Cleveland’s West Side Market started as an open-air market in 1840 and has evolved over the years into a bustling community of vendors located in a beautiful old building.
The market houses a fantastic range of ethnically diverse vendors; you can find ramen, empanadas, baklava, and homemade ravioli within a few dozen feet of each other. And in between these food stalls you’ll see beans, spices, popcorn, freshly made cheeses, and any cut of pork, beef or chicken that you can imagine.
The produce vendors are housed in a separate building that resembles an arcade, located just next to the main building. Friendly vendors will offer you samples of their goods, which range from fruits and vegetables to local honey, flowers and candies.
Our lunch included a phenomenal pork bun and some delicous miso ramen from Noodlecat. We had a chorizo and cheese empanada and enchiladas from Orale (they were microwaved to reheat, which wasn’t a great way to eat them. I would recommend taking them home and reheating them yourself in your oven). We also had vanilla bean lemonade from Juice Garden, which was fantastic. Have you ever had vanilla bean in your lemonade? You should definitely try it!
The West Side Market holds strange hours though, so you have to plan your trip rather than just dropping in. They are closed on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays (and most major holidays, with crazy hours around Christmas). They are open 7am-4pm on Mondays and Wednesdays, and 7am-6pm Fridays and Saturdays. It’s definitely worth a trip if you’re in Cleveland, whether you go there for lunch or to get groceries for a homemade meal.
