The first time you step into Immigrant Son Brewing, you notice the balance. On one side of the room, stainless steel kettles gleam behind plate-glass windows while brewers move through their paces. On the other, diners lean over plates of crispy Hungarian fried bread and steaming bowls of chicken paprikash, pint glasses catching the afternoon light. This is Andrew Revy's vision made real, a brewpub that opened in October 2020 after two years of construction delays and pandemic setbacks, finally bringing a proper brewery to Lakewood's West End.
The dining room at Immigrant Son Brewing. Photo: Cleveland Magazine.
The Story: From Constantino's to Brewhouse
Before there was beer being poured on Sloane Avenue, there was Constantino's Market, a family-run grocery that served the neighborhood until its closure left a 9,000-square-foot space sitting empty. For Revy, a first-generation Hungarian-American whose parents arrived in the United States just weeks before the 1956 revolution, the building represented everything he had been searching for. He had spent years wanting to open a brewery, and when the name "Immigrant Son" came to him, it crystallized a concept that would weave together his heritage with the cultural melting pot of Cleveland.
The renovation began in March 2020, just as the world was shutting down. Supply chain disruptions and construction delays pushed the opening from summer to late October, but Revy stayed the course. When the doors finally opened on October 25, 2020, people flowed in like, as one observer put it, "deal-crazed shoppers on Black Friday." The rush has not really subsided since.
The space itself tells the story of that transformation. Original wood beams and skylights from the grocery days remain, now joined by a glass-enclosed 10-barrel brewing system that puts the beer-making process on full display. Two dining rooms and a central bar divide the space evenly between food and drink, with seating for roughly 200 people. A parking lot accommodating 38 cars sits outside, a practical luxury in this dense corner of Lakewood.
The Beer: Erik Luli's Approach
Head brewer Erik Luli runs a program that splits the difference between tradition and experimentation. The tap list typically features around 20 varieties flowing from the tower, organized into core styles and seasonal rotations. You will find pilsners, saisons, common ales, IPAs, and stouts alongside limited releases like Festbier and Belgian dubbels. The Local Legends series includes beers like PerZverence IPA, a West Coast-style 7.3% beer named for Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, with ten percent of proceeds going to charity.
The best introduction to what they are doing comes via beer flights, four 5-ounce pours for ten dollars that let you sample across the range. Guests seated in the main dining room have direct sightlines to the brewhouse through those plate-glass windows, watching the process unfold while they drink the results. Luli, who Revy has praised as a talent who will be in the discussion for top brewers in Northeast Ohio, focuses on clean execution of classic styles while leaving room for creative seasonal experiments.
Beyond beer, the bar stocks wine and basic cocktails. The wine selection includes glass pours and bottles that, while not extensive, cover enough territory to pair with the food. A dry Riesling from Germany's Mosel region, for example, works well with the Hungarian and Eastern European dishes coming out of the kitchen.
The Food: Comfort with a Passport
Executive chef Rob Dippong, a Johnson & Wales graduate who previously cooked at Johnny's Downtown and Gigi's On Fairmount, designed a menu that reads like a culinary map of Revy's heritage and travels. The Hungarian influences are clear and immediate. Lángos, the Hungarian fried bread, arrives as puffy, crispy discs topped with butter, sour cream, cheese curds, and chives in the loaded version. A pierogi stuffed with cheddar cheese gets pan-fried and finished with buttery onions and crème fraîche.
The chicken paprikash represents the dish Revy's mother made, featuring both skin-on, bone-in white meat and tender dark meat over spaetzle drenched in rich gravy. But the menu does not stop at Eastern Europe. You will find Greek salad, French onion soup, Spanish-style grilled octopus, and a Vietnamese-influenced banh mi. Branzino appears as a pan-roasted whole fish, and weekend brunch brings upscale versions of morning standards.
Beer finds its way into the food as well. The Kolsch-steamed mussels arrive with frites, while porter-brined pork porterhouse and stout pot de crème demonstrate the kitchen's integration of the brewhouse into the cuisine. The fish and chips has developed a following for its potato-crusted walleye, the crispy coating replacing predictable beer batter with something more substantial, served over skinny fries with a bright shaved fennel and onion slaw.
Fish and chips with house beer at Immigrant Son Brewing. Photo: Cleveland Scene / Doug Trattner.
What Regulars Notice
In the years since opening, patterns have emerged in what brings people back. Reviewers consistently mention the Lángos as a must-order item, describing the fried bread as airy, crispy, and satisfying in a way that makes it difficult to share. The pierogi, when available, draws similar enthusiasm for its generous filling and careful execution.
