The Ghost Light Restaurant & Lounge

Stopped for dinner prior to an outing at Playhouse Square using Open Table. Well, was not what we expected. It is a Hotel Bar/Restaurant so the ambiance is as such. The food was excellent, however the service was not the greatest. The Main Bartender seemed to be our waiter as well, so it seemed slow. Definitely not a "Date Night Intimate Setting" but a good start place for a "Night On the Town."

Our only issue was mainly our dining neighbors. Be advised that this is a Hotel Bar/Restaurant so hotel patrons and their children will be dining with you; which is usually not an issue. However in our circumstance this was an issue due to the inconsideration of the Parents of the children.

It was a very pleasant atmosphere and the food was delicious!

Based on other reviews, we expected a quiet, low key dinner before a show. It was anything but that. The restaurant was very loud. We were seated when we arrived but had to wait 10 minutes before a server arrived. The lobster macaroni was not enough for a meal and I had to search for the lobster. The perch sandwich was overcooked.

We had a long wait for our food to arrive but still made it in time for the show. We will not be returning.

Dinner before a play.
All but the service was good.
It took 3 tries to find a bottle of wine that was actually available.
Service spotty at best with salads and soups arriving with our meals and not before.

Enjoyed our dining experience. The service was fine, and the food was very good. My wife had the char (fish like salmon) and raved. I had the bean burger and fries which were doused in fresh garlic--nice touch. Everything was fresh and delicious. Would definitely go back again before a show.

We went there for dinner before a show at Playhousesquare. The location is perfect, you can walk to the theater. The food was served fairly fast and our waitress was nice and efficient. However, the person at the front desk was not welcoming (did not even say hello when we checked-in) and the food was not great. I ordered the chicken with mushroom risotto and the risotto was very salty and the chicken was dry. I did not want to send it back to the kitchen because we had to go to the show. Plus, they are advertising for an happy hour from 4:30 to 7pm on the exterior wall of the building, but when you come in you get to know the happy hour ends at 5:30pm.

Here is the reality, it is fine. The Manager/Director is not welcoming. He also did not want to give a table by the Window, although there were a few open. He said they went to earlier reservations, but all that meant was that person had submitted their reservation earlier, they hadn't requested a window. Yet we were there and asking for one. He continually just repeated the same statement and when I said I didn't understand he said the same thing again. We ended up getting a table by the Window. Our waitress was lovely, the food was fine. Hummus appetizer was good. I had a salad with chicken which was fine. So it was fine, nothing amazing and with the odd Person at the door greeting you I doubt I would return.

Inside the Crowne Plaza at lobby level, Ghost Light is an excellent choice for pre- or post- playhouse shows. The food is delicious, but the portions are generous, so plan accordingly if you are there prior to a show and don't want to run back to the car to drop a doggy bag.
Also, (and oddly, I might add) ladies, do be careful while walking in the restaurant. The first time my stiletto heel slipped, I blamed it on me (poor foot placement). The second time, I blamed it on the shoe (am I missing a heel cap?). I managed to stay upright and ended up walking on tiptoes to keep that way. Then I saw other ladies slipping the same way I had. Whether a function of the tile or of a cleaning agent, maybe wear a chunkier heel if your plans include Ghost Light.

Pre theater dining. Pretty bad overall. Worst possible calamari on the planet. Barely re heated to be warmed up. I want to like this place. It’s a great location, a beautiful room but the food is very disappointing.

Went to this reataurant for the fist time prior to seeing Les Miserables. Food was very good and we had an excellent waitress. Recommend the calamari appetizer. Had the short ribs for dinner and my spouse had the pappardelle bolognese.

Would go again.

Food, service, and decor were very nice. Open and modern. The only down side is the restaurant and bar are one large open room. The noise from the bar made conversation at our table somewhat difficult.

Understaffed. Luckily manager took care of us. She was very nice. Food was mediocre. Won’t rush to go back.

Nobody greeted us. We sat and had no idea where to go or who was serving us. Our server was really quiet. Didnt introduce herself and was not outgoing. One plus was that someone in our group spilled their water and a different server came to clean it up, she was really nice about it. We got perch sandwiches, they were pretty unimpressive.

Everything was very nice. Food was good. Service was “spotty”, meaning the way the server talked, and even the person delivery our food, was a little unprofessional. Had to ask twice for a few things. But, we will go back.

We had a great evening. Thanks so much for the birthday cheesecake!

I didn't care for the taste of my meal. Our server had it taken off our bill. That was very nice. We will
Be returning

The restaurant was almost vacant when we got there, which we should have taken as a bad sign. I ordered a reuben sandwich for my son, without sauerkraut, cheese or sauce -- it came with everything but the corned beef itself was so fatty and disgusting that even if the order HAD been correct it would have been inedible. Really disgusting.

This was our first time there, after a Playhouse Theatre play!! Food delicious, reasonable and warm and friendly staff!!! We'll be back!!

Thank you,
Judy & Ken

Met another couple there for pre-show dinner. Hostess apparently never checked us in for Open Table. Waitress was not very knowledgeable about drinks or menu. We ordered a charcuterie board even though she described it as “pork” meats and cheeses. No details. Just “pork” meats and cheeses. Board was pleasant looking. The “meats” (prosciutto, salami) were cut thicker than most places. Same goes for the “cheese” (possibly smoked Gouda and cheddar). Nice bowl of olives, candies pecans along with ground mustard and something that was possibly mango chutney???

