Outdoor seating
Yes
Winking Lizard Independence in Independence
Categories
Location on the map
Independence, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, US
Service options
Delivery
Yes
Takeaway
Yes
Dine-in
Yes
Health and safety
Staff required to disinfect surfaces between visits
Yes
Highlights
Fast service
Yes
Fireplace
Yes
Sport
Yes
Popular for
Lunch
Yes
Dinner
Yes
Solo dining
Yes
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Yes
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Yes
Wheelchair-accessible seating
Yes
Wheelchair-accessible toilet
Yes
Offerings
Alcohol
Yes
Beer
Yes
Braille menu
Yes
Cocktails
Yes
Coffee
Yes
Comfort food
Yes
Happy-hour drinks
Yes
Happy-hour food
Yes
Kids' menu
Yes
Late-night food
Yes
Quick bite
Yes
Small plates
Yes
Spirits
Yes
Wine
Yes
Dining options
Lunch
Yes
Dinner
Yes
Catering
Yes
Dessert
Yes
Seating
Yes
Amenities
Bar on site
Yes
Good for kids
Yes
High chairs
Yes
Toilets
Yes
Wi-Fi
Yes
Atmosphere
Casual
Yes
Crowd
Family friendly
Yes
Groups
Yes
Tourists
Yes
University students
Yes
Payments
Debit cards
Yes
Credit cards
Yes
Phone: +1 216-524-2226
Site: https://www.winkinglizard.com/
Site: https://www.winkinglizard.com/
Opening hours
- Monday:11AM–12AM
- Tuesday:11AM–12AM
- Wednesday:11AM–12AM
- Thursday:11AM–12AM
- Friday:11AM–1AM
- Saturday:11AM–1AM
- Sunday:11AM–11PM
Comments (199)
The service was quick and efficient. The staff seemed friendly towards people of color. Our waitress checked on us regularly and our server was friendly. The food was cooked very well and tasted fresh. The atmosphere was chill by busy, the layout gives a sense of privacy. If youre looking for good service, great tasting food then this is a place for you!
It was our first visit to the Winking Lizard. We were not disappointed. It was very crowded on 4/12/22 when we arrived. We were told it would be a 25 minute wait. It was less than that. Our waitress Danielle B. was amazing. She was working many tables but it did not change the service she provided to us. Our food was really good and the choice of draft beers was nice. We tried a few & were not disappointed.We were so impressed we came back again the next night not only because we could walk from our hotel but to try more menu items & to sample some other draft beers. Our service was amazing again.From PA - if you are traveling and near here stop in - you wont be disappointed.
I enjoyed everything about this place from the service, appetizers, drinks, food, music and even the other customers 😂 The menu has a wide variety of food and drinks. I highly recommend this place! Keep up the good work!
Great food for the price and the bartender and waitstaff are very friendly with awesome quick service. We had to wait about 30 minutes due to it being so busy but they have a great system where you can check what order you are on your phone. We sat at the bar and drank flights of the many selections of craft beers they had on draft! Definitely worth the wait!
The patio is phenomenal. What a vibe. Beautiful atmosphere. Good service.My Buffalo chicken was extremely underwhelming. The lack of buffalo sauce was criminal. No ranch on the side. Fries were good.Bottom line: give this place a try, but don’t hold your hopes TOO high.
First time visiting the Cleveland area. Definitely recommend. Fantastic service and food. Our waitress Shannon was phenomenal, clearly explained all the food and drink options without even asking. Pizza, BBQ chicken and Chicken sandwich were all delicious. Will definitely return if back in the area.
Second time coming to this location and it was really good both times! Got a burger both times and they did not disappoint!!!! The BBQ sauce they have is bomb! Goes well on the burgers. Awesome beer selection and one of the best patios/decks around in the summer!!!
Had a really good lunch here, my patty melt was excellent, as was my friends fish dinner. The space is fun and our server was really excellent.
I really appreciate that the craft beer selection isnt just a list of IPAs. The seasonal varieties and other beer styles are much appreciated. I feel like the food is above par for a bar menu and the way that they change up the food menu and featured drinks monthly seems to keep things interesting. I would rate this as one of the top Winking Lizard locations.
Ive enjoyed the chicken wings. Have been craving these wings for a good decade now. They were my childhood favorite. And still my favorite spot. some great lakes draft and some truly awesome wings. Thanks for everything!
Add two stars if you like noisy, crowded bars with sports on TV screens everywhere you look.Sausage and pepper soup was great; chicken wings with garlic sauce were nicely done as well. Plenty of beers and bourbon to choose from. There is also an outdoor patio if you want a view of the Red Roof Inn and Rockside Road.
We got seated right away which was nice because alot of the surrounding restaurants had long wait times. Our server greeted us right away and got our drinks. Our food was brought out pretty quickly and everything tasted good. Its very clean and staff is all friendly. We will return again.
Great St. Louis style ribs. Ok Old Fashioned, too sweet for me. But they have an awesome whiskey list and offer a long pour. Will definitely go back when in town again. Their mascot iguana was really cool
I had the spicy sesame wings - flats only. I love that they let you order that way. Werent really spicy to me but definitely a sticky just right sweet.Histess/cashier was great also!
