Pura Vida

This past weekend a friend and I tried this restaurant after spending some time downtown. I had never been before but she had. While it is in kind of an odd location (a good walk removed from the activity down at Playhouse Square) I feel it is certainly a worthwhile trip. The food was good, the service was good, and the ambience was very modern. The colour-​changing ceiling was a bit distracting but unique and interesting. Overall an asset to the downtown dining scene; I’d definitely recommend it!

With Pura Vida being on Public Square and walking past numerous times, I’ve been wanting to try Pura Vida for quite a while, especially with it being highly rated. It was good, but I’m not sure it is high up on my list of restaurants to return to.
The décor is classy and contemporary with good ambience. The ceiling has a neat light installation that slowly changes color. It’s subtle and not obnoxious. It’s a nice touch.
My partner and I started off with a cup of the African peanut stew and the butternut squash bisque. Both were excellent, but I preferred the peanut stew over the bisque. The butternut squash bisque legit tasted like melted cheese (which you might absolutely love, or absolutely hate).
We then shared the pimento cheese croquettes. These were good, but nothing special. They pair the croquettes with pickled cauliflower.
My partner had the beef tenderloin for his entrée and I the roasted Atlantic cod. His dish was definitely better. The tenderloin was served with a smoked onion jam which really gave the tenderloin flavor. The cod was alright, served with a squash risotto. It was very salty, to the point where I couldn’t finish it. I didn’t really enjoy the squash risotto either.
For dessert, we had a scoop of marshmallow gelato and a dark chocolate cake peanut butter mousse trifle. Both were excellent, but even better when eaten together.

Dec 30^th we wanted to experience a restaurant we haven’t tried yet and all before heading to TSO so pleased with fiancé find. Our friend is vegan and her husband is meat lover and I am picky. We were fortunate to go on Wine down Wednesdays.. Bottles for $ 15. Limited but good selection. We started with two appetizers bread and butter board. Wow that was fabulous. .fresh bread and butter. And the bacon onion marmalade is to die for and they ordered chick pea jar. fiancé and friends hubby ordered per waiter Pork chop and spaghetti squash and gouda cheese filled pierpggies .my girlfriend ordered butternut squash risotto and I had the rosemary fries and homemade spicy catsup and wedge salad with bacon and walnuts with cider dressing woild def recommend and experience again. Great choice

We have now been here several times. Had our family in from out of state for our pre-​wedding dinner this year. Service, food quality, and attention to detail are always superb. Our reservation planning was very cordial and cooperative. These folks are professionals. Chef Brandt surrounds his efforts with great people, and his approach to taste, from the food to the décor, is inimitable. This is simply a great place to show off to friends, business associates, or for a nice meal before a show or trip to the casino. One of the best values in downtown Cleveland for both experience and flavors.

My daughter’s favorite because of the vegetarian selections. Great food and service!
The bread and butter board is excellent.

We just had an excellent made from scratch lunch! Our waiter, «The Food Ambassador», was truly great with recommendations and attention. I highly recommend trying Pura Vida! Enjoy!

These guys are doing something very cool with food, you should check it out. The African peanut soup was great, creamy, nutty, and a little spicy. The fried green tomatoes are fantastic, flash fried with a yummy sauce on top. The chicken fried cauliflower was stellar, amazing veggie recreation of chicken fried steak. The pepper sauce is a little spicy. The black rice with fried tofu dish (can’t remember the name) was also fantastic — a little sweet sauce with it. The chocolate gelato was mind blowingly great. If you like chocolate don’t miss it. We’d definitely come back for more!

We absolutely loved this restaurant! We arrived on a Friday night with reservations and were seated right away.
The bread board with shaved butter and onion bacon marmalade is to die for! The chickpea jar was really good too with fresh toasted bread. Do not miss the bacon onion marmalade!!!
The entrees were all great… the salmon with the Mexican creamed corn was fresh and flavorful. The pork chop was served with spinach and perogies– fabulous. The chicken fried cauliflower was so good and so was the vegan biscuit!
For dessert, we split the s’mores hand pie… what a treat.
Highly recommend this restaurant!

Came in with a large party and although the food was fantastic the server could and should have made more effort. Being that I’ve traveled the world and have eaten at hundreds of places Service is very important to me. Effort mean a lot to me.

