I should known better than to not trust yelp reviews on restaurants! Read reviews on this restaurant but despite a lot of the negative ones I decided to give it a try anyways. Awful experience with service. Bare minimal service received. Our waitress was not attentive. Barely checked in on us. We had to call on 2 other servers to get us things we needed. She was non existent. The table next to us also seemed very frustrated with the service and over heard them complaining as well. The food was not the most horrible thing I've had however nothing worth trying again. Had their steak special. Ordered medium and it was well done and very dry. Mashed potatoes were good. Vegetable over done as well. My husband had the brisket with Brussel sprouts. Brussel sprouts were burnt. At their price point I would expect good quality food. I don't see this restaurant surviving. Don't waste your time especially when Cleveland has so many other great restaurant options. read more

I've only myself to blame for not paying more attention to other Yelpers' reviews. I'll start with the end and say that the waitress went above and beyond when she arranged to have my steak comped and then followed up with a free dessert. So that's the good news. I ordered the ahi tuna appetizer, a glass of wine, and the steak au poivre. The tuna was served with pickled pumpkins which was odd and did nothing for me in terms of complimenting the fish. Almost like having a helping of butternut squash--why? Accompanying the tuna were toasted garlic crostini and I believe the tuna had a dash of white truffle oil on it. The latter coupled with the crostini was a bit overwhelming for the delicate fish. So points for originality, but that doesn't mean it always works. Apparently they haven't changed meat suppliers from when earlier reviewers were there. The strip steak was the grisliest piece of meat I've had in a long time and the broccoli was seriously overdone. The mashed potatoes were tasty and quite filling. I'm sad this place was such a disappointment. The prices are fair and its location obviously makes it attractive as the dining room what chock full of pre-theater patrons. I'm hoping that they'll turn it around. It's got to be tough on the staff when they work hard to do their bit but are tasked with serving what the kitchen puts out. read more

I hate writing poor reviews because I've worked in the restaurant industry and I know what a grind it can be... but this was just extremely disappointing. My parents, in-laws, my wife and I went to dinner last night at District before all the parents went to see a play. I had been to District in the past and was not impressed, but the new menu looked promising and my father in law has a terrible back (can't walk far to the theater) so we figured we'd give it a shot. Big mistake. It wasn't just that the food was poorly prepared (my steak was borderline mushy and my wife's tuna was very over cooked), it was also the fact that we were rushed by our waitress. I get it-- District makes its money on the weekend with the theatre crowd so it behooves them to get people in and out in time for the shows. But between food, drinks and tip, the 6 of us dropped over $500. You could spend the same at Morton's, Red or several other upscale restaurants downtown. Trust me... this was not a Morton's experience. I'm sure District will continue to get plenty of business because of their proximity to the theaters-- also their immediate competition in Playhouse Square i.e. Cowell & Hubbard and Cibreo, are nothing to write home about. So District will probably keep going through the motions and be just fine. But that's unfortunate... for that price point, you would expect so, so much more. read more

We have been here twice in the last month and absolutely love it! Service is outstanding. Recommend the "Follow the yellow brick road" cocktail, Asparagus tempura, Crab stuffed Salmon, and Filet. read more

Came here on the suggestion of family of one of the employees. Had an excellent dinner. Our tremendous server suggested the Calamari appetizer and the Filet. My wife got the surf and surf at his suggestion too. Honestly this was some of the best food I have ever eaten. Fresh HOMEMADE bread to start the meal, delicious and immensely flavorful calamari, not chewy in the lease, a filet that could turn any vegetarian, bass and shrimp with the most spectacular sauce, and then some spectacular baked whipped cream flan dessert thing in strawberry soup and a fresh HOMEMADE lava cake with ice cream to complete the meal. Every bite was delicious and so high in quality. Heard another server tell a table that they were not serving the goose because it "didn't meat the chef's standards." If that's true than this restaurant is one of the best in Cleveland. Its staff was professional, friendly, and well trained. Management was table side at least twice to ensure our meal was "perfect" and my god the food. Will be back, again, again, again, again, and again. PS Drinks are a bit too pricey though. read more

I was at District again tonight to celebrate my birthday! I've been here a few times and both the food and the service are always outstanding. Three people at the table had the angle hair stroganoff which looked awesome. I had the sea food and gnocchi dish and loved it. There weren't any shows playing tonight so there were a handful of other tables - which was nice because we could take our time. If you're coming to see a show make sure you make a reservation! And thanks for a great birthday dinner! read more