Was coming from out of town and can say this place did not disappoint! Food was terrific, prices were great, our waitress was so phenomenal. Honestly couldnt ask for more. You need to come here!
I was there tonight with my husband and niece. Our server, Danielle, did an excellent job. Even though the place was busy, our food came out fairly quickly and everything was correct. I love this Winking Lizard location.
Janet our waitress was above and beyond amazing! She had many tables to wait on, as they were very busy last night, but was very attentive to all her guests and made sure everyone was taken care of and not forgotten. When she realized the cook missed one of our orders of fries, she brought them out to us as quickly as she could and appologized for the mess up. The atmosphere was amazing and friendly. This is my favorite resturant to eat but this is my new favorite location to go to!
We visited for a quick Sunday dinner. Seated immediately, our server was great.What a awesome selection of alcoholic beverages!! The beer list had something for all, and the bourbon selections were great.We had many different kinds of wings, they were very tasty. Fast service and very polite.I cant wait to stop in again.
Two families of 4 adults and 5 kids on a busy Friday night over 4th of July weekend and we were able to get a table in less than 30 mins at 855pm. We tried the fried provolone, nachos, pretzel sticks, BBQ chicken cheese melt, pizza, wings, grilled cheese, 12oz strip steak, Bo-mans bacon cheeseburger, beers, and popcorn for dessert! There wasnt one bad thing, it was all awesome! Atmosphere was great, servers were great! Wish this place were in Pennsylvania!
Food was okay. However this restaurants restrooms ARE NOT ADA COMPLIANT, and are unusable for anything other than handwashing for someone in a standard size wheelchair... wheelchairs will not fit in the accessible stall... door cannot be closed, nor is there any room to transfer.The only possible way this restroom could work is if I were traveling with an aide who could assist me in removing the wheelchair, etc...
After work visitA friend and I are in town for several months working and staying in walking distance of the tavern. Our first night at work we were let out early 12:00am..we are on night shift. We decided to walk there and have some wings and a beer. We walked in and my friend asked the lady If the fryer was still on and she rudely told us to go around to the other side of the establishment at the other bar. We walked around and sat at the bar and then the lady told us for our own safety they can’t serve us because we were to intoxicated. My friend told her we just got off work and I told her we haven’t even drank anything. I thought she was joking… We both were highly confused… we literally just got off work. When we came back to the room I called there and spoke to the manager and explained what had just happened. She told me that it may have been because we “ looked intoxicated” that was very embarrassing! This establishment just lost a lot of money on us out of Towners….. shame on you!
Glad to see the location is back open. They did a good job providing space between customers. We received great service from the waitress. Was able to quickly get in without any wait. The food was pretty good not the best. Not as hot as I liked it to be. My daughter enjoys the wings. I will go again for the wings.
It can be quite busy at times, its a good spot for reliable bar food, staff has almost always been incredibly nice and efficient, for the younger people coming here please know that after a certain time at night you have to be 21+ unless you are accompanied by an adult because they do check your ID
First time to the Winking Lizard. Seen it every time I stay at the Doubletree next door, but have never made it to the Lizard until today. Had an excellent experience at lunch, great salad, great friendly service, next time I will make it a must for dinner
Went to eat on the patio outside where everybody was enjoying their dinner or their beer I have a 5 lb Yorkie that I was bringing in in a stroller that I was told at the winking lizard in Lakewood would be able to sit out on the patio but winging lizard on Independence does not allow you to have dogs. No bueno
Service was great. Food not so much. Get a plate of crushed nachos with a squirt of cheese and a handful of jalapenos and some tomatoes. (Nachos where under the lamp way to long).9 bucks.
Ill start by saying the service and the view were both great. Our server was very friendly and the view of cleveland in the sunset was great.The 3 stars, however, comes from the food. Before I say anything I want you to imagine a burger. Probably thought of a patty, lettuce, tomato, ect, right? Imagine my confusion when a got just patty, bacon, and cheese on my bacon cheese burger. I mean, it was quite literally what the menu described, but I kinda figured that the ruffage on top was just a given. Also at 12$, I would expext it instead of, what is, half a burger. I mean I will say, it would be a good 9$ burger, but def not worth 12$
Great food and even better service!!! Love the scenic view of downtown Cleveland too. We will definitely be back:)
The atmosphere was great and I expected the food would be as well.but I wasnt impressed.The iguana is cool, the free popcorn was great and the atmosphere was fun. When it came to the food I couldnt believe how much I spent for subpar food.My burger was a frozen Patty on a average bun. I mean it wasnt bad, but a place like this should be better than that, especially for the price.I could have went to a gourmet burger joint for less and had a much better burger.There was nothing special here but try it yourself.
Food was great but pricy. Would recommend. Also lots of beers to choose from.
I stopped in for a lunch on the outdoor patio. There was plenty of space between tables and I felt safe here.The service was a bit slow for a lunch stop. It got better once the waitress realized I hadnt put in an order.The celery was good and was the highlight of the wings. The boneless wings were ordered with the Goldfinger sauce. The sauce was very light and totally soaked into the heavy breading.The best part of the lunch was the tortilla soup. It was a creamy delight with crunchy tortilla strips mixed in.I will go back to the wraps next time I visit as Ive enjoyed them much better here.
