I wanted to grab something small before heading downtown to meet friends. The music was great, although too loud to have a conversation with the person next to you, most customers are treated like regulars. The crowd is kind of trendy - read hipster- which should be no surprise in Tremont. Prices are reasonable lots of options under $10 and drafts are fairly priced with a good seasonal rotation.
There was some sort of cyclist meet up going on the night I came here got crab cakes and a ruby red martini made a few friends and will definitely return when I just want to pop in for a drink and a bar bite.
Went in for the 100th time last nite and for the first time ever waited OVER an hour for my food while EVERYONE that came in after us got their food and drinks. Waitress never noticed nor cared and bartender made excuses for the kitchen instead of apologizing and making it right. Basically they forgot about us even though we were RIGHT in front of the kitchen. I have loved Lava Lounge for years and won't go back for several more. My advice is skip it and go to Bar Centro on 25th ST, Good Food and drinks till 2 AM.
Review Source:This is our "go to" hang out in Tremont as I live 10 minutes away. Â I always enjoy the bar staff, great menu and great cocktails. Â My only wish is they'd throw a few more decent stouts on the beer list. Â Â It's bar food on steroids.... Hangar steak with chimichuri and frites are amazing and you can beat it for $11 or so. Â This is the kind of place you come to after being out of town for a week and need to get a bite to eat at 10pm and a drink.
Review Source:I will admit my first experience was not the greatest. Â Upon arrival, shortly after opening I assume, the bartender was not happy to have to remove himself from his seat to wait on strangers. Â The music got louder, and the ambiance was lost, like my hearing. Â I left shortly after for a quieter, more friendly location.
On my next visit I was greeted and promptly served. Â Every time since the food has been spectacular. Â I have tried many menu items along with specials, and I am very impressed. Â The crowd is mixed with regulars, randoms, and in betweens, which I enjoy. Â I enjoy the intimacy of the hidden back patio, it is closed off and comfortable. Â
I truly enjoy a few of the bartender's personalities now, where as I did not my first time. Â I am glad I gave it a second chance.
Lava Lounge is a great low key bar in Tremont. I was expecting a little bit more before I went for a night out. We sat at the bar and the bartenders were great! They were playing a rockin' playlist too, which was very enjoyable. The food was great too.
It is nice to be able to out in Tremont and not spend a ton of money. They were very reasonably priced!
per the grapevine this place has the best burger in Cleveland....hmmm I gave it a whirl, Service was great, and more so was the other guest we chit chatted with. Â I love Clevelander's and there colorful personalities. Â Come on yes I am biased I came from this bloodline Midwesterner's Rock.
The burger was ok fries pretty good, But being that I spent 2 years traveling abroad trying a shit load of meat pattys I think this one was an average bear. Â (yes I can say I am a burger connoisseur my curves prove it)
Beer was cold and so was the weather "Welcome to Cleveland"
This update has been a long time coming, but I am happy to finally get a moment to reiterate my praise for Lava Lounge.
This is one of the best late night food places in all of Cleveland. And the cocktails (which I've been drinking more of due to the great cocktails emerging in The Cleve) are pretty top-notch. They had a peach/lavender sangria last summer that was incredible. I am hoping and praying they bring it back for another tour in 2013.
And guess what else? NO TV's! Having no TV's pretty much ensures a night of minimal Woo and a very small sampling of Bros out hogging or getting wasted or whatever they are doing nowadays.
The mac & cheese is great, the white bean soup is very good, and most everything else I've had there is well above average.
To top it all off, there are very nice people that work there. And you can rent out the upstairs for parties.
I went for happy hour on a Monday and the place was really dead. But, I was with a group of girlfriends so we were content with it being just us in the bar. We all ordered a bunch of food, calamari, wings, sweet potato fries and everything was really good. All the food was devoured accordingly. The martini's we had were mixed just right and chilled to perfection. The patio is great for those of us who chain smoke while we drink. All in all, I think this is a great choice for happy hour.
Review Source:My first experience in Tremont; I need to get out more. The Lava Lounge is not hidden, but it's not exactly tucked away either. Approaches very much like a small hole in the wall restaurant you might run into in San Francisco, and the food is on the same level (excellent.) I was called into work a few minutes before hand and I had just tossed a t-shirt and jeans on, and I was lucky to find there was an eclectic mix of people inside so no worries on the dress code. There is a small bar area with tables seating about 20 or so on the main floor. Apparently, there is an upstairs with pool tables and a more relaxed vibe, I'll have to look for this next time. First thing aside from the layout that hit me was the smiles coming from the kitchen. Those guys were clearly loving their job and/or the kitchen company; either way, happy kitchen staff typically makes for good food.
