The Most Delectable Italian in Cleveland

Sopranos Authentic Italian

★★★☆☆ 2.6 (17)

"Very good chicken parm sandwich and super friendly service. Meatball sub looked top notch too. Would do it again next time the truck is in the neighborhood."

Pastina Rustic Italian

★★★★☆ 3.8 (280) • $$

"I'm baffled that the rating is below a 4, honestly. Pastina is a standby for my family - on par with our family's Italian place :)You pay a little* more here for homemade pasta, sauces and pizza. The portions are PORTIONS. This isn't a dump a box of pasta on a platter type of place. The dishes are well thought out, delicious and the specials are pretty rad. We have ordered a ton of things we loved: bruschetta, pasta diablo, mushroom pizza, beet salad and more. We've had a few different servers and have ate at the bar as well. Once, we came in without a reservation and the manager/hostess met us halfway- we ate and drank and made a deal to leave before the rush. And we were not rushed at all. I loved the willingness to compromise when it's super simple to make a reservation online, I just failed to do so. The restaurant itself expanded and has a beautiful fireplace, booths, standard tables, etc. Pretty flexible. Pastina is solid anyway you slice it and I love that it's so close to home. Great local spot."

Ginos

★★★★☆ 3.7 (43) • $$

"What a delight to the chain restaurant heavy Strongsville! We went on a Wednesday at 5 and got in right away, by 6:30 almost every table was taken. They had an expansive menu with something for everyone, and prices that were extremely reasonable for the times and quality! I got the pasta Luigi which was delicious, their bread and dipping was to die for. Someone else ordered the asparagus fries and I had to sneak a few because they also were so good. Adding this to our rotation of local places near us!"

Divine Food Spirits Wine

★★★★★ 4.5 (34)

"This place is a gem - their butcher block steak and pork chop as well as chicken was amazing So fresh and moist. Staff is incredible. One of our new favs"

Cafe 422

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (119) • $$

"We hadn't been there for quite a while and were pleasantly surprised at how good the food was and the special three course meals were priced below $20. I would definitely recommend giving Cafe 422 a try if you haven't been for awhile!"

Mama Roberto's

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (117) • $$

"I religiously order sides of meatballs, sauce and this garlic ball monstrosity and have gotten consistently delicious food every time. Last week I tried cavatelli and there was so much of it, I split it into 3 meals. I've ordered their pizza as well - no complaints!"

Dante Next Door

★★★★☆ 4.2 (108) • $$

"My friend and I were walking in Tremont after on a waiting list to eat at Southside. We came across a pretty patio area with people dining at and we wanted to see which place it was. We discovered it was Dante Next Door, literally next door to Dante. Clever. This place is strictly a brunch place while Dante is a dinner spot. Upon walking in there was a nice bar area and seating inside with lots of space. We decided to sit outside since it was such a beautiful day. Lucky for us, a couple just got up so the wait was short. They walk you through Dante's dining area, very fancy and spacious, and take you through the back past the kitchen to the patio area. Beautiful stone patio with about 5 tables. I liked the chairs which kinda spring back and you can rock. A young girl pored is some water while we waited for our server. The menu sounded amazing! Everything on it. I wanted one of everything. I decided on the vegetarian Benedict with comes with artichokes avocado tomato (I wanted mine without this) and greens with a perfectly poached egg and light amount of hollandaise sauce (which I appreciated, I don't like it drowning in sauce) all on top of a toasted English muffin. It comes with a lightly dressed side salad. The duck fat potatoes on the menu intrigued me and I am a carb whore so I needed to order a side of those. They were perfectly crisp and not oily. It came with a sauce but it was too spicy for my taste. They were good just on their own. My friend ordered the special of the day which was a vegetable omelette, loaded with vegetables it was. He added a side of blueberry sausage but I don't eat much meat so I declined a taste. It had blueberries inside and a blueberry topping. He also ordered the orange marmalade pancakes. oh my god. These were so damn good. With the whipped cream on top it was fantastic. Highly recommend this.The menu is a little pricey but you do get your money's worth. Beautiful presentation and high quality ingredients. Service was quick and pleasant. I really have no complaints about the place or the food. Everything was fantastic and I'm glad we came upon the cute spot. I will definitely be back again! Check it out, you won't regret it!"

