Restaurants in Westlake

White Oaks Restaurant began business in 1928, but its doors wouldn’t open until staff had spied visitors through a peephole, creating an aura of mystery that’s never quite left this fine-dining establishment. Proudly touting its history as a hotspot for imported booze and high-stakes gambling during the Prohibition era, the restaurant—voted Cleveland's best romantic restaurant by viewers of Fox 8 in 2011—now celebrates the legalization of spirits with a towering wine rack and solid-gold bust of Johnnie Walker. Six wood-burning fireplaces cast their crimson glow off plates piled with high-end American cuisine, from succulent seafood to creative game dishes such as venison. Elegant wood paneling spans the lodge-like dining room, where a glass wall on the east end overlooks an arboreal wonderland and burbling creek.

At Samurai Sushi and Hibachi, diners sup on plates of freshly grilled hibachi meats, succulent sushi, and savory tempura in an atmosphere with the low-lit feel of a nightclub. Like a pie fight with explosions in the background, the restaurant blends food with entertainment: skilled chefs display their mastery of knifework at 12 hibachi tables as revelers sip cocktails and sake at a full-service bar or private party room. Rays of electric blue and purple light emanate from ceiling fixtures and disco balls, and walls of gray stone and leafy bamboo lend an organic touch to the chic décor.

Al "Bubba" Baker is no stranger to awards. The former NFL lineman went to three pro bowls during his career and was named 1978's Defensive Rookie of the Year. Upon his retirement from the field, Bubba yearned for a return to his southern roots, and so he and his wife Sabrina decided to open a barbecue restaurant using secret family recipes stemming all the way back to the 1950s. Those time-honored techniques include marinating dry-rubbed pork, brisket, and ribs overnight, and then slow-smoking them for hours over smoldering piles of Ohio-grown applewood. It's a painstaking process, but it pays—today, Bubba's trophy case is filled with myriad awards for his succulent cuisine, including four Silver Spoon recognitions from Cleveland Magazine for Best Ribs and Best Barbecue Restaurant.

While many barbecue joints taut ribs that are boneless, Bubba's takes things a step further by de-boning baby back ribs through an patented process that leaves them easily mastered with a knife and fork or spare fencing sword. Bourbon adds an extra flair to boneless beef short ribs, which are sautéed in Bubba's signature barbecue sauce, splashed with bourbon, and set aflame before serving, and southern fried chicken owes its own crispy exterior to a secret batter invented by Bubba's momma, Ernestine. The kitchen also ladles its famous pulled meats onto baskets of fries and on sandwiches to create easy handheld eats, which may be enjoyed in the sports-themed dining room or out on the covered patio, where an inset fireplace keeps things warm and cozy in true down-homestyle.

In 1981, Luchita Galindo and her son Jorge began Luchita's Mexican Restaurant, a humble family endeavor that focuses on fresh, authentic dishes. Over the course of 30 years, the Galindo family has continued to grow along with their restaurant, which began as a 24-seat eatery and currently occupies three locations throughout the Cleveland area.

Luchita's chefs work to maintain the family's vision while constantly seeking out new flavors to add to the menu. Their specialties include authentically prepared meats and seafood, such as shredded chicken simmered in a smoky sauce (tinga de pollo), tender strips of marinated steak (carne asada), and shrimp sautéed with potatoes, cactus, and poblano peppers (camarones borrachos). Chef Galindo also concocts vegetarian-friendly entrees, such as cheesy chiles rellenos, and tinkers with new recipes until—like a klutz unleashed on the stage of an awards show—he stumbles on a winner.

A colorful mural of a lakeside beach stretches across Casita del Lago's dining room—a nod to the restaurant's name, which translates to "little house by the lake." Soft hanging lanterns and a crackling fireplace bathe the room in light, illuminating the colorful glazed pottery that lines the walls. In the kitchen, chefs chop fresh ingredients for the homemade salsa that glazes over traditional dishes, as saucepans simmer with their signature mole sauce. Behind a sprawling bar, bartenders dole out pitchers of fruity margaritas and bottles of imported Mexican beer. Outside, tabletops speckle their outdoor patio and bar, where guests can bask beneath the sunlight.

Pappou's Family Restaurant doesn't play coy about its do-it-yourself ethic and family-centric ethos. According to Cleveland.com, owner and chef George Sevastakis enlists his wife, sister, and children to tend to the restaurant, serving up Greek, Italian, and American dishes. Despite his duties as owner, George still makes time to prepare the desserts and baked goods himself and tends a garden where tomatoes, green beans, strawberries, and cucumbers grow. In addition to its Greek staples and seafood favorites, Pappou's serves breakfast pizzas in the mornings, topped with scrambled eggs, bacon, and peppers to differentiate them from traditional pizzas, which are only topped with scrambled eggs.