I grabbed one of the specials, skirt steak tacos (as did my companion) and we grabbed sweet potato fries. Allow me to say...I have had sweet potato fries at The Penguin in North Carolina (regarded as some of the best in the country) and these were easily able to hold their own. The fries are served in a thicker cut somewhere between "steak fries" and "traditional cut" fries, but they were crispy and the portion size was enough for two to split. The skirt steak tacos were classicly paired with chimichurri, and both were executed flawlessly. I did get one tough piece of steak, but that did not ruin anything for me. I'm not much of a drinker, but my companion had a beer (not my thing) with some apple notes that was decently paired with what we were having.
All in all, the food was great, the service was great, and I got out for two people under 30 bucks including tip. The ONLY gripe I have is that when we sat afterwards to have a conversation the music got a little loud and I was using a raised voice to have a conversation. However, I knew going into it that there was a DJ, and so I chalk  that up to something expected.
I have absolutely fallen in LOVE with Tremont...The vibe fits perfectly with my energy (yeah, I'm spiritual)...The westside, especially Tremont just has the energy to make you (well, me) let go of all of the troubles of life and just BE...very cool...
Lava is also a perfect place to just BE...Last night I was there with a dear friend that has lived in Lakewood for years and loves cooling out here...I love the dark colors, bright artwork, small, yet open space and chalk menu on the wall...
Our bartender Sharon was awesome...very cool and down to earth...offered great suggestions...I had an Amaretto Sour (made with club soda which is not what I'm used to, but it was good) and he had a Te-kill-ya Martini...(I only know that its made with Jose Cuervo).
It wasnt that many people in there until 12am, then people started pouring in (which was weird to me)...Alot of others ordered food, which I will definitely have to try next time, soon...around 11p, a dj came in a spun old school R&B and rap which brought memories flooding back lol
I'm strange in the sense that I always have to see the restrooms in different establishments, especially restaurants and pubs for this reason...If they don't take the time to clean and maintain the restroom, the same is more than likely accurate for the kitchen (stop, think about it...it makes sense). The bathroom was very spacious and had cool deep red paint, black floors and ceilings...and it was clean which I can't say for most bars/lounges...
My only diappointment is that the music was too damn loud...it couldve been turned down as the acoustics were off because it wasnt crowded...we could barely hear each other speak...other than that, I love Lava...will be back :)
Best happy hour in the city!
My Lava love runs deep for several reasons, but happy hour is number one. Â It goes until 8pm, which is awesome for a happy hour since most end by 7pm at the latest. Â That extra hour is a treat. Â And the food is fantastic! Â
Full disclosure time: I would kill a man for their sweet potato fries. Â
Luckily they're only $3 during happy hour, so I don't have to, but they're THAT good. Â They're almost like jo-jo's with a tempura batter. Â Delicious. Â The rest of the happy hour menu tops out between 5-7$ for some pretty tasty food, and they have a decent range of $5 cocktails, which means you can get a full dinner AND a fancy cocktail for around $13. Â You can't beat that. Â If you don't catch happy hour, the regular menu isn't bad price-wise either. Â I'd recommend the chorizo mac & cheese, which is incredible. Â
For a long time I avoided this place because I remembered when it opened and was THE place to go. Â Even all these years later, in my mind, that meant it was douchey and full of people trying too hard. Â That couldn't be further from the truth. Â It's definitely "cool" inside (we are in Tremont), but It's totally relaxed and full of regulars just looking to hang out. Â No one's trying to impress anyone here. Â And the staff is super friendly! Â
With the awesome happy hour, delicious food, friendly staff, and relaxed environment, you absolutely cannot go wrong here! Â If you want to make an evening out of Tremont, this is the place to start.
Lava is a local Tremont bar. It has two floors and an outdoor patio. It is located by Lincoln Park. The atmosphere is full of character just like Tremont! Everything from local artists' work to the classic leg lamp in the window of the second floor. If you are from Cleveland you know all about the leg lamp. The bartenders are tentative and personal. My favorite dish is the calamari!! One word AMAZING! The dishes are unique and prices are moderate. Check it out and feel like a Tremont local!