We tried Pura Vida on whim while in town for a concert. I’m so glad we decided to dine here! While most restaurants have a carnivore focused menu with a few vegetarian dishes, Pura Vida is the opposite. The majority of the dishes were vegetarian or vegan with a decent selection of meat and seafood based dishes. I was very happy to have such a great selection to choose from. We sat at the bar and ordered drinks and an appetizer from the happy menu. At $ 5 each, the happy hour cocktails were a great deal. My friend ordered the special… Lobster roll sliders. They weren’t your typical lobster role… The lobster was more like a tuna salad consistency than what we expected. They were still good. The blue cheese fries were excellent. They were featured on the happy hour menu and we received a huge serving for $ 5. The absolute standout was the veggie burger. It was styled like a Big Mac. I’ve never had an actual Big Mac, but after having this «burger» I can see why they are so popular. The veggie patties were perfect. Light and airy and crispy. I loved that they used a classic white bread and sesame seed bun with iceburg lettuce and special sauce. I would return again just for the burger. As a bonus, the ambiance is great and it’s very conveniently located to the 4^th street area.

I wouldn’t give it more than 3 stars for the fact that the soup wasn’t that great but the bread and butter board was amazing!
Let’s recap.
Stopped in for lunch with a coworker — positive that it’s so close to work. The hostess greeted us right when we walked in. The décor inside was great and the patio outside looked inviting as well. The service came by and just looked wasn’t very warm and kind. She was almost like a robot just reciting what she had memorized a few minutes ago.
We ordered the bread and butter board to share. It was so delicious. The bread was perfectly toasted and cut. The butter was shaved cold butter that just melted on the hot toasted bread. There were a few pickled options to accompany the bread as well. Highly recommend this dish. I ordered the shrimp and corn chowder there is no other word to describe is other than EH. There were maybe 4 small pieces of shrimp and a bunch of veggies. Way over done in seasoning and just lacked other flavor than the shrimp seasoning.
All in all, I might return because it’s so close to work and I would definitely try something else but I will ALWAYS get the butter and bread board :)

I returned to Pura Vida on a Friday night, this time as a party of 8. The quality, attentive service, (Thanks Jen C.!), and atmosphere were completely spot-​on, as they were the first time around.
I have to recommend the Delmonico, which was prepared to a perfect medium and featured a great paprika /​onion /​butter sauce.
Keep up the great work, Pura Vida!

I went to Pura Vida on a Friday night. I was instantly seated. The table had a glass bottle of water, always a nice touch. The waitress, Belle, was extremely attentive. I explained to her that I am striving for a vegan diet and instead of the typically eye roll she jumped into the menu options with enthusiasm explaining the many option that Pura Vida offers for vegetarians and vegans.
I started with the bread and butter and subbed the butter for garlic hummus. This dish was also served with radishes, pickled onions and an olive tapenade. The bread was warm and toasted with burnt edges… Perfection!
After the bread, I was served the African peanut stew. After my first bite I was flooded with instant regret! Why did I just order the cup and not the bowl?! The thick and creamy (rarely obtained when eating vegan) base of the stew was complex and intriguing. Each bite would offer chunks of sweet potatoes and kale. Rarely is super food this delicious. I was trying not to lick my cup in public.
Finally, I was served the main course, vegan vegetarian stew. I was really on the fence about ordering this dish as it is not my style. The waitress assured me that it is very popular and actually quite light for a stew. The stew had beans, peas, mushrooms, carrots and other seasonal veggies in it. At first I thought I would starve to death but by the time I was halfway through my dish I was extremely full. This stew was hearty, flavorful and extremely fulfilling. Every aspect of my experience at Pura Vida was amazing.

The only thing I can think about while writing this is regret. So much regret that I have lived only a few blocks from Pura Vida for almost a year and this is the first time I’ve eaten here.
Our Friday night date night meal was perfect. We started with the fried green tomatoes and they were so fresh and crispy and delicious. For our entrees, I got the tostada and my boyfriend got the chicken fried cauliflower. Both meals were outstanding. We were both ohhhing and ahhhing the whole time.
For fellow vegans/​vegetarians, this is the spot! They have veggie options for every course, and have an entire entrée section dedicated to veg options. I seriously wanted to order everything. It’s nice knowing we could come here multiple times and get different vegan meals everytime.
Like I said, I only regret that I didn’t get here sooner. I will absolutely be back, soon.

