I didn't have any alcohol but I did order cherry coke and a grilled cheese with fries. They didn't put in any bacon or tomato as I requested. The fries were fried in old oil. I could tell by the taste. The plain grilled cheese was tasty but again, it was missing bacon and tomato as I would have asked.
(2)
Kat Y.
I pretty much exclusively come here for cheap wings on Mondays and Tuesdays. That being said, as time goes by, everything goes up in price. :( They're now 50c/wing (in packs of 5) for bone-in, and 45c for boneless after 3pm Mon and Tues. Although, guys, I really don't understand "boneless wings"...aren't they just chicken tenders? Anyway, the last time I came here was over a year ago, and since then, they've added more flavors. There's now a flavor spicier than magma (it's called fire in the hole), and there are dry rubs available now. My favorite flavor is goldfinger. Try it, you won't regret it. :D Happy hour specials are also available from 3-7pm, including $1 off all 22oz drafts and other deals.
(4)
Ryan G.
Just got done eatting here and tried a good sample of stuff. First and foremost the beer selection is insane!!! The detail in the list as well is very nice so you know what it is where it is from and the alcohol content. As for the appetizers we tried the southwestern egg rolls and the loaded skins. The Potato skins were pretty run of the mill, but the southwestern egg rolls were AMAZING! So much flavor and the spicy ranch it came with just puts it over the top. We got 2 types of wings one with their 6 pepper dry rub and the other with the garlic parmesan dry rub. Both of them were some of the best wings I have every had. The skin was so crunchy and full of flavor I could of ate them all day. Of coarse you can get sauces or Bleu cheese to go with them but you honestly don't need it. Also tried the gyro, it had alot of meat but all and all didn't have great flavor. The rueben was really good with alot of meat and just enough sauerkraut. This is a place I will be visiting again without a doubt.
(4)
Jill H.
We visited this winking lizard to have drinks and dinner before going to a late show at the grog shop. Drinks- We split a reasonably priced pitcher of seasonal pumpkin beer ($15.75) followed by waitress recommend local ipa and blueberry beers. Food - I had a classic American cheeseburger with steak fries. It was cooked to order and had great flavor. My husband was in love with the Cajun style burger (Bo mans bacon cheeseburger) with added jalapeños and the shells and cheese side. Their table bbq sauce was pretty tasty too. Service - All in all, we must have visited on one of their "on" nights because everything about our experience that night was great. Our waitress kept our waters filled, beers fresh, ensured our food was good, and took the time to chat with us. Would love for this place to be local to us in Michigan.
(4)
Joshua S.
$.50 wings on Mon/Tues after 3 pm, just in time for the Colombia World Cup massacre of Japan. No bueno. Great service, and awesome mixed sodas like Grape Sprite and Vanilla Barqs. Garlic wings were delicious.
(4)
S Z.
Wings specials on Mon and Tues make this place worth a visit. Besides their wings, I haven't found any other good items from their menu. Love the soda options. The servers can be rude sometimes.
(3)
Candace M.
I went to college around the area and now that I'm living here again, I questioned why I had never frequented the Winking Lizard before. I've since experienced what I would best describe as "hit or miss" dining at the Winking Lizard. One time, I'll have really great food, but less than stellar service. The next time, the service will be great, but the food is just so-so. This last time, it was the latter. Our server was very nice and attentive, checking on us frequently and making sure we were happy with everything. My hamburger, though, was extremely dry. My boyfriend commented afterwards, "yeah, either you weren't hungry, or you really didn't like that." The beer selection is great, and I like that there are so many choices on draft. But I don't like that the servers can be pretentious about them. When I went in October, I asked what pumpkin beer was better. The server's response was less than nice. I wasn't aware that pumpkin beer was an elitist drink reserved for only the highest in society! In short, I'm not a big fan, and until things are a little more consistent, I don't think I will be.
(3)
Greg N.
I really really enjoy dining at Winking Lizard. I have been to this location many times, and the Mentor location more than I can count. Originally what interested me was that they have such a great beer selection. I love to try new brews so I became a regular quite quickly. Then I did the world tour of beers. I was probably here 2 times per week. The food is pretty good here too! I really like their boneless wings (thai, spicy bbq, and a few other flavors) and their burgers are really good! The wraps and fries are yummy, and the pizzas taste just fine! They also have specials. I really enjoyed the buffalito (i am not sure if that is how you spell it though) and the lamb burger. Prices are good. Beer selection is great. Food is delicious. I guess I really just like winking lizard because its all around good and almost anyone can find something they like here. There is one draw back and that is the family atmosphere. Although, I do believe they limit it to 21+ only at a certain time. I understand its not just a bar, but a restaurant with a lot of beers. .. but I dont like seeing children anywhere when I just want to sit and relax with friends/beer.
(4)
Yuanjia Z.
This place is THE place to go when you are craving for some yummy wings!!! Go on Monday and Tuesday if you can - wings are on sale. It is a loud place so be prepared to kinda yell at each other to carry a conversation, but it is a bar place where people just chill and watch sports usually.
(3)
Jeff B.
Damn great wings! How do you go wrong here on any level? These are some of the best wings I've had. I left Cleveland and moved out West 20 years ago. Every time I'm back visiting family this is a must do along with Tommy's, Geraci's anything Little Italy ie. Presti's, Mama Santa. They have so many beers on tap good thing I say walking distance. Great mojo, great people, great food and drink there is no way to go wrong. Be sure to sample a few different sauces with your wings! Trust me there are no better wings anywhere!
(5)
Andy C.
My buddy from France and I went there tonight, and as always they had a checkpoint at the door like it's some sort of exclusive high-security joint and not the average sports bar that it is. He showed them his ID from France and the bouncer (for real, at a sports bar) said he wouldn't accept it. My friend and I have been going to bars around Cleveland all summer long and he's never had a problem using a French ID, so clearly this is the Wink's problem and not ours. The bouncer dude said he didn't have any way to know whether it was real or not because French IDs weren't in their book -- that's your problem, not ours. I guess there are several ID-checking books out there and the Wink cut corners by buying the cheapest one and hoping that no foreigners ever tried to patronize it. He also said my friend should go home and get his passport, like we're going to take our passports to go watch the Cavs. We were not allowed in. Not even to just get food or watch the game. Get real, we're going to have a beer and watch ESPN, not take out a bank loan or enter a foreign country. There's no need to be such a dick when it's your fault you can't verify an ID. Like Cami said in her review, it's easy enough to just put a mark on someone's hand or tell the waitress not to serve him alcohol. We proposed these and other middle-ground solutions (including simply Googling the standard guide for checking a French ID since that's what they were missing) and they just refused to listen or even have a conversation about it. Needless to say, we won't be going back. I used to go every few weeks but tonight they lost my friends and I as customers. For what it's worth, we just went up the road to another bar to watch the game and didn't have any trouble at all with the French ID. The Wink just thinks it's special. How about they learn what acceptable customer service is, and try to treat their regular customers with some common decency instead of just putting a hand in my face.
(1)
Ruchu T.
Pretty good spot to catch up on your sports teams but I'm not a sports guy myself. I come here for food and to catch up with friends. There are specials Sun-Thurs like wings, pizza, ribs, and burgers. I especially enjoy coming here on wing nights (Mon/Tues) and burger night (Thursday). Their wings are quite large and nicely done. You can choose from over 10 variety of flavors. My favorite is the goldfinger, which has a great combination of tanginess and sweetness. The burgers are also quite good. I like their wild western burger for it's simplicity and heartiness. It's just basically a big BBQ burger with bacon. There's a huge menu of beer at your disposal and you can also do their world beer tour. The beer tour rewards you with prizes along the way and a party invitation to their end of the year party if you completed the tour (100+ different beers over the course of the year). I have yet to take on this challenge but my friends have done it and had fun doing so. A few years ago, the party was held at the Browns stadium. Anyhow, the food here is typical for a bar restaurant. What's neat here is that it's convenient for people in the CWRU/Cleveland Heights area to meet. There's plenty of seating but it does tend to get busy and loud during home games.
(3)
Christopher S.
I love Winking Lizard-- great beers, good food. Wednesday rib night can't be beat.
(4)
Stephen H.
Wraps and burgers are great. Prices are a tad steep. Happy hour is always a big plus. Best place in town to watch a game or two. Huge beer selection. Service is consistently hit or miss. 20 minute wait for cold soup:fail.
(3)
Richard M.
Our hotel staff recommended the Lizard as a great place to go before the Cav's game. They had $4.25 32oz draft beers and Monday & Tuesday's are $.50 wing night. We ordered 10 spicy BBQ and 10 garlic parm wings and a small pizza. We only waited about 15 minutes for all of our food to come out. Very impressed with the wings, they packed a double punch in the heat and flavor department and were filling. I would recommend and go back next time I visit Cleveland.
(5)
Cody F.
The only thing I've ever had here is the wings but those are good enough that I don't mind leaving my thoughts. Soooo, Tuesdays are 50-cent wing nights. That's an amazing deal! You can get the wings in sets of 5 and get a different flavor for each set. Once I try the Wednesday ribs I'll update my review. I'm pretty excited about that. Anyway, the atmosphere is pretty cool; they have many TVs so if you want to watch a game or something it's perfect for a group. Update: ok, so the ribs aren't that great. They are pretty good and for the price I'd probably get them again but if you're picky about your ribs these might upset you. They are a little dry and their sauce isn't anything special but I am easy to please when it comes to food usually so I loved them.
(5)
Mark M.
Went there a lot when my son was small. Kid friendly with the lizard. Lots of kids and noise. Always see friends but the food marginal. 4 stars for atmosphere
(4)
Jennifer H.
Oh, Winking Lizard. How do I best remember thee? I have been here more times than I can count, for all kinds of experiences. And much like an old friend, man do I have some dirt on you!!! If you ever get married, I'm going to have to bite my tongue around your spouse. What were you thinking? You attempted to complete the entire Beers Around the World Tour, in one night. You began to rally the bar to assist you in drinking the necessary 100 beers. We finally had to get you home when you started shouting "Forza Azzuri" at a bunch of Italian frat guys, while throwing popcorn in their beers. In all honesty, I have much love for this place. They have a phenomenal selection of beers, a different drink special every day, free popcorn, pizza specials on weeknights, and a decent selection of various food items. The food is nothing special, but adequate. Personal pizza with pineapple and green peppers, or the veggie wrap were my go-tos. They will accommodate groups of 10+ and have multiple rooms to hang out in. The Winking Lizard does mixed beers in unusual combos like the "black and blue," which is one of my personal favs (Labatt and Guinness). There are tvs to watch the game, and the bathrooms are kept decently clean. They even have an iguana to greet you as you enter the bar! Someone take a picture of that guy, please! With so many seedy college dive bars on Coventry, this place fills the niche of a moderately priced place for grad students who don't need .50 well shots, but don't want to pay grown-up prices, just yet.
(4)
J B.
I needed a place to go grab a bite after a visit to Cleveland Clinic. My shuttle driver suggested Winking Lizard. I Thanked him profusely when he returned to pick us up. No drinkers in my crowd but the beer selection was phenomenal. Started with mac n cheese wedges and ended with some great sandwiches. Something for everyone 8 to 80. Service was just as great!!
(4)
Yuna D.
So my boyfriend would always talk about this tavern that he goes to, so when I came to visit him, we went here for a late night dinner. They have a large sitting area; it's not just a stand-alone bar, thank god. Awesome funky decor with weird posters on the wall (A lot of them were wrapped in christmas wrapping for the holidays, shame.) There was also an iguana just chilling in a glass cage. I see what they did thereeeee :) The girl who helped us out was really attentive because it wasn't that busy that night. They were out of a lot of holidays beers because it was nearing the end of December and they weren't restocking as much. I had a long island iced tea, and it was actually probably the best i've ever had. And I've had a lot of them. For food, we got the wings with thai sauce. I thought they'd be spicer than they were, considering how high up it was on the hot meter, but it's actually not that spicy. The wings are super crispy, and I think I ate more of them than my boyfriend did. Whoops. We also had the pot roast sandwich. Ahmazing, with ahmazing friesssss. I was in total omnomnom mood. Lots of food for not that expensive pricing. Whee :) The mister and I watched some football while we were here. There are a lot of screens in the sitting area, which was nice as well.
(5)
AJ R.
The reviews on the wings are spot on. Try the Thai/Chili and Goldfinger sauces...damn fine!
(4)
Rob P.
I've concluded that this is the best Winking Lizard restaurant in the whole chain. There are two specific reasons why: 1) The $5.50 32oz Dortmunder on Mondays and Tuesdays. As far as I know, this is the ONLY Lizard location that offers this special. Most others offer Bud Light or some other disgusting swill for the 32oz special. This is the equivalent of two pints. And it's not just during Happy Hour, it's all night long. Pair this with the fact that Monday and Tuesday are also 40-cent wing nights, and you have one of the most epic nightly specials ever. 2) It actually feels like a neighborhood pub. This location is in what used to be three storefronts on Coventry Road. So many other Winking Lizards are way out in suburbia, and just have that total suburbia-feel to them. This is one of the few that actual feels like it belongs in a neighborhood. I've been to a lot of different Lizard locations. They're mostly the same. But the small differences really do matter.
(5)
Chocolate L.
This is one of my favorite spots to go for some amazing beer and amazing food!! Nothing is better than wings and beer!! The staff are very friendly and always welcoming. I love the food here...from their spicy bbq wings to bo mans burger to their preffered fries!! you have to get the preffered fries!!! I love this place!! WIsh i could eat here everyday lol
(5)
Lisa C.
Fall menu is here! Craving chicken wings all week, so me and the BF came here for late lunch. Multiple rooms for seating. Self serve free popcorn. Service was fast. Actually quite busy for a late afternoon. We tried the chili tater tots, which can only be described as a large baked potato with a crunch. The jalapeño peppers added a nice spicy kick! Could have used more chili. We asked for the sour cream on the side. We also tried the carribean and gold finger chicken wings. 2 five packs. Definitely worth the extra dollar for 2 flavors. The carribean was alittle dry, but the complimentary ranch or bleu cheese dip solved that problem. Overall a full meal for a cheap price.
