Cleveland
You're flying out of Cleveland Airport, you have 90 minutes to kill, and you'd like to do better than a Pret. Good news: airport drinking has improved more in the last five years than the previous fifty. Pre-flight drinks at Cleveland Airport range from chain reliability to surprisingly polished hotel-style bars in the airport hotels. This is barsforKings's editor-curated guide to drinking better at Cleveland's airports.
Detroit-Shoreway · $$$
Cleveland's most awarded cocktail bar.
Tremont · $$$
Tremont cocktail bar with a long bourbon-and-rye list.
Downtown · $$$
Speakeasy below Society Hall.
Ohio City · $$
Restaurant-bar with one of Cleveland's tightest natural-wine lists and a craft-cocktail menu.
Want a real drink before flying? The fastest play is to get to airport hotels next door — most run polished bars that beat anything post-security. We list them at the bottom. If you've got 60 spare minutes pre-airport, see our shortlist of bars in Cleveland proper at the end.
Plays for Cleveland Airport: post-security, pre-security, lounges, and the airport-hotel cheat code.
Pre-flight drinks, hotel-bar reviews, and the openings we're watching across 176 cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Cleveland? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.