What do you get when you throw a sombrero on a leprechaun?  Well, in Westlake, Ohio, you end up with some of the best eats and atmosphere in town.  Combining the open-air feel of a true Mexican cantina with a superb 100-year old recipe for chicken paprikash results in a fine blend of two rich cultures at the Loco Leprechaun.

Co-owners Mike Ollick and Rose Wolfgram are confident that their establishment is one-of-a-kind in the Cleveland area. During the warm part of the year, all the doors and windows of the cantina completely open creating a spectacular cross-breeze of fresh air.   This open door policy also helps in staying true to the tradition of Irish hospitality by welcoming everyone into the restaurant with open arms. 

Loco Leprechaun’s opening day was purposefully planned to fall on the OSU-Michigan game day in 2006, so needless to say, the Leprechaun is a great place to watch OSU games.  Mike and Rose encourage all Buckeye fans to come out to their pub on OSU game days to enjoy the live OSU alumnus trumpeter.  He gets the crowd going before the game, during halftime, and after the game as well.  The Leprechaun is a great place to watch the Browns, Indians, and Cavaliers too featuring drink and food specials during games.

Let’s talk food.  I was blown away by the caliber of cuisine at this Westside restaurant.  To start, I tried the traditional Mexican appetizer – tortilla chips and salsa – along with potato chips and French onion dip, both of which are made in-house.  The tortilla chips are thick and tasty on their own and the potato chips serve up the crunch you are looking for.   The house-made chunky salsa is fresh and healthy, and the French Onion dip is creamy and zesty.  Its texture and aroma beg to be scooped up by a homemade potato chip.

Chef Mark Murray is the mastermind in the kitchen and his dishes and recipes speak for themselves.  He is a seasoned chef having been in the industry since 1976.  His credentials include working as Will Smith’s personal chef during the making of Men in Black II, serving as the executive chef at Case Western University for two years, and winning several Silver Spoon Awards for his soups. Somewhat of a protégé to Parker Bosley, a legendary Cleveland chef, years ago, Mark Murray says he has a “passion for cooking.” 

In light of his Silver Spoon Awards, I had to try some of his soup.  Although he considers his Chicken Paprikash soup to be his specialty, I tried his Sweet Corn Chowder.  The texture was perfect – just creamy enough.  And the sweet flavor of the soup left me wanting more.

For another appetizer, I took the owner’s recommendation and tried the Calamari Steak.  Wild caught, julienned, lightly breaded, and flash fried, these delightful bites of premium seafood could be the restaurant’s best appetizer.  Served with a fresh marinara dipping sauce and a Thai sauce with a zing, these fry-shaped pieces of calamari are unique and delicious.

Engaging a recipe that has been in his family for over 100 years, Chef Mark Murray served me the best Chicken Paprikash I have ever eaten.  I am certain of that.  With a creamy, perfectly flavored sauce over pieces of all-white meat chicken, and hand-made spaetzle, this dish is definitely one of the Leprechaun’s specialties.

I also ordered The Classic Reuben so I could sample the chef’s hand trimmed corned beef.  There is no precooked corned beef here.  Corned beef briskets are fresh made in-house, and the Loco Leprechaun takes it one step further by hand trimming the meat.  The corned beef had a rich, full flavor that was complimented excellently by the sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and the right amount of Thousand Island.

Fries were served with my sandwich, of course, and they passed my fry test.  They were not greasy, bland, nor thin.  These French fries were thick, well seasoned, and crispy. 

The final entrée I ordered was the Cajun Chicken Pasta.  It was a generous bowl filled with penne pasta in a creamy, spicy, Cajun sauce (not too creamy though), and topped with a full, sliced blackened chicken breast which mysteriously had all the right spices and seasonings embedded into the meat.  It was yet another classic dish done right.

Chef Mark Murray proudly creates all his dishes from scratch, and I was ecstatic to learn that he is also a dessert specialist!  Definite good news for me.  He said I absolutely had to try his special donuts – how could I refuse?  Freshly made to order, these donuts were to die for.  Topped with an original Baileys icing along with cinnamon and powdered sugar, these donuts were fluffy and light with a rich taste.  Oh so warm and satisfying, these donuts were gooey in the middle and spectacular all around.  If you like sweets, this dessert is a must-have.

The most noticeable item in any bar is the bar itself.  At the Loco Leprechaun, owners Mike and Rose wanted their most pronounced element to be special.  So, thanks to Ebay, they were able to purchase an antique bar dating back to the 1800s.  This 50-foot wooden piece of history was located in a hotel in Virginia, so Mike and a few friends rented a truck and drove south to pick it up.  The craftsmanship is impressive, but what really sold the idea of an antique bar to Mike and Rose was the thought of all the past people who enjoyed a drink at that bar.  That nostalgic feeling sets a certain mood around the bar. 

Differing from the feel of the antique bar are the 50- and 60-inch plasma TVs hanging all around the establishment.  Combined with the live OSU alum trumpeter, this setting is ideal for supporting the Buckeyes. Another fun little fact about the Leprechaun is they have a Golden Tee Live game located in the back corner for customers to play around with. 

The walls in the Loco Leprechaun are noteworthy.  Painted with Southwestern colors, the dining area is accented with creative murals.  The giant Loco Leprechaun logo is featured on the main wall and was designed by a few Cleveland Institute of Art students.  More artwork was completed by Westlake High School graduate and OSU art student Kate Ankoviac. 

The walls in the restrooms are covered with hand-painted smart sayings – everyone contributed to these according to Rose.

With convenient parking, strong coffee, hand trimmed corned beef, superb burritos, and the welcoming spirit of both Ireland and Mexico, the Loco Leprechaun is a place all Clevelanders must check out.  The food will blow you away, so enjoy the open-air seating while you can, and wash it all down with a Guinness or a margarita – whatever fits your fancy that day.

All entrees are priced under $10.  Visit Loco Leprechaun's website to view their full menu. 

Happy hour is Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. so come enjoy their fine beer selection – the bar features 12 beers on tap and more than 100 beers total.  Happy hour deals include $1 drafts, $5 pitchers, $4 margaritas, $4 martinis, $4 house wines, and half-off all appetizers.

Loco Leprechaun is located at 24545 Center Ridge Road, between Clague and Columbia Roads in Westlake.

Phone: 440-250-5626 (LOCO)

Hours: Monday-Wednesday 4:00 p.m.- 2:30 a.m.

             Thursday-Sunday from 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 a.m.

If you’re looking for a place to have a beer or martini with some great pizza outside the city, look no further than Ricardo’s Brick Oven Pizza in Brunswick.

Located inside Brunswick’s longest standing bar, Equinox Bar-Grill-and-Patio at 1091 Pearl Road, this privately owned pizza place is gaining quite a reputation.  Visit Ricardo's Brick Oven Pizza online to read about their fine ingredients and menu items. 

With dough made from the highest quality flour used in pizza making imported from Italy daily and sauce crushed from tomatoes grown in the San Marzano Valley of Italy, every pie that comes out of their authentic brick oven tastes like pizza from the Italian countryside.  The dough tastes incredibly fresh and its aroma reflects the high quality of ingredients as well.  Ricardo’s crust is always thin and crispy too, just like real pizza crust should be.

I sampled three of Ricardo’s hand-tossed pizzas.  The first was his BLT pizza.  I thought, “Hey, I love BLTs! Why not try it in pizza form?”  I was very pleased.  His signature bacon ranch sauce was light and complimented the raw tomatoes, lettuce, and bacon bit toppings rather nicely.