what they have to offer!

“Worth stopping in. We enjoyed dinner so much we went back the next day to grab a sandwich for lunch from their sandwich menu. You can tell the chef cares about his/her cuisine. They use fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients and for fair prices.” - Yelp Review 

Cooking Thanksgiving dinner this year just sounds stressful and with all of the new changes to 2020 with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it almost just sounds easier to go out to eat instead. From everyone working from home, or just being exhausted and overworked from being an essential worker, there’s nothing wrong with going out to dinner with your family instead. 

If you don’t feel like cooking this Thanksgiving, then try out these eight restaurants in Cleveland that you can go to either on Thanksgiving, or the day before or after for a tasty and stress free meal!