Discovering Cleveland

Service and Atmosphere

Burntwood Tavern has a warm, comfortable charm that’s hard to beat: exposed brick, dim lighting, and a toasty fireplace all add to the the relaxed ambiance. While we were visiting, we enjoyed live music from Joe Sumph and Pete Maric, an acoustic duo playing in the corner of the restaurant. Playing a wide array of music, these guys were great, and definitely added to our overall experience.

Walking into Burntwood Tavern, we were immediately seated at a big, comfy booth and our server greeted us just shortly after. Our server was just attentive enough, but he was very knowledgeable on both the drinks and the food–a quality that’s sometimes difficult to find.

The Drinks

After we were seated, I immediately inquired about the beer selection and our server started listing off their current drafts–I knew I liked him from the very beginning! They pack a good beer list, offering up enough microbrews to keep at least me happy. I opted for a Southern Tier 2X IPA and we also ordered a Conways. The beers set us back $6 and $5, respectively, which was no more than I had expected.

Burntwood Tavern also features a plentiful variety of signature cocktails, as well as a decent selection of wines.

Grabbing a drink on the cheap is easy at Burntwood Tavern! Check out their happy hour 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. seven days a week and enjoy $3 bottles, $4 house wine, $5 signature drinks, and half off appetizers and flatbreads.

The Food

Looking over the menu, a lot of options sounded delicious. I ended up ordering the field greens salad ($5) with the addition of salmon ($5). For a $5 salad, it was surprisingly large and definitely tasty. The greens were fresh, the balsamic dressing was the perfect combination of sweet and tangy, the addition of pecans gave it a nice crunch, and the feta was, of course, a welcomed extra. And the salmon was a great choice to compliment this already great salad: cooked to a perfect medium well, it was flaky and well seasoned. This was a meal I would have a hard time not ordering again on a return visit–I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a salad that much!

We also sampled the wood roasted half chicken ($16), a large portion of meat marinated in garlic, lemon, and rosemary, served with a side of asparagus and hand cut fries. The chicken was impressively moist, juicy, tender, and flavorful, the asparagus was cooked well, and the fries were nice and crispy, save their disappointing lack of seasoning. Overall, still a very delicious dish and, with the large portion of food, definitely worth the $16 price tag.

Burntwood Tavern’s menu packs a variety of appetizers, salads, flatbreads, sandwiches, and entrees, with notable items including their salmon BLT, the tavern steak and fries, and the pecan crusted tilapia.

Overall

Burntwood Tavern is comfortable and inviting, packs a great menu, and is a relaxing place to stop by for a happy hour drink.

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