Kyuu-juu

  4.5 – 64 reviews   • Restaurant

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KyuuJuu is a Japanese tapas restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio, with a strong focus on contemporary Japanese cuisine, sashimi, Wagyu beef, sake, and cocktails. It’s known for its pop-up events and is now open in our permanent location in Ohio City. We do take a limited number of reservations but mostly encourage walk ins for parties of 2-4. Parties of 5-8, please email us to make arrangements for available seating options. [email protected] We are located in a beautiful century home, built in 1910. The seating space is dynamic, so we often rely on all dining spaces for reservations! We have expertly trained hospitality professionals here to serve you. We look forward to welcoming you to Kyuujuu!

✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in Kyuu-juu 44113

Menu Photos

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Reviews

Aireonna McCall
Hands down one of the best meals we’ve had in a long time. Huge thank you to Chef Dereck for crafting such incredible dishes, and to Barbara for the impeccable service from start to finish.

We were lucky enough to experience the magic of Kyuu-juu during their pop-up at Bad Medicine and it only made us even more excited for their brick-and-mortar home to open.

If you’re thinking about trying one of Cleveland’s newest restaurants, don’t hesitate. Set that date. Make that reservation. Eat, drink, and be merry at what we now consider one of the best spots in The Land!
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Chrissy
I recently had the pleasure of dining at Kyuu-Juu with a group of six friends, and it was easily one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in Cleveland. I made a reservation in advance (highly recommend if you’re coming with a larger group), and from the moment we walked in, the staff was warm and welcoming. The space itself is gorgeous, and we were seated outside in a beautiful patio area that even had its own restrooms—super convenient.

The menu is designed tapas-style, with smaller plates meant for sharing. I’d definitely suggest ordering a rice dish or two to anchor the meal, then layering on a mix of the small plates. The rice bowls, priced around $16–25, were surprisingly filling on their own. What really impressed me was how smoothly the staff rotated dishes in and out so our table never felt cluttered, even with lots of plates coming through.

The food itself was phenomenal. The sushi was some of the freshest I’ve ever had in Cleveland—the fish is flown in from Japan, and you can truly taste the difference. The hamachi with the sauce they use was my personal favorite. The yakitori and sirloin were cooked to perfection: tender, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Dessert was equally impressive—we tried the crepe cake and fruit bowl, both as beautiful as they were delicious.

My partner loved that the drinks menu featured authentic Japanese imports, including his favorite Kirin beer. We even had a great conversation with the owner, who shared more about their beverage sourcing, which added such a personal touch.

Parking was easy with both street options and a nearby corner lot. For those interested in their omakase experience, it’s held upstairs in an intimate setting with only about eight seats, typically booked out at least a month in advance. Service for omakase runs about three hours—definitely on my list for next time.

Yes, the price point is on the higher side, but between the exceptional quality of the ingredients, the artistry of the presentation, the incredible service, and the stunning atmosphere, Kyuu-Juu is absolutely worth it. I’d call this a 100/10 dining experience, and without a doubt one of Cleveland’s most special spots.
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G C
Everything about this restaurant was great. The service was amazing, the drinks were very good, and the food was delicious. We got the hamachi, akami, chicken yakitori, and chicken rice. The sashimi tasted so fresh and flavorful. I also got the martini which was 10/10. I highly recommend 🙂
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Gabriela Holzer
Highest quality cuts of fish you can find in Cleveland! The drink selection is amazing too- perfectly balanced cocktails and a great sake selection. They also have a Suntory highball machine which makes the perfect highball. My favorite bites were the Saba and the takowasa, as well as the exciting specials they offer (we had snails!)

