Merry Arts has been my favorite neighborhood bar for years. Patty's tacos are a MUST and I also love their 2-for-1 burgers on Wednesday nights. The beef is delicious and they have some great burger topping combos. They also have super cheap pitchers during all CLE sporting events.
They have a good beer selection and usually pretty fast service. Over the years I've had some servers who take forever but typically food and drinks come out pretty quickly. The new patio is really nice - but you do have to be more assertive about getting service out there.
Also - free popcorn...who doesn't love free popcorn? :)