Bar Cento

Great drinks. Ok food. Cool scene though! I am a huge fan of the Ohio city area and like coming down here at least once a month as I am not that close to Cleveland. We usually come here for light appetizers and a couple beers, and then sometimes for a cocktail. All of which are pretty good. I would say above average on all, but not the best in the area. We have also done several networking and alumni events here and they have all turned out great. The flatbreads are always a hit. I would keep this on in your Ohio Pub crawl for sure!

I really like this place. It can get a little backwards-​hats on the weekend as 25^th Street can be on especially on Saturday night, but the food — especially the pizza — is too good to pass up. I think the Bianco has got to be my favorite! My only consistent complaint of the last five years is that they just won’t indicate on the menu that they deep fry in duck fat. If you’re a vegetarian or just don’t eat duck, you will not know unless you ask. (So the fries you ordered with your veggie burger are not vegetarian.) Just a tip! Otherwise, great spot!

Was disappointed in the short ribs. Have a personal policy to order short ribs when I see them in the menu. Not as tender as they should be. Felt like I was eating a steak. House salad was good and service was friendly. As I’m visiting. I’m not sure if come back to this establishment when I return.

Underrated. Skip Crop and come here! I havent been here since 2009, and boy has this restaurant grown. I ordered the Wild Boar Ravioli in Rabbit Mouse, and tbh didnt expect it to be even as good as Touch, but this blew me away. I ordered a second plate– partly because it was kind of a small portion– and gave my compliments to the chef personally. If you’re on w. 25 looking for great grub at something classier than your typical gastropub, this is the place. Great date spot, and good on the weekends too.

–Lamb meatballs: cooked well&good flavor
–Pommes Frites: crispy edges, soft center, props to the variety of dipping sauces
–Big Board: If you order any appetizer, highly recommend. They get their meats and cheeses from local market across the street. Again, great variety.
–Capicola pizza: This one was the winner. Great flavor with some spice and fresh balance with the arugula salad
–Charred escorole: Perhaps prepared well, but too bitter for my taste
–Pasta with rabbit: Flavor not that impressive. Kind of bland

I want to like this place, really I do! I’ve come here once on my own free will, got a burger that was bland and over-​cooked. Had no interest in going back but due to a few social gatherings being held there by friends and/​or family, I’ve been back 4 more times. I’ve tried something completely different from my last order every time and still have been left with the feeling of disappointment. There are so many better restaurant choices in Cleveland… even many choices on or around 25^th. I’m done wasting my money at this establishment.

My boyfriend and I recently went here with another couple, and I must say we were very impressed!
To start off, our waitress brought us bread with some sort of delicious honey balsamic spread that literally our entire table raved over. I had a side salad with the house dressing (fabulous!) and split a white pizza (whole slices of garlic… heck yes). My boyfriend had the most amazing charcuterie sandwich… so good I wish I had ordered it myself. The wine and beer list was also made up of wonderful selections, and was not overwhelming to pick from. And to top it off, our bill was very reasonable. As a self-​proclaimed foodie, I have no complaints!

I cannot wait to go back!
The service was amazing, the atmosphere was so relaxing and almost romantic in a rustic way, the drinks went down quickly and the food was mouthwatering. I would go back everyday if I could afford it and if I wouldn’t gain a ton of weight.
Our server was so sweet, she was very knowledgeable about the food and the drinks. The fries are a MUST! So deliciously made with rosemary and garlic accompanied by 4 different delicious sauces. I ordered the roasted beet salad which was light and refreshing, exactly what I needed. And my guy ordered a sandwich with extra fries, thanks babe!
I would definitely return again and my guy said this was one of his favorite places we have dined for dinner in Ohio City. And this says a lot coming from that picky service guy.

Three words: late. night. pizza.
Their pizzas are pretty great any time of day, actually. But knowing I can grab a delicious pie for some late night drunk munchies, that makes even better. I mean, where else can I get pizza this good at 2am?
Bar Cento and Bier Markt have a weird restaurant set up going on, both sides offer the same menu, but they have different décor… I don’t know what the deal is. But we prefer to hang out on the Bar Cento side. Its a little bit «fancier» in terms of atmosphere and its usually less crowded, especially at the bar.
Although the menu is pretty large and offers a great number of apps and entrees, the real showstoppers are the pizzas. My favorite is the spicy chicken. Served on crispy, cracker-​like crust, topped with spicy chicken sausage and a drizzle of honey. Perfect.
I’d also recommend getting an order of pomme frites to split. They are some of the best french fries I’ve had in Cleveland… maybe THE BEST. They fry them up nice and crispy with rosemary sprigs and whole cloves of garlic. They serve ‘em up in a big cone with 4 dipping sauces. The roasted garlic aioli is to die for.
I seriously can’t write anymore, its just making me too hungry. Those frites. That pizza. (insert 10 heart eye emojis here)