All Lizards are great hangouts. Good wings, good beer selection, and service. Peninsula is my fave.
Tuesday for lunch. Boneless wings were excellent. Caribbean sauce was a winner. Quite busy for an early week lunch. Great food, sat at the bar and heard all the staff gossip. Guess you’ll get that anywhere.
Great atmosphere and food. My daughter and the iguana hung out all night. She named him Mike.
Loved it so much we came back the next day. Here from Wisconsin for family and couldnt have asked for a better patio or food. All wonderful. Extremely busy when we visited, but worth the wait. Free popcorn available and even a lizard named pickles to say hi to.
Very cool place! Great food. Good for adults, good for families with kids.Very good music playing in the background, I was surprised to hear Reggeaton in the background!Did I mention that the food is great? I have try several things from the burger, to wings, to the veggie wrap. Everything has always being great!
The Winking Lizard is Unique bar/restaurant. They have a really good selection of craft beers and whiskeys. I had there philly cheese steak, which was average. Very under seasoned for my taste. My wife had the french dip, which she said was under seasoned as well. She also asked for a side of horseradish sauce that never showed up. Our waitress was really nice, but seemed inexperienced and or new to the job. The hostess acted very disorganized and was a little gruff for our taste. She started to take our names and then told us to step aside so she could wait on a to go customer. Maybe this was just a bad Sunday evening shift for her, but who knows. I believe I would give the establishment one more try before drawing a furlong conclusion on the restaurant.
We were served by Myranda and she was fantastic. She was very quick to get our order in and she was just so pleasant and positive. A lot of people don’t have that kind of demeanor anymore in the restaurant workplace, especially with the pandemic, but it was such a treat to be served by someone who genuinely seemed to love their job. Will definitely be asking for her next time we are in town
Great craft beer tap selection with very reasonable pricing. Wed night was ribs night too, and Cavs were playing in the finals, so it was a great place to be. They have free popcorn while you wait, and lots of seating both inside and out. 22oz Stone Delicious and a half rack of ribs was just over $15, so not too bad at all!
You immediately are greeted by Pickles the iguana. The staff are very friendly. We sat out on the patio, nice view on a day off comfortable weather. Our waitress ( long hair with a SUPER cute Gap in her teeth) was extremely attentive and accommodating!!! Food was very good.We were very pleased!!!
Still a great place for wings and drinks! Loved being able to go again since they are only in North Ohio!
I wish we had one of these back home. The food was so good that we came back twice during our trip. Staff was awesome and the place was kept clean.
Overall a good choice for a fun sports bar. A very large seating area however it is broken up into a lot of different sections. A lot of TV screens for viewing a variety of sporting events. Menu is very large with a lot of typical choices but also some unique choices. Huge beer list and pretty good selection of other drinks as well. Known for the beer selection as well as their chicken wings which you can get with dry rub or traditional sauces - some of which are really hot to go with many mild, interesting choices.
We had a great experience at Winking Lizard last night. The Place was packed, but the manager Mick had it running smoothly. From checking in and getting seated, we had a fantastic time. Popcorn, pizza, wraps, and drinks! Great service and excellent food!
Nice atmosphere, Trish was a awesome bartender very on point she truly knows how to work the bar great job
Tried because of name, will go back because of food. Ours was delicious and so did everything going to the other tables. Easy going atmosphere and as a bonus, they do have a huge iguana
Not entirely sure why this place has such great reviews. Food was very bland, overpriced & our burger was raw. If Im ever in the area again, I will not be back to this restaurant.
This is MY spot! The food is ALWAYS good. My order is ALWAYS served correctly. Their soup of the day is ALWAYS on point (especially the chilli). Service is ALWAYS courteous, timely, & overall 2nd to none. Great place.
Food was great, wait staff was so kind, and a view of the skyline that cannot be beat!!!
Some of our hockey team stopped after a game and there were about 10 of us coming in to eat. They were very accommodating to our party and got us seated quickly. I did call ahead to forewarn them of our large party. They did explain someone would need to be there to reserve a spot for us. Our orders were taken relatively quickly and the kids played in the arcade while we waited for food to arrive. I had one of their burgers. It was juicy and delicious! All the staff we encountered were friendly. Highly recommended this winking lizard 🦎
Awesome menu everything on there is delicious huge patio outside nice variety of beers to choose from and wine etc highly recommend going there firmly place whether you have family or single or just going there on a date
Excellent food and atmosphere, and AMAZING beer selection. They have good ribs, burgers, fish sandwhiches (thats what i have tried so far). They also offer lots of flavors for wings and they have more food too. Plenty of t.v.s around the dining area and bar so you can watch sports while eating. This place is great.
The food is good but the blonde receptionist had me wait 20 mins for my to go order that was already done, just because she didnt bother to look at all of the orders
Food was ok. Service was really poor. Perhaps the waitress was having a bad day but I found it really poor.Average burgers. The ribs were a little dry.Bananas foster was good.
Nice atmosphere, food and drinks were very mediocre but the prices were decent, friendly service.