It was good, basically, it is a place people go before shows. We got there at 7:15 on a cold Saturday night, it was packed. By 7:35, we were literally the only table with people eating. Food was a 7/10, atmosphere was a 6, service was a 6 and price/portion was a 7. I wasn't blown away, expected to be more happy about the entree and the Cleveland onion soup was very salty. Good, but more salt than I wanted. Nice addition to the restaurant scene. I wanted to mention that our server was busy at first when we were seated. The manager came by and filled our waters, got us started on bread and talked to us. He was extremely welcoming, conversationally entertaining and friendly (made up the difference between 3-4 stars). Wine list ranged from $26- around $200, seemed to have something for nearly everyone. read more

The best thing about this restaurant was the server. She was very efficient serving the totally underwhelming food. My salmon was overdone, dry, and tasted slightly "off." Later in the evening I suspected one of the things I had eaten wasnt quite right. It might have been the salmon. Or it might have been the soup, which after one bite I abandoned. Or, maybe the couscous. Which was dry as sand and tasted like it had been stored in a funky refrigerator. The charred asparagus was like sawing through wood. Honestly, if we didnt need to make a show I would have sent everything back and asked them to try again. read more

I feel compelled to post this review after reading the review about running out of bread. We love district. We have been about 4 or 5 times and we LOVE LOVE LOVE the bread. We understand it is fresh and sometimes we ask for seconds! It's a guilty pleasure. I also feel that posting reviews can be helpful for the restaurant and they should be perfect but who is perfect? Let the restaurants fix the mistake while you are at the table. I haven't tried the meatballs but I love the calamari, lamb t- bone and the salmon. Bring the goose confit back! read more

Mediocre food. Waiter with an attitude. Not worth the price. Disappointed. the only thing that was good was the beet salad

First time going and we had a mediocre experience. The hostess was very rude and exclaimed how busy they were (as an excuse for her rudeness). No one waiting and tables were 80% filled. Not my idea of busy. So once again, Restaurant Managers listen up...Stop hiring inexperienced hostesses. Its not McDonalds. They are the first impression. And she was terrible and rude. They forget that I am about to spend over $150 on a single dining experience! Listen to me, accommodate a simple table seating request. Food was bland...missing flavor and , again mediocre. Meh. Perhaps I'll try them again someday. But not on my list of repeats. read more

GREAT food! Easy reservations made on open table, food was really good! The lentil falafel and the beet salad was great! Our waitress was really friendly. Went before a show and they were quick with service and entrees. DEF will go back! read more

Loved the atmosphere, randomly walked in before a play at playhouse square. We were able to sit at the bar with no reservation, When other restaurants were full. The drinks were awesome - all titled after the play we went to see "Wicked". Ordered a strip steak for dinner, was surprised it was smothered in gravy. The menu did not depict that it would be served that way and would have preferred it on the side. We received complementary dessert shots at the end which were delicious. Overall, very pleased and would return. read more

We we're looking forward to dinner at the District prior to attending modern dance at the Ohio Theater. We had a great server! She was nice attentive and considerate. However the kitchen was having a major problem. After sitting 1 hour and 15 minutes we still did not have our dinners. One of our party said something to the manager and the manager was so dismissive that our friend left. By the time we got dinner my sister's Beef Wellington was cold. Two of us ordered the beef brisket and it was so burnt you could not cut it. One woman ordered the Greek salad without cheese and it came with cheese. We had to gobble down what was edible to get to the theater. Neither manager or owner apologized. The server did and was almost in tears. I will give them one more try. In fairness they realized how bad the food was and did not give us a bill. But the server was a gem. read more

This was my second visit to The District prior to a show at Playhouse Square and had a great experience both times. We ordered the crab bites as an appetizer and they were absolutely delicious! Our cocktails were also wonderful. Our waiter, Jeremiah, did a great job taking care of us. I ordered the Linguine Mediterranean with chicken and when our dinners came out, it was missing the chicken. I wasn't mad and knew it was just a mistake, but honestly our waiter was AWESOME and went above and beyond fixing the mistake. The chicken ended up coming out quickly and was delicious. After dinner, we ordered another cocktail and we were surprised with a creme brulee on the house for the mistake. I know some people can be difficult if something goes wrong, but I was a bartender for years so I try to be understanding and felt that Jeremiah went above and beyond making sure we were happy. And we loved the creme brulee! read more

