Sazani Oceana has quietly slipped into Shaker Square in Cleveland, opening over Valentine’s Day weekend in the former Edwin’s Too space with an unapologetically upscale, seafood-first menu. The team has reimagined the room with a blue color palette, chandeliers and custom booths, and plans to roll out valet service on weekends. The restaurant is a partnership between Soul Republic Hospitality Group and minority partner Josh Cribbs, with executive chef Joshua Scherger running the kitchen.
For the buildout, the crew pulled up carpet to reveal original hardwood and fully renovated the 4,600-square-foot dining room and restrooms as part of a broader makeover. Owner Akin Affrica told the station there was “a void on the east side” for upscale seafood and said the Sazani Oceana name nods to a beach lodge in Zanzibar. Executive chef Joshua Scherger told reporters the menu is seafood forward and that bread will be baked fresh every day, according to News 5 Cleveland.
What's on the menu
The menu leans hard into seafood, with oysters, charbroiled oysters, steamed mussels, grilled octopus and other coastal-style small plates, while still leaving room for chicken, beef and vegan options for diners who are not all-in on fish. Sample items listed on the restaurant’s online ordering page include a Tuna Crunch Roll, Steamed Mussels and Crunchy Rock Shrimp Deviled Eggs. Full menus are posted on the restaurant’s website, Sazani Oceana, with additional dish examples on its online ordering platform, Toast.
Partners, hiring and goals
Sazani Oceana is the latest concept from Affrica’s Soul Republic Hospitality Group, which also operates Zanzibar Soul Fusion, Cleveland Breakfast Club and Angie’s Soul Café. The partnership includes former Browns player Josh Cribbs as a minority investor; Cribbs told News 5 Cleveland he views the project as a chance to learn the restaurant business. The team says it is hiring for both front-of-house and back-of-house roles and is actively looking for local artists to display their work on the walls, according to Cleveland Scene.
Why Shaker Square
The debut of Sazani Oceana comes as part of a broader push to relaunch Shaker Square after years of turnover and vacant storefronts. Cleveland Neighborhood Progress points to recent investments and focused tenant recruitment as efforts to stabilize and revive the historic retail district. The official Shaker Square directory lists Sazani Oceana at 13220 Shaker Square, with the restaurant’s hours, menu and online ordering available through Sazani Oceana and its ordering partner Toast.