What I ordered:
Beer Mussels
Lamb Meatballs
So, the only reason why I decided to check this place out was I really wanted to try Lamb Meatballs. I have no idea why, but I just wanted to taste it and I discovered that Bar Cento had it available on their menu. My server (don’t remember his name) was pretty cool. I was also looking for this pear cider but he said that it was no longer in season, he gave me a suggestion and I went for this organic apple cider. I already knew what I wanted so let’s go! I tried the Lamb Meatballs, okay… spicy and pretty good. My server walked over and stated that I should eat the mussels first because I wouldn’t want to eat cold seafood. Okay, tried the mussels, by the way, first time ever eating mussels… meh, not really a fan but hey, I least I can say that I tried it. I will say the presentation in both meals were very, very pretty… gold star!
Staff seems pretty friendly, food was okay.

I always forget how good the pizza is and then when I remind myself thats all I want to eat for months!
Did you know they fly their tomatoes in from Italy once a week? Well… even if it isn’t true that’s how my waitress got me to order the Margarita pizza! It was delicious!
Want good pizza? Go Here. Want the best fries of your life? Go Here. Want an amazing burger for $ 6 during happy hour? Go Here.

I’m torn between a 2 and a 3 for this specific visit. Kind of depends on what I’m talking about too because the service was great. I would give the service a 4. This isn’t the first time I’ve come here but it is the first time we’ve ordered an actual meal.
I ordered the lamb belly which I’ve never eaten before so I don’t know what it is suppose to taste like but thought I would try something new. It comes with Risotto which is a fave of mine. The risotto was good the lamb belly… very tough. I actually didn’t eat it. I chewed a piece then spit it out and didn’t eat any more of it. Like I said maybe it’s my fault for ordering and not knowing what to expect but just an FYI that it is tough. I had a piece of my friends pizza and that was delish.

Overall a really cool place for dinner or drinks!
I decided to take my parents here for dinner a weekend I was home, and it was a great start to the evening. They still had reservations available that afternoon (although my parents thought 8:00 was a little late for dinner…), and when we walked into the cool atrium-​like front area, a hostess immediately greeted us, took our reservation and seated us. I was really happy that she sat us in the front area, as it had a really intriguing layout. All of the doors up front were open, and the large entranceway gave the feeling of being semi-​outside. There seemed to be a curtained-​off employee area in the center of the room, and the perimeter booths were elevated from the main floor. The ambiance was very cool for the evening, and I really enjoyed spending time in the restaurant.
Our waitress came over and was very friendly and accommodating to my parents’ indecisiveness when ordering anything. Feeling the classy atmosphere, I ordered a tempranillo but was disappointed. My parents’ Eastern European beer selections were great, however, and I ordered a delicious craft beer to follow up. My mushroom pizza was delicious and enormous – I couldn’t have eaten more than half of it! Also, their garlic and rosemary fries were amazing! I would come back in a heartbeat!

Went back here for dinner and the food was good, but when we were eating the pommes frittes as an appetizer, my sister asked the server which of the sauces were vegan. She told us that the fries were fried in duck fat. We don’t eat meat so this was definitely a problem. We both ordered the vegan pizza as an entrée, so one would think that she would have mentioned that while we were ordering. When someone orders something with «vegan» in the title, it seems to me that maybe the server should mention that something they ordered was not vegan. So, the moral of the story is if you are vegetarian, don’t order the fries. I realize that we probably should have asked, but with fries, I assume that they are vegetarian. The menu really should alert people to the fact that the fries are fried in duck fat. That or they should train there staff to alert vegetarians to that fact.

I would probably give Bar Cento 2.5 stars but because they put the names of their entire staff on the menu, I decided to give them 3. Just kidding… I rounded up because they have Hoegaarden on tap. ;-)
We came in for happy hour and realized we were maybe saving $ 2 total on our food. They advertise that they were voted best pizza by Zagat and Food Network so we decided to go with the Arugula pizza instead of the White Pizza on the happy hour menu. Note: the white pizza basically garlic bread — garlic, mozzarella, and olive oil. We were disappointed. We also got the mussels and they too were meh. The fries on the other hand were great! They have perfect seasoning and the right amount of crisp! Granted, we didn’t try a big variety of the food but when you claim you’ve been voted best pizza, make sure it’s really good and not just okay!
As for the service, our waiter was nice although he came back to «check on us» a little too often. When he cleared the plates, he also poured the mussel brother and unopened mussels into the shells and it went everywhere — rookie mistake.
I will definitely try it again but my first experience at Bar Cento was mediocre at best.

