In town for a conference and unexpectedly had the first evening to myself. A blessing - calm before the storm. Since I've been to Cleveland before, I wanted to find a new place to try within reasonable walking distance of my downtown hotel. It also had to be reasonable in price, since I planned to dine out with friends on other nights and had to make my per diem stretch.
Taza fit the bill - less than - 10 min walk and a very filling dinner, along with beer, for $18 including tip.
I sat at the bar so I could enjoy a book and chatting with the staff. Everyone was super friendly and checked on me frequently. The beer - a Lebanese brand - was the bartender's recommendation. Nice, light and refreshing.
A basket of warm bread came out for snacking, along with a dish of sesame oil for dipping.
I ordered a hummus and falafel toasted rolled pita. It came with a side of homemade fries. The pita was super crunchy in the inside but tender (especially the falafel...which I appreciated because who likes dry falafel?) on the inside.
I had a choice of Turkish coffee or baklava (or both) courtesy of my Yelp checkin. I opted for baklava only - a girl's gotta sleep. The baklava was ladyfinger style and beautifully presented with drizzled honey and pistachio dust.
Taza was an excellent choice!