Cleveland

Located on Lake Erie’s southern shore just slightly west of the Pennsylvania border, Cleveland is a manufacturing town whose blue-collar character has been the backdrop of a surprising number of films, including Jules Dassin’s first American film in two decades. And what many also don’t realize is that it’s home to a sizeable Greek American community since the late 1800s.

The Hellenic Preservation Society of Northeastern has documented the history of Cleveland’s Greeks, with an identifiable community in the city emerging around 1870. Cleveland wasn’t a destination for most Greeks arriving there but rather a transit point for seamen seeking work on the Great Lakes; stalled, for various reasons, they stayed. Their numbers grew; the Boliver Road area was soon known as “Greek Town” with some thirty-odd Greek-operated businesses established there. By 1920, the city’s Greek population had hit five thousand, most living in the neighborhoods around the Church of the Annunciation, which had been founded in 1919. Today, the Annunciation is one of four main Greek Orthdox churches in Cleveland and they remain at the center of the local Greek American community’s activities, organizing celebrations on Greek national days on October 28 and March 25, running evening Greek schools, and, of course, hosting their annual festivals.

Community

Church of the Annunciation
2187 West 14th Street, Cleveland; www.annunciationcleveland.net
The city’s oldest Greek Orthdox church was built in 1919 although a congregation had formed in 1910 and a formal church had been established at the corner of West 14th Street and Fairfield Avenue in 1912. The church’s school was founded in 1924. As the oldest church, it holds its festival first, kicking off the season on Memorial Day weekend.

Church of Saints Constantine and Helen
3352 Mayfield Road, Cleveland Heights, tel. 216 932 3300; www.stsconstantine.com
Founded in 1957, this church met the real need for a parish to serve the city’s eastern suburbs. The church was built on property acquired in 1953 and built with funds raised from the community for this purpose. Today it sustains a number of organizations and projects, including the Philoptochos Society and, of course, hosts an annual festival.
 
St Demetrios
22909 Center Ridge Road, tel. 440 331 2246; www.saintdemetrios.org
The parish was established in 1960 Greek Americans in western Cleveland expressed the need for a church that was more centered on the community in which they lived and was hosted in the Rockport Methodist Church until sufficient funds could be raised for construction.

St Paul Greek Orthodox Church
4548 Wallings Road, North Royalton, tel. 440 237 8998; www.stpaulgoc.org
Although in the Pittsburg metropolis, St Paul’s has been the church serving Cleveland’s southern suburbs since 1966. It, too, hosts an annual festival–this year on July 14-17.

There’s an old joke that goes like this: “What happens when two Greeks meet? They open a restaurant!” The joke likely started in Cleveland where there are dozens for every mood and appetite, whether that’s a gyro on the run or a formal dinner.

Dining

Greek Express
The Arcade, 401 Euclid Avenue, Suite 5, tel. 216 357 2960
Shopping downtown and struck with a sudden craving for souvlaki? This is the place to head. The Greek Express serves up a tasty gyros, as well as spanakopitta and other Greek dishes. The menu is mixed, though, with a generous sprinkling of Middle Eastern and Indian dishes, like curries.

Greek Isles
500 West Saint Clair, tel. 216 861 1919
A restaurant singled out by professional restaurateurs is a safe bet to try, and the Greek Isles was voted Best Authentic Greek Restaurant by Estiator, the trade magazine of Greek Americans in the food industry. Open for lunch and dinner, it offers a satisfying range of Greek taverna foods, a selection of which can be sampled in appetizer or dinner platters.  

Nikos’s on Detroit
15625 Detroit Avenue, Lakewood, tel. 216 226 7050
A favorite among locals, Nikos’s offers a solid menu of Greek fare, with a few Middle Eastern dishes added too. Regulars rave about the saganaki–not to be missed–and the gyros.

Greek Village Grille
14019 Madison Avenue, Lakewood, tel. 216 228 4976
It’s phone number is a mnemonic: 228.GYRO. That says a lot about the Greek Village Grille whose gyro and souvlaki taste like they were made in Monastiraki. It’s so good, diners are offered the option of adding gyro meat to any salad. Very hungry? Take the Mount Olympus Gyro Challenge–a 15-inch pitta wrapped around three pounds of gyro (one pound each of lamb, chicken, and pork), 1 cup of tomatoes, 1 cup of onions, 1 cup of tzatziki, and one order of fries.

The Mad Greek
2466 Fairmount Boulevard, tel. 216 421 3333
This is the place to go for Greek food on the East Side. Regular diners recommend dolmades, spanakopitta, avgolemono soup, and Greek meatballs, but if you feel like departing from standard fare, there are also steamed mussels, a variety of flatbreads, and range of sandwiches like the kasseri melt.

Shopping

Athens Pastries & Imported Foods
2545 Lorain Avenue, tel. 216 861 8149
This is the place to head if you’re looking for that elusive ingredient for a Greek recipe. There’s good quality olive oil, a range of canned goods, Greek wine, spices, and condiments, as well as fresh-baked pastries.