The only people who don’t like late night pizza are sociopaths. And that comparison may be a little bit mean to sociopaths. So the fact that this place serves amazing pizza every day of the week until two A.M. should be enough to justify five stars right there. Not only is the pizza passable for two AM though, it’s knock-​your-​socks-​off, voted one of the best pizzas in the nation good. So Bar Cento means business people! This place elevates late night noshing to a glorious noble art.
Décor: Large space filled with hewn wood, interesting parasols hung over the bar, and a pretty cool pressed metal ceiling at the entrance. The décor fits with the general Cleveland Craftsman aesthetic while elevating it ever so subtly.
Food: There’s not only pizza available til late. The menu has helpful boxes drawn around the stuff you can order into the wee hours, which includes salads, sides, sandwiches, fries and desserts. And, seeing as every time I ate here I was stone cold sober, I can say utterly assuredly the food here is of very high quality at any hour. The kitchen is consistent, updates the menu with creative seasonal specials, and uses fresh greens prepared surprisingly lightly for a beer centric bar. I’ve been amazed often by things you don’t normally hear in reviews of late night pizza and beer joints: beautiful plating, great French technique, deft saucing, and creative garnishing. Bar Cento, though, breaks many molds. While many would recommend getting the fries and burgers here, I would argue you should try to stretch out of your comfort zone and try many of the plated dishes here.
A sampling of the menu one of the last times I visited:
Local Mixed greens with Castelvetrano olives, parmesan, oranges, almonds and white balsamic ($ 7). It was a fresh heaping of greens lightly dressed in vinaigrette with large segments of juicy orange and a nice scattering of nuts. The only detraction to the salad was the olives were not pitted, so that was a little awkward to eat around.
Squid Ink Gnocchetti with baby octopus, ndjua, and sausage tomato Bottarga ($ 16). Squid ink is a tricky ingredient and I’ve never seen it incorporated into a gnocchi, so major points for creativity. The dish really melded though, and was a joy and surprise to eat.
Ohio Beet Pizza with Bull’s Blood beets, Prima Donna Cheese, arugula and lemon ($ 12). Bear in mind, this is a pizza you can order at 1 30 AM! And it tasted incredibly refreshing for a pizza, with a nice thin crust, heaps of arugula and a bright red minced beet sauce. Very original, and once again darn tasty.
Ohio pawpaw panna cotta with mint gel pumpkin seed oil ($ 8). Oh, come on now guys, you’re just showing off at this point! Paw paws on a dessert menu?! Fantastic, unique and delicious.
The menu changes seasonally, so there’s always something new to tickle the taste buds.
A small minor detraction is sometimes the crowd here can be a bit loud, obnoxious and drunk, but that comes with the territory of W25th. Weekdays are quieter and recommended.
Overall: A Cleveland favorite! I love this place. It caters to many palates, can work for both bar food, a great fancier date and late night insomniac binging. You must try the pizza here, but you will not regret branching out and trying their many unique plates.

This is one of my favorite places in Cleveland however today while the service was great the meal was timed poorly and parts of it over cooked while also serving cold pomme frites.
Numerous different dishes were tried at the table — the penne, mussels and mushroom risotto were delish — the burger and its bun WAY WAY over cooked & crispy… the peas came out way undercooked…
This place is still one of my favorites though so I will try it again… because it is that good.

I want to start by saying that I dined here on New Years Eve. I had reservations and the place was packed. It looked like they had some pre-​ordered multi course meals available, but we didn’t partake in that and went on to order from the regular menu.
We started with the mussles which were ok, but ever since I got back from New England, sea food in Cleveland hasn’t been doing it for me. Hopefully that will wear off. I can’t fault them on that. We also ordered the ravioli and a mushroom pizza. Well, they ran out of mushroom pizza, we found that out an hour after we ordered it. Oh, and the ravioli was kind of bland.
So all in all the food was mediocre and the service was very slow. I understand that it was New Years Eve and they were very busy, but we arrived at 9:15pm and didn’t get our food till about 11pm.
This would have been a completely terrible evening, but the manager visited our table wherein he apologized and comped our entire meal. That was exactly what he should have done, and I commend him for that. I will consider going back on a less busy evening.

Highlights: Bar Cento food is delicious. The garlicky pomme frites were cut thick and paired with incredibly creative aoli — including a curry-​flavored one. The pizza, delicious. Corn side dish, excellent. They have a great selection of beers. This is a fun place to hang out.
Things to improve:
I imagine «confit» to be tender and crispy on the outside. The chicken confit was not.
Our wait time for the food was exactly 45 minutes and there was no acknowledgement or apology. Maybe this was an «off» day, but it certainly colored our experience.

Bar Cento does a couple of good things to earn merits in my book. They’re open until 2:30 AM, which in Cleveland, means they’re one of the handful of restaurants open late. And for my recommendation, I enjoy 3 menu items that I consider the «triple threat»
1. Sunnyside Pizza — Provolone. Pancetta. Eggs. Black Pepper. Sometimes too much pepper…
2. Pommes Frites — Deep fry anything in duck fat and whole garlic cloves and say it isn’t good.
3. Charcuterie Board — It’s an art and variety is the spice of life. Really amazing.