Today I was off of work so I got the chance to go out to one of my favorite places in Cleveland… Coventry. In one of my favorite neighborhoods, Cleveland Heights. I went with one of my best friends and we were originally just going to hang out in Phoenix Coffee (which has 3 locations in Cleveland) while I blogged and she drew but we ended up at one of Cleveland’s best (and surely one of my favorite) restaurants, Tommy’s.
I find it funny that I love Tommy’s so much because growing up, I hated it. They’re known for their milkshakes, which granted are phenomenal and all but that was about all I ordered when I went there as a kid. I thought all of their weird falafel sandwiches and hummus filled pitas were disgusting. Now look at me, I could live off of their homemade hummus and veggie filled sandwiches. The menu is a few pages long and they offer breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts. Not to mention a few vegan and gluten-free cookies ($2.95) and soy ice cream based shakes ($6.99). The awesome thing about their menu is it has meat and meat-free options. This means they offer veggie burgers, tempeh, tofu, seitan, turkey, corned beef, chicken – you name it, they’ve got it. Items I would highly recommend are the veggie burger, the Mary Lynne (a spinach pie with hummus, olives and veggies), the tempeh burger (loaded with sprouts and tomatoes) and the black bean chili. Their homemade peanut butter for breakfast on some toast is a killer too. I could go on and on about their delightful menu.
I ended up getting the tempeh burger in a wheat pita with a side of hummus. A beauty. My best friend ordered the veggie burger with cheese and Tommy’s fries which everyone in the area loves. It was a good lunch to say the least and if you haven’t been, I’d definitely check it out and look into it.
We then ventured across the street to the renovated Phoenix Coffee. They have light bulbs hanging from strings with different colored mason jars on their tables. I could not picture a more hipster coffee shop (in Cleveland) than Phoenix if I tried. The only downside to me is they don’t sell Matcha Green Tea lattes. C’mon people, get with it.
I usually never order coffee drinks because they make me feel jittery and I don’t like the added sugar and syrups they use but since getting my chai tea last weekend at The Root Café, I was really feeling a hot one today. Thankfully they have almond milk (unlike stupid Starbucks!) so I got a small for $3.70. Not bad. My friend ordered the exact same thing but iced so it came in a cute little mason jar. I’ve noticed drinking anything (especially pretty coffee or smoothies) in mason jars is the best. That’s probably just me being weird.
I love adventuring to Coventry because as cliché as it sounds, it radiates good vibes. I would define it as half hippie, half hipster. A few other places I love on this street include American Apparel, Piccadilly Artisan Yogurt (a vegan and organic frozen yogurt joint I most likely will blog about soon one day) and City Buddha (a jewelry/trinket shop). Days like today are the best because not only do I get to do my usual foodstagramming/blogging thanks to a good iced latte and lunch but I also get to experience it with my best friend(s). Love it. Happy Monday, friends.
-Addie
