Lolita is a must-see for anyone visiting Cleveland. Everyone wants to go to Lola because they see Michael Symon on TV. But here's the secret Cleveland's been keeping: Lolita is the original.
Lolita has a number of the same menu options as Lola but the prices are roughly half. Lolita is the original Tremont home. Lola moved from Tremont to 4th Street as part of a downtown revitalization project and Lolita was created in the same space by the same people. Tremont is Cleveland's hip neighborhood and Lolita is a great way to start the evening.
Everything on the menu is amazing with one exception (which I'll detail below). I specifically recommend Warm Olives and Mussels (save your bread for the sauce) to start and any of the pizzas or pastas if you're not starved. If you are hungry, the Hanger Steak or Roasted Chicken are solid choices that are always on the menu. I can't get enough of the Soft Polenta.
One thing I'm not a big fan of is that they tweak the menu roughly once per quarter and may change a core menu item (like the Mussels) but there is no way to know if it is the same as before or new. It's always fun to see what is new but can be disappointing if you really liked the old way and are surprised with a modification that didn't succeed.
The exception on the amazing food (and thus far, applies to all Symon concepts) is that desserts are weak. I would simply avoid and go somewhere else.
Lolita is the standard bearer for 5 star restaurants. If you come to Cleveland and don't eat here, you have done yourself a disservice.