Review Source:I went here with my sister for Happy Hour and there are specials for martinis, beer, and appetizers. We tried their asian wings, hummus w/pita bread, and calamari. The wings had lots of zing to it but the hummus was just ok. I wasn't wowed on it. The calamari was alrite as well but again nothing to crazy to rave about. The drinks on the other hand were strong but definitely worth it for the price $5.50. I had the pineapple bomber and my sis got their tequila something. Both were fairly made well.
This is a nice place to just chill with some friends, located right across from Grumpy's. The staff is friendly and they even got free WIFI, which is always a plus. They say they have DJs on the weekends so I'm gonna have to come back for that some day.
I've been to the Lava Lounge a few times in the past and have always had a good time, so I decided to start my birthday bar crawl off here last weekend. Â They have great happy hour specials until 8 pm - even on a Friday! Â And my most favorite drink - the Moscow Mule - is even featured on their happy hour menu! Â Score!
I tried to prevent epic drunkenness later in the evening by trying out some of the vegetarian options on the happy hour and regular menus. Â That didn't work out so well for me, but my food was pretty tasty. Â The $5 hummus from the happy hour menu was definitely fresh and garlicky and the pita it was served with was warm. Â Considering that it was a happy hour special, I expected the portion size to be small, but it was actually a good size. Â I also tried a vegetarian bean soup on their specials menu that was just ok but the vegetable tacos I had were amazing. Â I dare say some of the best vegetarian tacos I've ever had in Cleveland!
The only bad part about my evening at Lava Lounge was how crowded it was. Â I rolled in with a fairly large party and we weren't able to sit together to eat, and most of us had to stand around the bar. Â But we worked it out. Â For the specials, it was worth it. Â I'd definitely go back to the Lava Lounge for happy hour once my liver recovers.
I love the downstairs of Lava. Â It's always chill with great food.
I also love the upstairs. Â It's the perfect place for a birthday sort of party. Â It's private, with it's own bar, plenty of seating and tables plus its just kinda cool. Â (-: Â I especially like the strange fireplace and all the Sign Guy art hanging up on the wall. Â If nothing else, it's a great conversation starter!
The bartender staff is always friendly and if you do buy plates to share, they're delicious! Â The minimal cost to rent out the upstairs is more than worth it.
This is one of those bars that makes me want to spend more time in Tremont. It is cozy yet modern, with an inventive menu and delicious drinks.
I look forward to trying more items on the menu, but I have to say that the hummus with tomato jam was a rather odd dish. The flavor combination was off, although I expected it to be good. If you get the hummus, don't mix in the jam like I did!
The Perfect Pear martini is delicious - great flavors and not too sweet.
I enjoyed the music, both the background music earlier in the evening and the DJ later on. I'm curious if people dance here - it is perfect for it!
I may be a bit picky since I am always cold, but I would ask that they not run the ceiling fans on high during the winter - it made the place a bit chilly when the place wasn't that crowded.
I am excited about returning!
Welcome to my Friday nights.
My friends and I enjoy the Tremont scene on Friday's. Wind down from the work week or studying with a drink or 2 or more...and in our case this mostly turns into an all night dance party upstairs... But anyways. On to what you should not miss.
The food. My virgin experience I had tried the Fried Calamari, Wings and Arugula Salad. This was one of my first attempts at calamari and I loved it!.
2nd time around...out with my girls for a bite to eat and martinis before heading dt later. I love hot dogs. I know. But this one with the peanut sauce and other special treats on top was divine. Best ever. Usually on the "specials" sheet.
3rd...and beyond...Pulled Pork=delicious! But my GO TO's are the Cheeseburger=I die. And the Veg Tacos=Love!
Now on to drinks. Check out the Perfect Pear. Yum! But do explore the Tini list. The specialty beer choices are also awesome! David (my fav!) is usually working upstairs on a Friday night has a beer cracked open for me as my foot touches the top step.
You can't go wrong with Lava...to start with or to finish your night off right or before heading home for more fun. And if your lucky-for date night.
Cheers!
I took my friend from Japan to Lava Lounge to show her where Cleveland hipsters hang out.
We got there before 6pm on Saturday, so not a lot of people were there. No sightings of hipsters. A little disappointed.
