Sarita
Another one of Lakewood’s cool little spots! Sarita is much larger once you get inside, than it appears from the street. We had no reservations, but fortunately we arrived early enough to have our pick of tables (thanks to the really nice hostess). Since the place was still pretty empty when we arrived, we had no idea that by the time we left, it would be packed, but there wasn’t an empty table to be seen, and though it appears a little like a ‘fine dining’ restaurant, there were people coming in with small children and a few babies in carriers, in all manners of dress, so it’s someplace where you can feel totally comfortable.
I couldn’t decide on an actual entrée, and one of their appetizer specials was tempura shrimp, so that sounded pretty good to me, along with the Sarita salad. The shrimp was very good, but the salad was absolutely delicious! I know – how can anyone get that excited about salad, but it was seriously THAT good! Together with the shrimp appetizer and the wonderful bread (in abundance), that was a full meal for me. Mr. Z played it a little on the safe side and ordered the Nonna’s Cavatelli and Meatballs. We are both meatball “snobs” so when I say that these were the best I’ve ever tasted, I’m not exaggerating! I make some really good meatballs, but these had mine beat hands down! I’m not a huge fan of any type of pasta, but as pasta goes, the cavatelli was very good, as was the sauce that topped this dish. Overall, we couldn’t find anything at all about Sarita that wasn’t outstanding, including our phenomenal server, Alex. He was really attentive, helpful with his suggestions and had a great personality. Having a great server can turn an ordinary dining experience into a really good one, but in this case, Alex made an amazing experience even better!
Sarita is located at:
14523 Madison Ave.
Lakewood, OH
(216) 226-5200
https://www.sarita-restaurant.com/