Bar Oni Izakaya: Cleveland Izakaya Restaurant Guide

Cozy, hole-in-the-wall atmosphere, going for a traditional Japanese vibe crossed with a sports bar with some hanging lanterns and mounted TVs. The service was great, and the waiter/bartender was very kind and attentive! My friend and I got the Omakase for two (12 pc Veggie and Meat Skewers), and it happened to be steamed bun night, so we tried that, too. I also got the Plum Press cocktail. The drink was great, and honestly I barely tasted the sake in it. The steamed buns were decent, but I wasn't a huge fan - the sausages were probably the best part. For the skewers - my favorites were probably the mushrooms, the pineapple, and the potatoes for the non-meat ones. And for the meat ones - the pork and the chicken ones were probably the tastiest. Overall, a good experience, and I'm glad I checked it out. It was, however, a tad pricey.

One of the best restaurants I've ever been to. I still think about the purple sweet potato, a few years later. Great ambiance, cocktails, friendly staff, and fun games to play.

Fantastic birthday celebration with friends. Great food, drinks and vibes. Delicious skewers with special sauces and seasonings, the chicken and shrimp appetizer were delicious. Love the hi balls as well! 😊🥃

Do not recommend. Disappointing. Had the Omakase for 1, pork katsu sandwich and the takoyaki. Takoyaki was good. Nothing special about the katsu. Pork was a bit dry and bread was not toasted. The big let down was the skewer omakase. Two chicken skewers, and a mahi tuna skewers. All were dry and bland. The veggies skewers were a little better. Brussel sprouts drowned in kewpie mayo, pineapple was good, and the tomato was just odd. Suggested tip options were 20,25, and 30%. What?! Suggesting a 30% tip is just crazy. Should have stuck with my gut and gone for sushi.

Chef Matthew Spinner has a real gem here. Just a super relaxed, genuine place serving fantastic Japanese food and whisky. Real good vibes here. I implore you to try it out. Ordered the okonomiyaki special, mixed skewer set + pork and cheese korokke. Everything was 👌👏. Soft boiled eggs were low-key maybe the best single bite of the bunch.