North American Conference on Video Game Music

Dining and Tourism

Dining and Tourism

Dining Options

The Tinkham Veale University Center is home to Michelson & Morley, an American-style bistro with full bar, seasonal patio, and private dining room, and they are open on Saturday from 5pm to 8pm. For lunch and further dinner options, please see this list of nearby Off-Campus locations. A few highlights that are within walking distance along Euclid Avenue and are great options for lunch:

  • Tacologist on Euclid (the website boasts “seafood to steak, vegetarian to gluten-free” menu options)
    • Open Saturday 12:00pm-12:00am and Sunday 12:00pm-9:00pm
  • Sittoo’s Pita & Salads (traditional Lebanese food, offers Halal options)
    • Open Saturday 11:00am-9:00pm and Sunday 11:00am-8:00pm
  • BurgerIM (customizable sliders including beef, chicken, lamb, salmon, and falafel)
    • Open Saturday 10:00am-11:00pm and Sunday 10:00am-10:00pm
  • Bibibop Asian Grill on Euclid (customizable rice, salad, and sweet potato noodle bowls; 100% of the menu is gluten-free)
    • Open Saturday 10:30am-9:00pm and Sunday 11:00am-7:00pm
  • Otani Noodle Uptown on Euclid (ramen and traditional Japanese dishes)
    • Open Saturday and Sunday 11:00am-9:30pm
  • Indian Flame on Euclid (Indian buffet)
    • Open Saturday and Sunday 11:30am-3:00pm and 5:00pm-10:30pm
  • Starbucks on Euclid (coffee, tea, light breakfast options)
    • Open Saturday and Sunday 4:30am to 7:30pm
  • Kung Fu Tea on Euclid (bubble tea and some coffee options)
    • Open Saturday and Sunday 12:00pm-8:30pm

Other Lunch Options

  • Provenance Cafe at the Cleveland Museum of Art (seasonal soups and salads, hot and cold sandwiches, and tandoor oven with locally sourced and globally-inspired dishes, often coordinating with special exhibits at the museum)
    • Open Saturday and Sunday 10:00am-4:00pm (with sushi and hot food until 3:00pm)
  • The Coffee House at University Circle on Juniper (classic coffeehouse beverages, but also a wonderfully large selection of tea and breakfast options, as well as sandwiches, soups, and salads for lunch)
    • Open Saturday and Sunday 7:00am-5:00pm
  • Algebra Tea House on Murray Hill (wonderful Mediterranean-inspired dishes, coffee, tea, smoothies; vegetarian and vegan options)
    • Open Saturday and Sunday 10:00am-9:00pm

Dana’s Recommended Dinner Destinations

  • Mama Santa’s in Cleveland’s Little Italy on Mayfield Road (a cozy family spot known for their pizza and pasta)
    • Open Saturday 11:00am-9:00pm; closed Sunday
    • Dana recommends splitting a classic pizza with friends or their ravioli
  • La Dolce Vita in Cleveland’s Little Italy on Mayfield Road (Italian with some lovely gluten free options and great pasta dishes, known for their opera nights featuring Cleveland Institute of Music students)
    • Open Satuday 3:00pm-10:00pm and Sunday 3:00pm-9:00pm
    • Dana recommends: their vine ripe caprese with kalamata olives, “unfried” calamari sauteed with zucchini in a tomato white wine broth, Wedding Soup di Avellino and signature “fettuccine Fellini” with gorgonzola tomato cream sauce
  • Corbo’s Bakery in Cleveland’s Little Italy on Mayfield Road (Italian desserts)
    • Open Saturday 8:00am-10:00pm and Sunday 8am-8:00pm
    • They are a perfect spot to stop in after dining at one of the many restaurants in Little Italy; they have gelato, fresh-filled cannoli, tiramisu, cookies and pastries, and the Cleveland Sicilian classic: cassata cake (rum-soaked Italian sponge with fresh strawberries and custard and whipped cream)
  • Zhug on Cedar Road (Mediterranean Mezze, almost the entire menu is gluten free and much of the menu is also vegetarian and vegan as well)
    • Open Friday and Saturday 4:00pm-11:00pm; closed Sunday
    • Note from Dana: this is very close to campus, just a short drive up Cedar road from where the conference will be held. This place had some of the best food Dana had in all of 2024 so it comes highly recommended
  • Tommy’s on Coventry Road (a short drive up Mayfield from campus; tons of vegan options, extremely accommodating of food allergies and dietary restrictions, and they are also known for their milkshakes, including vegan options)
    • Open Saturday and Sunday 12:00pm-8:00pm
    • Dana recommends: the Uncle Gay (tuna, cheddar cheese, mustard, sunflower seeds and onions served on a toasted pita), any of their wonderful falafel options, and of course a milkshake, phosphate, egg cream, or sorbet frappe
  • Pacific East on Coventry Road (Japanese, huge list of sushi offerings)
    • Open Saturday 12:00pm-3:00pm and 5:00pm-10:30pm, and Sunday 3:00pm-9:30pm
    • Dana recommends: everything! This is a favorite spot in Cleveland with a wonderfully extensive menu!
  • L’Albatros Brasserie on Bellflower (upscale French food; beware that it is pricey!)
    • Open Saturday 4:00pm-11:00pm and Sunday 3:00pm-8:00pm
    • Note from Dana: this is definitely a spot for a special meal as opposed to a more casual setting, but it is right on the CWRU campus and the food is stunning if you’re looking to experience some of the best of the Cleveland food scene!
    • Dana recommends: the goat cheese tart with olive tapenade and sun dried tomatoes, chilled artichoke with lemon aioli, and the root vegetable cassoulet with herbed breadcrumbs, among others!

