Manja
13373 Madison Avenue
(216) 221-3304

Manja bills itself as "a new breed of food and spirits." In the heart of Lakewood's up and coming Madison Village, dining at Manja is not for the faint of heart. Currently, providing only carry-out and delivery service, Manja should have sit-down service by mid-October. And what a dining room! This is hands down the most unique dining room mural known to humanity. Close your eyes and imagine a combination of "Close Encounters" and the forest from "HR Puffinstuff" on acid. You gotta see it to believe it.

As a very new spot on the restaurant scene, the eager to please Manja staff have some kinks to work out - like having enough food on hand and occupancy licenses. You know, little things. But we have high hopes. The smoked turkey and apple salad was very good and quite filling. The chicken satay was juicy and flavorful with an excellent peanut sauce for dipping. Manja hosts an intriguing menu to the say the least ranging from marinated moon mushrooms to black hole bean salad to chicken asparagus and green onion yatori. There's quite a few vegetarian selections in addition to the old pizza/sub standbys. Prices and portions are quite reasonable. And best of all, the chef knows how to have some fun and imagination with a menu. Manja is a great addition to the kooky Madison Village scene.

The food is fantastic. The decor is out of this world, literally (with new suprises on the way from what i have been told.) Service is top-notch. I predict this place will become Cleveland's trendiest bistro.

I hope that this page gets a lot of attention, because this place certainly deserves it. I have had the pleasure of frequenting this establishment in the Madison Village District a few times now, and each visit somehow surpasses the previous. The decor of the restaurant (which keeps improving) is unlike any restaurant that I have encountered. The walls are painted a dark blue, with actual white birch trees providing the some scenery, along with some very artsy paintings hanging along the western wall. It is my understanding that the decor will also be changing every 3 months to coincide with their quarterly menu change. One visit to Manja and one will understand why everybody is talking about them, and why they WILL become Cleveland's hottest bistro.

The food on this most recent menu includes such exotic fares as alligator linguine with a red wine reduction sauce, (11.95) kangaroo scallopini (14.95) and wild boar roulades which I highly recommend. For those that aren't so adventerous, a Jamaican jerk rubbed 16 oz. New York Strip and Chicken Argentine fit the bill nicely. Appetizers include conch frittters, escargot, roasted carrot hummus, and a few more suprises. But definetly check out the wildflower salad!! I can't say enough about the food, and prices are moderate considering the quality and presentation. Co-owner Brad Kessler adds that "our food is definetly a strong point for us... We encourage people to be adventerous here."

Service as well is top notch, as the staff is not only eager to make sure that patrons are enjoying themselves, but they are also knowledgeable about their produc as well. Wine list includes about 25 different selections from California, South America, France and Italy.

Whatever your plans are for the week, change them and visit Manja!!! It's worth it!