Any one with Cleveland restaurant knowledge knows that Dante Boccuzzi is so talented and has such an artistry when it comes to inventing food. He earned a Michelin Star, he is Cleveland’s only Michelin Starred chef, and was twice nominated to the James Beard House Rising Star Chief Award. He owns multiple restaurants in Cleveland and around Ohio.
Goma opened July of 2021 and we finally got a chance to check it out. It’s located on the corner of East 4th and Prospect Ave. It’s in a prime location whether there is an event at the arena, a ball game, or your at Playhouse Square to head over and grab a bite to eat. They do recommend making a reservation but we got lucky and they had one spot at the bar opened. We walked in and the restaurant is just gorgeous.
The sea creature art work on the walls, the unique jellyfish light fixture and the lighting of the restaurant is so modern. There are tables located all around the restaurant and then a bar in the center, where they also make all the sushi right there for you to watch. I enjoyed where we sat because I got to watch Chef Lee, while he makes all of his amazing creations. I suggest sitting at this bar area as it just made the experience for us.
They have an extensive Sake menu, some wine and some house cocktails. We started off with Goma Old Fashioned made with Four Roses, black sesame, and Angostura bitters. I really enjoy Four Roses so I did very much like Goma’s version of the Old Fashioned.
We also got two appetizers the crab rangoon fritters and one of the specials of the night the raw tuna. The crab rangoon fritters were fried perfectly. The crab was fresh and the sweet and sour sauce on the side added some great additional flavor. The raw tuna melted in our mouths and had such fresh citrus flavor. I do not eat much raw food but I couldn’t stop eating the tuna. The plating of the dish was just as beautiful.
For dinner my husband tried a couple different types of sushi. One of them was the Goma roll with salmon and tuna under the specialty maki rolls on the menu. He also picked out one of the specials they had and another every day roll on the menu. He said they were all very fresh and tasted amazing. I was too nervous to try any but next time since I loved the tuna so much I will for sure try some. They all looked beautiful!
I went with something more on the safe side and got the stir fried beef and rice. The rice had mushrooms, broccoli, and carrots mixed in. The beef was cooked to a perfect medium. All the vegetables with the meat and seasons had such fresh flavor. I enjoyed the type of rice that is used in this dish. I feel like it really held together all the flavors. I ate almost all of this by myself which doesn’t happen often.
We were so full we didn’t get any dessert but I did get tons of photos of the other sushi dishes going out. All of the sushi chefs were so nice and when I asked to take pictures of the different plates going out they were all for it. I highly recommended sitting at the bar so you can watch them create. It was such an amazing experience.
Here are some of the beautiful dishes that were created the night we were there.
This is a must try in Cleveland. Dante does it again. This restaurant is gorgeous and the food is fantastic. Even if you don’t eat a lot of sushi it’s a must try!