(3)
Brittany L.
Great selection of beers, quite nice selection of bourbons too, especially for a location this far north. AND THERE'S AN IGUANA!!! I really, really like iguanas. They're just lovely animals. The bartender was friendly but not fake and all the other patrons seemed to be enjoying themselves, without going overboard. Plenty of TVs but not overwhelmingly loud. Great place to wile away a couple hours swapping horror stories about dating in your 30s. Yeesh. Glad I wasn't on a date and could actually enjoy my Holy Moses beer. :) Oh yeah, there are hooks under the bar. Yay! Under-bar hooks and bed-side outlets...they mean a lot to me.
(4)
Justin W.
In Cleveland for work and heard great things about this place! Lots of different Types of beer, and their wings were incredible! I also had the Macaroni bites, which were pretty stinkin' tasty! It was a great place with good food and good service. I highly recommend this place if you are in the area. There are tons of locations nearby also.
(5)
Chas M.
My least favorite of the Lizards. The staff is always rude and the place is way too cramped. On my most recent visit we waited 20 minutes for our first beer. When I still have 35 more beers on the tour left before the end of the year I need to get crackin. The server seemed to care less when I had to ask her for my beers.. After that I ordered 2 at a time..lol. Dont try that at home kids! Anyways, if your at Coventry and want food thats not a sports bar or an uptight hippie joint...try this one. Ya wont see me reviewing too many East Side places so here ya go suckas! The east side gives my instant diarreah..
(2)
Amanda L.
This place used to awesome until it turned from a cool bar to a "family" place. Even their menu shifted. It's all about churning the bucks here-no sweet, fun bar anymore. Now it's like TGIFriday's. Nothing like seeing tables full of misbehaving kids in a bar that's blasting NSFW Muzak while bar patrons yell obscenities at their favorite sports games. Suggestions: NO KIDS (that's under 18), period, after 5pm. With Mommy and Daddy or not. I go to a bar to get away from kids, not to chill with them. And Lizard, get the retro menu back.
(2)
Victor B.
went there a couple times. Wings r Da good. Make sure u try the sesame sauce it's mild and savory, adding a lot of flavor to your wings.
(4)
Cami T.
Oh yes. I am giving the Winking Lizard a One Star review. Now, the food is average at best, overpriced and though they have an ample beer menu, they don't exactly have good beer specials in comparison with other Cleveland restaurants. Oh, but one star? Poor customer service and labeling. At the Winking Lizard on Coventry, they demand an ID to prove patrons are over 21 at 5pm. I understand how they are trying to eliminate underage drinking but here's my story.... I arrange for a work happy hour - expecting at least a dozen people. One of these people is not a drinker and so left his ID at the hotel, not realizing that at the early time of 5pm he'd need it. Were we let in? No. No exceptions were made. He didn't need to drink and to be honest, he's in his late 20's anyway, so I feel like an exception could have been made by a good manager (I even offered to google/facebook him). Instead, she told us to leave and made no attempts or apologies. We moved to Paninis but I had to sit outside the Winking Lizard for 45 minutes to wait for stragglers to let them know of the change of location. What should have been done: An exception should have been made. This person could have been marked and the bartender could have been told. We were absolutely not expecting him to be served and we could have made accommodations if he couldn't even sit at our table. In addition, there should have been labeling outside of the bar as well as online. Instead, I was hugely inconvenienced and I'll never eat at the Winking Lizard again. I'm serious.
(1)
Andrea Z.
In general I'd give the Lizard 4 stars. But this location, I'm being generous with a 3. Really good wings, of course, with lots of tasty sauces. That's about it. Everything else I've had has been decent but not outstanding and a bit on the overpriced side. The Lizard has a huge menu so there's pretty much something for everyone. A good place to go if you have a big group with varied tastes. This location gets 2.5 - 3 stars because they have this completely asinine rule where they card you just to walk into the place anytime after 5pm. Now, I get it, they are trying to keep the riff-raff from the Grog Shop out of their establishment. But come on. I'm in my sweatpants, clearly am over 21 and just want some dinner. Since I just woke up from my nap, and Sean drove me here, I don't have my ID. I'm not about to start anything, just let me in and serve me some wings. A completely stupid rule, IMO. Here's an idea, if someone is causing problems - kick them out! And card them for drinks! But leave the rest of us alone. If you are more responsible than me and always have your ID, you'll be fine. Otherwise, go down to Panini's.
(3)
Lizi C.
Slightly above average standard bar food. Maui Maui Chicken sandwich and beer came to $12.50 plus tip which is the upper limits of what I consider acceptable for this type of venue. Fries were quite good: thick, crispy and soft in the middle. Sandwich was okay, but then again it would have been hard to screw up a grilled chicken sandwich with a slice of canned pinapple on top. Service was SLOW. I'll cut a little slack since it was a big party and they were kind enough to split the checks. The waitress was polite. I wouldn't mind coming back here to watch a game and drink beer (they do have a good selection of beers), but I will probably avoid eating my meals here with so many better options in the area.
(3)
Amanda H.
Will not be my last visit! This place had great food, an awesome drink selection, and an iguana-what else could you want? The service is spot on, everyone is attentive and friendly. The food comes out in a timely fashion and is priced just right! They have monthly and daily specials. I will be a repeat consumer for sure :)
(5)
Moshe E.
My friends and I come here every month to get the Glass of the Month. Good atmosphere, good beer, and the bartenders are usually great. Only reason I'm not giving a 5 star is the last time we went the bartender only gave us the glass and not the beer because it was too close to closing time. But there were still people there...
(4)
Bryan M.
Recently, the Winking Lizard in Coventry had its menu changed. I am really sad to see the Dessert of the Month go, because it was always delicious. I was told it was removed because they couldn't keep the ingredients in stock before most of them went bad. Shame. Another think I really am disappointed in is the layout of the menu has changed. The Menu used to show the drafts and a description for each one. They used to be prominently displayed, but not they are in a corner with no description! How am I suppose to pick one if I don't know what it is going to taste like! It has made it much harder to make a decision now. I'm docking a star for that.
(4)
Lauren A.
Winking Lizard in Coventry has consistently terrible service. I love the beer selection, the wing specials, the popcorn, and of course Jalapeno the iguana. I even completed the beer tour there, dropping a substantial chunk of cash there once a week. I'm a waitress of the past - I will always tip 20% and understand a crowd (usually the case at the Lizard.) HOWEVER, despite my loyalty and stupid jacket, I refuse to walk through those doors again and will whine to anyone who says "Coventry" about it. The servers and management need better training or at least to be mildly friendly. You need to ask for silverware EVERY TIME, ask if you can order, ask if you can have a refill, ask if you can ever, ever, EVER get your check. When you get boneless wings instead of regular, there is no chance the server will be able to correct his/her mistake. I guess this is a crescendo effect - I let this build up over a year of wonderful, overpriced beers. Beaver is the best server in town. She should start training everyone there.
(1)
Karen G.
We are in Cleveland visiting. My friend took my daughter (age 11) and I here for dinner. First, our server never refilled or even offer to refill our ice water. We didn't order beer. The food was good. We ordered wings. There is a large selection of flavors for wings. Our dinner was very good. It's a bar setting so it was very loud. My daughter liked looking at the live lizard. We enjoyed our meal but its not a place I would return as there are other places to try. Summary: It's just OK.
(3)
Joyce H.
So many memories here at the Wink! Here are some things that I like about this place: - They show Michigan games, and you can always count on seeing at least one other fan here on football Saturdays wearing maize and blue - They have $0.40 wing nights on Mondays AND Tuesdays! Bf and I tried eating a total of 35 b/c we thought they would be small... wrong. We couldn't do it. - They have a really great selection of draught beverages and beer from all over the world. This was the first place I tried Lambic. - It's always a lively place where a lot of young professionals come to hang out after work! - Classic, unpretentious pub. Good service, except when the waitresses wear OSU jerseys.
(3)
Mike N.
If you are looking for a fun place to eat on Coventry to take in a sporting event or grab a beer this is the place for you. Basic menu with seasonal specials that are occasionally quite good. St Patricks day is special. Amazing beer selection. Although this is one of a local chain, it truly captures the flavor of the neighborhood. Expect families with kids, students, and professionals in training. Worth a stop.
(4)
Matthew M.
"Line cooking -- the real business of preparing the food you eat -- is more about consistency, about mindless, unvarying repetition, the same series of tasks performed over and over and over again in exactly the same way. The last thing a chef wants in a line cook is an innovator .... Chefs require blind, near-fanatical loyalty, a strong back and an automaton-like consistency of execution under battlefield conditions." - an excerpt from Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. Being consistent is what separates a good restaurant from a great one. The lack of consistency can also make a good restaurant less than average. Customers loyal to certain restaurants want to be able to go out, have the meal they seek, recreated exactly how they remember it the last time they had it. Any deviation of this, any letdown from preconceived expectations can lead to hurt feelings not to mention a less than stellar opinion of their once preferred place of dining. Needless to say, over the years the food at the Winking Lizard has changed and for the worse. A lack of consistency if you will. The pizza dough recipe has changed, so has the sauce. The buffalo chicken wrap is no longer made with breaded chicken, they now use plain, dried out grilled chicken. The BBQ sauce recipe, perhaps what I used to enjoy most about the Lizard has also been altered. The burgers are no longer the same either. It's apparent they now use different buns and a different ground meat. In general, the food looks sloppily prepared. It's as if the once proud line cooks were replaced overnight with dishwashers and bus boys lacking any sort of previous cooking experience. I've been patronizing the various NE Ohio Lizard locations for practically my entire life, but in the last few years, I've definitely noticed a change in food quality. I'm willing to bet the changes were a cost-cutting maneuver. It's apparent they've taken steps to purchase cheaper ingredients, alter recipes to save money and/or switch to a cheaper food purveyor. I understand the hardships and many overheads it takes to keep a restaurant alive for over 25 years, but for fucks sake, if you need to save money, don't do it at the expense of the food! Gasp! The food (and beer) is the reason why you've grown into a community favorite, Mr. Lizard! The continued regression of quality surely isn't going to help to develop new customers, nor is it going to keep you from losing old loyalists. Why the two stars? The beer. Thankfully, one of the few bright-spots remaining at the Lizard is their stellar selection of bottled and draft varieties.
(2)
Tina W.
I was torn between three and four stars for this one but decided on four since my reasons for three weren't really the establishments fault. This is one of those places that has it all. Awesome beer cooler, decent food, a friendly staff, great location, and unfortunately the random local weirdos that I seem to attract. Last time I was there there was a gem that sat two stools down and was putting on quite a show (think pacing, bar slapping, and hot sauce all over his face....) before being joined by another who filled the one stool safety gap and began mumbling strange questions to my girlfriend and I that we couldn't even understand. Apparently the two were friends. Shocker... The handful of times I've been there I've always encountered something strange like this but like I said, I can't fault the bar for who lives down the street. I'm a lover of beer variety and this place has the best cooler I've seen yet. I'm talking hundreds of labels.
(4)
Anand M.
Back visiting Cleveland after over two years and can't believe I never came here before even though I came to Coventry fairly often. Super beer selection (I had a vanilla flavored porter bottled beer -- think it was number 17 -- that was excellent), good and cheap $5 small cheese pizza special plus extra for toppings, great male server with crazy crazy long hair, great popcorn, lots of tvs, and cute girls (albeit all with boyfriends or lesbians). I think sitting in the bar at the back/inside right is best in case you had a bad experience up front.
(5)
Terri K.
I am turned off by this place because it is so dark and gloomy. There are not many windows in the dining area and the lights are so low. It dampens your mood. The food was just ok. Ordered extra crispy wings and they were not extra crispy. Ribs were average. The one in Independence is much better!
(3)
Melissa C.
The Lizard is my favorite Cleveland Heights area bar, and my husband and I are usually here once a week. I love that there are two separate bars, and we usually choose the back bar (maybe because of its proximity to the popcorn machine). We usually have really good service, and the they have a fantastic beer selection that changes each month. The food is also really good-I recommend the Caribbean wings, chicken BBQ sandwich, and burgers. They have cheap weekday food specials and also rotate a monthly food specials menu that's based off of the current season or holidays. Love the World Tour of Beers, and they are always willing to change a TV to whatever sport we want to watch (including Nashville Predators hockey games)!
(5)
Joao Pedro L.
Nice vibe, their burgers are very good and value-wise this is one of the best places in the Coventry area. Service is always great as well, it's one of my favorite spots for sports-watching while eating a bite.
(4)
Kyle H.
Stopped by here for some booze after dinner at Tommy's and it didn't disappoint. There is quite a good beer selection, especially in bottles. I had a couple local beers which were decent, though not spectacular. I didn't try any food, but it all looked to be standard fried everything pub food, so I doubt I was really missing too much. Other than that it's really just an average bar... worthy of stopping in, but not a place you'd go out of your way for. I did like the multiple TVs above the bar with multiple sporting events on.
(3)
Chris R.
This Winking Lizard is contained in a series of connected rooms along Coventry Road. It is usually fairly busy at night and during sporting events, so plan accordingly. There's free popcorn in the second room to your right as you enter, and follow the main hallway all the way to the end to find the bathrooms on your left. Cell phone reception can be spotty in here, so pay attention if you're trying to meet up with people.
(4)
Deja P.
I went there for the first time the other day because I always seemed to go there at the times they won't allow the crowd younger than 21 in. After I became of age, I went in the middle of the day (sadly before their deal for cheap wings) and the bartender was also waiting all the tables in that room as well. She remained extremely friendly the entire time and our food came quickly and well done. Now that I think of it, when I was underage they even turned me down in the nicest way possible, even after I pleaded with them that I only wanted wings! I'm huge on customer service, so this place gets 5/5 stars.
