HISTORY
The
Flat Iron Cafe was established in 1910, serving the Irish
Community of Cleveland that was well established on the
banks of the Cuyahoga River. The building, which was formally
a four story hotel, had a fire in the late 1800's in which
the top two floors were destroyed, leaving the building
at its current
two levels. The first floor was used as a blacksmith's shop
and the rooms on the second floor were used as lodging over
the years by the sailors and longshoremen working on the
lakes.
There
are two stories as to how the Flat Iron got its name. The
most common explanation is due to the shape of the building.
If you were to look down at the building, it is shaped like
an old flat iron. The other explanation is that the building
resembles the Flat Iron building in New York City. In the
1800's the Flat Iron building of New York City was the largest
of its kind, at 10 stories high. You can view an authentic
flat iron at the Cafe.
When
the building was turned into an Irish Cafe in 1910, the
upstairs was still used by sailors and the proprietors of
the Flat Iron over the years. Many Irish families have owned
and operated the Cafe for a number of years. Izzy Cohen,
who operated the Cafe for some 20 years, made famous the
staples that are still served to this day: Meat loaf and
mashed potatoes on Monday, corned beef & cabbage on
Wednesday, and the great Lake Erie Yellow Perch every Friday.
The service was cafeteria style. 
Everyone
would grab a tray, get in line, and Izzy would serve you
an amount of food according to your size. The Cafe was very
popular throughout the 1950's, 60's, & 70's. Longshoremen,
pipe fitters, iron workers and other tradesmen mixed it
up with lawyers and businessmen from downtown, meeting for
lunch, dinner, or shots and beer at the 30' long bar. All
the tables were stretched end to end, so you would be sitting
down next to anybody that could happen in. In the early
80's, boaters and young executives opened the eyes of local
restaurant and night club owners of the need to find some
night life. As a result, the area called the FLATS was refurbished.
In
the fall of 1988, the current owners closed and remodeled,
utilizing the upstairs for more dinning and a smaller
bar. The downstairs was cleaned up and the old bar was
refinished to keep the old charm of the Flat Iron. Table
service replaced the old cafeteria style, the menu was
expanded, but the old staples are still found throughout
the week. Banquet facilities are now available. The management
purchased a shuttle bus to transport groups around the
local downtown area to and from the Cafe for lunch or
dinner.