Went here for lunch as part of a group of 18 coworkers. The restaurant doesnt take reservations, but they handled our large group very well. I was impressed.
Good experience, prices are getting crazy compared to food quality. Yikes.Alway good beer selections and nice waitress!
There is a sizable selection of food, a huge selection of beer, and it is always busy. I typically have the chicken and it doesnt disappoint.
Visiting in Ohio,, stopped at place near hotel. Ordered to go cheese bacon burger and fries, burger was good, fries a little cold, but taste was good. Thats probally not their specialty maybe next time Ill try something else.Picture of huge beautiful lizard in restaurant.
Gave me a hard time about having a paper license while waiting for mine in the mail. Alyssa was super unprofessional, continued to be unprofessional after the manager approved my license. Alex was the manage and was also being unprofessional. They didnt even Apologize for being so rude
Had a good time, there was a short wait ~8p on a monday but it wasnt unbearably bad. the food specials were solid and the service was excellent.
Service was awesome wing were trash soggy not crispy teriyaki sauce was Bland
Outside dining and inside. Food is very tasty. We enjoyed it. The ribs is very tender.
Great food, great prices, superb service
Amazing food...Family friendly atmosphere and very prompt waitress who was extremely helpful 🥰My first visit but definitely not my last.
Nice big place with outdoor seating. Located above Delmonicos in Independence. Super large menu and more kinds of beer than I could count. The wraps were good. As was my summer Shandy on tap. Nice view from the hill all the way to Cleveland. Next door to LA Quinta hotel
My go to local place for food and a beer. They have the best beer list around and its not even close.
Chelsea was awesome!! Definitely a come back!! Come to watch sports!!! Super sports bar. Even off-season sports get love here. My new go to spot!
My boyfriend was intrigued by the name of the restaurant and wanted to see what they had to offer. We had different entrees and they were all substandard. The staff was friendly and the food came pretty quickly. The one bonus was the steak fajita soup which was just an add on to the main dishes.
Always enjoy the food and atmosphere at the Lizard. Weather was perfect to dine on the patio.
I ordered a pizza and wings online, to Take Out. Upon arrival, at the restaurant I was surprised that I didnt see any visible Handicap Parking Spaces.However, I did see a few designated Take Out Parking Spaces, crammed closely together--barely leaving enough room for someone to open their car door, when others park next to them.Being short staffed, there was only one long line (which extended outside the door) inside the restaurant for both dine in guests (waiting to be seated) and guests picking up Take Out.I checked the order, and every thing was there. However, I was very disappointed with the quality and taste of the food when I arrived home.The wings were Ok, not as good as they were in the past. But the pizza was Absolutely HORRIBLE!!!The crust was soggy and undercooked. And the toppings were not as good as they were in the past.
Its desquiting to see at this time a bar/restaurant full with people no masks, no saf distancing.......it is just the epitome of mediocrity and selfishness. January 2nd , 2022, pretending all is ok, business as usual.The response from the owner to my review shows the little that they care about costumers. The point is that you care little or not at all about people by permitting no masks and no social distancing in your restaurant at a time when there is so much unknown and so much disruption,. Again, whatever your response is, it is selfish, uncaring, and of course mediocre and just caring about business but no consciousness at all. This is written by an International traveller born and raised in a very discerning culinarian education, ( Not USA ). The costume is always right and this review regardless I its important or not to you, will eventually guide well educated people not to visit your bar/restaurant.
Wide selection of drinks and the usual section for bar type of food but well made. This location has a great view to see downtown skyscrapers. Outside is great to sit during the summer also!
I would avoid this place, especially if youre looking for good service. Inattentive server, on an evening where it wasnt too busy.
Interesting layout. Bar wraps around for different views. Lots of seating. Gets pretty loud once people arrive so dont plan on a quiet lunch or dinner. But if you like energy and crowds its good. The staff are attentive and bartenders were good, didnt have any service issues and they seemed to still hustle around the busier it got. Nice beer selection. Food and beer menu rotates monthly and is themed. My lunch special was grilled cheese and ham with tomato soup. It was meh. The ham was three or so slices of paper thin lunch meat so I wasnt too jazzed about that. The cheese wasnt hardly there to be melty. Ive had, eyes roll back into your head, epic grilled cheese and tomato soup for $5 at Thompson House in Indianapolis so its a super high bar to surpass. This would probably be fine for most people.
Good sandwich and fries. A sports bar with a couple Tvs devoted to weather channel. Great name!
Had a nice time with the family, but my food came out raw so I had to send it back and by the the my food came back out everybody was done eating already.
Warm atmosphere, friendly staff, really good food 👌 and reasonable priced. Whats not to like about the Winking Lizard. My wife and I consider it our go place to eat and drink when we are in Independence or Cleveland. There is a Bob Evans and a Dennys a stones throw away, and if I showed up at 10am (The Lizard opens at 11AM), I would wait till 11 instead of eating someplace else.
2 of us went 4 weeks in a row. The burgers were great but: the burgers were cooked as requested, once. The condiments were as requested, once. The fries and buns were different each time. Consistency is not a specialty. A fifth trip is not in the cards
We had a party of 9, all orders came out perfect and without a long wait. Food was good, waitress was excellent! No complaints.
