We’re taking a break from writing about the colorful country of Morocco to share with you some American colors that made our hearts (and stomachs) skip a beat. After checking off a bucket list destination — the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — we saved a day or two to explore Cleveland, Ohio, with a must-do visit to West Side Market, the oldest indoor/outdoor market in the city. The trip solidified one of our long-held beliefs: there’s no better way to get to know a place than by visiting a market filled with local foods from the farms and kitchens nearby.
Fall brings apple cider and pumpkins to West Side Market.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, West Side Market opened in 1912, dazzling visitors with its lofty ceiling of yellow brick, a wide concourse arrangement that houses over 100 vendors, and a 137-foot clock tower that dominates the area around it.
Since 1912, West Side Market has housed vendors of fresh foods and produce in an architectural gem of a building.
It’s estimated that over one million people visited West Side Market last year. We’re thrilled to be counted among the guests this year as the whole marked amazed us with colorful produce, unusual offerings, and artful displays.
Up first — fruits and veggies. (And if you don’t know passion fruit from figs, someone will patiently explain all. We know because we asked a lot of questions.)
Inside the main hall, the variety is endless. From bacon with flavorings you’ve never heard of to links and sticks of sausages. And yes, even chicken feet.
And Bert’s favorite, though, had to be this packed-with-goodness apple provolone stuffed tenderloin!
Stuffed tenderloin bundled and ready to take home.
Baked breads were ready to purchase whole or sliced as were several varieties of fresh, homemade pasta.
And what could be wrong with a bagel topped like a pizza? Nothing we could find.
From the Pizza Bagel Lady’s booth: yum!
Sweets like French macarons had delectable names like Salted Caramel, Red Velvet Cake, Pistachio, and Dreamy Mango.
Cookies were big: you could hardly get your hand around them!
How many calories?
Pretzel sticks lay in waiting, covered in chocolate and nuts, drizzled with icing. To die for.
At last: a snack you can eat while walking!
But I really wanted to try something I had never tasted: a perogi.
Perogies ready to take home — but where could I find one cooked?
It was easy to find ready-to-cook perogies, but not the ones ready to eat. When I asked the perogi vendor where I could taste one, she suggested that we have breakfast in West Side Market Cafe, the restaurant in the back. Which we did. Immediately.
West Side Market Cafe in Cleveland, Ohio
After ordering a plate of corned beef hash with an over-medium fried egg and crispy toast, I felt a little sheepish asking for a perogi on the side. But how else could I taste one? The waitress brought out two freshly cooked perogies so we could both try one.
On a diner plate (what else?) was piled-high corned beef hash at West Side Market Cafe
One bite of a hot perogi — a tasty bit of fried dough wrapped around creamy potatoes — and I knew I could live in an area that served this on a regular basis. Carb heaven, perhaps. But soooo good.
A perogi on the side!!!
If you live in the neighborhood, don’t take West Side Market for granted.
And if you’re a visitor, start your day here. Just be sure to bring along a cooler. You’ll want to take something — or a lot of things — home for later!
Historic West Side Market filled with edible treasures!
Do you have a favorite market you like to visit? If so, we’d love to hear where.
Other markets we love:
Decatur Farmers’ Market in Alabama
Red Stick Farmers Market in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Capital City Public Market in Boise, Idaho
For more information:
West Side Market, 1979 West 25th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44113; westsidemarket.org
Open Year-round: Mondays and Wednesdays, 7 to 4; Fridays and Saturdays, 7 to 6; Sundays, 10 to 4; Closed Tuesdays and Thursdays.
corlosky
I always love when visitors find some of my favorite spots as exciting as I do! The West Side Market, and the Ohio City neighborhood in general, is a staple for food, drink, and entertainment. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Oh, the Places We See
Oh, my. Did we ever! We could return again and again. If we lived close to that market, we’d never have to get in a car and head to Kroger! Thanks for taking a look.
sunshineyourvitality
I am from Ohio and I love to represent my state, as well as seeing others sharing their interest in everything that Ohio has to offer. Really enjoyed this post and will definitely be checking these amazing places out the next time I am in Cleveland. O-H-I-O! 🙂
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks for taking a look at our post. We absolutely loved our trip to West End Market, a historical and cultural place that caught our attention almost accidentally. You live in a great state – so much to see and do. Thanks for checking out our blog!