(5)
Ferdinand H.
I'm between 3 and 4 stars for this venue. We had a party of 12 eat, and the service was brisk, and the food was reasonably tasty -- fairly standard bar fare, however. Extensive beer list, and casual decor and ambiance are expected, as well as the TVs and local colour. Don't expect to be blown away -- but it's solid.
(3)
Ray V.
Thursday 6/27 1:15 pm. Lunch with my wife and daughter. The place was dirty, not just the days dirt. Floor and bathrooms. Our table was sticky. Good thing the lighting was real low, in fact difficult to read some items on the menu, because it was probably filthy everywhere. The service fast and the waitress knowledgable. Food expensive for lunch and the quality average, almost fast food like. The chicken over-cooked and tough. The music was 70's rock and boring. The place needs a through cleaning, I mean now. Food still would be over priced. Will not go there again.
(2)
J. H.
One of the better local chain restaurants, and better than Panini's, IMO. Good food selection - have never been disappointed. Good beers on tap, and the world tour is a must for beer snobs. Friendly service and family-friendly, as well. I've eaten at the downtown, Miles Road and Coventry locations, and they're all consistently good.
(4)
Ken Z.
The best bar in Coventry for chilling with some drink and food with friends. They have a great selection of rotating drafts, and a huge collection of bottled drinks. Their menu has excellent bar food at very reasonable prices. Come on a work night and there'll be some sort of deal on food (pizza, wings, ribs, or burgers), and beer. My friends and I would frequent this location for wings and brews on Tuesday evenings after a hard day in the classroom. Definitely take advantage of their glass-of-the-month deal too. For a buck or two more, you get to have your beer in a neat logo-ed glass that you get to keep afterwards. I've collected about 10 of these, and they're great for parties. Don't expect to work your game here though, as the atmosphere is like that of a casual sports restaurant. They do have bar seating, but it is typically occupied by older people relaxing after a hard day's work. All and all, a great place for hanging out and catching up with friends.
(5)
Alexander B.
I would be happy to never go to the Wink again. but I like being social, and being in school, I get dragged there for wing night, when food is so cheap students can't say no. But this is it. No more greasy, expensive fried food that isn't even any good. Done. Good bye Wink - you never had any of the beers you said you had, anyhow. (it has been pointed out to me by many friends that perhaps I'm too harsh with my one star rating. It's true that there's nothing outright terrible about the Wink. And they do seat large groups, and the food is often 'average'. I've also had generally better experiences at other Wink chains. So don't not go, just on my word. But, for me, sometimes mediocrity really is a one-star.)
(1)
Anisha A.
I was highly impressed by my first trip to the Winking Lizard. I went with a group of work friends and found out that this is an ideal location for us. This place is great because of its really laid back atmosphere, so even though everyone else I was with was just drinking, I felt comfortable enough to order food. (I'm always hungry.) I had the quesadillas, and they were great. I also tried their own special BBQ sauce, and it was amazing. My favorite part is that they actually have a lizard. I also appreciate the large beer selection which includes two cider beers, and the close proximity to all the other bars in coventry. The service wasn't great, but I think our server was just having a bad night. I definitely hope to be back sometime soon.
(5)
Sam R.
The best thing I could say about Winking Lizard (the chain in general) is that its exceptionally average. Nothing really all that special, or all that bad. I mean save for the wing sauce selection, and not the teeny wings themselves, and the mascot, they're just another family bar. Ok MAYBE a better beer selection. The Lizard won't do you wrong, but like others have said, there are better places to go for the same price, and with better food. Pretty much an option to break up monotony and not much else.
(3)
Julie C.
I come here on a weekly basis for Wings Night on Tuesdays. I'll still give the Wink a really wide beer selection and pretty decent food. However, I've been increasingly disappointed by their food and service lately. The service here is extremely slow. It takes about 10 minutes for you to get your drink order in and then another 10 minutes after getting your drinks to order your food. I'll give it to them that the waiters are relatively polite and accommodating, but the wait after the wait is a little ridiculous. In terms of food, their sliders were dry and I couldn't even finish 2 of them. I still like their wings, but they've started charging for ranch, bleu cheese, and even celery. I think it's pretty unreasonable to charge people for typical garnishes and condiments needed for wings. It's almost synonymous with charging people for ketchup with their fries. I still plan on coming back for my wings fix, but not for much else.
(3)
Andrew Z.
Stars: 3 Pros: Extensive beer list. EXTENSIVE (selection is in the hundreds). Now, I dont drink beer, but I have to give credit where credit is due; I hear the beer is quite good. Location is convenient on Coventry. Service is your average pub service. The Western Burger is pretty good. Fries are lousy (they are fat and not very crisp). However, you can substitute fries for a few different things, such as mac and cheese (it actually is served with SHELLs, not macaroni), which is pretty good. For lunch, a meal + tip = $10. not bad at all. They have multiple large screens for sports and such. It is firstly a bar... Looking for a happy hour with wings, beer, social gathering place at night with a bunch of friends, etc? Try the Wink. Cons: Fries. Unfortunately, they are not very good. I mention this because fast food fries (BK, e.g.) is better =O. The burger is also greasier than other burgers I've had in the area. Thats not a legit complaint, I admit, but its just fyi.
(3)
Kaitlin D.
My rating hasn't changed, but I AM a little more excited to go here now that they have Lizard Freckles! FRIED PICKLES! They aren't the best fried pickles I've ever had, but I have trouble turning down a pickle. So, now they have two attractions for me: glass of the month and fried pickles! How could they go wrong? (Though I didn't get this month's glass because it sounds like I won't like the beer...)
(3)
Chris L.
For my Cleveland Heights Cheap Grub list: After 3:00 Monday & Tuesday: $0.40 wings 1/2 price any small pizza (up to four toppings) Wednesday: $7.49 1/2 slab St. Louis ribs with fries and slaw. Thursday: $5.79 Burgers All day Sunday: $6.79 BBQ half chicken with slaw and spud. BEERS: They have specials on 32oz beers all week, but the best beers are usually Monday and Tuesday. As of this writing: MT: Dortmunder Gold WTF: Labatt Blue SS: Miller Lite They also have happy hour from 3-7 where you get $1 off all 22 draft beers, margaritas, and cocktails for two(?). I typically go for wings during the week. It's also a pretty decent place to watch the Buckeyes on Saturday.
(4)
Pat P.
Food is mediocre, but the beer selection is great. Service has always been good when I've been there, and I'd recommend giving it a try if you're a fan of different beers.
(3)
Camilla G.
Good beer selection (as you'd expect from this local chain); mediocre food (it used to be better and one of my go-to sources for a quick burger on the East side -- something's changed, and not for the better); so-so service. It's not the worst you could do, but it's also not as good as it used to be.
(2)
Ryan N.
New in town and stopped by here to get some food and watch a baseball game. Place was hopping but managed to get a seat at the bar. Really good selection of beers on tap with a good number of IPAs which is what I am always looking for. Service was somewhat hard to comeby but when it was there it was friendly. The wings are pretty solid and I like that they display the spiciness rating from most mild to hottest so you know what you are getting into. Had the sesame wings which basically tasted like general tso's chicken...in a good way. Definitely plan on coming back for the beer and wings. Love a sports bar that has its craft beer game on.
(5)
Jim S.
The wings and pizza are some of the best in Cleveland! The service here is impeccable and you cannot beat the beer selection and free popcorn! Every time I am back in Cleveland, I insist on going here!
(5)
Molly D.
Winking Lizard is a great place to enjoy appetizers, a few drinks, and watch a game or whatever's on TV. I have fond memories of watching the Olympics late at night while sharing food with family there. The wings are great, and with the weekly deals they have, you can try a variety of flavors on their list without guilt (many aren't as spicy as they advertise).
(4)
Zach M.
This is my favorite bar in Coventry for food and casual, fun hang outs. They have an excellent beer selection (over 100); between this and La Cave du Vin there are very few beers you can't find in Coventry. Food is great too. The Wink is well known fro their wings(go for Goldfinger flavor) and if it's a special that night, they are only $.40! Pizza and burgers are also tasty, especially when paired with an appropriate beer from their massive selection. Service isn't bad, but can be awful slow in large groups or when things get really busy. If you can, find a seat at the bar and enjoy their ubiquitous televisions from there!
(5)
Leslie A.
I wish i could rate the food separate from the beverages. As far as beer goes, there probably isn't a better place in Cleveland to go. The bottle and tap list are amazingly awesome, and more often than not amazingly delicious. The glass of the month special is pretty nifty, and I must be a 6 year old, because i like being able to go say "hi" to the resident lizard, Lucy. The food, in my opinion, is mediocre. Their bar food is too greasy, their vegetarian burger is obviously a frozen morning star patty, and the fries are too thick and often soggy. I find their white pizza to be solid though. Since I'm a vegetarian, though, i cannot weigh in on most of the menu. I'm never upset when I end up here, but at the same time if I'm looking for a tantalizing meal, this isn't the first place on my list.
(4)
Katie C.
Tasty food, good beer selection, and an awesome happy hour. They had free wi-fi so it is a mice place to get a beer and do some work. Love it!
(5)
HY S.
I'm from Seattle, but been in Cleveland for school for the last 9 years and I must say that the Wink is one of two places I miss when I'm not in town (Cave du vin, is #2). It's my automatic go-to place when I want to stuff my face with greasy food and wash it down with beer. For some reason, these places are a dime a dozen in the Midwest, but haven't caught on in Seattle (not trendy? not ethnic enough?). A. Let's start with their series of 1/2 price specials: 1) Mon & Tue = WING NIGHT! 30 cents for wings (love the Thai and Caribbean). Add a 32 oz Dortmunder and $8 later you're in a very good place. It's also 1/2 price pizza night. 2) Wed = 1/2 price rib night? I'm blanking -- I must have other plans on Wednesdays. 3) Thur = BURGER NIGHT! 1/2 price burgers (there are like 15 to choose from) -- sliders excluded :( Their burgers are pretty average, but there is something inexplicably mesmerizing about the Winking Lizard slider. B. Atmosphere It's more restaurant than bar, but still the kind of place you can camp out and order a few rounds without looking like a lush. I like that I can get a table and have a conversation with the people I came with instead of fighting over bad, loud music or giant tvs for someone's attention. There are lots of tvs, yet they're much less intrusive than at your typical sports bar. An added bonus is I guess this makes the Wink less appealing to the douchebags who frequent many of Coventry's other fine establishments. Sure, the pet lizard is kind of strange and for some reason, the popcorn carts kind of freak me out, but it's all part of the charm. C. Service The waitstaff is super friendly and efficient. You won't be stuck with an empty glass for long before someone comes by to take your order, and your food generally takes less than 15 minutes to come out. Although, how long does frying ever really take? Ultimately, the Winking Lizard is just a restaurant/bar with all-around decent, greasy food and a huge beer selection that's walking distance from my apartment. But their specials rock and encourage patrons to eat and drink more than they had anticipated. Genius!
(5)
Cassandra K.
The only thing keeping me from giving this place a higher rating is that they don't have their sign saying "21 and up" visible... I walked in one night wanting dinner and since I had eaten there before with my mom after being dropped off at college, I didn't know that you have to be 21+ to even eat there. I asked for a table for one, the waitress acted like she didn't understand me, asked if I wanted to see the menu before I sat down, I repeated that I wanted a table, and she sneered at me and asked to see an ID. I asked her if I could just dine there without drinking, and she barked, "no!" and practically shoved me out the door. That was the only time I had ever seen her and usually when I go there with my family, the staff is really nice. But anyways, the wings are great... I just wish I wouldn't be treated like an alien walking in there.
(3)
Miike G.
Boooo....Place was busy and dirty.
(2)
J.J. C.
Yes, the beers and wings are good, but why not splurge and pump some heat into the bathroom.
(2)
Maricar G.
Nice location along coventry which caters to the beer aficionados. Love love love the daily 32 ounce beer specials !!! What a steal ! I usually love their meditaranean salads featured at other winking lizard locations but for some reason they didn't have it here nor the seasonal specials offered at other lizard locations. A little disappointed in this particular location with respect to food. Got an order of Wings which were obviously sitting around and had to ask for a fresh basket of wings (they were hard and rubbery). However along coventry this is a nice place to hit up for a beer. Also free popcorn as always
(3)
A'Lia M.
As far as chain restaurants can take you--This location will feed you. Don't expect much else.
(3)
Cristina D.
We had wings, hot, which were perfectly acceptable for beer food and hit the spot. Two burgers, medium and rare, which were both cooked perfectly and served hot, with hot fresh French fries. A white pizza, served without tomatoes - perfect for our tomato haters - hit the spot, and was big enough to take half of it home when a large was ordered for one. A great deal. The beers were cold, and there was such a large selection. They had a list of beers for beginners and a list of diet choices. The bar had better lighting then the dining area, but we used our phone flashlights to look at the menu. It wasn't very busy around 9 on a Saturday night, either. Will definitely be back on my next trip to Cleveland. Glad that this time we needed somewhere to eat and we were pleasantly surprised to see a Winking Lizard, as we were familiar with the brand. All of the bad reviews tempted to put us off, but we were starving and our past memory meant more than bad reviews - thankfully. Every member of the staff really made us feel welcome, from the kind waitress to someone we stopped to ask about Ohio liquor laws. (The floor manager and GM seemed eager to hear about our experience as well!)
(5)
Cara L.