I had short rib which came with carrot purée and some chopped roasted turnips. Carrots were cold. My wife and a friend had pasta with bolognese. Sauce was ozone in whole cloves of garlic and was very spicy. Should have been called arrabiata instead. Friend’s wife had a pot pie that was “good.” I should mention at this point that both pasta dishes wound up being complimentary although we never saw a manager the whole night.

We’re going across the dteeet to Cowell and Hubbard next time. Same distance to theater and much better food and service.

The location is perfect for a pre-theater dinner, but none of the food we had was good. The caesar salad was just lettuce with caesar dressing on top. The clam chowder could have come from a can. The flatbread was overly saucy with unappetizing crust. The shrimp and grits had dense grits with a bland, brothy sauce. Overall, disappointing.

If you are staying at the hotel and have NOwhere else to go, then fine. But do not make a special trip here. Ambiance is bad, service is average at best, NO vibe to speak of, stale bread, water'd down drinks....need I go on??

Went there before the theatre with a fussy 13 year old eater. We all had simple food, tacos, charcuterie and sandwiches. We were out in plenty of time for the show. Would go back.

Food was cold, they had to rewarm it.

We dined here prior to visiting Playhouse Square and found the ambiance to be very inviting for a nice, quiet dinner. We ordered the cheese board and all 3 cheeses provided were smoked and the crackers were very bland, but the candied pecans and apricot glaze were pleasant. For entrees, we had the mushroom flatbread and chicken breast. My son ate 1of 4 slices of the flatbread since it tasted like paper, especially the bread. The chicken and risotto was served lukewarm and to top it off, the glaze a top it was cold which of course made it very uninviting to eat. The server brought our initial drinks and re-filled my son's water, but then never came back to the table. I had to ask another server for the check which he brought. It appears they have several kinks to work out in the kitchen and they need to employ staff that's willing to wait on the customers.

We went before seeing Hello, Dolly! So glad we made the reservations. The service was quick, the food delicious, and we had a nice surprise when they brought out an exquisite lemon cake with cherry sauce for our anniversary. The menu is simple yet varied. The big windows are great for watching the action at Playhouse Square. Can't wait to go back.

I expected more from the new Ghost Light Restaurant during our first visit. The view onto Playhouse Square is wonderful but the food isn't worth foregoing some of the other nearby eateries. We had blackened grouper and a pot roast beef pie. It was standard hotel fare. The caesar and farm house salads were quite ordinary, as expected, but you get a sense of the quality of the restaurant from the quantity and quality of salad dressing that's served. The large portions of sweet and garlicky sauces didn't get our hopes up. The beef pie was quite filling and great comfort food. The fish came on a bed of very bland potatoes. Surely there must be some new chef out there that wants an opportunity to create good food, if the hotel will let them.

It felt like eating in a hotel lobby... no ambience and cold. The service was apologetically spotty despite the restaurant being half full. Lobster nachos were a generous scoop of bland guacamole, queso, creme fraiche and lobster chunks served with woefully inadequate 4 “toast points” of a tortilla, definitely not nacho like and we ate the balance with a spoon. Steak was ordered “medium rare” was served medium-to-well and polenta accompaniment was chunky and grainy. Club sandwich was not club style, instead it was a large ham and turkey sandwich on cool toast with lukewarm, mealy fries. We went pre theater and we were in and out in time and could walk to Connor Palace. We have tickets for 6 upcoming playhouse square shows and will NOT be returning to this restaurant despite the convenience. So disappointing.

The Ghost Light is a beautiful space with windows out to Euclid and Huron in Playhouse Square. We had sandwiches--the vegetarian burger was made in house and delicious, the Perch sandwich okay, a little light on the tartar sauce. The fries, nicely garlicky, were the standout part of our dinner. Our server was very pleasant, knew her menu and was professional and unobtrusive. Our rye Manhattans were not sweet, letting the rye shine. We wanted a place close to our theater evening and the Ghost Light got us in and out with plenty of time to get to the show.

Nice to have another option when we go to the theater.

The food was good. The location perfect if you are going to the theater. We were served by Shawn who was the perfect mix of friendly and professional. He got us out in time for the show without any feeling of being rushed.

Very bland food, average at best. We both ordered the grouper and it came with mashed potatoes and supposedly an olive topping. The grouper was not a good thick piece of grouper, but rather flat with moderate flavor.. However, the olive topping was simply olive tapenade out of a jar. I expected a fresh dressing with olives, tomatoes, onions ... something made from scratch. Extremely disappointing as most of the playhouse square restaurants are these day. Cleveland, a city with solid restaurant, desperately needs something good beside Cowell & Hubbard in the square. The service was very good and friendly.

Unfortunately, the poor service and uncooked calamari overshadowed the rest of the food we had. Grouper and short rib were good and prices were reasonable.

The restaurant appears to be understaffed but the staff are not well-trained in customer service. We (and others) were seated for a long time before we were acknowledged by a server. Even water did not arrive for awhile. The food was mediocre at best--one of us had pasta and the other fish--both were served at a tepid temperature, much too salty, and lacking an appealing presentation. The only highlight was a shared lemon cake that was very good and the coffee served with dessert was presented in a small carafe--nice way to keep it hot for refills. This is a great location at Playhouse Square for theatergoers as well as those staying at the hotel--but staff training and improvement in the kitchen are definitely needed.

Unexpected gem. I think most foodies are skeptical of hotel restaurants but this was incredible. Cool atmosphere and the dishes were as delicious as the menu is creative.

Appetizer didn't arrive until after the main dishes. Both main dishes were blah; nothing special about this place.