It is certainly not an inexpensive place to go, but when you consider the decades of expertise these folks have, and the fact that they are frequently importing the highest quality products from Japan, the price simply reflects these markers of quality. So exciting to have an authentic Japanese restaurant in Cleveland, and can’t wait to go back.
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Rick Ellett
I fell in love with this spot on my first bite of food. The flavors are authentically Japense, and it is very much an upscale Izakaya. It’s not cheap, but they import a lot of their ingredients from Japan, and the taste absolutely makes the price point worth it. The design is warm and welcoming along with a super friendly staff. I highly reccomend you give this place a try!
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Alexandra Johnson
This restaurant provides a beautiful atmosphere and some great bites on lovely plate ware. I loved the vintage Japanese posters on the wall and the elegant archways that frame your view of the bar from the waiting area and dining room. I know this is a very new restaurant so I want to give some grace but there are a few areas I believe could use some polish. A bowl of white rice is $9 and it’s a little dry and I don’t believe it’s sushi rice. While the bites are good the prices are high with each plate of sashimi being comprised of 3 pieces. This restaurant feels like it’s approaching a fine dining identity so I wish there was a tasing menu or a bit more direction from our server (who was very friendly and polite) about how to order and what dishes really stand out. We waited around 30 mins for our check after asking for it twice and gratuity was included. Service was friendly but I wish I felt like there was a bit more menu knowledge from our server. I believe with a little more time this will be one of the best date spots in the city.
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Nader Hassen
Me and my fiancé visited Japan last year and have had our share of sashimi and this did not disappoint. The staff were all friendly and very informative about the menu. Chef Kwan came out personally to check in on us throughout our dining experience. This is a very unique menu and a lot of their items are imported from Japan. The pricing was actually very reasonable compared to other restaurants in the area and overseas in Japan. A lot of time and preparation goes into each night and definitely showed with our experience. We can’t wait to come back to try the Omakase up stairs!
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Ali Navarro
$47 = $18 for a bite of Saba + $18 of a sip of Umeshu (plum wine)

I came to Kyuu-juu excited to support a new, local business with authentic Japanese food (something Cleveland has been missing), but I left hungry, heartbroken, and disappointed …

Insane prices & small serving sizes. I don’t care if the food came from outer space

Born and raised in Cleveland and having lived in rural Japan for 6 years, I was thrilled to see an authentic Japanese restaurant finally open here. I show my support the best way I can: by spending what little I have and sharing honest reviews to uplift small, local businesses. But this wasn’t that…. This was gentrified luxury dressed in Japanese aesthetics, planted in a neighborhood where people are literally sleeping on the sidewalks outside—likely displaced by the 300% increase in rent and home prices in the past decade. And now ridiculous food costs.

The space is beautiful.
The service was kind.
The food tasted great.
But I’ll never come here again unless I become a millionaire.

They seem to expect customers to sit for hours ordering dish after dish, but at $15–$65 a plate, who is that for?? Certainly not for the average Clevelander making $32k a year (avg household income).

This place is catering to the wealthy, taking advantage of a gentrified neighborhood, and monopolizing a market that’s starved for real Japanese cuisine. They’ve wrapped the entire operation in a deceitful bow of “authenticity,” with luxury pricing, and sleek aesthetics to mask what this really is: an exclusive, performative experience with no cultural integrity.

Beautiful place. Attentive staff. Delicious food.
But deeply, deeply out of touch…
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Adam Pengal
The service and food are on another level at Kyuu Juu. The servers, bartenders and chefs were all very professional while showing a level of friendliness that makes you feel like a regular even if it’s your first time.

The food was delicious and expertly crafted with the flavor of the ingredients in mind. The sashimi pairs each fish with flavors that are meant to highlight the nuances of the cuts, and you can tell that the chefs work very hard to highlight each ingredient without overpowering. All the other small plates were excellent and carried over with this theme.

The prices are high, but there are options on the menu that are more affordable and allow you to experience the elevated Japanese izakaya experience.

Overall Kyuu Juu is doing a wonderful job bringing their expertise and skill to provide outstanding dishes in a restaurant that rivals those in much bigger cities. While it can be expensive, the quality, flavors and care are definitely worth the cost.
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Zihan
My husband and I went to Kyuu-juu last night and had an amazing meal!

We feel like we were transported to a high end Japanese izakaya in Japan and it is on par if not better than some Japanese restaurants we’ve had in NYC.

They started us off with an amuse bouche of fish and pickled vegetables which was really delicious!

We ordered the miso eggplant, the mushrooms, as well as the special yakitori of the night of chicken hearts as well as karaage. Everything was well seasoned and cooked to perfection.

In terms of drinks, I had the sparkling sake which was delicious and my husband got the old fashioned—which came with the giant hand carved clear ice cube which was a really special touch that I haven’t seen anywhere else in Cleveland and not even in a lot of cocktail bars in NYC.

From the decor to the carefully crafted menu and Japanese imported ingredients, there is truly nothing like this restaurant in Cleveland and it is truly a gem.

As for the naysayers complaining about the price—no it is not cheap for Cleveland, but you are paying for premium ingredients and craftsmanship ‍♀️
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