Excellent vegetarian and vegan options, all clearly marked. The African peanut stew is excellent: rich, chunky and with a smooth peanut flavor. The amazing vegan «chicken» fried cauliflower was decadent, with a delicious crust, a fat biscuit and (slightly soggy) kale (the fingerling potatoes seemed like a carb overload though). Our server was very friendly and answered all my questions. Highly recommended for vegetarians and vegans.

I have actually been putting off my Pura Vida review because it was so good I don’t really even know where to begin. It was a bitterly cold valentine’s day, so a lot could have gone wrong. The food was so delicious though we didn’t even care that our skin almost fell off on the walk over.
Seriously though it’s hard to review something so good. I’m realizing a lot of my reviews lately have only been super positive ⁴⁄₅ and ⁵⁄₅ reviews, and people may start to think I’m just lying to help the businesses. I can honesty say this one deserves every star it gets. The peanut stew was probably the most delectable thing I have ever put in my mouth… But seriously. It was rich and creamy with just a hint of spice. A totally unexpected winner in my book. If you go, just bite the bullet and get some for an appetizer. I can assure you, you wont be disappointed (unless you have a peanut allergy, then you will be seriously disappointed that you can’t have any).
The vegan pot pie was better than any meat-​filled pie I’ve ever had. In all seriousness, my boyfriend ordered this and isn’t even vegan. He said he would order it again over a meat dish any day. It’s that good people!
Their wine selection was pretty spot on, and their beer menu wasn’t bad either. Their blood orange cocktail is something I would seriously consider ordering agan. On top of that the ambiance of this place is just out of this world. Literally. Its futuristic modern at it’s best.
Starting to think Pura Vida needs to become a valentine’s day tradition…

Great experience for restaurant week. Three courses for $ 30! The service was fantastic and the atmosphere was really modern and sleek looking with cool fluorescent lights, which always make me feel more awake. I started with the tomato and fennel soup with cheese croûton. It was awesome and even had a little spicy kick to it. Main course was salmon with jalapeño hush puppies, served atop of a potato and root vegetable stew of some sort. My salmon I ordered medium and it was perfect with a very nice crust. Desert was a mix of their chocolate trifle and an apple spring roll with salted caramel ice cream. I preferred the apple desert but they were both good. I’d definitely check their regular menu out. Great first time experience!

Came here for restaurant week this past weekend. The service was wonderful and the food was pretty delicious. The chicken dish was huge and got to take half to go. The Short Rib stew was a bit smaller and didn’t have much meat in it but still was flavorful. The apple pie caramel dessert pastry with gelato was amazing. We also got the chocolate peanut butter which was tasty as well. I would come back for the regular menu in the future. I love the modern décor too!

We started with the chic pea jar, which is just as fun as it sounds! Layered hummus, ricotta, basil pesto, olive tapenade and yellow tomatoes served in a fabulous mini mason jar alongside crispy grilled bread.
For our main course I had the pumpkin risotto which was rich and creamy, with asiago cheese, leeks and had a nice balance with crispy Brussels sprouts & a pear/​cranberry relish.
The décor was interesting and fun– shabby chic curtains alongside rustic mason jars filled with veggies. We had excellent service; our server knew the intimate details of the menu very well, gave us great advice and moved things along at a nice pace so that we could make our 8pm show at playhouse square. (By the way, there is a free trolley that picks up near the restaurant and takes you directly to the theater district).
We will definitely return!

This place is so delicious, we were sad we could only have one meal at a time.
Their garlic hummus was the best I’ve had since my favorite in Dearborn, sometimes called the American middle East.
My Caribbean jerk duck wings were crispy and spicy, and the avocado ranch was a great counterpoint. I was surprised the crust was both savory and just a little sweet.
Their rosemary fries beat the pants, socks, and underoos off any I’ve had before — maybe it’s the lack of typically disappointing truffle oil. I finished off mine and some of my friend’s because you don’t send a plate away with leftovers.
Our pescatarian friend had the seared ahi tuna, and he was in heaven, saying it was tender enough to cut with a gentle fork. Our gluten free vegan friend was treated so kindly — they had vegan alternatives for everything on the menu!
Her daughter got a veggie Mac sandwich (similar to a big Mac), which went over like gangbusters.
I am contemplating a s’mores pie with marshmallow ice cream, if I can possibly make room…
If you’re of an alternative lifestyle, you’ll find the staff friendly and supportive — they hosted the planning party for the Gay Games at the same time we were there.