It hurts me to write this after the delicious soft pretzel they served me--piping hot. Oh.My.God. It was like the junk-food angels came down from the heavens and told me, "You can die happy now." Based on the quality of the other food we ordered, I'm sure said pretzels were just the out-of-the-frozen-box variety, but when served hot, brushed with melted butter and accompanied by my favorite fake-food condiment of all time (nacho cheese), I'm not complaining. But that pretzel was really just a happy blip on the subpar radar of Winking Lizard Coventry. Now--I will cut the staff some slack here. I used to live near Coventry. I know the riff-raff they deal with on a daily basis. Lots of underage college kids trying to sneak in for drinks, drunk twenty-somethings testing their patience. I get it. But really, if you can't slap a smile on for your shift, especially when dealing with ADULT, dine-in customers? I've worked plenty of service jobs in my time. I've had to deal with the worst drunks (Browns game Sundays downtown... UGH x100) and I still wouldn't take out my shitty attitude on other customers. Here... try this. Instead of having a bouncer-like greeter at your door like you're a nightclub, how about you just stick with a smiling, pleasant hostess? And not to keep the complain train going... but no one likes to eat in a refrigerator just because the staff is warm. I hate to say this, but the customers' comfort should be top priority. The room we were brought to was down-right frigid. The A/C was on in October. it was under 50 degrees outside. Problem numero uno. The server was asked to turn the A/C, which she did, especially after she noticed the entire room still had their winter coats on. Shortly afterwards another server told her to turn it back on because she was hot--AFTER hearing the request from a customer. Oy. Lastly, like I mentioned before, the rest of our food was just not good. The wings looked soggy and under-cooked, yet dry--if that makes sense? It was like they were sitting for a while and getting cold before they brought them out. My grilled cheese was hardly warm, complete with congealed cheese inside--no melty goodness for you! And the loaded fries were just meh, but I think that's just my personal opinion. I don't like steak fries. LIke many of the other Yelpers have mentioned, some consistency across all Winking Lizard locations would be nice. Oh, and staff that can at least pretend like they want to be there.
(2)
Scott L.
Winking Lizard Coventry = Good Times. Period. Started hanging here in 1999 but had to stop when I moved outta Cleveland Heights in 2003. I've been to a many Winking Lizards, and I'll say this has to be the best. The building is awesome, the multiple rooms are fantastic. Well, I do really like their newer Lakewood restaurant too. Bar is huge. That'll be another review... Hard to make comparisons on food though as they are all the same, but there is nothing like the Caribbean Spice out there anywhere else. I'll tell you what, San Francisco does not have a single fab wing joint like the Winking Lizard (or BW3 for that matter), and every time I return to Cleveland, I eat here almost daily. Obsessive? Yep. Compulsive? A little bit. But anywhere that has a beer menu like the Winking Lizard deserves a special place in any beer lover's heart. Oh yeah, wings too. And I believe the WL is the largest chain importer of Labatts Blue. I'll tell you what. Once you move south (Tucson) or west (San Francisco), it becomes almost impossible to find Canadian beers. If that even means anything. In short. I love this place!
(5)
W S.
Food is decent. Big menu. They have pretty good, cheap beer specials. Biggest knock on this place is the service. I've been here many times and have been treated poorly on several occasions. One time I walked in and there was no hostess there to greet our party (this was about 10pm). We sat down at an open table and a few minutes later a waitress came up to us. Rather than taking our drink order, she, proceeded to chew us out for seating ourselves. I've had experiences like this several times. Get take out from this place, and save yourself abuse from the wait staff.
(1)
Christine D.
This is my home away from home and I don't even live in this neighborhood. Love this place staff is nice and I have made a lot of friends with being a regular.
(5)
Briana R.
I love Winking Lizard. We go there every week. Monday and Tuesday they have 1/2 price small pizzas and $0.40 wings or $0.35 for boneless wings. The food is quite yummy! Their wings and wing sauces are excellent. They also have a great selection of beers, both bottled and drafts. It is a great neighborhood sport bar, casual and friendly. There are people that have been working there for a while and are amazing! Oh, and they have free popcorn!!
(5)
Jong S.
Good place to hang out with friends and grab a drink. Wings are pretty good but may be just a Tad overrated. Good selection of beers on draft.
(3)
Kevin N.
Pretty decent place as far as places on Coventry go. Not a bad beer selection. The key is finding a month in which they have chosen a good beer as the special. Otherwise, it's just another pub or sports bar.
(3)
Julia B.
Great American/bar food. This is located in the Valley and it's pretty good. They have a pretty poplar sports bar too, where lots of people watch the Browns or the Indians in the summer. The service is excellenet and the place is kept up nicely!
(4)
M. M.
This is a decent stop for a beer and a burger. As others have said, it's a chain, nothing exciting, but dependable. As others have also said, the main minus is the crowd. This place fills up fast and you may have to stand around and wait for a while or take an uncomfortable seat at a too-small bar if you're in a bit of a hurry and want to have a quick bite. The people who go here tend to be loud sports-bar types and unlike other bar areas, such as Lakewood on the West Side, there's not too many places on Coventry for them to go, so they're all going to jam in here. Add in the family/ friends dinner crowd and you've got one loud, overcrowded, uncomfortable little restaurant. I normally don't mind eating while sitting at a bar, as I'm often eating by myself while waiting for friends, waiting for doors to open for a show nearby, etc., but I do mind when the guy next to me practically has his elbows in my french fries because there's just no space. They really need to expand the size of this joint or maybe offer takeout for the food. Next time I'm just going to ask for a box for my sliders and take them out to the benches on the corner up the street. The Lakewood Winking Lizard is preferable to this one simply because it's larger and in a slightly less trafficked area, making for less of an overcrowding problem.
(2)
Kerri M.
This is the third Winking Lizard Tavern that we have been to. We love ribs and chicken and order the ribs bucket and the basket of wings and share. The beer is also reasonable. If you're looking for a relaxed casual atmosphere with good food, come here. Very good.
(5)
Andy S.
I cannot suggest going out of your way to hang here, but if you are nearby and want to throw back a few and eat some salty/fatty treats, you can't really do any better. The bar area is small, but is covered with TV's, so if you are into sports you will be in good shape (as far as television coverage is concerned, anyway). They have a lot of beer, but if you are in a place like this it is best to stick to the specials. Free popcorn and pretty good BBQ sauce...not a terrible place by any stretch. The burgers ain't half bad, either. Overall its a slightly above-average (in the national sense) sports bar/restaurant. Expect more at your own peril.
(3)
P W.
I don't mind Winking Lizard for bar food. They always have big iguanas sitting in big glass enclosures, so that really pumps me up no matter what. My favorite is the one downtown, it really is a magnificent creature of the earth. My favorite part of the Coventry location would have to be their caged iguana. I stopped in for a beer or two, and it was murder trying to stand around and drink. Judging by what the wait staff and hostess were telling us, they prefer you to be seated at the bar or a table. You can't really ramble around stumbling and bumbling like I was born to do. They did have Old Rasputin on tap which was nice.
(3)
Ben T.
Since I just turned 21, I had never been inside the Wink other than to pick up my favorite Spicy Garlic Wings until last night. Although all I have ever had from there is their wings, they are great. The only thing that sort of sucks about this place is they are sort of stingy. You ask for Blue Cheese with your wings, and they bring you one, tiny little container of it, barely enough for 6 wings, if you ask for another one, you are charged for it. I just feel that that is not necessary. The beer list was pretty good, they had a lot of nice bottles and a fairly good tap list. I did like the vibe overall and the place is HUGE. I will be back a lot and think I will probably grow to love it more and more.
(4)
C Mack N.
The Lizard's management appears consistently to value the benefits is keeping their draft beer lines pristinely clean - that and their attitude towards reasonably priced draft beer specials will keep any aficionado supremely happy. If you're a beer fan in general the more than 100 bottle list will keep you fluid. Food wise, the burgers are the best around at the price; wings are NOT up to Anchor Bar in Buffalo standard by any imaginative stretch, but locally, again, are hard to beat. As a plus, the service staff is the most professional in this class of restaurant you're likely to find anywhere and aside from the to be expected occasional malcontents a great group of actual professionals. Enjoy! By the way, the current manager, Kevin, obviously beloved by his staff, is either moving on to better and better venues or the top management of the L understands his professionalism and is clearly promoting him!!!
(4)
Nikki K.
One of my favorite sports bars in Cleveland. It's a great place to unwind and relax after a long day at work. Totally agree with Chris L. Great place for Cheap Grub. The beer selection is great and I love the 32oz beer specials. And who can resist free popcorn?
(4)
Al B.
Outstanding beer selection with good bar food. A place to grab a beer after work or to watch the game. All and all it's a franchise bar that has been able to hold onto it's neighborhood feel.
(3)
Joseph F.
This place is awesome. If I ever leave Cleveland, this will be one of the places that I miss the most! For one thing, they have free popcorn at all hours of the day. I've been there at noon for a work luncheon and in the evening to enjoy a beer with friends and there is always fresh, hot, salty popcorn for the taking. Call me crazy, but the popcorn tastes especially good with their specialty BBQ sauce slathered on it! Secondly, their specials are a great deal. Burger and pizza nights are especially good. Seriously, it's cheaper (and better!) than fast food! Not to mention that the food is great, even at regular prices. Thirdly, the fact that they let you keep the glass that the beer of the month comes in (when it's in stock, that is!) is great. A large portion of my drinking class collection is courtesy of the Lizard. The beer selection is quite extensive too--I've been here many, many times and only ordered the same beer twice when I found a specific beer exceptional, not because there were no other options. Fourthly, it's a great place to watch a sports game. The staff is really receptive to requests to change a specific TV to a certain game if nobody's watching it. If you're looking for a great bar, head on out to the Lizard. You won't be disappointed!
(5)
James W.
perhaps familiarity truly breeds contempt. if so, i have spent waaaaaaaaaay too much time at the lizard. maybe contempt is the wrong word. i don't hate it, but if i never set foot in here again, i will not for a second regret it. the good: multiple rooms, multiple bars, loads of tables and, saving the best for last, the beer of the month club. for an extra $0.75 to $1.00, you get to keep the glass - which helped me to accumulate quite the collection for my own bar, which may someday exist. the bad (neutral): just your average bar food - nothing bad, nothing good, nothing special. it really is just meh. depending on what you are looking for, the 400 televisions could be a plus or minus, but i'll throw it here in the middle. the service is usually ok as well. the ugly: i have to say, it's the crowd. sorry. this place is generally packed and LOUD. i've always gotten the impression it's crowded more because it's one of the only places to go as opposed to being crowded because it's a great place that no one can resist. oh, yeah. the trapped iguana is not cool. i'm sure they take good care of it, but i'm sure it would have a better life without the drunken masses tapping on the glass. look, if you want to go get a beer, a bite of fried whatever, and catch a game, the lizard is a fine place to go. i go back to plenty of 2-star places. i'd just prefer to go elsewhere. the main problem i always had with coventry, there just aren't that many "elsewheres" to go.
(2)
Wesley W.
It's not exceptional in any way, but they do have some good beers, and like Kevin N said, the beer special is inexpensive. Actually there is something exceptional about it. The live iguana.
(3)
Jason C.
This is a popular regional chain. OK food. OK beer. It's OK. There are many more pubs in Cleveland where you can find better food, better beer (more selection) and a more authentic experience. For example: Academy Tavern on Larchmere. For example: The Little Bar & Grill downtown. For example: Flannery's downtown. Etc. If you want some wingz with the dudez, go here.
(2)
Matthew G.
When looking for a weeknight hangout on Cleveland's east side, look no further than this Coventry location. An extensive and ever evolving beer list will keep you entertained for months...except by then there are enough new offerings that you have cause to play some more! The collection of brews is not a who's who of beers (on Coventry, you'll have to go to La Cav Du Vin for that), but but the extensive collection guarantees you'll find something to meet your needs. Biggest problem will be getting a table on a weekend night and getting a table is almost a necessity at this location as actual bar space is extremely limited. The front door is something of a crowded mess of people desiring seating. I think this situation is the common turnoff for many people. However, once seated, you're golden. The excellent waitstaff will be able to help select a beer and make sure your needs are met. The sectioning of the restaurant into a few rooms makes for a cozier, more personal experience, which will be very appreciated by you and your table-mates. This is a great place to watch a game (not a great place to watch THE game)- the pub atmosphere is enough to knock out the sports bar feel, allowing the experience to be quality and peaceful. This pub/restaurant feel prevents a restaurant-wide 'mood' (thus, not a place for the big game), but this is probably the main appeal for many people (other than the desire to get away from the kind of crowds at the bars of Coventry). One of the limits on giving a five star rating is the food: standard bar/grease joint fare. However, there is certainly an extensive menu. Food is executed decently, but it's still a cheeseburger. At least the popcorn is free. But what is only average food is redeemed through specials. Well worth an artery clogging trip is Wing Night. Super cheap with many sauces to meet your needs. The drink specials can be quite the draw as well. The drink of the month will reward the purchaser with some souvenir glass- or ceramic-ware.
(4)
Ben G.
The Winking Lizard gets a bad rap on this site. A lot of the complaints are valid but there are a lot of good things about this bar, especially when you compare it to the other bars on Coventry. First of all, it's really more of a restaurant than a bar--the seating area is much bigger than the two bars combined. I think the bar-style food is good: burgers, wings, ribs, fried food. But pretty much everything on the menu is good, even the salads and pizzas are decent, so you can keep a lot of people happy here. They have monthly food specials so there's always something new to try--I had a very good Bison burger here. MUCH better food than McNinni's down the street. The beer list is big, and is overrated. But the selection is a an order of magnitude bigger than the other bars on the street (Wine Cave excluded) so you WILL find something you like. Since the bar area is small it's not a great place to watch the big game. But this place has like 10 TVs lined up at the bar, so if you're an out-of-town football or baseball fan you are pretty much guaranteed that they will put your team's game on.
(4)
Christopher C.
Decent pizza, nachos and beer. Lots of TV's and they have NHL Center ice, what else could you ask for. Could be cleaner.
(3)
Donald H.
The beer is pretty good, but the food is somewhat lacking. Nice feel overall.
(3)
Jeff B.
Wow some how this place managed to screw up wings, they were super greasy and tasted rancid. Like that had been fried several times I told the server they are super greasyshe said well they are fried. I was about to say yeah I know Einstein I make them at home. I left the Einstein part out. She took them away all pissed of. My girl did seem to have food poisoning that evening. Done with particular location
(1)
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Address :1852 Coventry Rd
Cleveland Heights, OH, 44118
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner, Late Night Parking : Street Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Music : Background Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Happy Hour : Yes Best Nights : Mon, Tue, Thu Coat Check : No Smoking : No Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Miss M.