From June 2021 thru February 2022.. Paying over $30 for some nasty traditional wings (3 times). Wings order 1: 911, CAJUN and CARIBBEAN. Wings Order 2: THAI, MAGMA and Fire in the Hole. Wings Order 3: Chipotle Chili, Green Sriracha, and Spicy Garlic.. ALL TASTES LIKE GROUND CUMIN seasoned wit 2 percent bbq sauce. Chicken tasted old and sitting underneath a light bulb. I ordered the Wings from 3 different locations in Ohio. INDEPENDENT, BEDFORD HEIGHTS and MACEDONIA OHIO.I
Some of my wings were a bit overdone, but I could put their spicy BBQ sauce on a stick and it would be great!!
My wife and I stopped in later on a Saturday night with seven Teenagers. They sat at a table next to us. The server was a friendly girl named Devan. She had a great attitude and waited on everyone in both our groups without missing a beat.The food came out hot and on time and was delicious.
This is one of my favorite Winking Lizard locations. Always quality food and service.
Laid back atmosphere sports type bar lots and lots of beer choices good food and drinks at very reasonable prices!
Went with a wedding party and they refused to serve us. Rude. We are a lot older and they refused to serve any of us because we came in at 1230am on Saturday night. Terrible service. I’ll be telling everyone we know about this.
Good food and good serviceHas a huge beer and drink list
Next door to a hotel we stayed at and we had many recommendations to try it. They were right! Good food! We had the rob dinner special and there were no complaints. Many places to be seated both inside and out.
One of my favorite Winking Lizard locations. Weather permitting, I highly recommend sitting on the patio. Our waitress was very friendly and efficient. Great food. Perfect place for the family, friendly get together or date night.
Great food, fantastic landscape view, and wonderful atmosphere.
Always packed but always a good time and great food. The burgers are amazing!
Delicious food, fun atmosphere. Added bonus~they have a cigar menu. A definitely must, however, is the honey mead!! So yummy!!
After leaving another restaurant due to being completely ignored by the servers, we decided to dine here for our first time. We were welcomed kindly by the hostess and service from our waitress, Emily, was top notch. She was super friendly and took care of us exceptionally well. She made great recommendations for food which we ordered. Food was cooked perfectly and came out in a timely manner. We were very impressed with how exceptional the food was and the portions received and for such reasonable prices. Theres a good variety to choose from as well. Will definitely be back again. Thank you Emily for a great dining experience there.
Good food, great service by Matt. Lively atmosphere
Solid food and prices, nice patio and view!
Nice food. Nice Pickles. He cute. The staff was great. Food was superb 👌
Nice bar food menu and good beer selection. Was busy with after work crowd and parking spots were hard to find. Bartenders are spot on and will keep your glass full and food delivered in a timely fashion. Nice place to spend some time and watch a game on the many tv screens.
We sat out on the Patio after a slight wait (Friday evening and beautiful weather so it was to be expected). Our server Brittany was awesome, very friendly and helpful with questions about wing sauces. Food came out in very little wait time and was hot and very good.
Great atmosphere with TVs everywhere for sports! Food was good too and the staff was nice! Plus theres a mascot to greet you at the door!
Went there for the first time yesterday. Food and service was good. There was a BIG problem with flies (plural) landing on all aspects of our food and dining area throughout our visit. We had to keep everything covered with napkinsand continue to fend off flies. Noise level was high at our visit time of 3-4 p.m., somethi g to be kept in mind. Lastly, the lizard could use more space than his present surroundings allows.
Service and food was excellent as always! Me and my family have been going to winking lizards for years and it’s spot on every time! Wings are fantastic and this last time we went for the fish fry during lent. I’ve never had their fish, but I’m super glad we did!! Huge portions and tasty! Great place to grab dinner or drinks! Highly recommend!
Yummy American fare, nice seasonal special, can be loud when crowded, good service but like everywhere... Short staffed
Our server was super friendly and fun. Made the kids fun drinks.
Awesome place!!! I got their special half rack of ribs! Delicious!!! Very reasonably priced as well... 😋
Fast and friendly service. 30 brews on tap. Tasty burgers. And a friendly giant iguana named Pickles to greet you as you arrive!
Did not allow people under 21 to enter after 5 pm! Most people eat dinner at 6. Imagine all the business they’re losing
Eh. Definitely did not live up to the hype. Quite disappointed. Pickles the Iguana is pretty cool though.
I love the indoor/outdoor patio, the bartenders were wonderful, our food and drink were great!
Went there for 60¢ wings and the personal pizzas. There pizza crust is the best I have had in a long while. Great service too! I highly recommend it.
Great food with wide selection. We tried 2 kinds of wings with 4 sauces two different pizzas and a salad and all were great. Waitress was great but food was a little slow, my guess was because they were really busy.
Neat place sitting in the garage! The pizza and chicken tenders were great!
Food is fantastic, the lizard was cool the staff were very knowledgeable about the food
Servers always on point and the food is always amazing and the drinks arent watered down.
