I was honestly blown away by Inman Social in Cleveland, Tennessee. For context, I’m from South Florida and I go to a lot of really good restaurants and fine dining places down here, so I’m used to great food. I did not expect to find a restaurant in a small town like Cleveland that could compete with places back home, but this place absolutely does. Honestly, it might even be better than some of them. We started with an oyster platter. I normally don’t even like oysters because I always worry about them being slimy, but the person I was with told me I had to try them. They had this cream and cracker topping on them and they were incredible. The flavor was amazing and the texture was nothing like what I expected. We ended up eating the entire tray. Chef Wesley also made us a catfish appetizer that he actually won an award for, and now I completely understand why. It had sliced apples with the fried catfish, which I never would have thought to pair together, but somehow it worked perfectly. The flavor combination was just incredible. The drinks were also great. I had an espresso martini that was excellent. The whole vibe and atmosphere of the place was awesome too. Just a really cool spot with great energy, great food, and really good service. This place completely exceeded my expectations and I would absolutely come back the next time I’m in town.
Inman Social
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I was honestly blown away by Inman Social in Cleveland, Tennessee. For context, I’m from South Florida and I go to a lot of really good restaurants and fine dining places down here, so I’m used to great food. I did not expect to find a restaurant in a small town like Cleveland that could compete with places back home, but this place absolutely does. Honestly, it might even be better than some of them. We started with an oyster platter. I normally don’t even like oysters because I always worry about them being slimy, but the person I was with told me I had to try them. They had this cream and cracker topping on them and they were incredible. The flavor was amazing and the texture was nothing like what I expected. We ended up eating the entire tray. Chef Wesley also made us a catfish appetizer that he actually won an award for, and now I completely understand why. It had sliced apples with the fried catfish, which I never would have thought to pair together, but somehow it worked perfectly. The flavor combination was just incredible. The drinks were also great. I had an espresso martini that was excellent. The whole vibe and atmosphere of the place was awesome too. Just a really cool spot with great energy, great food, and really good service. This place completely exceeded my expectations and I would absolutely come back the next time I’m in town.
From reading a prior review, I made a reservation days in advance for 1 at 6:00 PM on a Friday. This allowed me to be seated immediately. They offer indoor and outdoor seating, and I took indoor seating. The restaurant was starting to fill up when I arrived, so I imagine it gets pretty busy on Fridays. My server was Lauren, who was very friendly and informative about the establishment. She gave some info about the chef, like how he had apparently cooked with some famous chefs like Gordon Ramsey, and how the chef was apparently the Tennessee representative for some cooking competition. The chef won said competition with the Catfish Fritto dish that's on the menu (under Appetizers). Regarding the bathroom, it was 1 urinal and 1 stall. The bathroom was very upscale and well kept. It offered both paper towels and hand blowers for drying your hands, and it even offered hand lotion (something I've never seen in a restaurant bathroom before). The only down-side was that there was only 1 sink. For dinner, I ordered the Potato Pizza, which took 15 minutes and 37 seconds to arrive. That was faster than I expected since the menu made mention how the pizzas are made fresh and indicated that they might take some time to make. According to my server Lauren, all the pizzas are 10-inches except for the Garlic Cheesy Bread, which is smaller. The Potato Pizza comes topped with a bunch of arugula, and honestly, its a bit much. I decided to eat the arugula separately from each slice, and then I ate the slice (though this does mean I got plenty of leafy greens, so no need for a salad). The pizza was incredible. I also ordered a dessert, specifically the Vanilla Creme Brulee, which took 5 minutes and 23 seconds to arrive. The dessert was wonderful. Some other things I'll share are that the restaurant has special food and wine offerings it offers either daily or for a few days in a row. The food special for the Friday I went was escargot, which was tempting, but I wanted to try the Potato Pizza. As for the wine offering, I don't drink, but even if I did, I doubt I'd take it since you have to buy the whole bottle. My server Lauren told me how the chef apparently makes food for the staff, so they all get to have a nice dinner together. So, it sounds like Inman Social is a great place to work. Lastly, the restaurant has birthday specials. Specifically, you get a free dessert and a free glass of bubbly wine for your birthday. Overall, Inman Social was spectacular and I'll need to come back again.
From reading a prior review, I made a reservation days in advance for 1 at 6:00 PM on a Friday. This allowed me to be seated immediately. They offer indoor and outdoor seating, and I took indoor seating. The restaurant was starting to fill up when I arrived, so I imagine it gets pretty busy on Fridays. My server was Lauren, who was very friendly and informative about the establishment. She gave some info about the chef, like how he had apparently cooked with some famous chefs like Gordon Ramsey, and how the chef was apparently the Tennessee representative for some cooking competition. The chef won said competition with the Catfish Fritto dish that's on the menu (under Appetizers). Regarding the bathroom, it was 1 urinal and 1 stall. The bathroom was very upscale and well kept. It offered both paper towels and hand blowers for drying your hands, and it even offered hand lotion (something I've never seen in a restaurant bathroom before). The only down-side was that there was only 1 sink. For dinner, I ordered the Potato Pizza, which took 15 minutes and 37 seconds to arrive. That was faster than I expected since the menu made mention how the pizzas are made fresh and indicated that they might take some time to make. According to my server Lauren, all the pizzas are 10-inches except for the Garlic Cheesy Bread, which is smaller. The Potato Pizza comes topped with a bunch of arugula, and honestly, its a bit much. I decided to eat the arugula separately from each slice, and then I ate the slice (though this does mean I got plenty of leafy greens, so no need for a salad). The pizza was incredible. I also ordered a dessert, specifically the Vanilla Creme Brulee, which took 5 minutes and 23 seconds to arrive. The dessert was wonderful. Some other things I'll share are that the restaurant has special food and wine offerings it offers either daily or for a few days in a row. The food special for the Friday I went was escargot, which was tempting, but I wanted to try the Potato Pizza. As for the wine offering, I don't drink, but even if I did, I doubt I'd take it since you have to buy the whole bottle. My server Lauren told me how the chef apparently makes food for the staff, so they all get to have a nice dinner together. So, it sounds like Inman Social is a great place to work. Lastly, the restaurant has birthday specials. Specifically, you get a free dessert and a free glass of bubbly wine for your birthday. Overall, Inman Social was spectacular and I'll need to come back again.
After three straight weeks without a day off, today was the first chance to breathe. We slipped away a little early and made our way south, winding leisurely toward Chattanooga. When we finally reached Cleveland, we headed to Inman Social. They didnt have any available reservations, so we grabbed two seats at the bar. The place has this modern Italian vibe with a big, striking painting of Anthony Bourdain on the wall and seeing it made me think about how much he would’ve appreciated the kind of road-trip day we were having. I started with the oysters, served with a whipped horseradish topping that was unlike anything I’d had before bright, fresh, and just enough kick to let the oysters shine. For mains, we tried the 27-Layer Lasagna a masterpiece of veal, Italian sausage, ricotta, and San Marzano tomato layered into something that’s as decadent as it sounds and the Scampi Arrabbiata mafaldine pasta tossed with shrimp, mussels, pancetta, and jalapeño in a garlicky herb butter with just the right heat. Both dishes felt like the kind of Italian cooking that balances comfort with creativity.