Never Say Dive

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4497 Broadview Rd # Old, Cleveland, OH

neversaydivecle.com ↗14408321263

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Never Say Dive review: Cleveland high/low bar…

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Never Say Dive’s Dive Dog boasts, among other toppings, caviar. (Mark Meszoros – The News-Herald)

By Mark Meszoros | mmeszoros@news-herald.com | The News-Herald

PUBLISHED: | UPDATED:

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Residing at Broadview Road and Natchez Avenue in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood, Never Say Dive also exists at the crossroads of dive bars and culinary hot spots.

We’re not sure if we’re breaking an implicit rule by using the term “dive,” but partners Eric Ho, Dan Watson, Tommy Shaffner and John Hagerty certainly went with an approachable vibe when it came to the aesthetics of the place. The culinary-industry veterans opened it in early 2024, about a year after acquiring the space formerly home to the Steelyard Tavern, offering a joint with old-school checkered tile floors, the kind of chairs you’d find in an old social club or your parents’ basement and altogether-kitschy decor touches such as a framed poster of later-era Elvis Presley and an electric guitar on the wood-panel walls in the back room and 1950s-style diner stools in the low-key bar in the room where you enter.

Never Say Dive can be found on Broadview Road in Cleveland's Old Brooklyn neighborhood. (Mark Meszoros - The News-Herald)

With Shaffner out of the mix, the remaining trio continues to pair that vibe with an elevated food-and-drink experience, Never Say Dive boasting craft cocktails — along with beers, of course, and wine — and menu items including Devils on Horseback ($14) and (wait for it) Caviar ($60). However, you’ll often find simple and quite inexpensive fare under the Snacks section of the menu. The culinary side of the business is under the direction of Hagerty, owner of the since-closed vegan spot Green Kitchen in the city’s Clark-Fulton neighborhood.

In a follow-up email, Watson calls Never Say Dive “Cleveland’s premier high/low bar” and “your grandpa’s favorite bar — on two hits of acid.”

I met my buddy Dave there for an early dinner on a recent Saturday. I’d made online reservations that appear not to have been needed, but the smallish room filled up as we’d dined, so they’re probably a good idea in general. A bottle of water sat on the table, flanked by two small glasses, as did utensils wrapped in cloth napkins atop snack plates. The cover of the plastic menus read “Fancy Enough.”

I started off with one of Never Say Dive’s specialty cocktails, the Old Brooklyn ($14), a riff on a Manhattan with a rye blend, Vermouth di Torino, Maraschino liqueur and orange bitters. I enjoyed the reasonably complex drink, served in a rocks glass with a medium-sized ice cube, but it didn’t blow me away.

Featuring rye whiskey, the Old Brooklyn is Never Say Dive's spin on a Manhattan. (Mark Meszoros - The News-Herald)

While you can order any of Never Say Dive’s snacks for $5, we took advantage of the three-for-$13 option, going with Pork Rinds, Chips + Dip and Deviled Egg. Those treats arrived quickly on one baking sheet, the four dressed-up egg halves lining the center. To one side sat the pork rinds, accompanied by a blend of whipped blue cheese and hot sauce, and to the other, the potato chips, with their ramekin of dip made with caramelized onions and herbs. The latter, a slightly elevated sour cream-and-onion concoction, was my preference over the other dip, and I’m pretty sure a couple of rinds found their way into it. The eggs were the standout — every bit as scrumptious as well-made deviled eggs tend to be.

This tray of snacks at Cleveland's Never Say Dive is loaded with chips, deviled eggs, pork rinds and a couple of dips. (Mark Meszoros - The News-Herald)T

We also ordered the Cocktail of Shrimp appetizer ($16), and it was glorious, arriving shortly after our snacks in a tall glass with not quite enough cocktail sauce in the center. These were massive, fresh-tasting shrimp, and I had to work to not immediately house my three. (Seems like a perfect choice for one person during a random Never Say Dive pop-in visit.)