I would of given 5 stars if the food wasnt overdone. Charred burgers and dried pizzas. Wings were excellent however. Service was excellent the waitresses were amazing accommodating with our party of 30 people.
Great place and food was great and our server was wonderful.
Solid bar. Good food. Good drinks. Ive been here a few times and never have had an issue. Also they have a very nice patio.
Good food & service, very reasonably priced
Great vibe. Everything was great except they were out of johnnie walker.
Food was fast, and cheeseburger was delicious. Cool atmosphere.
I love their black bean burger and choice of drafts.
Very noisy, but the food was very good although I was disappointed in the amount and flavor of the carribean sauce for the wings. However, the ribs were excellent, especially when using the bbq sauce available on the table. Fries were made perfectly.
Food was average at best. I wasnt impressed. Other Winking Lizard Restaurant have done better in the past.This particular restaurant does not offer military or first responder discounts of any kind. When asked about a discount, the suggestion is flatly refused based upon some sort of donation to something about once per year.If the military fought battles once per year, there would be no freedom and no cushy lives as we are blessed to have. Go blue, go Air Force.
Great food and beer selections. Staff is very friendly and efficient.
Good service, good prices, and overall great place! Also has an adorable Iguana.
Very good food and even better service. The staff is also very nice and helpful but Tristan!! was the best of them all. I would highly recommend this place to anyone for a good bite to eat and exceptional service
Service was sa sloooow. ONLY ordered a salad.
Took my kids and boyfriend on st. Patricks day we had a really nice time💕
I love the WL! Their wings and fries are awesome! Great brew selection and timely, polite service is always a hit. You wont believe it but the spinach salad is really good too if youre trying to behave in a culinary sense like me lately. The Lizard does not disappoint!
Was visiting from New York this past weekend. I stopped with a friend to get lunch and we were served by Hazel she was wonderful, the service was excellent; she is very kind and great at what she does. When you visit ask for Hazels table. She makes awesome drinks too! I cant wait to visit again.
Went on a Friday night. The place was packed, but the bartender took good care of us and the food came out quick. The wings were very good, beer was cold, and they have a HUGE variety of beers to choose from.
Met friends for a late lunch and Heather was our waitress. We are a group of friends who worked together 40 years ago and we try to get together at least once a year. Due to Covid, its been 2 years! Heather was so personable, kind and efficient. She took several photos of our group and every one of them turned out great. Thank you, Heather, for the great service! Oh, also, our food was delicious!
Atmosphere was great, our waitress was super sweet, the food was good and portions were bigger than expected.
Ordered food via phone. Showed up when I was told it would be ready. Waited an extra 30 minutes to get room temperature food. Who wants room temperature fries? We didn’t let our daughter even eat her mini corn dogs because we couldn’t determine they had been properly cooked. I was told they wouldn’t do anything about it.I always frequented other winking lizards, but not coming back to this one. Horrible service, horrible experience.
Lively inexpensive bar and restaurant surrounded by hotels. We were visiting family at the Cleveland Clinic and staying at a hotel. It was perfect for us to stop in at night and have a beer and appetizers. We shared a quesadilla and garlic boneless wings. Both were delivered quickly and were quite tasty. Staff were all extremely busy, but that did not interfere with them providing friendly and efficient service. The only negative for me was the live Iguana mascot confined at the entrance. He is beautiful orange and green, quite large. I have seen iguanas wild in trees in Mexico and it just made me sad that he lived in a dark bar.
Fast seating. Beer selection is always great! Decent service. Some of the specials pricing may have changed due to supply chain issues. Be prepared.
Atmosphere was great, huge menu, huge beer menu. I ordered a medium rare steak and received a burnt steak that was completely pink in the middle. How do you burn an uncooked steak?
I was told their burgers were awesome and from what I saw they were right, but they had a lent fish sandwich special and I ordered it. The sandwich was HUGE and it also came with a LARGE portion of freshcut thick fries that were SO GOOD I didnt want to hide the taste with ketchup. The fish sandwich was extremely tasty and delicious!!I would highly recommend this restaurant if youre in the area! You WILL NOT be disappointed other than youll wish this place was in your neighborhood !!
Order was hot and everything was correct. They should include plastic ware with take out orders.
Great waitress good food fast service
Excellent food and exceptional service! Definitely a place to visit if passing through the area. They even have a live iguana, how cool!
I love this place. Their salads are always fresh. I love the skinny dippers with 911 sauce, and the St. Louis ribs are amazing with the bourbon barrel sauce. Great beer selections and they have a really good Sauvignon Blanc. Miss Pickles is getting HUGE!
My waitress yesterday was Kaitlyn she was truly amazing. One of my first experiences out since Covid shutdown. She was attentive, engaging and she offered great ideas on what we should eat. Then at the end of the meal she took the pictures of my friend and I. I had phenomenal experience with Kaitlyn E at at The Winking Lizard in independence Ohio
Hate is a strong word. Strongly dislike may be a better choice. This location is poorly managed. When we arrived we were told a 30 minute wait. However there were numerous tables that needed to be cleaned which would have clearly seated the parties that were waiting. We were however seated in the expected 30 minutes. They seemed short staffed and the wait time for drinks and food took much longer than expected. The food is sub par and the value for what you pay is low. Drinks are higher priced than average but being a chain I guess that is to be expected.The only high note is that our server was pleasant and courteous and dealt with the situation that was handed her to the best of her ability.Unfortunately, we will not be back.
