The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Buffett’s Margaritaville blends booze, fun, decent food
It feels like you’re on vacation at Cleveland location, partly because of vacation prices
Music star Jimmy Buffett opened his Margaritaville restaurant and bar in Key West in 1985, near the United States’ southernmost point. In case you haven’t heard, the newest of the very-successful chain’s now-30 establishments is located darn near the northernmost point of Cleveland’s East Bank of the Flats.
It opened last year as part of the East Bank’s revitalization. It’s housed in an impressive new building on Front Avenue, right at West 11th Street. Not Key West, mind you, but there’s water nearby, and it’s still 5 o’clock somewhere, right?
The place is huge. There’s a large main dining area with a lofted ceiling, painted with a supercool map of the Southern Hemisphere. The theme is “beach,” as you would expect, and many TVs hang from the walls, playing videos of Buffett’s musical performances. A tiki-type “5 O’clock Somewhere Bar” abuts the main eating area, and, just beyond it, another bar opens up to the street with windowed garage doors. There’s a third bar, too, up on the rooftop, with views of the north shore and Cuyahoga River.
My family and I visited on a recent Sunday afternoon, part of a “Sunday fun-day” venture to visit nearby Ohio City, where my brother lives. Having only weeks earlier attended my first Buffett concert — a worthwhile bucket-list experience, by the way — I figured it was the kind of laidback place to which I could take my rowdy kids. I was correct.
Even on a Sunday afternoon, there was live music in the indoor-outdoor bar. And even though the Flats weren’t particularly lively that day, Margaritaville drew what became a pretty large crowd. It’s definitely a place to go to soak in the atmosphere, and there were plenty of those doing just that.
Food-wise, the menu is what you’d expect — standard bar fare with an emphasis on seafood but not overwhelmingly so. Trying to zero in on starters, we elected the appetizer trio ($18.99), which consisted of chicken tenders, spinachand-artichoke dip and Caribbean chicken egg rolls.
As chicken tenders go, these were exceptional. They were good-sized and cooked perfectly, crispy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside. My son ordered them for his entrée ($15.99), as well, and they were served with barbecue sauce and honey mustard, the latter of which was surprisingly solid.
The egg rolls were also very good. The chicken was flavorful, with the subtle spiciness you’d expect from a Caribbean dish and blended well with corn, onions and red peppers. The chipotle aioli that accompanied them was outstanding.
The spinach dip was perhaps my lone disappointment with the meal. It was cheesy and salty, and there was way more dip than could have been eaten with the handful of store-bought tortilla chips served with it. The thick-ish dip would have been better served had it come with — I don’t know — pita chips or bread? Something heartier than Tostitos and more of them.
It should be mentioned that the app trio was plenty for a party of five, two of whom were kids. At $19, it probably was a good value compared to ordering multiple individual appetizers, which are in the $13-to-$14 range.
The situation with the dip was a bit surprising considering one of the strongest points of the other food was the bread. My brother ordered the Cuban sandwich ($13.99) and remarked the bread was really good. My own beach club sandwich ($14.99), served on crustless, slightly toasted white bread, got high marks in the same department. My wife’s Cheeseburger in Paradise ($13.49), a regular burger topped with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and pickles came on a really good brioche bun.
I will disagree forever with the notion that the “bread makes the sandwich,” but the bread can definitely BREAK a sandwich, and Margaritaville certainly removes that risk. My club sandwich, by the way, was about as good as club sandwiches can get. The fries that came with everything were solid.
Our server was very friendly and mostly attentive. It felt as if our visit may have occurred at a time when it wasn’t expected to be very busy, and it might have turned out that reality outdistanced expectations. As the place got more packed, our awesome server perhaps got a tad overworked. There was a large party (maybe an entire sports team and their parents) seated not long after us, and it shifted the balance a bit. Otherwise, the place is a seemingly very well-managed spot.
The only other gripes I have come with some caveats. Sixteen bucks for a club sandwich seems … excessive? My 3-year-old’s $8.99 burger was a little much for a kids’ menu item. Sodas for the kids at $3.50 (a disturbing, growing trend in the industry) are kind of crazy. My wife raved about her $8.50 watermelon margarita, and my brother and I had no complaints about the nice selections of $5 beers, but should a Sprite cost just $1.50 less than a 16-ounce Landshark Lager?
The first caveat is that you’re paying for the atmosphere, which is awesome. The premium for that atmosphere is reflected in the prices of food and drink. Those prices are easier to swallow when you’re on vacation — a $16 sandwich in Key West, Myrtle Beach or Orlando? No big deal. When you’re not on vacation and on the East Bank of the Flats in Cleveland, Ohio, the atmosphere premium feels a bit higher. If you’ve lived here long enough and are of a certain age, you’ve likely wasted away on the East Bank in years past for much less.
If you can live with that caveat, the second would be that it’s worth it to have a Margaritaville here in Cleveland.
In all, I recommend going at least once, for the experience alone — much like I did at Buffett’s concert at Blossom. It’s an absolutely marvelous building, the vibe is great and the food and service are largely good. Just expect to pay vacation prices without being on vacation.