Things To Do in Cleveland Before the Conference!

  • The Cleveland Museum of Art is free and open to the public and is a world-class museum
    • Open Friday 10:00am-9:00pm
    • Some highlights of the collection include the medieval Armor Court, Monet’s Water Lilies, the African Art Gallery (one of the first of its kind in the United States, featuring a growing collection of contemporary works), the Egyptian art gallery, the Louis Comfort Tiffany display of stained glass windows and lamps, Andy Warhol’s “Marilyn x 100,” the Chinese, Indian, and Southeast Asian galleries in the West wing of the building, and an original casting of Rodin’s The Thinker which lives outside and faces Wade Lagoon
    • Dana’s favorites: Coffins of Bakenmut and Nesykhonsu (Egyptian gallery 107); Twilight in the Wilderness by Frederic Edwin Church (gallery 206), Violette Heymann and Vase of Flowers by Odilon Redon (gallery 221), 
  • The Cleveland Botanical Gardens has several acres of themed outdoor gardens as well as two glasshouse biomes (Madagascar Desert and Costa Rican rainforest, where they hold daily butterfly releases in the afternoon)
    • Open Friday 10:00am-5:00pm
  • Cleveland Museum of Natural History ($7-$10 admission)
    • Open Friday 10:00am-5:00pm
    • Known for Lucy (the nickname of the Australopithecus afarensis skeleton which expanded our understanding of the earliest human relatives); “Dunk” (the fossil of Dunkleosteus terrelli, a giant armored fish that lived during the Late Denovian Period in Ohio), Balto (the lead dog on the final leg of a 674-mile dogsled relay to deliver medicine to Nome Alaska during the 1925 outbreak of diphtheria) and the Jeptha Homer Wade II Collection of Gems & Jewels, and houses a planetarium with daily programming
  • Cleveland History Center by the Western Reserve Historical Society ($15 adult admission, college student admission with ID $10)
    • Open Friday 10:00am-4:00pm
    • Includes some wonderful exhibits of African American art and decorative arts, historic fashion, a permanent exhibit on the history of women and politics, as well as The Crawford Auto & Aviation Museum and a working Carousel from Euclid Beach Park on Cleveland’s lakefront and restored and fully in operation through the museum
  • Cleveland Institute of Art Reinberger Gallery (featuring work by Cleveland Institute of Art students and faculty as well as professional community artists; free and open to the public)
    • Open Friday 10:00am-2:00pm
  • Dittrick Medical History Center (a museum, archive, artifact and image collection of objects related to the history of health and medicine through CWRU’s College of Arts and Sciences, free and open to the public)
    • Open Friday 10:30am-4:00pm
  • MOCA Cleveland (Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland; $10 admission)
    • Open Friday 11:00am-5:00pm
  • The Sculpture Center (free to the public!)
    • Open Friday 12:00pm-5:00pm
  • The Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall (ticket prices vary)
    • Friday April 25 7:30pm features guest conductor Kazuki Yamada and the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 25 (Francesco Piemontesi, piano) and Elgar Symphony No. 1; Severance Hall itself is an incredible sight to behold (see this Google Arts & Culture page with image tours of the interior!)
  • Artists Archives of the Western Reserve (a collection and archive dedicated to Ohio artists, free and open to the public)
    • Open Friday 10:00am-4:00pm