Great food! Amazing beer selection. This is a very affordable place. TVs everywhere. The staff was very knowledgeable about the beer.
I visited this Winking Lizard location and I have gone to the old building location of it many times a long time ago. The food and service are good- the problem is not enough parking! They really need to expand the parking area if they want to get more good business.
The Lizard has always been a fun spot. Good vibes. Great food. Fun staff. Just all around a good experience. A friend and I ate a feast of wings and nachos and had a blast!
Great place for typical bar fare. Service was exceptional. First time at this location and was so pleased with the staff that I definitely will be back. Never had to wait long but also never felt rushed. Libby was personable and prompt.
The food & the service was great! Great selection of beer. Even the tavern salad with my meal was delicious & satisfying. Wish me luck on the lottery tickets I bought in the game room!
Great bar food. Very consistent in their product. Their specials every day are always an extra value
Large selection of beers. Excellent food. I had to take a picture of the lizard!
From the most warm and friendly welcome from the hostess Mick, to a very thorough, nonjudgemental, attentative waitress Shannon, with the food prepared perfectly, this was the best restaurant experience my family has had in a long time! A perfect way to end the week! I was more relaxed knowing everyone was doing their jobs well so able to truly wind down. Thanks also to Brittany for taking time to hear my compliments to her staff.
Great food. Decent prices. Nice atmosphere.
Great food. It took longer for our food to come than expected but Im sure like everyone were short staffed
Had a great dinner early their Thai wings
Very busy, but service is great...food is really good. They have nightly food specials. Friday night is their 1 pound t bone for 12.99..came out cooked perfectly. Massive beer list, import, ipa and domestic.
Best one in the city my favorite and only one i like to visit
Our waitress was so kind and went out of her way to take care of us. The wait time was long but they were very busy. Overall a nice experience
Food was fine but dont order online. Youll wait 20+ minutes over the scheduled pickup time to get your food. Not worth the wait.
Just as great as any Winking Lizard. Monday & Tuesday Wing/Pizza specials are lovely. Usually go on a Monday anyway. Monthly draft and bottle list changes for the tour, Hellz yeah. They have a larger bar than the Lakewood location which is half outside (garage-style doors that open a bit) not a patio fan myself, but if people are looking for outdoor dining this fits.
Love this place! Reasonably priced great food! Service always excellent. You dont leave hungry!
Food was delicious price was right friendly staff
The food is pretty good at this location. Our server was really nice and attentive. My party sat on the patio and it has a lot of the big bumble bees outside. Overall a nice, pleasant dining experience.
Friendly staff and great food. What more could you ask for in a restaurant? How about $.60 wings on wing night?!?! This is just a well run place with a great atmosphere.
Had a great time at our work friend Chistmas Shindig! 🌲🎁🎅🤶
Had an awesome time last night at the Winking Lizard. They got LARGE Yuengling drafts which is awesome. Food was good and service was excellent. Good atmosphere.
Gotta give it up to Alex and the entire front of the house staff. They really work their butts off to take care of their patrons. The food was solid as always. But everyone went above and beyond to accommodate my group for March Madness. Even with a full house the food came out fast and their wings were awesome.
Relaxed atmosphere. Phone was great. Get the beer cheese dip with pita bread. Delicious!
Beer list was decent. Big area. Location is ok for the burbs. Not much food for vegans/vegetarians.
Great Food and great prices.
Good food....short staffed...but tried to make everything right.
Miranda, our server, made our visit that much more memorable following our long drive from Forest Hill, MD.Very involved with our two children and playing into my style of humor.Great food, too!!
This place rocked! The pizza was so delicious. I was extremely happy with my experience. Next time Im in Cleveland I will definitely go back.
This is MY Winking Lizard. The bar staff works as a team and the place itself has one of the most underrated views in town. Also as a whole it is hard to find a better BBQ sauce than the Lizards
Amazing steak dinner. Tricia and the other 2 female bartenders are awsome. We all only go there for the pretty bar tenders. WELL AND FOR THE STEAK OR RIB DINNER TO.
There were eleven or twelve of us there for our monthly class of 1971 get together. We had to split up the tables which we were not too happy about mud do to Coronavirus restrictions we had to comply with management. Establishment was very crowded and we have to wait for about 20 minutes before we could enter. Our server was very knowledgeable and took care of our entire table without any problems.
Atmosphere Is Ok! The food is Ok! “Nothing to write home about “
Exciting atmosphere, great food and wings! Very busy so youll want to be prepared to wait during busy hours.
Very cool spot. Beer was plentiful, wings were delicious.
The hosts here are god awful. I was just here and checked in at 8:08 pm on 3/1/21. We have a specific waitress we ask for every time we are here, and we come here every other week. I was told she is full and it would be 20 min. And gave the host my number. The host said they would text me shortly, I received the text and link to check wait list. 50 min goes by and I still have not heard from them and I check the link and I was taken off the wait list. This host deserves to be reprimanded and the management at this location is god awful.
