What an honor to be recognized as one of the 25 best restaurants in Cleveland by Cleveland Magazine since 2019! "Rusty James Phillips’ intimate small plates restaurant is as far off the beaten path as the beach town, Fairport Harbor, that he calls home. Like that beach, its location makes it an underappreciated gem." 

Get to know our Chef/Owner Rusty Phillips a little more in this fun question and answer session with Mimi Vanderhaven, Mimi Magazine!

We are honored to be named one of the 34 best restaurants in Cleveland by Cleveland Magazine! We especially appreciate the recognition that the "restaurant is cooking some of the region’s most innovative food, miles away from far hipper dining scenes . . . work[ing] massive flavor into small plates." 

Cleveland Plain Dealer: "The Pompadour is a must-try tapas bar with a cozy atmosphere and unexpected small plates. The dishes range from simple and small, like stuffed dates, to larger and complex, like grilled octopus with honey-charred carrot romesco and black olive caviar. The house cocktail list is celebratory in itself, such as the revamped espresso martini made with Irish whiskey and a Guinness stout reduction before it’s garnished with a biscotti."

Cleveland Scene Magazine: "The Pompadour is a ways away, but absolutely worth the trip and the scheduling. Be sure to call ahead, and take in the great views and scrumptious tapas."

We are honored to again be named one of the 25 best restaurants in Cleveland by Cleveland Magazine! "Chef Rusty James Phillips enjoys a dichotomy. His 44-seat Fairport Harbor restaurant is cooking some of the region’s most innovative food, miles away from far hipper dining scenes." 

We are honored to be named one of the 50 best bars, clubs and cocktail lounges in Cleveland by Cleveland Magazine! "Chef Rusty James Phillips’ fine dining tapas and seasonal craft cocktails, which often incorporate ingredients from the patio herb garden, shine at this stylish spot."

"Small plates delivered in the Pompadour’s cozy, tapas-only dining room always create a buzz." The Pompadour breaks down one of its eye-catching delicious dishes that you won't want to miss in this article highlighting the restaurant as the 2022 Best Restaurant Winner.

"Depending on your preference, The Pompadour may draw you in with its small plates and hook you with its cocktails, or it may be the cocktails that get you in the door and the small plates that keep you coming back. Either way, this cozy, welcoming spot in historic downtown Fairport Harbor manages to balance its offerings in a way that consistently ups its overall game." - Ruth Corradi Beach, Ohio Magazine

Learn more about The Pompadour's Chef-Owner Rusty James in this Voyage Ohio Magazine interview discussing how he got to where he is today, the biggest challenges, and lessons learned.

Chef Schoen spills the details on his favorite spots in Cleveland, including for "Fine Dining: The Pompadour is a little joint in Fairport Harbor that’s blowing people away across Cleveland. I love the defiance of not having to be in Tremont or Ohio City. That's a one tank trip people should definitely know about.”

"One doesn’t expect to find a chic little spot like The Pompadour Bar & Tapas in an unfashionable little lakeside town like Fairport Harbor, but that's where it opened in 2016, bringing signature cocktails and well-crafted small plates to an area better known for fish fries and working-class bars."

Cleveland Magazine: "Why we love it: This Fairport Harbor favorite has an inviting modern atmosphere that proves the best things come in small packages."

Cleveland Scene Magazine: "The Pompadour is a ways away, but absolutely worth the trip and the scheduling. Be sure to call ahead, and take in the great views and scrumptious tapas."

We are honored to be named one of the 25 best restaurants in Cleveland by Cleveland Magazine! "With such a small footprint, snagging an open table or a seat at the bar on the weekend here is a feat, since locals know chef and owner Rusty James Phillips is a genius in the kitchen. So listen to us when we say that it's worth the trip to the sleepy lakeside community just to get a taste of what Phillips is cooking up for his seasonal small plates menu."

Douglas Trattner, critically-acclaimed freelance writer and dining editor for Cleveland Scene Magazine, notes: "We worked our way through a third of the menu with one regret: that we didn't have room for more."

Kim Schneider, managing editor of Cleveland Magazine: "Playfully named as a nod to a hair salon that once occupied the space, it still feels more like an intimate neighborhood bar than somewhere where you'd expect to find a stellar small plates menu and creative cocktail program. But that's the beauty of Pompadour -- it's not flashy or showy. It doesn't pretend to be anything more than a hidden gem serving simple, stripped down tapas that let the four or five ingredients shine."

Lake County News-Herald's travel and dining editor, Janet Podolak: "Word of [Rusty Phillips'] bold, innovative food has spread to Cleveland's West Side, Erie, Pennsylvania, and beyond, luring diners to seek out his tapas-style dishes in the restaurant borrowing its name from the beauty shop that once occupied the space."

Lake County News-Herald restaurant reviewer, Mark Koestner's, visit left him "impressed with everything about The Pompadour. The service was excellent, and the creativity that food trucks have always seemed to embody definitely carries over to this brick-and-mortar establishment. Quality food and drinks in a cool atmosphere make for the night-time experience this great daytime area needed."