The Cocktail of Shrimp appetizer at Never Say Dive in Cleveland boasts six big boys. (Mark Meszoros - The News-Herald)

Convinced Dave was going to land on my small-plate entree, I’d been talking myself into the cleverly named Dive Guys Burger ($15), with shallot, mayo, American cheese, “shredduce” and pickle on a poppyseed bun. However, he chose the Dive Dog ($16), a Kobe beef dog topped with mayo, house chips, herbs and (wait for it again) caviar and situated in a poppyseed roll. That left me with my decidedly first choice, the Octopus ($18), served with, among other elements, duck chorizo, fingerling potatoes and saffron aioli.

While Dave was rather unimpressed with his dog, saying the seemingly interesting collection of toppings didn’t add up to anything all that tasty, I felt the exact opposite with my dish. The octopus was among the most tender and flavorful I’ve had, and each bite of it with the chorizo and the potato was food bliss.

Never Say Dive's Octopus may be a small-plate affair, but its combination of elements packs a big, tasty punch. (Mark Meszoros - The News-Herald)

As much as I’d like to try the Fried Quarter ($14) — an Amish chicken leg-and-thigh combo that incorporates duck fat, hot honey and pork cracklin exterior — It would be tough to pass on the Octopus on a return visit. Guess I’ll have to recruit a dining companion to share both.sourcing signal

We passed on dessert ($10), a choice between a seasonal offering, Key Lime Pie, and a slice of cake from nearby Slices Fabulous Cakes.

Last year, Never Say Dive added both a Sunday brunch and ramen night on Mondays, the latter seeming especially interesting.

Our service was quite good, our server attentive and food arriving quickly. (That’s surely in part because the restaurant frowns upon modifications to dishes.)

Never Say Dive is, almost unquestionably, a bit gimmicky, but it’s a fun gimmick. I wish they had a bit more of everything — apps, entrees, cocktails and beers on tap (deeper into the meal, I enjoyed a $7 glass of Who Cooks for You, a hazy pale ale from Athens’ Jackie O’s) — but, as the menu says, it’s all “fancy enough.”

Reviews are based on one anonymous visit to a restaurant.

Never Say Dive

4497 Broadview Road

Cleveland

NeverSayDiveCle.com

Location: East side of Broadview Road, between Hood and Natchez avenues.

Hours: 5 to 11 p.m. Monday (ramen night); 5 p.m. to midnight Tuesday through Thursday; 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday (brunch).

Liquor and wine: Full bar with craft cocktails.

Cuisine: New American.

Vegetarian: A few options, such as the Tods ($11) and Warm Olives ($11).

Special diets: Vegan and gluten-free options noted on menu; some items can be modified for special needs.

Kid-friendliness: Happy to accommodate children but do not offer highchairs or boosters.

Outdoor dining: Front patio for up to 30 people.

Dress code: Casual.

Reservations: Accepted online.

Wi-Fi: Yes.

Prices: Generally moderate, with most small plates in the $10-to-$20 range.

Value: Decent.

Ratings (of five):

Food: 4

Atmosphere: 3.5

Service: 4.

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Amish chicken
Named region
“— an Amish chicken leg-and-thigh combo that incorporates duck fat, hot honey and pork cracklin exterior — It would be tough to pass on the”
on the menu · source ↗

Opening hours

See the week▾

Sunday	Not listed
Monday	Not listed
Tuesday	5pm – 12am
Wednesday	5pm – 12am
Thursday	5pm – 12am
Friday	Not listed
Saturday	Not listed

“Not listed” means the day was absent from the schedule we read — usually closed, but we never saw it stated, so we don’t claim it.

Hours checked Aug 30, 2026 · source ↗ · these hours were read from the page text rather than published schedule data, so we show the week instead of calling it open or closed · Always worth confirming with the restaurant.

Book on Resy ↗link checked Aug 30, 2026

Never Say Dive

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