I didn't have any alcohol but I did order cherry coke and a grilled cheese with fries. They didn't put in any bacon or tomato as I requested. The fries were fried in old oil. I could tell by the taste. The plain grilled cheese was tasty but again, it was missing bacon and tomato as I would have asked.
(2)Kat Y.
I pretty much exclusively come here for cheap wings on Mondays and Tuesdays. That being said, as time goes by, everything goes up in price. :( They're now 50c/wing (in packs of 5) for bone-in, and 45c for boneless after 3pm Mon and Tues. Although, guys, I really don't understand "boneless wings"...aren't they just chicken tenders? Anyway, the last time I came here was over a year ago, and since then, they've added more flavors. There's now a flavor spicier than magma (it's called fire in the hole), and there are dry rubs available now. My favorite flavor is goldfinger. Try it, you won't regret it. :D Happy hour specials are also available from 3-7pm, including $1 off all 22oz drafts and other deals.
(4)Ryan G.
Just got done eatting here and tried a good sample of stuff. First and foremost the beer selection is insane!!! The detail in the list as well is very nice so you know what it is where it is from and the alcohol content. As for the appetizers we tried the southwestern egg rolls and the loaded skins. The Potato skins were pretty run of the mill, but the southwestern egg rolls were AMAZING! So much flavor and the spicy ranch it came with just puts it over the top. We got 2 types of wings one with their 6 pepper dry rub and the other with the garlic parmesan dry rub. Both of them were some of the best wings I have every had. The skin was so crunchy and full of flavor I could of ate them all day. Of coarse you can get sauces or Bleu cheese to go with them but you honestly don't need it. Also tried the gyro, it had alot of meat but all and all didn't have great flavor. The rueben was really good with alot of meat and just enough sauerkraut. This is a place I will be visiting again without a doubt.
(4)Jill H.
We visited this winking lizard to have drinks and dinner before going to a late show at the grog shop. Drinks- We split a reasonably priced pitcher of seasonal pumpkin beer ($15.75) followed by waitress recommend local ipa and blueberry beers. Food - I had a classic American cheeseburger with steak fries. It was cooked to order and had great flavor. My husband was in love with the Cajun style burger (Bo mans bacon cheeseburger) with added jalapeños and the shells and cheese side. Their table bbq sauce was pretty tasty too. Service - All in all, we must have visited on one of their "on" nights because everything about our experience that night was great. Our waitress kept our waters filled, beers fresh, ensured our food was good, and took the time to chat with us. Would love for this place to be local to us in Michigan.
(4)Joshua S.
$.50 wings on Mon/Tues after 3 pm, just in time for the Colombia World Cup massacre of Japan. No bueno. Great service, and awesome mixed sodas like Grape Sprite and Vanilla Barqs. Garlic wings were delicious.
(4)S Z.
Wings specials on Mon and Tues make this place worth a visit. Besides their wings, I haven't found any other good items from their menu. Love the soda options. The servers can be rude sometimes.
(3)Candace M.
I went to college around the area and now that I'm living here again, I questioned why I had never frequented the Winking Lizard before. I've since experienced what I would best describe as "hit or miss" dining at the Winking Lizard. One time, I'll have really great food, but less than stellar service. The next time, the service will be great, but the food is just so-so. This last time, it was the latter. Our server was very nice and attentive, checking on us frequently and making sure we were happy with everything. My hamburger, though, was extremely dry. My boyfriend commented afterwards, "yeah, either you weren't hungry, or you really didn't like that." The beer selection is great, and I like that there are so many choices on draft. But I don't like that the servers can be pretentious about them. When I went in October, I asked what pumpkin beer was better. The server's response was less than nice. I wasn't aware that pumpkin beer was an elitist drink reserved for only the highest in society! In short, I'm not a big fan, and until things are a little more consistent, I don't think I will be.
(3)Greg N.
I really really enjoy dining at Winking Lizard. I have been to this location many times, and the Mentor location more than I can count. Originally what interested me was that they have such a great beer selection. I love to try new brews so I became a regular quite quickly. Then I did the world tour of beers. I was probably here 2 times per week. The food is pretty good here too! I really like their boneless wings (thai, spicy bbq, and a few other flavors) and their burgers are really good! The wraps and fries are yummy, and the pizzas taste just fine! They also have specials. I really enjoyed the buffalito (i am not sure if that is how you spell it though) and the lamb burger. Prices are good. Beer selection is great. Food is delicious. I guess I really just like winking lizard because its all around good and almost anyone can find something they like here. There is one draw back and that is the family atmosphere. Although, I do believe they limit it to 21+ only at a certain time. I understand its not just a bar, but a restaurant with a lot of beers. .. but I dont like seeing children anywhere when I just want to sit and relax with friends/beer.
(4)Yuanjia Z.
This place is THE place to go when you are craving for some yummy wings!!! Go on Monday and Tuesday if you can - wings are on sale. It is a loud place so be prepared to kinda yell at each other to carry a conversation, but it is a bar place where people just chill and watch sports usually.
(3)Jeff B.
Damn great wings! How do you go wrong here on any level? These are some of the best wings I've had. I left Cleveland and moved out West 20 years ago. Every time I'm back visiting family this is a must do along with Tommy's, Geraci's anything Little Italy ie. Presti's, Mama Santa. They have so many beers on tap good thing I say walking distance. Great mojo, great people, great food and drink there is no way to go wrong. Be sure to sample a few different sauces with your wings! Trust me there are no better wings anywhere!
(5)Andy C.
My buddy from France and I went there tonight, and as always they had a checkpoint at the door like it's some sort of exclusive high-security joint and not the average sports bar that it is. He showed them his ID from France and the bouncer (for real, at a sports bar) said he wouldn't accept it. My friend and I have been going to bars around Cleveland all summer long and he's never had a problem using a French ID, so clearly this is the Wink's problem and not ours. The bouncer dude said he didn't have any way to know whether it was real or not because French IDs weren't in their book -- that's your problem, not ours. I guess there are several ID-checking books out there and the Wink cut corners by buying the cheapest one and hoping that no foreigners ever tried to patronize it. He also said my friend should go home and get his passport, like we're going to take our passports to go watch the Cavs. We were not allowed in. Not even to just get food or watch the game. Get real, we're going to have a beer and watch ESPN, not take out a bank loan or enter a foreign country. There's no need to be such a dick when it's your fault you can't verify an ID. Like Cami said in her review, it's easy enough to just put a mark on someone's hand or tell the waitress not to serve him alcohol. We proposed these and other middle-ground solutions (including simply Googling the standard guide for checking a French ID since that's what they were missing) and they just refused to listen or even have a conversation about it. Needless to say, we won't be going back. I used to go every few weeks but tonight they lost my friends and I as customers. For what it's worth, we just went up the road to another bar to watch the game and didn't have any trouble at all with the French ID. The Wink just thinks it's special. How about they learn what acceptable customer service is, and try to treat their regular customers with some common decency instead of just putting a hand in my face.
(1)Ruchu T.
Pretty good spot to catch up on your sports teams but I'm not a sports guy myself. I come here for food and to catch up with friends. There are specials Sun-Thurs like wings, pizza, ribs, and burgers. I especially enjoy coming here on wing nights (Mon/Tues) and burger night (Thursday). Their wings are quite large and nicely done. You can choose from over 10 variety of flavors. My favorite is the goldfinger, which has a great combination of tanginess and sweetness. The burgers are also quite good. I like their wild western burger for it's simplicity and heartiness. It's just basically a big BBQ burger with bacon. There's a huge menu of beer at your disposal and you can also do their world beer tour. The beer tour rewards you with prizes along the way and a party invitation to their end of the year party if you completed the tour (100+ different beers over the course of the year). I have yet to take on this challenge but my friends have done it and had fun doing so. A few years ago, the party was held at the Browns stadium. Anyhow, the food here is typical for a bar restaurant. What's neat here is that it's convenient for people in the CWRU/Cleveland Heights area to meet. There's plenty of seating but it does tend to get busy and loud during home games.
(3)Christopher S.
I love Winking Lizard-- great beers, good food. Wednesday rib night can't be beat.
(4)Stephen H.
Wraps and burgers are great. Prices are a tad steep. Happy hour is always a big plus. Best place in town to watch a game or two. Huge beer selection. Service is consistently hit or miss. 20 minute wait for cold soup:fail.
(3)Richard M.
Our hotel staff recommended the Lizard as a great place to go before the Cav's game. They had $4.25 32oz draft beers and Monday & Tuesday's are $.50 wing night. We ordered 10 spicy BBQ and 10 garlic parm wings and a small pizza. We only waited about 15 minutes for all of our food to come out. Very impressed with the wings, they packed a double punch in the heat and flavor department and were filling. I would recommend and go back next time I visit Cleveland.
(5)Cody F.
The only thing I've ever had here is the wings but those are good enough that I don't mind leaving my thoughts. Soooo, Tuesdays are 50-cent wing nights. That's an amazing deal! You can get the wings in sets of 5 and get a different flavor for each set. Once I try the Wednesday ribs I'll update my review. I'm pretty excited about that. Anyway, the atmosphere is pretty cool; they have many TVs so if you want to watch a game or something it's perfect for a group. Update: ok, so the ribs aren't that great. They are pretty good and for the price I'd probably get them again but if you're picky about your ribs these might upset you. They are a little dry and their sauce isn't anything special but I am easy to please when it comes to food usually so I loved them.
(5)Mark M.
Went there a lot when my son was small. Kid friendly with the lizard. Lots of kids and noise. Always see friends but the food marginal. 4 stars for atmosphere
(4)Jennifer H.
Oh, Winking Lizard. How do I best remember thee? I have been here more times than I can count, for all kinds of experiences. And much like an old friend, man do I have some dirt on you!!! If you ever get married, I'm going to have to bite my tongue around your spouse. What were you thinking? You attempted to complete the entire Beers Around the World Tour, in one night. You began to rally the bar to assist you in drinking the necessary 100 beers. We finally had to get you home when you started shouting "Forza Azzuri" at a bunch of Italian frat guys, while throwing popcorn in their beers. In all honesty, I have much love for this place. They have a phenomenal selection of beers, a different drink special every day, free popcorn, pizza specials on weeknights, and a decent selection of various food items. The food is nothing special, but adequate. Personal pizza with pineapple and green peppers, or the veggie wrap were my go-tos. They will accommodate groups of 10+ and have multiple rooms to hang out in. The Winking Lizard does mixed beers in unusual combos like the "black and blue," which is one of my personal favs (Labatt and Guinness). There are tvs to watch the game, and the bathrooms are kept decently clean. They even have an iguana to greet you as you enter the bar! Someone take a picture of that guy, please! With so many seedy college dive bars on Coventry, this place fills the niche of a moderately priced place for grad students who don't need .50 well shots, but don't want to pay grown-up prices, just yet.
(4)J B.
I needed a place to go grab a bite after a visit to Cleveland Clinic. My shuttle driver suggested Winking Lizard. I Thanked him profusely when he returned to pick us up. No drinkers in my crowd but the beer selection was phenomenal. Started with mac n cheese wedges and ended with some great sandwiches. Something for everyone 8 to 80. Service was just as great!!
(4)Yuna D.
So my boyfriend would always talk about this tavern that he goes to, so when I came to visit him, we went here for a late night dinner. They have a large sitting area; it's not just a stand-alone bar, thank god. Awesome funky decor with weird posters on the wall (A lot of them were wrapped in christmas wrapping for the holidays, shame.) There was also an iguana just chilling in a glass cage. I see what they did thereeeee :) The girl who helped us out was really attentive because it wasn't that busy that night. They were out of a lot of holidays beers because it was nearing the end of December and they weren't restocking as much. I had a long island iced tea, and it was actually probably the best i've ever had. And I've had a lot of them. For food, we got the wings with thai sauce. I thought they'd be spicer than they were, considering how high up it was on the hot meter, but it's actually not that spicy. The wings are super crispy, and I think I ate more of them than my boyfriend did. Whoops. We also had the pot roast sandwich. Ahmazing, with ahmazing friesssss. I was in total omnomnom mood. Lots of food for not that expensive pricing. Whee :) The mister and I watched some football while we were here. There are a lot of screens in the sitting area, which was nice as well.
(5)AJ R.
The reviews on the wings are spot on. Try the Thai/Chili and Goldfinger sauces...damn fine!
(4)Rob P.
I've concluded that this is the best Winking Lizard restaurant in the whole chain. There are two specific reasons why: 1) The $5.50 32oz Dortmunder on Mondays and Tuesdays. As far as I know, this is the ONLY Lizard location that offers this special. Most others offer Bud Light or some other disgusting swill for the 32oz special. This is the equivalent of two pints. And it's not just during Happy Hour, it's all night long. Pair this with the fact that Monday and Tuesday are also 40-cent wing nights, and you have one of the most epic nightly specials ever. 2) It actually feels like a neighborhood pub. This location is in what used to be three storefronts on Coventry Road. So many other Winking Lizards are way out in suburbia, and just have that total suburbia-feel to them. This is one of the few that actual feels like it belongs in a neighborhood. I've been to a lot of different Lizard locations. They're mostly the same. But the small differences really do matter.
(5)Chocolate L.
This is one of my favorite spots to go for some amazing beer and amazing food!! Nothing is better than wings and beer!! The staff are very friendly and always welcoming. I love the food here...from their spicy bbq wings to bo mans burger to their preffered fries!! you have to get the preffered fries!!! I love this place!! WIsh i could eat here everyday lol
(5)Lisa C.
