Entry No. 6 — the Cleveland file — filed under: speakeasy
Quintana's Speakeasy
Tucked inside a converted 1920s colonial house, this secret lounge is hidden on the second floor of a fully operational barbershop. To enter, you must find the secret button hidden inside a hollowed-out book titled 'Daughter of Fortune' on a bookcase.
The story
You don't expect a quiet speakeasy sitting directly above a working barbershop in a Cleveland Heights residential strip, but Alex and Dawn Quintana were not particularly interested in standard layout. In 2014, after relocating their day spa into the building next door at 2190 South Taylor, the couple was left with an unused second floor inside their converted 1920s colonial house. Dawn had previously scouted Manhattan's Blind Barber on a trip to New York and couldn't shake the idea. They applied for a liquor license—becoming the first barbershop in Ohio to secure one—and turned the empty upper floor into a hideaway cocktail room in 2015 [1.1.1].
The entry sequence is deliberately secretive. You walk past the buzzing clippers and barber chairs on the ground floor, take the stairs up to a quiet second-floor hallway, and face a plain bookshelf. Scan the shelves until you spot a hollowed-out volume titled 'Daughter of Fortune'. Press the trigger button hidden inside its pages, and the bookcase latch releases, swinging open to reveal a dark, wood-trimmed lounge tucked behind the wall.
What it's like
Arriving while the barbershop is still open feels like you're cutting in line—you walk right past clients getting hair trims and head straight up the stairs. Once you trip the book's button and pass through the bookcase, the floorboards give way to dim lighting, leather seating, and quiet corners built for low-key conversations. It's a small room that fills up quickly on Friday and Saturday nights, so aim for a weeknight if you want to grab a couch without waiting. The drink list leans heavily on spirit-forward classics, backed by a wall of over 70 bourbons and house-made syrups.
The move: Book a straight-razor shave or trim on the first floor, then head upstairs to press the secret button in the bookcase and sip a classic Old Fashioned in their cozy, wood-trimmed lounge.
- 📍 Cleveland Heights
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 2200 S Taylor Rd, Cleveland Heights, OH 44118
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Cedar Lee Theatre — Catch an indie film or late-night cult flick half a mile away on Lee Road before slipping upstairs for a post-movie Old Fashioned.
- The Haserot Angel — Pair an afternoon walk past the weeping bronze monument in Lake View Cemetery two miles away with an evening drink hidden behind the bookshelf.
- Dittrick Medical History Center — Trade the eerie 19th-century surgical tools at Case Western for a quiet bourbon inside a converted 1920s house less than three miles away.
- The Cleveland Schvitz — Follow up an intense, sandstone-heated sweat session at the historic 1927 bathhouse in Kinsman with a dim-lit cocktail in Cleveland Heights.
Good to know
How do you open the secret bookcase door?
Head up to the second-floor hallway, locate the hollowed-out copy of 'Daughter of Fortune' on the bookshelf, and press the hidden button inside to release the door.
Can you get a trim and a cocktail on the same visit?
Yes. You can schedule a straight-razor shave or haircut at the first-floor barbershop before heading upstairs to the lounge for drinks.
Do you need a password to enter?
No password is required, though you have to navigate past the ground-floor barbershop and find the trigger book on the upper hallway bookshelf yourself.
What kind of drinks do they serve?
The bar specializes in classic craft cocktails, Old Fashioneds, house-made syrups, and a stock of more than 70 varieties of bourbon.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: qbds.net · wkyc.com · Reddit
last checked: 2026-07-21