LOLA BISTRO was opened by Michael Symon in 1997 in TREMONT In 1998, a year after the restaurant鈥檚 opening, Symon was included as one of Food & Wine magazine's "Best New Chefs鈥�. Lola moved to East 4th Street in downtown Cleveland in 2005. The upscale restaurant became a cornerstone of a revitalized East 4th Street offering Symon鈥檚 take on several Midwestern meat dishes. As Symon rose to fame from his victory on the Food Network鈥檚 鈥淚ron Chef鈥� and his role on ABC鈥檚 鈥淭he Chew鈥�, Lola became a symbol of Cleveland鈥檚 downtown restaurant scene revival. Signature dishes included beef cheek pierogi which was named to Forbes鈥� top 10 food dishes of 2015.
Lola was loved by the Cleveland public and the city鈥檚 celebrities alike. In an on-field interview during the 2019 MLB All Star Game in Cleveland, CLEVELAND INDIANS' shortstop Francisco Lindor mentioned Lola as one of the city鈥檚 best restaurants. Lola closed in 2020 due to economic issues spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. Symon鈥檚 business partner Doug Petkovic noted that the restaurant鈥檚 sales had fallen to 30% of what they had been before the pandemic. He gave credit to the staff for making Lola鈥檚 success possible over the years. Mabel鈥檚 BBQ which is also located on East 4th Street remains Michael Symon鈥檚 only currently (2021) operating restaurant in Cleveland.
John Elrod