Green Global Trek
We are huge fans of food markets. Anywhere. Everywhere. I used to live in Cincinnati, very close to Cleveland and there is a fabulous covered market there, that actually looks pretty similar to this one.
Mmmmm yummy!!!!
Peta
Oh, the Places We See
We love food markets as well. Our next stop on the way back to Knoxville was Cincinnati, so we stopped at Findlay Market — some similar foods but also quite different. Found one of the best spice markets I’ve ever seen in the U.S. Thanks for taking a look!
Prior...
I could feel the history from the outside shot – all that brick. made me wonder what it was like in the early years –
and glad it is still a thriving place – the food looks awesome – and glad you were able to try perogi – they have some that have cheese and meats (not just potato) but what a fun post – thanks
Oh, the Places We See
It was historic yet thriving, as you noted — a real gem for that city. We would love to have a market that varied in our city. Just going there makes you want to go home and cook what you’ve bought fresh. Thanks for taking a look.
Lizl Bennefeld
It’s a good thing that I am disciplined enough to keep to my prescribed diet. If anything would have knocked me off of it, this post would have done it. 😀 Lovely, lovely! Enjoyed the visit to the market very much.
Oh, the Places We See
We held off pretty well, but restaurant portions were ample, so we still gained weight, I’m sure. Everything was presented well, and the vendors were friendly. It was hard to resist buying more.
M.B. Henry
Yummmm… made me really want a macaron.
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks for taking a look. We bought some of the macarons, and they were just as good as they looked! I’ve never made any, and don’t think I could duplicate their efforts, so I guess I’ll always be a purchaser! Thanks for shopping with us!
tappjeanne
I just ate lunch and now I’m hungry for all the wonderful goodies from your photos, Rusha!
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks for taking a look at this glorious food with us. You’re right. We were so hungry that we made it a point to find the restaurant and dig in!!!
Curt Mekemson
I with you and Bert on loving large market places, Rusha. What really caught my eye was the apple-stuffed tenderloin. Makes me want to go on the Internet for a recipe! Thanks for the tour. –Curt
Oh, the Places We See
That tenderloin was something that caught Bert’s eye right off the bat. If we hadn’t been traveling, we would have taken that thing home with us to cook. (Of course, we would probably need a bank loan first!!) Thanks for taking a look.
Curt Mekemson
Laughing, a bank loan, eh? –Curt
Grammy Writes
Such beautiful photos of food!
Oh, the Places We See
Thanks so much for your comment. I’m just now able to get back to you, but I appreciate your response. I used my iPhone while in the market. Thought it might be less obvious that I was drooling and coveting while photographing with a small camera! Thanks for noticing.
Amy
What a delicious post!
Oh, the Places We See
And what a delicious day. The food in the restaurant was good and filling, so we headed back to the market content to take pictures after eating. Sometimes it’s hard being a pass-through tourist and not getting to purchase and take home some of the glorious food!
Pit
On our recent visit to Cincinnati we enjoyed Findlay Market a lot [https://wp.me/p4uPk8-1yM].
Oh, the Places We See
We headed to Findlay Market after visiting Cleveland and spent the night in Cincinnati. Both markets are terrific. We found spices in Findlay that were quite lovely and varied. Can you tell we love to eat and shop?
lulu
Sometimes we forget all the beauty that we can see right here.
Oh, the Places We See
You’re absolutely right. We love markets, and there’s really nothing that special. It’s just the good stuff of life, but it looks so pretty! Thanks for taking a look.