Fall menu is here! Craving chicken wings all week, so me and the BF came here for late lunch. Multiple rooms for seating. Self serve free popcorn. Service was fast. Actually quite busy for a late afternoon. We tried the chili tater tots, which can only be described as a large baked potato with a crunch. The jalapeño peppers added a nice spicy kick! Could have used more chili. We asked for the sour cream on the side. We also tried the carribean and gold finger chicken wings. 2 five packs. Definitely worth the extra dollar for 2 flavors. The carribean was alittle dry, but the complimentary ranch or bleu cheese dip solved that problem. Overall a full meal for a cheap price.
(3)Brittany L.
Great selection of beers, quite nice selection of bourbons too, especially for a location this far north. AND THERE'S AN IGUANA!!! I really, really like iguanas. They're just lovely animals. The bartender was friendly but not fake and all the other patrons seemed to be enjoying themselves, without going overboard. Plenty of TVs but not overwhelmingly loud. Great place to wile away a couple hours swapping horror stories about dating in your 30s. Yeesh. Glad I wasn't on a date and could actually enjoy my Holy Moses beer. :) Oh yeah, there are hooks under the bar. Yay! Under-bar hooks and bed-side outlets...they mean a lot to me.
(4)Justin W.
In Cleveland for work and heard great things about this place! Lots of different Types of beer, and their wings were incredible! I also had the Macaroni bites, which were pretty stinkin' tasty! It was a great place with good food and good service. I highly recommend this place if you are in the area. There are tons of locations nearby also.
(5)Chas M.
My least favorite of the Lizards. The staff is always rude and the place is way too cramped. On my most recent visit we waited 20 minutes for our first beer. When I still have 35 more beers on the tour left before the end of the year I need to get crackin. The server seemed to care less when I had to ask her for my beers.. After that I ordered 2 at a time..lol. Dont try that at home kids! Anyways, if your at Coventry and want food thats not a sports bar or an uptight hippie joint...try this one. Ya wont see me reviewing too many East Side places so here ya go suckas! The east side gives my instant diarreah..
(2)Amanda L.
This place used to awesome until it turned from a cool bar to a "family" place. Even their menu shifted. It's all about churning the bucks here-no sweet, fun bar anymore. Now it's like TGIFriday's. Nothing like seeing tables full of misbehaving kids in a bar that's blasting NSFW Muzak while bar patrons yell obscenities at their favorite sports games. Suggestions: NO KIDS (that's under 18), period, after 5pm. With Mommy and Daddy or not. I go to a bar to get away from kids, not to chill with them. And Lizard, get the retro menu back.
(2)Victor B.
went there a couple times. Wings r Da good. Make sure u try the sesame sauce it's mild and savory, adding a lot of flavor to your wings.
(4)Cami T.
Oh yes. I am giving the Winking Lizard a One Star review. Now, the food is average at best, overpriced and though they have an ample beer menu, they don't exactly have good beer specials in comparison with other Cleveland restaurants. Oh, but one star? Poor customer service and labeling. At the Winking Lizard on Coventry, they demand an ID to prove patrons are over 21 at 5pm. I understand how they are trying to eliminate underage drinking but here's my story.... I arrange for a work happy hour - expecting at least a dozen people. One of these people is not a drinker and so left his ID at the hotel, not realizing that at the early time of 5pm he'd need it. Were we let in? No. No exceptions were made. He didn't need to drink and to be honest, he's in his late 20's anyway, so I feel like an exception could have been made by a good manager (I even offered to google/facebook him). Instead, she told us to leave and made no attempts or apologies. We moved to Paninis but I had to sit outside the Winking Lizard for 45 minutes to wait for stragglers to let them know of the change of location. What should have been done: An exception should have been made. This person could have been marked and the bartender could have been told. We were absolutely not expecting him to be served and we could have made accommodations if he couldn't even sit at our table. In addition, there should have been labeling outside of the bar as well as online. Instead, I was hugely inconvenienced and I'll never eat at the Winking Lizard again. I'm serious.
(1)Andrea Z.
In general I'd give the Lizard 4 stars. But this location, I'm being generous with a 3. Really good wings, of course, with lots of tasty sauces. That's about it. Everything else I've had has been decent but not outstanding and a bit on the overpriced side. The Lizard has a huge menu so there's pretty much something for everyone. A good place to go if you have a big group with varied tastes. This location gets 2.5 - 3 stars because they have this completely asinine rule where they card you just to walk into the place anytime after 5pm. Now, I get it, they are trying to keep the riff-raff from the Grog Shop out of their establishment. But come on. I'm in my sweatpants, clearly am over 21 and just want some dinner. Since I just woke up from my nap, and Sean drove me here, I don't have my ID. I'm not about to start anything, just let me in and serve me some wings. A completely stupid rule, IMO. Here's an idea, if someone is causing problems - kick them out! And card them for drinks! But leave the rest of us alone. If you are more responsible than me and always have your ID, you'll be fine. Otherwise, go down to Panini's.
(3)Lizi C.
Slightly above average standard bar food. Maui Maui Chicken sandwich and beer came to $12.50 plus tip which is the upper limits of what I consider acceptable for this type of venue. Fries were quite good: thick, crispy and soft in the middle. Sandwich was okay, but then again it would have been hard to screw up a grilled chicken sandwich with a slice of canned pinapple on top. Service was SLOW. I'll cut a little slack since it was a big party and they were kind enough to split the checks. The waitress was polite. I wouldn't mind coming back here to watch a game and drink beer (they do have a good selection of beers), but I will probably avoid eating my meals here with so many better options in the area.
(3)Amanda H.
Will not be my last visit! This place had great food, an awesome drink selection, and an iguana-what else could you want? The service is spot on, everyone is attentive and friendly. The food comes out in a timely fashion and is priced just right! They have monthly and daily specials. I will be a repeat consumer for sure :)
(5)Moshe E.
My friends and I come here every month to get the Glass of the Month. Good atmosphere, good beer, and the bartenders are usually great. Only reason I'm not giving a 5 star is the last time we went the bartender only gave us the glass and not the beer because it was too close to closing time. But there were still people there...
(4)Bryan M.
Recently, the Winking Lizard in Coventry had its menu changed. I am really sad to see the Dessert of the Month go, because it was always delicious. I was told it was removed because they couldn't keep the ingredients in stock before most of them went bad. Shame. Another think I really am disappointed in is the layout of the menu has changed. The Menu used to show the drafts and a description for each one. They used to be prominently displayed, but not they are in a corner with no description! How am I suppose to pick one if I don't know what it is going to taste like! It has made it much harder to make a decision now. I'm docking a star for that.
(4)Lauren A.
Winking Lizard in Coventry has consistently terrible service. I love the beer selection, the wing specials, the popcorn, and of course Jalapeno the iguana. I even completed the beer tour there, dropping a substantial chunk of cash there once a week. I'm a waitress of the past - I will always tip 20% and understand a crowd (usually the case at the Lizard.) HOWEVER, despite my loyalty and stupid jacket, I refuse to walk through those doors again and will whine to anyone who says "Coventry" about it. The servers and management need better training or at least to be mildly friendly. You need to ask for silverware EVERY TIME, ask if you can order, ask if you can have a refill, ask if you can ever, ever, EVER get your check. When you get boneless wings instead of regular, there is no chance the server will be able to correct his/her mistake. I guess this is a crescendo effect - I let this build up over a year of wonderful, overpriced beers. Beaver is the best server in town. She should start training everyone there.
(1)Karen G.
We are in Cleveland visiting. My friend took my daughter (age 11) and I here for dinner. First, our server never refilled or even offer to refill our ice water. We didn't order beer. The food was good. We ordered wings. There is a large selection of flavors for wings. Our dinner was very good. It's a bar setting so it was very loud. My daughter liked looking at the live lizard. We enjoyed our meal but its not a place I would return as there are other places to try. Summary: It's just OK.
(3)Joyce H.
So many memories here at the Wink! Here are some things that I like about this place: - They show Michigan games, and you can always count on seeing at least one other fan here on football Saturdays wearing maize and blue - They have $0.40 wing nights on Mondays AND Tuesdays! Bf and I tried eating a total of 35 b/c we thought they would be small... wrong. We couldn't do it. - They have a really great selection of draught beverages and beer from all over the world. This was the first place I tried Lambic. - It's always a lively place where a lot of young professionals come to hang out after work! - Classic, unpretentious pub. Good service, except when the waitresses wear OSU jerseys.
(3)Mike N.
If you are looking for a fun place to eat on Coventry to take in a sporting event or grab a beer this is the place for you. Basic menu with seasonal specials that are occasionally quite good. St Patricks day is special. Amazing beer selection. Although this is one of a local chain, it truly captures the flavor of the neighborhood. Expect families with kids, students, and professionals in training. Worth a stop.
(4)Matthew M.
"Line cooking -- the real business of preparing the food you eat -- is more about consistency, about mindless, unvarying repetition, the same series of tasks performed over and over and over again in exactly the same way. The last thing a chef wants in a line cook is an innovator .... Chefs require blind, near-fanatical loyalty, a strong back and an automaton-like consistency of execution under battlefield conditions." - an excerpt from Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. Being consistent is what separates a good restaurant from a great one. The lack of consistency can also make a good restaurant less than average. Customers loyal to certain restaurants want to be able to go out, have the meal they seek, recreated exactly how they remember it the last time they had it. Any deviation of this, any letdown from preconceived expectations can lead to hurt feelings not to mention a less than stellar opinion of their once preferred place of dining. Needless to say, over the years the food at the Winking Lizard has changed and for the worse. A lack of consistency if you will. The pizza dough recipe has changed, so has the sauce. The buffalo chicken wrap is no longer made with breaded chicken, they now use plain, dried out grilled chicken. The BBQ sauce recipe, perhaps what I used to enjoy most about the Lizard has also been altered. The burgers are no longer the same either. It's apparent they now use different buns and a different ground meat. In general, the food looks sloppily prepared. It's as if the once proud line cooks were replaced overnight with dishwashers and bus boys lacking any sort of previous cooking experience. I've been patronizing the various NE Ohio Lizard locations for practically my entire life, but in the last few years, I've definitely noticed a change in food quality. I'm willing to bet the changes were a cost-cutting maneuver. It's apparent they've taken steps to purchase cheaper ingredients, alter recipes to save money and/or switch to a cheaper food purveyor. I understand the hardships and many overheads it takes to keep a restaurant alive for over 25 years, but for fucks sake, if you need to save money, don't do it at the expense of the food! Gasp! The food (and beer) is the reason why you've grown into a community favorite, Mr. Lizard! The continued regression of quality surely isn't going to help to develop new customers, nor is it going to keep you from losing old loyalists. Why the two stars? The beer. Thankfully, one of the few bright-spots remaining at the Lizard is their stellar selection of bottled and draft varieties.
(2)Tina W.
I was torn between three and four stars for this one but decided on four since my reasons for three weren't really the establishments fault. This is one of those places that has it all. Awesome beer cooler, decent food, a friendly staff, great location, and unfortunately the random local weirdos that I seem to attract. Last time I was there there was a gem that sat two stools down and was putting on quite a show (think pacing, bar slapping, and hot sauce all over his face....) before being joined by another who filled the one stool safety gap and began mumbling strange questions to my girlfriend and I that we couldn't even understand. Apparently the two were friends. Shocker... The handful of times I've been there I've always encountered something strange like this but like I said, I can't fault the bar for who lives down the street. I'm a lover of beer variety and this place has the best cooler I've seen yet. I'm talking hundreds of labels.
(4)Anand M.
Back visiting Cleveland after over two years and can't believe I never came here before even though I came to Coventry fairly often. Super beer selection (I had a vanilla flavored porter bottled beer -- think it was number 17 -- that was excellent), good and cheap $5 small cheese pizza special plus extra for toppings, great male server with crazy crazy long hair, great popcorn, lots of tvs, and cute girls (albeit all with boyfriends or lesbians). I think sitting in the bar at the back/inside right is best in case you had a bad experience up front.
(5)Terri K.
I am turned off by this place because it is so dark and gloomy. There are not many windows in the dining area and the lights are so low. It dampens your mood. The food was just ok. Ordered extra crispy wings and they were not extra crispy. Ribs were average. The one in Independence is much better!
(3)Melissa C.
The Lizard is my favorite Cleveland Heights area bar, and my husband and I are usually here once a week. I love that there are two separate bars, and we usually choose the back bar (maybe because of its proximity to the popcorn machine). We usually have really good service, and the they have a fantastic beer selection that changes each month. The food is also really good-I recommend the Caribbean wings, chicken BBQ sandwich, and burgers. They have cheap weekday food specials and also rotate a monthly food specials menu that's based off of the current season or holidays. Love the World Tour of Beers, and they are always willing to change a TV to whatever sport we want to watch (including Nashville Predators hockey games)!
(5)Joao Pedro L.
Nice vibe, their burgers are very good and value-wise this is one of the best places in the Coventry area. Service is always great as well, it's one of my favorite spots for sports-watching while eating a bite.
(4)Kyle H.
Stopped by here for some booze after dinner at Tommy's and it didn't disappoint. There is quite a good beer selection, especially in bottles. I had a couple local beers which were decent, though not spectacular. I didn't try any food, but it all looked to be standard fried everything pub food, so I doubt I was really missing too much. Other than that it's really just an average bar... worthy of stopping in, but not a place you'd go out of your way for. I did like the multiple TVs above the bar with multiple sporting events on.
(3)Chris R.
This Winking Lizard is contained in a series of connected rooms along Coventry Road. It is usually fairly busy at night and during sporting events, so plan accordingly. There's free popcorn in the second room to your right as you enter, and follow the main hallway all the way to the end to find the bathrooms on your left. Cell phone reception can be spotty in here, so pay attention if you're trying to meet up with people.
(4)Deja P.
I went there for the first time the other day because I always seemed to go there at the times they won't allow the crowd younger than 21 in. After I became of age, I went in the middle of the day (sadly before their deal for cheap wings) and the bartender was also waiting all the tables in that room as well. She remained extremely friendly the entire time and our food came quickly and well done. Now that I think of it, when I was underage they even turned me down in the nicest way possible, even after I pleaded with them that I only wanted wings! I'm huge on customer service, so this place gets 5/5 stars.