Four of us had dinner there last night. My dish (Brisket) I ordered it without the sauerkraut was one of the best meals I have ordered out in a long time. One lady had carrots which were out of this world. The waitress said they were made with blue cheese. And desert, a cheesecake was excellent. The only reason I didn't give a 5 star rating was the restaurant was busy (it was before a show) and our waitress was pleasant but very rushed. They needed someone to help her. read more

Went there before a show. Service rushed as the calamari came before drinks. Crab cakes were a pile of mush. Service uninspiring. Plenty of other choices around the square. read more

The wait staff was very good. Fast friendly service. The coffee was excellent. They bring the French press to the table and make it fresh for you. The food over all was ok. At $30 per person I would have expected a bit better. I had the pan seared sole and the shrimp bisque. The sole seemed like it may have been microwaved and was over seasoned. The bisque was ok as well. Just nothing extremely great about either dish. The other members in my party had the same experience. read more

We had a party of 6 for dinner and had to make sure to get out for a 7:30PM curtain (like everyone else, I'm sure). I had the aviation cocktail which was yummy. The drinks did take a long while to come out though (including our 2nd round of drinks). Their rolls are good, but you have to ask for more. Cowell and Hubbard just come by with more bread. I ordered the goose confit with red wine cranberry sauce and potato puree. It was good but needed a bit more sauce. The other folks had angel hair stroganoff, lentil falafel and chicken breast entrees. Everyone finished their plates. Our waitress was great...(even when we asked for separate checks). District is a great addition to the theatre district. I would rate it a close second to Cowell and Hubbard. I'll definitely be back. I'm sure they're still adjusting to the timing issues of dinner before a show. I'm sure they'll improve. read more

Stopped in before seeing a play at Hanna theater. Convenient location. Trout was excellent as was the service. Would definitely return.

We went to District on a Saturday night without a reservation so we sat at the bar. The bartender Ryan was very attentive and friendly. The food was excellent. A wide selection of salads and drinks. I ordered the scallops (the appetizer). They were perfectly cooked and well presented. Cheesecake and coffee for dessert both excellent as well. Highly recommended. Nice to see nice restaurants popping up in downtown!! read more

I privately messaged the restaurateur originally but they chose not to respond or address our bad experience so I feel it is time to respond publicly. We will NEVER go back to this restaurant again. We had a bad experience the first time and they were gracious enough to give us a gift card to have us give them another chance. The second chance was just as poor of an experience as the first. Our first drinks were great! We shared an appetizer and a $38.00 steak. It was to be plated separately but never was. They brought us a bread plate to share our meal and I asked for a larger plate suitable to the meal and I got a charger plate. In the wait, the steak got cold. Prior I had asked for more butter to go with my bread and it never came. I asked for a glass of wine with my meal and it didn't come. After a 10 minute wait I got up and walked to outside the kitchen area angry with this awful service (at the bar and the bartender is right in front of us and extremely inattentive). I did use the BS word and I was soon approached by someone from the restaurant calling me out for using a derogatory word. Quickest response we got all evening. In the end, everyone at the bar was served and finished with their meal (after arriving after us) prior to us getting service. I am not looking to be comped for bad service. We are looking for a nice dining experience with attentive service, food prepared and plated as asked for and not having to wait for meal to get cold to get my wine to accompany my meal. Our first experience was very much the same and I would have expected them to work to make a better experience for us. It appears that they just don't care about the dining experience of their customers. We are generous tippers so at the end of the day they are the one's that lose because there are so many great establishments to dine at in Playhouse square which we visit monthly year round. read more

This restaurant was the only place open and we had a great time. The staff, food, dessert and pressed coffee were all outstanding. MUST TRY!!! New fav place while visiting Cleveland. read more

Went here before a show. The location is great, the service was decent, that's where my praise ends. The food is sub par. For what it costs there are SO MANY other restaurants in the area I would go to first. Spent 120 with tip, and I would rate it a C- . read more

Food is good and very reasonably priced. Service is good and accommodating. My only complaints are that the menu never seems to change and they haven't learned to make a decent roll. Nevertheless I will continue to return, although new restaurants are opening in the area and my complaints, though minimal will justify spreading my business around. read more