We had cocktails, a pizza, a salad, spring rolls and they were all pretty good. I liked the music they were playing very much, the staff was friendly and attentive, but the decor seemed a bit bare, needs more artwork on the walls or something.
I would love to go back when it's busier.
Lava Lounge is a fun place to grab drinks and chill. Located in the Tremont area, usually fun and poppin on the weekends. Definitely a stop when you're in the neighborhood.
They have a pretty awesome happy hour, plenty of seats, good drink selection, always friendly service, and a DJ on the weekends.
Cool little trendy bar / restaurant in the Tremont area of Cleveland. Â The have a real nice selection of designer beers (Some I'd never heard of before) and the food was pretty good. Â We were there during the expansive "Happy Hour" which I think lasted until 7:30p. Â
Big standouts were the Hummus and the Tacos. Â I'd definitely come back here for drinks and apps.
The Lava Lounge is a fun destination -- hipster lounge meets corner dive. Our party of four arrived during happy hour and enjoyed some yummy, offbeat $5.00 martinis, like pineapple  bomb and rocket pop.
We also ordered apps and burgers; they were all delish -- this place would rate four stars except for the piece of paper embedded in our apple cobbler dessert.
Always been here on an 'off-night' (Sun-Tue) and stayed for a beer  or two while waiting for food.  This has only been a handful of times, however it has never been a favorite place of mine to go.  The staff never seem very friendly or welcoming like most places in Tremont.  Kind of like you're interrupting something better that's going on in there. Â
Food-wise, It's not hard to please a happy, semi-drunk girl, so that's never been the problem (yet, has never been amazing, either).
Usually a last resort, change-of-scenery, don't wanna talk to anyone else sort of place to go. Â Oh, and within walking distance. Â So, there's that.
Well, let's start with the complaints since only three things stood out to me.
1. The food is a bit pricey for what you get (except fries)
2. The Decor seems gridlocked from a 90's MTV Jams color scheme set as if Picasso threw up on the walls
3. pretentious hipster towny vibe...
Other than that the food is good you just don't get enough of it. The beer list is decent and the prices are on par for most bars. The Bartender was pretty F'n cool he was spot on with our orders and drinks. Overall nothing stands out about this bar but if you live in tremont you should probably dink here. lol...
Did someone wave a magical wand over this place and convert it into something else? Â I will admit it is actually on my list of places you couldn't drag me to in a million years. Â I am biased over a couple trips here over the last couple years. Â One was a nightmare New Years Eve party where everything that could go wrong did. Â The slowest bartender services in the history of the world. Â No washes for mixed drinks, warm beers, and this went on for 4 hours. Â Nothing was done to rectify the situation, no apologies, nada. Â Â
The vibe is that of a New York club where only the coolest of the cool hang out. Â Uber-Hipster. Â The service beyond this train wreck of a New Years party has always been horribly slow. Â The decor is like your typical lounge with that cheesy retro thing going on. Â They had a DJ every time I was there who was fine. Â I had the food once, wasn't impressed with that either. Â Drink prices are on the high side. Â Honestly I just find nothing at all remotely redeeming about this place. Â With so many other options in the area I'll just head on down the road. Â This isn't a grudge either it's just a place I don't feel comfortable at, and don't feel welcomed or that my business is valued.
I love Lava!
The Lava Lounge is always my go-to place. Great food, drinks, music and people.
I love their food (although I feel it has slipped slightly over the years). Â I miss the oysters on the half and the stuffed mozzarella they used to offer. I'm also not big on the shoestring fries. They used to be huge and battered.
Definitely not typical "bar food". The owners also have Fat Cats. It seems like the offerings at Lava are almost Fat Cats quality, but for a much lower price.
Most of the time, there's a DJ. Once in a while, they will have a live band playing salsa or something. Always good music. Always a fun time.
My friend and I had just moved into Cleveland for work when we decided to tour local watering holes to find a place we might frequent during our stay. The Lava Lounge was our biggest disappointment. The best part though was not having to spend a dime to find out how off this place was. My friend and I sat at a table and no one came to serve us. After 5 minutes we moved to the bar and after another 5 minutes the girl behind the bar came over and asked if the empties in front of were ours. We politely responded no but before we could order she grabbed the glasses and disappeared. Another 10 minutes sitting at the bar with 3 people working with only a light crowd AND NO SERVICE! Anyway, we left without spending a dime glad to save our money for better bars.
