Sara’s Place

This has been our favorite restaurant since moving to Cleveland. Prices are very reasonable, we are foodies on a budget so when not going to a high end place we love coming here. The staff is always great and free valet is awesome. We have tried probably 75% of the menu so far and not had a bad meal!

Went recently and ordered the Mikey’s salad on the menu. The red onions completely overpowered the salad so I was bummed! Otherwise always — great service.

We were certainly happy to have found a nice place like Saras not too far from us until we experienced service the other day.
First of all service is not consistent. You are either lucky and have a friendly and good server or you end up with one who does not seem to care at all or on top charges you food and drinks you never had! We called them to correct that (please understand it is not about the amount it is only about the fact that this should not happen and we don’t have the time to check the bill)
but they had all kinds of explanations. For what? Listen, I did not have the salad or the wine you charged me!
Nobody had the courtesy to correct that. Well this way I do not feel appreciated and certainly will make different choices for lunch and for dinner next time as you guys obviously don’t need any additional business!

I am adding to Clifton H’s review about our visit on Mothers Day. I am his mom & we had his grandma with us too. It was quite a drive for us to get here which was very scenic. Although, as he said the appetizer was very good, the service was very odd & disappointing, almost embarrassing. My mom also was disappointed to be seated upstairs in a very small room as we did have a reservation in advance. As we watched the fighting unfold and sat for a very long time for our drink order to be taken,(I actually had to get up & ask if we could please order as others who came after us were already waited on), my son got busy on his phone looking for another restaurant to go to as he decided to cut this visit short & not have dinner here in these circumstances. We drove all the way to Little Italy to one of our favs, Washington Place, to have dinner in the patio. We should have went there in the first place & had a great evening after all.
I have been talking about trying Sarah’s Place for a very long time & did not expect this to happen. Not sure if we should give it one more try?

The place is nice, cozy, clean and the food is pretty good. My only issue is it’s too expensive.

I ate here while in Ohio on business. The neighborhood surrounding the restaurant is beautiful. I ate there early on a Monday night so the restaurant was pretty quiet. The Tuscan bean soup that I had heard so much about was ok. Maybe it was hyped too much? My entrée was excellent. I ordered the fish special. It was cooked well and served over delicious mashed potatoes with asparagus. The service was very good. Even the valet introduced himself. I will go back the next time I am in Ohio.

Great Place. Just celebrated my daughter’s senior commenement with family.

Very odd experience at Sara’s Place… After hearing so many positive reviews I made a reservation for dinner. The area is beautiful and the restaurant is situated in a neat «downtown» area of Gates Mills I didn’t know existed. However upon entering and checking in, we were told to head upstairs as that’s where we were being seated. The upstairs dining area in my opinion isn’t as nice as downstairs, although there is a nice bar in the room. The staff upstairs was confused from the moment we got there, then the waiter and bartender proceeded to carry out a very heated argument which lasted the entire visit. Between them and the manager who kept coming up to check on the situation, it made for a very uncomfortable situation. There were obviously some major staff issues going on and we decided to just get an appetizer and cut our meal short. To summarize: the mussels we ordered were actually quite good and therefore two stars. The drinks were made incorrectly. The staff was fighting in front of the guests. It was a holiday and a day they are not usually open, but that doesn’t excuse the unprofessional behavior. I will give it one more try another time.

Nice place, very good service, waitress was very friendly and let us enjoy a meal at our pace and did not rush us! Food was very good. Good wine selection. Obviously a popular local place. I would go again. They just need to clean the white doors in/​around the restaurant, kinda dirty looking.

Came here for lunch. It was so good! Eggplant was perfect! My mom had the chicken pot pie and she enjoyed it as well. I will be back!

Good food, individually prepared with young, friendly servers. The location in Gates Mills is picturesque and a nice walk before or after a meal is an added attraction. The place is run by the owners of the former Gavi’s, another excellent restaurant.

Had a fabulous lunch. Very nice atmosphere and located in a very picturesque setting. I had the Red Raspberry Quinoa Salad for lunch and the homemade peach pie for dessert. Will definitely go back.

I love Sara’s Place. It’s a place where I’ve never had a meal that I’ve not enjoyed.
I greatly appreciate a restaurant that makes soups, salad dressings and sauces from scratch as they do at Sara’s. The Tuscan White Bean Soup is outstanding and if you are in need of a bowl of comfort, have the chicken and rice. It’s just like the chicken and rice soup your grandmother made when you were not feeling well.
The eggplant rolls are perfect with a sauce as good as my own, same with the meatballs.
I’ve had and enjoyed most of the salads. In addition to house made dressings, it makes me happy that you can order a smaller version of any salad for a reduced price to accompany your meal. I’m particularly a fan of the Tomato Corn and Shrimp salad and appreciate that they use Laughing Bird shrimp, the only good farmed shrimp there is, instead of frozen shrimp that’s been treated with preservatives as most other places use. Their Chagrin Chopped salad is perfect as is the Pete’s Chopped salad.
Favorite entrées have been the Israeli Cous Cous with Grilled Tofu, Roasted Chicken and Chicken Pot Pie.
The prices are appropriate for the quality of food that they deliver.
The service has always been warm and friendly and I’ve noticed that they have had the same service and kitchen staff for years. That says a lot about the restaurant.

