Flat Iron Cafe

The Flat Iron Cafe was established in 1910, serving the Irish Community of Cleveland that was well established on the banks of the Cuyahoga River. The building, which was formally a four story hotel, had a fire in the late 1800s in which the top two floors were destroyed, leaving the building at its current two levels. The first floor was used as a blacksmiths shop and the rooms on the second floor were used as lodging over the years by the sailors and longshoremen working on the lakes. There are two stories as to how the Flat Iron got its name. The most common explanation is due to the shape of the building. If you were to look down at the building, it is shaped like an old flat iron. The other explanation is that the building resembles the Flat Iron building in New York City. In the 1800s the Flat Iron building of New York City was the largest of its kind, at 10 stories high. You can view an authentic flat iron at the Cafe. When the building was turned into an Irish Cafe in 1910, the upstairs was still used by sailors and the proprietors of the Flat Iron over the years. Many Irish families have owned and operated the Cafe for a number of years. Izzy Cohen, who operated the Cafe for some 20 years, made famous the staples that are still served to this day: Meat loaf and mashed potatoes on Monday, corned beef & cabbage on Wednesday, and the great Lake Erie Yellow Perch every Friday. The service was cafeteria style.