(5)Ferdinand H.
I'm between 3 and 4 stars for this venue. We had a party of 12 eat, and the service was brisk, and the food was reasonably tasty -- fairly standard bar fare, however. Extensive beer list, and casual decor and ambiance are expected, as well as the TVs and local colour. Don't expect to be blown away -- but it's solid.
(3)Ray V.
Thursday 6/27 1:15 pm. Lunch with my wife and daughter. The place was dirty, not just the days dirt. Floor and bathrooms. Our table was sticky. Good thing the lighting was real low, in fact difficult to read some items on the menu, because it was probably filthy everywhere. The service fast and the waitress knowledgable. Food expensive for lunch and the quality average, almost fast food like. The chicken over-cooked and tough. The music was 70's rock and boring. The place needs a through cleaning, I mean now. Food still would be over priced. Will not go there again.
(2)J. H.
One of the better local chain restaurants, and better than Panini's, IMO. Good food selection - have never been disappointed. Good beers on tap, and the world tour is a must for beer snobs. Friendly service and family-friendly, as well. I've eaten at the downtown, Miles Road and Coventry locations, and they're all consistently good.
(4)Ken Z.
The best bar in Coventry for chilling with some drink and food with friends. They have a great selection of rotating drafts, and a huge collection of bottled drinks. Their menu has excellent bar food at very reasonable prices. Come on a work night and there'll be some sort of deal on food (pizza, wings, ribs, or burgers), and beer. My friends and I would frequent this location for wings and brews on Tuesday evenings after a hard day in the classroom. Definitely take advantage of their glass-of-the-month deal too. For a buck or two more, you get to have your beer in a neat logo-ed glass that you get to keep afterwards. I've collected about 10 of these, and they're great for parties. Don't expect to work your game here though, as the atmosphere is like that of a casual sports restaurant. They do have bar seating, but it is typically occupied by older people relaxing after a hard day's work. All and all, a great place for hanging out and catching up with friends.
(5)Alexander B.
I would be happy to never go to the Wink again. but I like being social, and being in school, I get dragged there for wing night, when food is so cheap students can't say no. But this is it. No more greasy, expensive fried food that isn't even any good. Done. Good bye Wink - you never had any of the beers you said you had, anyhow. (it has been pointed out to me by many friends that perhaps I'm too harsh with my one star rating. It's true that there's nothing outright terrible about the Wink. And they do seat large groups, and the food is often 'average'. I've also had generally better experiences at other Wink chains. So don't not go, just on my word. But, for me, sometimes mediocrity really is a one-star.)
(1)Anisha A.
I was highly impressed by my first trip to the Winking Lizard. I went with a group of work friends and found out that this is an ideal location for us. This place is great because of its really laid back atmosphere, so even though everyone else I was with was just drinking, I felt comfortable enough to order food. (I'm always hungry.) I had the quesadillas, and they were great. I also tried their own special BBQ sauce, and it was amazing. My favorite part is that they actually have a lizard. I also appreciate the large beer selection which includes two cider beers, and the close proximity to all the other bars in coventry. The service wasn't great, but I think our server was just having a bad night. I definitely hope to be back sometime soon.
(5)Sam R.
The best thing I could say about Winking Lizard (the chain in general) is that its exceptionally average. Nothing really all that special, or all that bad. I mean save for the wing sauce selection, and not the teeny wings themselves, and the mascot, they're just another family bar. Ok MAYBE a better beer selection. The Lizard won't do you wrong, but like others have said, there are better places to go for the same price, and with better food. Pretty much an option to break up monotony and not much else.
(3)Julie C.
I come here on a weekly basis for Wings Night on Tuesdays. I'll still give the Wink a really wide beer selection and pretty decent food. However, I've been increasingly disappointed by their food and service lately. The service here is extremely slow. It takes about 10 minutes for you to get your drink order in and then another 10 minutes after getting your drinks to order your food. I'll give it to them that the waiters are relatively polite and accommodating, but the wait after the wait is a little ridiculous. In terms of food, their sliders were dry and I couldn't even finish 2 of them. I still like their wings, but they've started charging for ranch, bleu cheese, and even celery. I think it's pretty unreasonable to charge people for typical garnishes and condiments needed for wings. It's almost synonymous with charging people for ketchup with their fries. I still plan on coming back for my wings fix, but not for much else.
(3)Andrew Z.
Stars: 3 Pros: Extensive beer list. EXTENSIVE (selection is in the hundreds). Now, I dont drink beer, but I have to give credit where credit is due; I hear the beer is quite good. Location is convenient on Coventry. Service is your average pub service. The Western Burger is pretty good. Fries are lousy (they are fat and not very crisp). However, you can substitute fries for a few different things, such as mac and cheese (it actually is served with SHELLs, not macaroni), which is pretty good. For lunch, a meal + tip = $10. not bad at all. They have multiple large screens for sports and such. It is firstly a bar... Looking for a happy hour with wings, beer, social gathering place at night with a bunch of friends, etc? Try the Wink. Cons: Fries. Unfortunately, they are not very good. I mention this because fast food fries (BK, e.g.) is better =O. The burger is also greasier than other burgers I've had in the area. Thats not a legit complaint, I admit, but its just fyi.
(3)Kaitlin D.
My rating hasn't changed, but I AM a little more excited to go here now that they have Lizard Freckles! FRIED PICKLES! They aren't the best fried pickles I've ever had, but I have trouble turning down a pickle. So, now they have two attractions for me: glass of the month and fried pickles! How could they go wrong? (Though I didn't get this month's glass because it sounds like I won't like the beer...)
(3)Chris L.
For my Cleveland Heights Cheap Grub list: After 3:00 Monday & Tuesday: $0.40 wings 1/2 price any small pizza (up to four toppings) Wednesday: $7.49 1/2 slab St. Louis ribs with fries and slaw. Thursday: $5.79 Burgers All day Sunday: $6.79 BBQ half chicken with slaw and spud. BEERS: They have specials on 32oz beers all week, but the best beers are usually Monday and Tuesday. As of this writing: MT: Dortmunder Gold WTF: Labatt Blue SS: Miller Lite They also have happy hour from 3-7 where you get $1 off all 22 draft beers, margaritas, and cocktails for two(?). I typically go for wings during the week. It's also a pretty decent place to watch the Buckeyes on Saturday.
(4)Pat P.
Food is mediocre, but the beer selection is great. Service has always been good when I've been there, and I'd recommend giving it a try if you're a fan of different beers.
(3)Camilla G.
Good beer selection (as you'd expect from this local chain); mediocre food (it used to be better and one of my go-to sources for a quick burger on the East side -- something's changed, and not for the better); so-so service. It's not the worst you could do, but it's also not as good as it used to be.
(2)Ryan N.
New in town and stopped by here to get some food and watch a baseball game. Place was hopping but managed to get a seat at the bar. Really good selection of beers on tap with a good number of IPAs which is what I am always looking for. Service was somewhat hard to comeby but when it was there it was friendly. The wings are pretty solid and I like that they display the spiciness rating from most mild to hottest so you know what you are getting into. Had the sesame wings which basically tasted like general tso's chicken...in a good way. Definitely plan on coming back for the beer and wings. Love a sports bar that has its craft beer game on.
(5)Jim S.
The wings and pizza are some of the best in Cleveland! The service here is impeccable and you cannot beat the beer selection and free popcorn! Every time I am back in Cleveland, I insist on going here!
(5)Molly D.
Winking Lizard is a great place to enjoy appetizers, a few drinks, and watch a game or whatever's on TV. I have fond memories of watching the Olympics late at night while sharing food with family there. The wings are great, and with the weekly deals they have, you can try a variety of flavors on their list without guilt (many aren't as spicy as they advertise).
(4)Zach M.
This is my favorite bar in Coventry for food and casual, fun hang outs. They have an excellent beer selection (over 100); between this and La Cave du Vin there are very few beers you can't find in Coventry. Food is great too. The Wink is well known fro their wings(go for Goldfinger flavor) and if it's a special that night, they are only $.40! Pizza and burgers are also tasty, especially when paired with an appropriate beer from their massive selection. Service isn't bad, but can be awful slow in large groups or when things get really busy. If you can, find a seat at the bar and enjoy their ubiquitous televisions from there!
(5)Leslie A.
I wish i could rate the food separate from the beverages. As far as beer goes, there probably isn't a better place in Cleveland to go. The bottle and tap list are amazingly awesome, and more often than not amazingly delicious. The glass of the month special is pretty nifty, and I must be a 6 year old, because i like being able to go say "hi" to the resident lizard, Lucy. The food, in my opinion, is mediocre. Their bar food is too greasy, their vegetarian burger is obviously a frozen morning star patty, and the fries are too thick and often soggy. I find their white pizza to be solid though. Since I'm a vegetarian, though, i cannot weigh in on most of the menu. I'm never upset when I end up here, but at the same time if I'm looking for a tantalizing meal, this isn't the first place on my list.
(4)Katie C.
Tasty food, good beer selection, and an awesome happy hour. They had free wi-fi so it is a mice place to get a beer and do some work. Love it!
(5)HY S.
I'm from Seattle, but been in Cleveland for school for the last 9 years and I must say that the Wink is one of two places I miss when I'm not in town (Cave du vin, is #2). It's my automatic go-to place when I want to stuff my face with greasy food and wash it down with beer. For some reason, these places are a dime a dozen in the Midwest, but haven't caught on in Seattle (not trendy? not ethnic enough?). A. Let's start with their series of 1/2 price specials: 1) Mon & Tue = WING NIGHT! 30 cents for wings (love the Thai and Caribbean). Add a 32 oz Dortmunder and $8 later you're in a very good place. It's also 1/2 price pizza night. 2) Wed = 1/2 price rib night? I'm blanking -- I must have other plans on Wednesdays. 3) Thur = BURGER NIGHT! 1/2 price burgers (there are like 15 to choose from) -- sliders excluded :( Their burgers are pretty average, but there is something inexplicably mesmerizing about the Winking Lizard slider. B. Atmosphere It's more restaurant than bar, but still the kind of place you can camp out and order a few rounds without looking like a lush. I like that I can get a table and have a conversation with the people I came with instead of fighting over bad, loud music or giant tvs for someone's attention. There are lots of tvs, yet they're much less intrusive than at your typical sports bar. An added bonus is I guess this makes the Wink less appealing to the douchebags who frequent many of Coventry's other fine establishments. Sure, the pet lizard is kind of strange and for some reason, the popcorn carts kind of freak me out, but it's all part of the charm. C. Service The waitstaff is super friendly and efficient. You won't be stuck with an empty glass for long before someone comes by to take your order, and your food generally takes less than 15 minutes to come out. Although, how long does frying ever really take? Ultimately, the Winking Lizard is just a restaurant/bar with all-around decent, greasy food and a huge beer selection that's walking distance from my apartment. But their specials rock and encourage patrons to eat and drink more than they had anticipated. Genius!
(5)Cassandra K.
The only thing keeping me from giving this place a higher rating is that they don't have their sign saying "21 and up" visible... I walked in one night wanting dinner and since I had eaten there before with my mom after being dropped off at college, I didn't know that you have to be 21+ to even eat there. I asked for a table for one, the waitress acted like she didn't understand me, asked if I wanted to see the menu before I sat down, I repeated that I wanted a table, and she sneered at me and asked to see an ID. I asked her if I could just dine there without drinking, and she barked, "no!" and practically shoved me out the door. That was the only time I had ever seen her and usually when I go there with my family, the staff is really nice. But anyways, the wings are great... I just wish I wouldn't be treated like an alien walking in there.
(3)Miike G.
Boooo....Place was busy and dirty.
(2)J.J. C.
Yes, the beers and wings are good, but why not splurge and pump some heat into the bathroom.
(2)Maricar G.
Nice location along coventry which caters to the beer aficionados. Love love love the daily 32 ounce beer specials !!! What a steal ! I usually love their meditaranean salads featured at other winking lizard locations but for some reason they didn't have it here nor the seasonal specials offered at other lizard locations. A little disappointed in this particular location with respect to food. Got an order of Wings which were obviously sitting around and had to ask for a fresh basket of wings (they were hard and rubbery). However along coventry this is a nice place to hit up for a beer. Also free popcorn as always
(3)A'Lia M.
As far as chain restaurants can take you--This location will feed you. Don't expect much else.
(3)Cristina D.
We had wings, hot, which were perfectly acceptable for beer food and hit the spot. Two burgers, medium and rare, which were both cooked perfectly and served hot, with hot fresh French fries. A white pizza, served without tomatoes - perfect for our tomato haters - hit the spot, and was big enough to take half of it home when a large was ordered for one. A great deal. The beers were cold, and there was such a large selection. They had a list of beers for beginners and a list of diet choices. The bar had better lighting then the dining area, but we used our phone flashlights to look at the menu. It wasn't very busy around 9 on a Saturday night, either. Will definitely be back on my next trip to Cleveland. Glad that this time we needed somewhere to eat and we were pleasantly surprised to see a Winking Lizard, as we were familiar with the brand. All of the bad reviews tempted to put us off, but we were starving and our past memory meant more than bad reviews - thankfully. Every member of the staff really made us feel welcome, from the kind waitress to someone we stopped to ask about Ohio liquor laws. (The floor manager and GM seemed eager to hear about our experience as well!)
(5)Cara L.