So yummy! Miss the old Gavi’s so this is definitely a good alternative since it’s owned and operated by the same people. Delicious food! I had the Carmelles which are delicious little bites of heaven and my boyfriend had the Chicken Pot Pie. All of which was so great had many layers of flavor and was seasoned just right. We also had the Spicy Bacon Pizza which was divine. If you go there you will not be disappointed. Great romantic spot and the drive to get there is beautiful too!

Big Fan of this place! The stuffed Banana Peppers and Mussels are great here! Also best Chicken Pot Pie ive had! Service is always attentive and a good fun crowd. Will be back as we really like this place!

Holy smokes is this place awesome! Came here last night with my parents for a pre-​birthday celebration and I loved every minute of the meal. My martini was made to perfection, the filet was outstanding and perfectly cooked and the mussels were so savory and delicious. After our server cleared our plates, we were hoping to order dessert and she must have overheard us say it was my birthday this weekend, so she surprised us all and came out with a mini cake! I’m not sure what kind of cake it was… tasted and looked like red velvet cake but way better! I highly recommend coming here for a birthday or special occasion.

My husband and I have to go out at strange times because of arranging child care so we are limited as to where we can go (getting home to get kids in bed and all that). We were looking for something new for us and relatively close and Sara’s looked like it would be a great option! We were celebrating our wedding anniversary so this was suppose to be a special meal.
We were «greeted» by the waiter who pointed us in the general direction of some tables and explained he would be over with menu’s in a minute. It is a very cute place that’s not too dimly lit and being one of three tables at the place, it wasn’t too loud or anything.
After several minutes we were give menus. While I did hear the waiter talk to another table about specials, we were never told about any. I did hear EXTENSIVELY about the issues the staff were having as they were all going on about this, that and the other the entire meal. I watch our waiter pass our table (I counted) 7 times before he asked if we had questions or were ready to order.
The food:
Lasagna roll– Flavorful but with a bit to heavy a sauce. NOT with the $ 9 price tag.
Beet Salad– I think this was the best part of the meal. Very good flavor an presentation.
Mac-​and-​Cheese– No, I’m not a kid but it looked like a dressed up version. I had chicken added as well. The sauce while not as orange as Kraft was just as runny. Not at all what I would expect for a $ 19 dish. Portion size was very large.
Mediterranean Pasta– Not bad. Again, large portion. I’ve seen this same thing done over and over and while they did it well it wasn’t anything spectacular.
Cream Brûlée– Plunking on large strawberry on top isn’t the best presentation I’ve ever seen. Again with a $ 9 price tag, I wouldn’t get it again.
Skillet Cookie with a shot of milk– This pretty much tasted like a Toll House cookie that was cooked in a cupcake tin. It was pretty hard and I didn’t finish it.
Coffee– Now I realize it was about 3 in the afternoon but when the server poured our cups and then immediately take the thermos’ to the back you know it’s been sitting there most likely all day. It was terrible and we spent $ 2.75 for 2 cups we couldn’t even drink.
Service– As I said we were one of 4 tables in the place. There was one initial server then 2 – 3 more came in. I have NEVER had such bad service. It was like we weren’t even there. While we were eating our desserts the server dropped off the check because he had other things to do.
As we were leaving, I saw Orlando Baking Company bread (garlic bread and the rolls like we had been served) sitting in the window. Really? At an Italian restaurant you would think they would make bread. I feel like if they are serving store bought bread, what else was basically reheated?

I recently attended a work dinner here while visiting Cleveland. They had our party set up in one of their private rooms upstairs and the service was phenomenal. I wasn’t sure what to expect driving up on this place, but I was very impressed with the scenery and location where this restaurant is located. A refreshing change to the usual strip malls or busy roads where you would find typical restaurants.
We had a particular server assigned to our reserved room and she was on the ball with making sure drink orders were topped off and even helped with recommendations for entrees for those of us who had never been there before. The stuffed banana peppers on the appetizer menu were to die for and still have me craving some weeks later. I ordered the couscous with chicken and was very impressed with the flavors and portion sizes. This is definitely the place to go if you are looking for an upscale meal or an intimate dinner location.

Wow what a great time! We went there on NYE for dinner. Had a reservation. Food was great (I had filet) but a little slow due to NYE. I normally do not go there otherwise, but will try again soon.
The valet attendants were polite, have a coatcheck. Kinda pricey though.

Sara’s place is great. The ambiance is great for a dinner with friends, family, a boyfriend/​girl friend. It is dimly lit and decorated nicely. I have not dined in the main dining room but it seems to attract a lot of people. I generally dine in the bar area on the second floor. It’s small and cozy with a small bar and probably 10 or so small tables.
So far my favorite things I’ve tried is the Beans and Greens. Sounds so simply and it is — but it is SOOOOO good. I promise you won’t regret it. I have driven there 30 minutes each way fro take out to satisfy my craving for it. I’ve also had the Caesar Salad, Arugula/​Tomato salad, and Mussels. I’m not big on anchovy so I did not enjoy the Caesar at all. But everything else has been great. I look forward to trying more things off the menu.