In Cleveland last week with the family. Happened upon District new restaurant in town. Wow were we impressed. I almost didn't go in because I was dressed casual. The staff was inviting and engaging nothing but smiles. They had me at the bar. Excellent drink menu, hand crafted cocktails out of this world Moscow Mule crazy good. Starters apple and beet salad. enough for my wife and I to share crisp refreshing. My kids went crazy for the chicken liver pate, beautiful twist on the goose liver. The osso buco is the best deal in town, best I've ever had. My wife loved the lentil falafel. We were on vacation went back for lunch. Cant wait to come back!! read more

The place was very slow as there was no theater business so the service was great. I had the Bocca (Vietnamese catfish) with a spicy tomato chutney. It was outstanding! Just spicy enough to be interesting. The fish was perfectly prepared, light and flavorful. Not "fishy at all. Definitely recommend. read more

Our table of eight showed up for our reservation and we were told we could not order off the regular menu because the kitchen would get backed up and our food would not come out together. If it had been me I would have walked out after that. I mean really? A restaurant can't handle an eight top? So we had to order off a smaller menu that offered one soup (which changed twice before any of us even got to order), two salads, and a beef, chicken, or fish entree, and two desserts. So basically we were paying for a wedding banquet dinner. The rolls were cold and tasted stale, the salad had too many apples, not enough beets and was way too cold. My husband's soup was delicious which is the only reason they got two stars. And then guess what?? Our meals didn't come out at the same time!! I could not believe it. The food itself was bland and under seasoned. The plating was awful-so uninspired and did nothing to make the dinners look appetizing. Everything you would hope a restaurant would be this place wasn't. It was about as memorable as the last meal you had at Brennan's party center. Boring server, boring decor, boring food. Skip this place. There are so many wonderful restaurants in and around Cleveland that you will remember and want to go back to. This is not one. read more

Appetizers and desert were good, service was great; but 3 out of 5 entrees were bad. The lamb was tough and almost inedible, the teriyaki chicken was so over seasoned as to be inedible, and the risotto was poorly prepared and over seasoned. read more

Absolutely sublime! One of the best hidden gems for a bite in Playhouse Square. The atmosphere is wonderful, the food is delicious and best of all it is very reasonably priced. I had the wienerschnitzel with mashed potatoes and chimichurri sauce and it was spectacular. I also had the Belgian chocolate ganache and that was excellent as well. The staff is friendly and very helpful, the decor is elegant but not stuffy. Will definitely place this in my lunch rotation! read more

You know when you go to your friend's parent's house and the food is good but you wouldn't spend $100 for it? That's feeling we had here. Nothing was bad, just seemed bland. Our appetizer, the goat cheese and scallops: Three fried scallops, two pieces of deep fried cheese. Just not a wow factor. Tried the goose confit at the recommendation of the staff, who was professional and took good care of us (although there were like only three tables at the time). It was well cooked, I'm told it is smoked slowly. The cranberry sauce didn't really taste of much and potato puree wasn't pureed. They were unseasoned mashed potatoes. My wife had the grouper special. If you call baking a piece of fish with lemon and butter special. With all of the options within walking distance of District, we both agreed, it was worth a shot but for the money, we'd prefer something else. read more

I went to District on a Wednesday night after work. Appetizer was bread pudding salad (delicious) and a little caprese salad (again delicious). I tried two dishes, mushroom risotto and scallops with rice pilaf. These two dishes were rich, almost too rich. The scallops and rice pilaf were bathing in a butter-ish sauce, very rich. I wish it was toned down. Then dessert, my favorite! A spoonful of a strawberry mousse and grilled peaches with panna cotta. Delicious!! BUT because the two main dishes were so rich, it made eating the dessert (almost) too much. Almost. All in all, delicious, very flavorful. The service was great! I would recommend District if someone was going to be in the area. But I would probably not go back, I rather try a new restaurant out. read more

Great restaurant for pre and post theater. My husband had this amazing seafood pumpkin curry and I had the veal with seafood over green pea risotto. We also had the clam chips appetizer and onion soup. Then we went to the theater, and walked back across the street for desert, which included watching the Indians beat the Blue Jays. The valet had our car ready for us, and we rolled home. Great nite in the CLE. read more