My husband and I both got burgers. They were delicious and cooked perfectly. Our server Delaney was exceptional! Great experience.
Food was good, but not great. Onion rings are no longer on the menu. Bummer. Friends I was with made the night fantastic.
Not super fond of their food because not many healthy options and a little pricey for what it is - but I caught a great rainbow while there!
Worse experience as usual. Went in for at 1:45 waited 20 minutes and no server came to our table. A table walked in 18 minutes after us and was greeted ASAP. Decided to ask the hostess who walked by our table 3 times if they had servers working today and she said of course we do. Actions speak louder than words! Ended up leaving and headed to Melt!!! Highly recommend Melt! They actually waited on us within minutes. We will NEVER even attempt to go back to this restaurant considering there’s always an issue at this place.
Good fun. Multiple beer choices. Great outdoor area. Nice staff.
Great service. Brisket was so juicy!
Great food! The service was prompt and very friendly! Good selection of beer and quite a large whiskey selection, which I wasnt expecting!
I am from out of town. Visited the Winking Lizard on Saint Patricks day. It was very crowded . I sat at the bar, the bar staff was very friendly and talked with all customers even though they were very busy. Had the strip steak was very good. I will definitely visit again when back in town!
This location was dangerously crowded and no masks at all. Do not recommend any time soon.
Visited this place twice. First time was ok. Food and drink prices on the high side for standard food but thats fine. Second time I visited the service was horrible. Took 15 minutes to get a drink order then when we placed our food order 25 minutes later the waiter comes back and asked what we ordered again and it took over a hour to get our lunch order. I only ordered a salid so how can that take over 1 hour to receive? Received no compensation for the screw up and waiter only asked if we wanted another drink after we were done eating and we just wanted to leave.
Total reviews rating 4.3
199 Reviews for Winking Lizard Independence 2023:
Review №1
2022-04-24Good servings for the price. We ordered full rack ribs and the bbq chicken. The ribs was a little bony but the meat was soft. The chicken tasted good but was a bit dry for my liking. The sides were good! - rice, broccoli, beans and slaw.They have several options of draft beer and the staff can recommend a good one based on what you usually drink so thats a plus. I probably wont eat here again but its worth a try if you havent been here before - recommend!
Review №2
2021-10-04Fantastic dinner here, was quite crowded and loud but the food made up for the atmosphere. My friends and I (25) of us, enjoyed this local hangout. Fire pit was great to have a smoke and get warm. Staff was fantastic, our server 👏 got all orders correct plus we were on separate checks. Thanks folks for a wonderful time.
Review №3
2021-12-19Ive been here several times over the years and its a comfort location as the service is always good, the food is great (especially the wings), and they have a large selection of beer. The most Ive waited is about 30 minutes on a warm, sunny day, but that has been the absolute exception. Recommend the garlic bread burger, any of the wings, and a local brew like the Christmas Ale (with the cinnamon rim) or Bumbleberry. Parking is usually plentiful but if the lot is full on a busy day, there are other options right down the road in one of the lots.
Review №4
2022-02-02Go-to sports bar in Independence. 2 big bars so lots of bar seating. Service is good. Good casual spot for happy hour with colleagues. I do wish the app menu had a little more variety vs. carbs or carbs, but the Buffalo chicken salad with house made dressing is good if you’re going low carb.
Review №5
2022-04-13What a great tavern! Lots of beer choices. Really hearty tavern fare (wings, pizza, burgers, cheese fries) served with a smile. We ate on the patio and enjoyed the warm weather. Pickles is an iguana and their mascot. Be sure to check him out as you enter.
Review №6
2022-06-02Very pleased with the overall value. Staff was a little slow for a drink refills and kitchen was a bit slow for appetizers but I think weve come to be used to this. Overall it was a great experience. Would definitely come again for good food and great value!
Review №7
2021-12-04We stopped in here between hockey games for a quick lunch. I like the layout of the place especially the bar. They seemed to have a lot of drink options even though I couldnt have any there was plenty of options.The service was very so so with our waitress not seeming like she wanted to even be there. She was attentive but kind of had an attitude so maybe she was having a bad day. The food also was nothing to rave about. The chicken seemed pre cooked and very very dry. I guess for a quick bite it was okay, but wont be back plenty of other options.
Review №8
2022-03-28Winking lizard is a local chain restaurant, that is usually great. Food is usually good and service is always fast and polite. This time we were not that happy with the food because the ribs were not juicy and they were overcooked. The ribs also did not have enough bbq sauce on them. It was very crowded and very loud, so we had to lean across the table and shout at each other. We were also extremely cold and kept our coats on during dinner. This location is just off Rockside Rd, right next to I77, in Independence. It is a sports bar atmosphere with a few different large rooms. They do not have booths at this location but you can get either a high top or a low top table.
Review №9
2021-09-08First time at this location. Ate on the patio on a decent day outside. The service speed was average. The food was good and theres a view of downtown Cleveland at a distance.
Review №10
2022-04-25The place was very crowded but we were still able to get a table for 6 almost immediately. Food was delicious and the service was excellent. Keep up the great work!