When it opened in 1954, Captain Frank’s Lobster House - or Sea Food Restaurant, depending on the time of year - was the sole occupant of Cleveland’s E. 9th Street pier. Over the years the restaurant was many things to many people, whether it was long-time residents and regulars of the restaurant, or visitors to Cleveland who sought an opportunity to have their evening meal while enjoying a Cleveland sunset or a warm lake breeze.
So, why the name "Captain Frank's?" Well, the owner who brought it to life was a Sicilian immigrant by the name of Frank Visconti who came to the United Staes in 1914. Prior to opening his dream restaurant, Visconti sold fish around town and operated the Fulton Fish Market not too far from the restaurant’s location at E. 22nd and Woodland.
We can only assume that Visconti was a man with vision, because when the opportunity became available to purchase an abandoned boat depot, he saw what would become a very iconic Cleveland landmark and arguably the most popular restaurant at the same time.
It was not always smooth sailing. The restaurant’s history almost ended as quickly as it started, as a fire in 1958 caused damage severe enough that many thought there was no way Visconti would reopen. But reopen he did, just a mere year later, and from there through the 70s the restaurant experienced a very unique love affair with the city.
I can certainly speak to this personally when I say that everyone came away from Captain Frank's with a totally different impression of the experience they had, simply because over the years Visconti added or changed things up to enhance the lakefront dining experience. You could ask 5-6 people dining there for the first time together what they thought of the experience and get 5-6 different answers. For me personally, even though my personal impressions occurred during the years right before the restaurant’s eventual closing in 1989, I can still quite clearly remember that what impressed me was the fact that you could always get whatever you were in the mood for on any given night.
I am not a seafood eater at all, but when our group from work would dine there before getting our bleacher seats for the Indians game at the old Municipal Stadium, I was always able to get what I felt was a solid steak or pasta meal. Took a lot of ribbing for it at a lobster house, but that never mattered to me. What did matter to me was we always split the bill equally, which gave me the short end of the stick, as my meal was always less expensive.
Some saw the visit to Captain Frank's as a special occasion or a romantic night out; others were hoping for a celebrity sighting, as many entertainers and athletes made appearances over the years.
One thing people may not realize about the building that housed the restaurant is that it wasn’t the only business calling the pier home. Within the entire building there was office space utilized and even a luncheonette that faced the lake and was operated by Visconti as well.
Visconti passed away in 1984 and even though new owner Rudolph Hubka Jr. kept things pretty much the same, growing competition and entertainment options around town led to him filing for bankruptcy in 1989, and the building being torn down for good in 1994. This paved the way for what we see looking down the pier today: the Rock Hall, a terrific Mexican restaurant, volleyball courts, and a nice walking path around the whole area that leads over to the Great Lakes Science Center.
From the political deals that were struck over power cocktails, to the first-date dinners, to the many opportunities to have witnessed a vehicle go off the pier into to the lake for a variety of reasons, one can truly say that if the walls of Captain Frank’s could actually talk, oh the tales they could tell. What was your favorite Captain Frank's memory?
(Image credit: The Cleveland Press Collection)