EDWINS Leadership & Restaurant Institute, Cleveland OH

We were disappointed. We love the concept and are very happy to patronize a restaurant with a social mission. The room is gorgeous and interesting. But (1) we found the food to be quite pricey for the quality, maybe 40-50% more than the meal, as good or better, that we enjoyed the next night at L'Albatros; and (2) our server was pleasant and motivated, but the restaurant let her down very badly by not giving her the training required. The lack of proper training meant that she was unconfident, inept at times, and therefore embarrassed. We felt badly for her - shame on management for putting someone in this position. At these prices, they should be supporting the staff with them training and practice they need. Based on our sample of one, we wouldn't recommend it. Too bad!

We had the most amazing dinner at this wonderful restaurant. The staff was so friendly and kind. We even got a tour of the kitchen! 100% recommend for all of your trips to Cleveland. The food was expertly prepared and had wonderful taste as well as being beautifully presented.

Great restaurant for a dinner party or an intimate dinner for two. The staff goes out of their way to ensure you have a great experience. Attention to detail on every dish was exceptional and delicious. Highly recommend.

I went here for the first time with my boyfriend for his birthday. I had high expectations due to visiting another location out of town. However, it was a completely different experience. The menu online was completely different then the one in person. Which limited our options. We had salmon with roasted potatoes. The potatoes were amazing and the salmon was ok could have been better. The services however was absolutely amazing. The waiting staff was attentive and polite. They made sure we were taking care of. The hostess was awesome. I would come back just for the service. Overall we enjoyed our dinner. Returning for the food is questionable.

I appreciate the restaurant’s mission, yet the food was lackluster, BTG list mediocre, staff excessively attentive, and ambiance not befitting the restaurant’s price point. Check with your CPA about your bill being a taken as charitable donation for income tax purposes.

Edwins offered me and my party up one of the best meals we’ve ever eaten. The ambiance is terrific. We started with foie gras and I had the gazpacho. The foie gras was perfectly sautéed and came on a toasted bread and a sauce that perfectly complimented it. The gazpacho was refreshing and it’s a great palate cleanser. For the entree I had the duck confit, and guess what, perfectly cooked. Crisp skin on the brined but not salty duck was really great. It was on a creamy bed of mushroom risotto with asparagus. The plate came out hot and I ate every bite. The rest of my party had the airline chicken which was fork tender and came with great mashed potatoes. The only let down was a dry bread pudding dessert that was complimentary after we didn’t finish it. Can’t wait for my next trip to Edwins and I couldn’t recommend it more.

Great experience at Edwins- all staff are so welcoming and courteous. Complimentary valet when you arrive is very helpful for Shaker Square. We were able to sit on the patio and take in a beautiful street fair complete with music. Nice bread service was provided right away even before we could open our menus.

Cocktails are crafted with care and very tasty, our standout of the night was the painkiller served in a tiki glass with fresh grated nutmeg on top. The Paper Airplane was solid as well.

"Entrees" or appetizers all looked so good we chose two, the foie gras and the seafood sausage. The foie gras was decadent and perfectly seared, the seafood sausage was so unique! Definitely a must try if you are a fan of shellfish.

For mains we ordered the duck confit with risotto and the duo of lamb. The presentation was beautiful, as you can see from the picture. Both mains were delightful but the real standout was the risotto- fantastic.

For dessert we had the fluffy light souffle made with Grand Marnier which was a fitting end to a great meal. They even surprised us with a Birthday Candle for my wife's special day.

Overall it was a wonderful night and besides great food and service, their mission is such important work in our community.

Wonderful dinner. Our server made sure we had a wonderful experience and was social. Food was fantastic. Definitely going to go back.

Extremely allergy friendly! We made a reservation and told them my allergies at the time of the reservation, and everyone was super informed and careful. I felt very comfortable eating here as a person with allergies. Highly recommend. Food was wonderful, very attentive staff, beautiful place. God bless your work.

Lovely French restaurant with classic fine dining experience. Enjoyed the tartare and escargot. Our server was very kind.

Visited my niece in Cleveland in early August. I had seen a piece on EDWINS on CBS Sunday morning and requested that we go. We had an excellent dinner - the food and wine were great. We had a courteous server who explained the program he went through to learn how to be a server and how thankful he was to have been selected to be part of the program. The restaurant was super busy but the chef and owner took the time to visit the table and got us extra water and bread when he noticed that we needed more. Would definitely recommend this restaurant and hope to go there again when visiting Cleveland in the future.

It doesn't get any better than this in terms of all around experience, IMO. We ate outside which was lovely. The staff were friendly, respectful, and just all around lovely people. The food was (proceeds to kiss fingers) tres magnifique. Facility was clean and ambience was enjoyable for an intimate adult meal. And supporting the mission of the restaurant, yes please. It's is one of the most expensive meals I personally have ever had, and it was worth. Every.stinking.penny.

A great experience. Super attentive service and delicious food. The lobster bisque was the standout. And the seafood sausage was delicious and unique. Tasty wines by the glass as well.

One the finest dining experiences we ever had. Implacable service, excellent food and wines. World class French.
Try their cheese selection. I have yet to see one like that in Paris, NYC or Rome.
Go there!

I had high hopes coming here but was really underwhelmed.

To start of with the good, the service was excellent. Our waiter was really personable, and they actually seemed to have a large surplus of wait staff, there was a group of about 5 that were awkwardly just standing idly the whole time I was there.

The underwhelming part was the food. First they give you complimentary bread and butter, but there’s nothing really special to it. The bread wasn’t stale but it wasn’t fresh either. I usually wouldn’t complain about something free but for a place labeled “high end” expected it to at least be as good as the bread at Cheesecake Factory.

My main dish was the salmon and it was very strange. It was plated in a way that looked beautiful but doesn’t make a ton of sense. You get a block of salmon that sits upon a bed of thinly sliced cucumbers, which makes all the cucumber slices warm, slimy and soft. Next, despite the menu saying “horseradish encrusted salmon” the salmon was not “encrusted”, there was a single sheet of horseradish-crust just placed on top of the salmon, obviously cooked separately. And this costs $29.

Overall, on surface level, this place is lovely. But once you get to the food, which is arguably the point of a restaurant, it really falls short. Not sure that I will come back.

It's my third time here. Their food are still tasty but not as good as before. I had crab salad, salt cured duck and bread pudding. The salt cured duck tastes wonderful and the other two are not very impressive.

I see that Edwin’s is trying to train young people but you must train them before throwing them into battle. Clearly you are trying to train too many people.
The food:
My lamb entree was skimpy just 4 small pieces of lamb. The mashed potatoes were lumpy and not smooth and the string beens were not cooked.
My friends seafood sausage was also child portion and tasteless.
If I lived in Cleveland I would not he back.
Sorry
Duane from NYC

All I want to say is that my 6th year Anniversary was the best. The whole restaurant made my wife and I feel like royalty. 5 star restaurant and servers. Thank you EDWIN.

We have been to edwins several times and wonderful service& great food every time! We celebrated our Anniversary last night and such a romantic ambiance. Everyone was attentive and made us feel special. Chef Brandon even came by to talk to us. Highly recommend!

Incredibly good food, intimate setting and wonderful conversation with the staff about the backstory of the Edwin's mission. Highly recommend. I've shown the red wine egg appetizer.