Our waitress was very patient with my group, and very compliant. As a vegan I am required to ask about vegan options. I inquired about their apple crumble and she said she'd check, and if not, they'd whip something up for me. Very sophisticated and casual at the same time. Their bread was warm and in balls, not slices. My food is yet to be served, tbc... read more

Really a 2.5 but I'll round up here. Went in at 8:00 on a Saturday night and it was DEAD - maybe 4-5 other customers. The restaurant is very modestly decorated. Actually, pretty boring for a 'hot spot' in the middle of Playhouse Square. We had a reservation, but obviously didn't need it, so we just sat at the bar. The food was above average - had the salmon and sea bass entrees. Both were well prepared and served quickly. Also, had the asparagus app and it was darn good. The bartender was busy doing other things so our service was pretty average. That, and her (apparent) boyfriend was at the bar with cough drops sprawled out all over the bar in front of him. She was pretty responsive to him, so yet again our service suffered. All in all a decent experience but nothing I'd rush back to. read more

Went there for dinner before a show at Playhouse Square. First there's Jared, a completely delightful, engaging, professional waiter. His service alone earned a great review! Second, there's the warm, fresh rolls...chewy and tasty! Third are the cocktails...well prepared lavender martini was delicious! Fourth is the food. Each dish was imaginatively plated and cooked to perfection. The lamb shank was melt-in-your-mouth tender with a tasty sauce and the goose confit was amazing! We did not have room for dessert as the portions are generous. Last but not least is the location. ..on East 14th at Playhouse Square so convenient for before or after a show. Try it and ask for Jared! read more

This might be my favorite restaurant, well if I had not had any food for two months and my choice was eat here or death. So I ordered the short rib which was mercifully flavorless mostly but when it did have flavor it was cloyingly sweet from their "wine sauce" which overpowered the under seasoned ribs and lukewarm pile of flavorless, lifeless starch they described as "creamy grits". In addition my father ordered the pasta dish with chicken. The pasta was from an outside vender so it was automatically better than the horror show of food provided by the hapless kitchen, the chicken however seemed to be from the prestigious vender Tyson's. Despite the outside help the kitchen managed to serve this at a temperature conducive for rigor mortis. Lastly my mom has celiac disorder, which is essentially a terrible gluten allergy which can lead to intestinal cancer if exposed to gluten asked the waiter if the fried carrots on the sticky sweet meat pile were fried in gluten free oil. The waiter, more on him later, said curtly "if it says gluten free it is" well my mom almost instantaneously got a headache and an upset stomach, you know something that happens to people with celiac when they are exposed to gluten. Now the waiter, he started off with a joke saying we were the first table he has ever served which is in line with saying "a shred of truth in every joke". None of the food came out at the same time my wife started her foray into mediocrity 20 minutes before any of the rest of the party could join in the Bataan Death March of culinary experiences. Overall restaurants like this irk me, terrible food and service and mediocre food. Essentially they pretend to be fine dining and sucker people in until they run out of suckers. read more

My mom and I stopped in here before a show when both Cowell & Hubbard and Cibreo were full. The atmosphere is nice, we took two seats at the bar. Our bartender was lovely, very attentive and friendly. We did not have much time before the show, so we ordered one of their 'slow cooked' beef entrees. I think this is a genius idea since they likely get a lot of people that are short on time. It came right out and was tasty. We also ordered two salads, the lentil and chickpea salad was bland and way under seasoned, almost as if they forgot to add any salt/pepper/vinegar to the dressing. I still ate it though, the lettuce was crisp and it was a good portion size. The beet salad was very good. We were able to get in a full meal in a hurry and were on to our show in no time. I also thought the bread service with trio of spreads was nice. read more

On News Year Eve, myself and seven friends came in for a nice meal before ringing in the New Year. I must say, I was a bit skeptical after reading previous reviews. District did not disappoint! It was a 4 course meal & everything was excellent. Our server was professional and attentive, which can make or a break the meal. I enjoyed the calamari which was unusual to any other calamari I have had. The Filet came out with crumbled goat cheese that soon melted onto the steak, delicious touch. I will be back to try their regular menu very soon! read more

If there was less than 1-star, I would give this place 0-star. The service was horrible and the food was terrible. The seafood we ordered was not fresh at all and the service did not make up for it. read more