It hurts me to write this after the delicious soft pretzel they served me--piping hot. Oh.My.God. It was like the junk-food angels came down from the heavens and told me, "You can die happy now." Based on the quality of the other food we ordered, I'm sure said pretzels were just the out-of-the-frozen-box variety, but when served hot, brushed with melted butter and accompanied by my favorite fake-food condiment of all time (nacho cheese), I'm not complaining. But that pretzel was really just a happy blip on the subpar radar of Winking Lizard Coventry. Now--I will cut the staff some slack here. I used to live near Coventry. I know the riff-raff they deal with on a daily basis. Lots of underage college kids trying to sneak in for drinks, drunk twenty-somethings testing their patience. I get it. But really, if you can't slap a smile on for your shift, especially when dealing with ADULT, dine-in customers? I've worked plenty of service jobs in my time. I've had to deal with the worst drunks (Browns game Sundays downtown... UGH x100) and I still wouldn't take out my shitty attitude on other customers. Here... try this. Instead of having a bouncer-like greeter at your door like you're a nightclub, how about you just stick with a smiling, pleasant hostess? And not to keep the complain train going... but no one likes to eat in a refrigerator just because the staff is warm. I hate to say this, but the customers' comfort should be top priority. The room we were brought to was down-right frigid. The A/C was on in October. it was under 50 degrees outside. Problem numero uno. The server was asked to turn the A/C, which she did, especially after she noticed the entire room still had their winter coats on. Shortly afterwards another server told her to turn it back on because she was hot--AFTER hearing the request from a customer. Oy. Lastly, like I mentioned before, the rest of our food was just not good. The wings looked soggy and under-cooked, yet dry--if that makes sense? It was like they were sitting for a while and getting cold before they brought them out. My grilled cheese was hardly warm, complete with congealed cheese inside--no melty goodness for you! And the loaded fries were just meh, but I think that's just my personal opinion. I don't like steak fries. LIke many of the other Yelpers have mentioned, some consistency across all Winking Lizard locations would be nice. Oh, and staff that can at least pretend like they want to be there.
(2)Scott L.
Winking Lizard Coventry = Good Times. Period. Started hanging here in 1999 but had to stop when I moved outta Cleveland Heights in 2003. I've been to a many Winking Lizards, and I'll say this has to be the best. The building is awesome, the multiple rooms are fantastic. Well, I do really like their newer Lakewood restaurant too. Bar is huge. That'll be another review... Hard to make comparisons on food though as they are all the same, but there is nothing like the Caribbean Spice out there anywhere else. I'll tell you what, San Francisco does not have a single fab wing joint like the Winking Lizard (or BW3 for that matter), and every time I return to Cleveland, I eat here almost daily. Obsessive? Yep. Compulsive? A little bit. But anywhere that has a beer menu like the Winking Lizard deserves a special place in any beer lover's heart. Oh yeah, wings too. And I believe the WL is the largest chain importer of Labatts Blue. I'll tell you what. Once you move south (Tucson) or west (San Francisco), it becomes almost impossible to find Canadian beers. If that even means anything. In short. I love this place!
(5)W S.
Food is decent. Big menu. They have pretty good, cheap beer specials. Biggest knock on this place is the service. I've been here many times and have been treated poorly on several occasions. One time I walked in and there was no hostess there to greet our party (this was about 10pm). We sat down at an open table and a few minutes later a waitress came up to us. Rather than taking our drink order, she, proceeded to chew us out for seating ourselves. I've had experiences like this several times. Get take out from this place, and save yourself abuse from the wait staff.
(1)Christine D.
This is my home away from home and I don't even live in this neighborhood. Love this place staff is nice and I have made a lot of friends with being a regular.
(5)Briana R.
I love Winking Lizard. We go there every week. Monday and Tuesday they have 1/2 price small pizzas and $0.40 wings or $0.35 for boneless wings. The food is quite yummy! Their wings and wing sauces are excellent. They also have a great selection of beers, both bottled and drafts. It is a great neighborhood sport bar, casual and friendly. There are people that have been working there for a while and are amazing! Oh, and they have free popcorn!!
(5)Jong S.
Good place to hang out with friends and grab a drink. Wings are pretty good but may be just a Tad overrated. Good selection of beers on draft.
(3)Kevin N.
Pretty decent place as far as places on Coventry go. Not a bad beer selection. The key is finding a month in which they have chosen a good beer as the special. Otherwise, it's just another pub or sports bar.
(3)Julia B.
Great American/bar food. This is located in the Valley and it's pretty good. They have a pretty poplar sports bar too, where lots of people watch the Browns or the Indians in the summer. The service is excellenet and the place is kept up nicely!
(4)M. M.
This is a decent stop for a beer and a burger. As others have said, it's a chain, nothing exciting, but dependable. As others have also said, the main minus is the crowd. This place fills up fast and you may have to stand around and wait for a while or take an uncomfortable seat at a too-small bar if you're in a bit of a hurry and want to have a quick bite. The people who go here tend to be loud sports-bar types and unlike other bar areas, such as Lakewood on the West Side, there's not too many places on Coventry for them to go, so they're all going to jam in here. Add in the family/ friends dinner crowd and you've got one loud, overcrowded, uncomfortable little restaurant. I normally don't mind eating while sitting at a bar, as I'm often eating by myself while waiting for friends, waiting for doors to open for a show nearby, etc., but I do mind when the guy next to me practically has his elbows in my french fries because there's just no space. They really need to expand the size of this joint or maybe offer takeout for the food. Next time I'm just going to ask for a box for my sliders and take them out to the benches on the corner up the street. The Lakewood Winking Lizard is preferable to this one simply because it's larger and in a slightly less trafficked area, making for less of an overcrowding problem.
(2)Kerri M.
This is the third Winking Lizard Tavern that we have been to. We love ribs and chicken and order the ribs bucket and the basket of wings and share. The beer is also reasonable. If you're looking for a relaxed casual atmosphere with good food, come here. Very good.
(5)Andy S.
I cannot suggest going out of your way to hang here, but if you are nearby and want to throw back a few and eat some salty/fatty treats, you can't really do any better. The bar area is small, but is covered with TV's, so if you are into sports you will be in good shape (as far as television coverage is concerned, anyway). They have a lot of beer, but if you are in a place like this it is best to stick to the specials. Free popcorn and pretty good BBQ sauce...not a terrible place by any stretch. The burgers ain't half bad, either. Overall its a slightly above-average (in the national sense) sports bar/restaurant. Expect more at your own peril.
(3)P W.
I don't mind Winking Lizard for bar food. They always have big iguanas sitting in big glass enclosures, so that really pumps me up no matter what. My favorite is the one downtown, it really is a magnificent creature of the earth. My favorite part of the Coventry location would have to be their caged iguana. I stopped in for a beer or two, and it was murder trying to stand around and drink. Judging by what the wait staff and hostess were telling us, they prefer you to be seated at the bar or a table. You can't really ramble around stumbling and bumbling like I was born to do. They did have Old Rasputin on tap which was nice.
(3)Ben T.
Since I just turned 21, I had never been inside the Wink other than to pick up my favorite Spicy Garlic Wings until last night. Although all I have ever had from there is their wings, they are great. The only thing that sort of sucks about this place is they are sort of stingy. You ask for Blue Cheese with your wings, and they bring you one, tiny little container of it, barely enough for 6 wings, if you ask for another one, you are charged for it. I just feel that that is not necessary. The beer list was pretty good, they had a lot of nice bottles and a fairly good tap list. I did like the vibe overall and the place is HUGE. I will be back a lot and think I will probably grow to love it more and more.
(4)C Mack N.
The Lizard's management appears consistently to value the benefits is keeping their draft beer lines pristinely clean - that and their attitude towards reasonably priced draft beer specials will keep any aficionado supremely happy. If you're a beer fan in general the more than 100 bottle list will keep you fluid. Food wise, the burgers are the best around at the price; wings are NOT up to Anchor Bar in Buffalo standard by any imaginative stretch, but locally, again, are hard to beat. As a plus, the service staff is the most professional in this class of restaurant you're likely to find anywhere and aside from the to be expected occasional malcontents a great group of actual professionals. Enjoy! By the way, the current manager, Kevin, obviously beloved by his staff, is either moving on to better and better venues or the top management of the L understands his professionalism and is clearly promoting him!!!
(4)Nikki K.
One of my favorite sports bars in Cleveland. It's a great place to unwind and relax after a long day at work. Totally agree with Chris L. Great place for Cheap Grub. The beer selection is great and I love the 32oz beer specials. And who can resist free popcorn?
(4)Al B.
Outstanding beer selection with good bar food. A place to grab a beer after work or to watch the game. All and all it's a franchise bar that has been able to hold onto it's neighborhood feel.
(3)Joseph F.
This place is awesome. If I ever leave Cleveland, this will be one of the places that I miss the most! For one thing, they have free popcorn at all hours of the day. I've been there at noon for a work luncheon and in the evening to enjoy a beer with friends and there is always fresh, hot, salty popcorn for the taking. Call me crazy, but the popcorn tastes especially good with their specialty BBQ sauce slathered on it! Secondly, their specials are a great deal. Burger and pizza nights are especially good. Seriously, it's cheaper (and better!) than fast food! Not to mention that the food is great, even at regular prices. Thirdly, the fact that they let you keep the glass that the beer of the month comes in (when it's in stock, that is!) is great. A large portion of my drinking class collection is courtesy of the Lizard. The beer selection is quite extensive too--I've been here many, many times and only ordered the same beer twice when I found a specific beer exceptional, not because there were no other options. Fourthly, it's a great place to watch a sports game. The staff is really receptive to requests to change a specific TV to a certain game if nobody's watching it. If you're looking for a great bar, head on out to the Lizard. You won't be disappointed!
(5)James W.
perhaps familiarity truly breeds contempt. if so, i have spent waaaaaaaaaay too much time at the lizard. maybe contempt is the wrong word. i don't hate it, but if i never set foot in here again, i will not for a second regret it. the good: multiple rooms, multiple bars, loads of tables and, saving the best for last, the beer of the month club. for an extra $0.75 to $1.00, you get to keep the glass - which helped me to accumulate quite the collection for my own bar, which may someday exist. the bad (neutral): just your average bar food - nothing bad, nothing good, nothing special. it really is just meh. depending on what you are looking for, the 400 televisions could be a plus or minus, but i'll throw it here in the middle. the service is usually ok as well. the ugly: i have to say, it's the crowd. sorry. this place is generally packed and LOUD. i've always gotten the impression it's crowded more because it's one of the only places to go as opposed to being crowded because it's a great place that no one can resist. oh, yeah. the trapped iguana is not cool. i'm sure they take good care of it, but i'm sure it would have a better life without the drunken masses tapping on the glass. look, if you want to go get a beer, a bite of fried whatever, and catch a game, the lizard is a fine place to go. i go back to plenty of 2-star places. i'd just prefer to go elsewhere. the main problem i always had with coventry, there just aren't that many "elsewheres" to go.
(2)Wesley W.
It's not exceptional in any way, but they do have some good beers, and like Kevin N said, the beer special is inexpensive. Actually there is something exceptional about it. The live iguana.
(3)Jason C.
This is a popular regional chain. OK food. OK beer. It's OK. There are many more pubs in Cleveland where you can find better food, better beer (more selection) and a more authentic experience. For example: Academy Tavern on Larchmere. For example: The Little Bar & Grill downtown. For example: Flannery's downtown. Etc. If you want some wingz with the dudez, go here.
(2)Matthew G.
When looking for a weeknight hangout on Cleveland's east side, look no further than this Coventry location. An extensive and ever evolving beer list will keep you entertained for months...except by then there are enough new offerings that you have cause to play some more! The collection of brews is not a who's who of beers (on Coventry, you'll have to go to La Cav Du Vin for that), but but the extensive collection guarantees you'll find something to meet your needs. Biggest problem will be getting a table on a weekend night and getting a table is almost a necessity at this location as actual bar space is extremely limited. The front door is something of a crowded mess of people desiring seating. I think this situation is the common turnoff for many people. However, once seated, you're golden. The excellent waitstaff will be able to help select a beer and make sure your needs are met. The sectioning of the restaurant into a few rooms makes for a cozier, more personal experience, which will be very appreciated by you and your table-mates. This is a great place to watch a game (not a great place to watch THE game)- the pub atmosphere is enough to knock out the sports bar feel, allowing the experience to be quality and peaceful. This pub/restaurant feel prevents a restaurant-wide 'mood' (thus, not a place for the big game), but this is probably the main appeal for many people (other than the desire to get away from the kind of crowds at the bars of Coventry). One of the limits on giving a five star rating is the food: standard bar/grease joint fare. However, there is certainly an extensive menu. Food is executed decently, but it's still a cheeseburger. At least the popcorn is free. But what is only average food is redeemed through specials. Well worth an artery clogging trip is Wing Night. Super cheap with many sauces to meet your needs. The drink specials can be quite the draw as well. The drink of the month will reward the purchaser with some souvenir glass- or ceramic-ware.
(4)Ben G.
The Winking Lizard gets a bad rap on this site. A lot of the complaints are valid but there are a lot of good things about this bar, especially when you compare it to the other bars on Coventry. First of all, it's really more of a restaurant than a bar--the seating area is much bigger than the two bars combined. I think the bar-style food is good: burgers, wings, ribs, fried food. But pretty much everything on the menu is good, even the salads and pizzas are decent, so you can keep a lot of people happy here. They have monthly food specials so there's always something new to try--I had a very good Bison burger here. MUCH better food than McNinni's down the street. The beer list is big, and is overrated. But the selection is a an order of magnitude bigger than the other bars on the street (Wine Cave excluded) so you WILL find something you like. Since the bar area is small it's not a great place to watch the big game. But this place has like 10 TVs lined up at the bar, so if you're an out-of-town football or baseball fan you are pretty much guaranteed that they will put your team's game on.
(4)Christopher C.
Decent pizza, nachos and beer. Lots of TV's and they have NHL Center ice, what else could you ask for. Could be cleaner.
(3)Donald H.
The beer is pretty good, but the food is somewhat lacking. Nice feel overall.
(3)Jeff B.
Wow some how this place managed to screw up wings, they were super greasy and tasted rancid. Like that had been fried several times I told the server they are super greasyshe said well they are fried. I was about to say yeah I know Einstein I make them at home. I left the Einstein part out. She took them away all pissed of. My girl did seem to have food poisoning that evening. Done with particular location
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