Best Burgers in Cleveland: Neighborhood Guide

The best burgers in Cleveland are concentrated on the near West Side, in Ohio City, Tremont and Gordon Square, with a second cluster downtown around East Fourth Street and the Warehouse District, and more in Lakewood just west of the city line. Cleveland has no burger style of its own, so look for tavern burgers, brewpub burgers and smash burgers, and judge them on the beef and the bun.

The city’s signature sandwich is the Polish Boy: a kielbasa in a bun buried under french fries, barbecue sauce and coleslaw. It reflects how Cleveland eats, with Eastern European sausage traditions, working-class portions and a lot of sauce. The West Side Market in Ohio City, trading since 1912, is the place to see that heritage, with butchers and sausage makers under one vaulted roof. The local condiment is Bertman Ball Park Mustard, a spicy brown mustard served at the city’s stadiums for decades.

Burgers in Cleveland: key facts

• Neighborhoods to explore: Ohio City, Tremont, Gordon Square in Detroit-Shoreway, Downtown and the Warehouse District, Little Italy and Lakewood.
• Local sandwich: the Polish Boy, kielbasa with fries, barbecue sauce and slaw.
• Local condiment: Bertman Ball Park Mustard.
• Market: the West Side Market on West 25th Street, open since 1912.
• Getting around: the RTA Red Line links the airport, Ohio City and downtown; the HealthLine bus runs along Euclid Avenue to University Circle.
• Currency: US dollar (USD).

Every guide we publish on Cleveland is dated and lists only venues, addresses, prices and ratings we could verify. Our burger restaurant guides cover more cities in the US and abroad.