The atmosphere lands in a middle space between casual neighborhood spot and destination dining. Parents mention bringing children, noting that the space accommodates families without feeling like a children's restaurant. Groups appreciate the range of options for sharing across the menu. Beer enthusiasts mention appreciating the visibility of the brewing operation, the ability to watch Luli and his team at work while drinking what they produce.
Some note that the noise level can rise during peak hours, the high ceilings and open space amplifying crowd energy. Others point out that reservations are not accepted online, only by phone for parties of eight or more, which means walk-ins should be prepared for potential waits during weekend brunch or Friday evening service.
Lakewood and the West End
Lakewood's density and walkability have always supported independent businesses, but until 2020, the city had no brewery to call its own. The West End location on Sloane Avenue puts Immigrant Son in a residential neighborhood rather than a commercial strip, surrounded by the kind of housing stock that supports consistent weeknight traffic. The address, 18120 Sloane Avenue, sits roughly six miles west of downtown Cleveland, accessible via Madison Avenue or Detroit Road depending on your approach.
The neighborhood context matters because it shapes who shows up and when. Weekday afternoons see parents with young children taking advantage of the family-friendly atmosphere, solo visitors looking for a quiet beer and a bite, and groups meeting over shared plates. Weekends bring the brunch crowd, the date-night couples, and friends working through flights while deciding what to order from a menu that resists easy categorization.
The Practical Details
Hours run Monday through Thursday from 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Friday from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM, Saturday from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM with brunch service until 3:00 PM, and Sunday from 10:00 AM to 9:00 PM with the same brunch window. Outdoor seating is available weather permitting, and the parking lot provides the kind of convenience that makes spontaneous visits possible.
For first-time visitors, the flight is the obvious starting point for beer, while the loaded Lángos offers the most direct introduction to what the kitchen does differently. The chicken paprikash represents the emotional center of the menu, the dish that connects Revy's family history to what sits on your plate. If you prefer lighter fare, the Greek salad or grilled octopus demonstrate that the kitchen's ambitions extend beyond heavy comfort food, though heavy comfort food is clearly a strength.
The brewhouse view makes the dining room on the brewery side the more dynamic seating choice, though the secondary dining room offers a quieter experience for conversation. The bar itself accommodates solo diners or couples who want to interact directly with staff about what is pouring and what they should try next.
Bottom Line
Immigrant Son Brewing succeeds because it refuses to specialize in only one thing. The beer program stands on its own, the food would draw crowds even without the brewery, and the space itself, with its visible production and thoughtful renovation, creates an environment that feels specific to this place and this owner. Revy's concept, years in the making, translated into a venue where the immigrant story becomes a framework for understanding what is on your plate and in your glass.
The pandemic delays that pushed the opening from summer to October 2020 could have derailed the project, but instead they seem to have sharpened the focus. When the doors finally opened, everything clicked into place, the beer was pouring, the kitchen was turning out plates, and the neighborhood responded immediately.
More than five years in, the initial rush has settled into steady patronage from a community that treats the brewery as a regular part of its rotation. The menu has evolved, the beer list rotates through seasons and experiments, but the core remains: heritage interpreted through craft, served in a space that feels both new and settled. For Lakewood, finally having its own brewery meant having a place that understood the neighborhood's particular character. For visitors from elsewhere, it offers a reason to drive to the West End and see what Revy built from a grocery store and a long-held idea.
18120 Sloane Avenue, Lakewood. Hours vary by day, with weekend brunch starting at 10:00 AM. Call ahead for parties of eight or more. Order the flight, try the Lángos, and ask about what is brewing in the tanks behind the glass.
Sources
Immigrant Son Brewing – About. Immigrant Son Brewing. https://immigrantsonbrewing.com/our-tale/ (Accessed March 2026).
Ohio Craft Brewers Association. Immigrant Son Brewery. https://ohiocraftbeer.org/breweries/immigrant-son-brewery/ (Accessed March 2026).
Trattner, Douglas. "Review: Immigrant Son Brewing Is Already Hitting on All Cylinders in Lakewood." Cleveland Scene. January 12, 2022. https://www.clevescene.com/food-drink/review-immigrant-son-brewing-is-already-hitting-on-all-cylinders-in-lakewood-38058410 (Accessed March 2026).
Stewart, Dillon. "First Look: Immigrant Son Brewery Opens in Lakewood." Cleveland Magazine. October 30, 2021. https://clevelandmagazine.com/food-drink/articles/first-look-immigrant-son-brewery-opens-in-lakewood (Accessed March 2026).
This Is Cleveland. Immigrant Son Brewery. https://www.thisiscleveland.com/locations/Immigrant-Son-Brewery (Accessed March 2026).