Otherwise, Lava Lounge is what you would think it is. A smaller lounge type bar with hip music, hip kids, and not so cheap drinks. It doesn't seem like a bad place for people watching or relaxing but the interior is a bit mundane. I'll probably give it a second chance at some point but I felt it only deserved one star if for no other reason than as a warning to people who actually care about where they drink.
+1 for the dark, angsty, red lighting
+1 for the beers that were on tap (I got Pyramid something-or-other)
-1 for the bartender mistaking my order for Pyramid beer for bourbon, neat (?!?) so I guess that's a -1 for noise as well
+1 for their food, fried and ready as a preventative measure for your next-day hangover
+1 for lack of crowds during certain off-times (where we still had a great time)
-1 for the clingy server who guilted us into ordering food as we were just lounging on a couch upstairs at 1 am, not really wanting to eat
+1 for the people-watching opportunities
+1 for feeling great about yourself for not being a hipster like most of these guys and gals.
A fun place!
The Girl and I were in this very beautiful commercial enclave to look at some property, and it started to pour.. heavy Midwestern rain.
We ducked into Lava for a much needed beer!
Introduced to Oberon summer ale, and a very very fine burger.
The menu was very eclectic and rather ambitious for such a small place.
The staff: incredible service, I mean the best in a very very long time.
The crowd: Angsty hipsters quiet and polite....nothing we could not deal with..lol..no problems
Decor was all candle and dark and dramatic...I kinda liked it ( not my type ...but hey!)
Great experience but pricey
We had a surprise b-day party in their upstairs room on a Saturday night.  We had around 30 guests. The decor was great- there was a mini-fire place that had candles in it that was a nice touch.  Comfy couches, chairs some high tops and a few little tabels.  There  was plenty of seating and we had our own bar and bartender.  We had plenty of appetizers that were delicious (sliders, wings, spring rolls).  I would highly recommend this cool room for any type of get together (b-day, bachelorette). Â
They have a patio that looks like it would be fun in the summer.
I love this place! Â It's so overly hipster that It makes me laugh, Â so I relax and enjoy it. Â
The food is pretty tasty, Â the martinis and delicious, the beer selection is good, and the bartenders are incredibly friendly! Â One night I wanted a hot buttered rum. . . The bartender didn't know how to make it, which usually doesn't bode well, but I wanted one and was willing to let them take a shot provided that they had everything. Â So I pulled it up on my blackberry, showed it to her and she disappeared into the kitchen only to re-emerge with a pretty decent hot buttered rum!
Fuck yeah!
So I was on a two-person impromptu bar crawl of Tremont last night and my drinking partner and I agreed we probably each had one more drink left in us. We were near the Starkweather/W 14th intersection, didn't want to backtrack to Prosperity, didn't feel like hiking over to the new taphouse, and decided to check out Lava Lounge instead of Lincoln Park Pub, mostly because I'd been to the latter before but had not yet experienced the former.
Well, now I can say that I've experienced.
For a whole 5 seconds.
In the door, take a look around, see the people, immediately recognize these are *not* my peeps, turn around, leave.
I'm sure their booze is as good as anyone else's, their drink-pourers as proficient, and the management as nice as you could want.
But dear god, the thought of drinking there struck me as a punishment for some crime against humanity just bad enough to disqualify me from a swift and merciful death.
The vibe is the best part of Lava Lounge: good design and well-chosen music in both the upstairs bar and the larger downstairs. Lava used to be too smoky for me, in the bad old days, but as a post-smoking-ban bar, it is a happy place for me.
The drinks are the next-best part: I've never had a bad cocktail at Lava Lounge.
Service, though, runs hot and cold. I have had much better experiences sitting at the bar than getting table service, but that could be just the luck of the draw.
Added bonus: parking in the lot across the street in the evenings is now legit. Hoorah!
Love the Lava...
THE UP-SIDE:
This place is hip and cool and full of great music, good food and fun people. Â It's got great atmosphere (try the upstairs when open) and a friendly staff.
THE DOWN-SIDE:
At times, this place can suffer from an abundance of those awful Tremont-hipster-posers. Â Can be loud; not great for a first date.
THE SUM-IT-UP:
You've gotta try this place. Â It's everything a hip, neighborhood bar should be!
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