Beirut

★★★★☆ 4.1 (266) • $$

"This place is obviously a favorite of the locals. There were a lot of greetings to regular patrons. We were seated in the bar area. Dim lighting and fun lamps made the ambiance very pleasant. Our server was a lovely young lady who was about to go to college at UM. We had shish kebab, chicken skewer, grape leaves, arayes, hummus, pita, and olives. The food was the best Lebanese I have had in years. My husband had a wonderful intro to this cuisine. We also had baklava and Turkish coffee. I will return here often during my three month stay in Toledo."

Valerio's Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (43) • $

"We buy salads here. They're pretty good but sometimes they skimp on the good stuff (pepperoni and ham on the antipasto salad, for instance).The place is always busy and the prices are reasonable. If they were better with the toppings it would be 5-stars."

Italiano Joe

★☆☆☆☆ 1.3 (4) • $$

"Very very friendly atmosphere. Food was the main issue no seasoning very bland tasted microwaved for the price wouldn't choose again. Side salad was very small for a salad maybe switch to a smaller bowl so it doesn't look so empty."

Scarpetta's

★★★★☆ 3.9 (37)

"First I love to note great service & ambiance. Our server Brittany J did a wonderful job right down to a wine pairing suggestion for dinner course for 1/2 price bottle of La Crema Pinot Noir on Tuesday! Atmosphere is always date night nice, classy and upscale, both opted jeans and a nice tops. Leave those PJ pants at home for fast food I love the cheesy deliciousness of huge slices lightly fried eggplant parm with a side of spaghetti. Hubs never goes wrong with spaghetti & meatballs, a great sprinkle of parm on top. I am featuring appetizers in this post, we had Calabrian shrimp which I paired with an great tasting Italian Cosmo. Attached a picture, sadly I forgot to capture before hubs ate one. The bread underneath picked up the spicy oil deliciousness. We also had Maryland crab cakes, although some comment that they are on the smaller side as there only 3. However, I was very pleased with the sweet quality of the crab without a ton of breading, so it was well worth it to me not to get a "chain" prepared crabcake. I had French onion soup & hubs a beautiful salad with plenty of blue cheese he asked for, both came with our entrees. Worth noting, happy hour is M-Sa 4-6 and you can't beat the pricing on some well prepared delights, restaurant opens at 4! We ate early 4:15 and plenty of seating, however I'd recommend calling a few days ahead for reservations, as this place gets busy. Also enjoyed a visit to Elroy's Deli, 5 star friendliness and took home cannoli and awesome roast beef and ham for lunches this week Recommend!"

Cassese's MVR

★★★★☆ 4.1 (112) • $$

"Nice Italian restaurant in downtown Youngstown right next to YSU. A good sized place with a full bar, dining area and a large indoor area with bocce courts. We were seated right away and that was the first sign of the quality of their service. Our server was attentive and friendly the entire meal. The table shared the greens appetizer and we got the hot pepper add-on. The greens were flavorful (lots of garlic) and the pepper was nicely browned and was hot. Really good app. My main course was linguine with clam sauce. Plenty of clams and a good sauce. Most importantly to me, al dente pasta. Great dish. We took a look at the bocce courts. It was a Wednesday night and they were packed. Great to see folks using the courts and having fun. Really good experience and I'll visit again next time in Youngstown."

Casa D'Angelo

★★★★☆ 3.8 (111) • $$

"Always a great Italian meal! My husband is second generation Italian/American and, like most Italians, is pretty fussy about his red sauce. This is always his first choice in the Cleveland area. And, we both love Gramma's shells!!(he prefers them with broccoli...I like the mushrooms)"

Joey's Italian Grill

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (91) • $$

"Came up for a family reunion and stopped in with my dad, uncle and cousin for some dinner the night before. I've been waiting tables/bartending for 11 years, and I can honestly say I had the best experience as a customer I've had yet. HUGE shoutout to Mackenzie (sorry if I spelled it wrong) for the superior service. I had fun holding up Danny Devito for you!! The food was excellent, huge portions, especially the fried pickles and endless garlic knots. I had the Big Italian calzone (the one with the pepperoncinis). Could not recommend Joey's any higher. Well done, and thank you for the laughs Mackenzie!!"

Longo's Italian Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3 (45) • $$

"The food here is always amazing! My entire family has been eating here for generations. Mr. Longo has employed some of my friends in the past as well and they say he was a pleasure to work for. Good leadership is imperative for a successful restaurant and this place has it! Keep up the good work my friend."

Severino's Restaurant & Lounge

★★★★☆ 4 (26) • $

"The food here is great!! Simple yet great Italian food.. I come here every time I'm visiting home, it has become a staple for me and my kids. The staff is amazing and very nice. The food portions are huge and very reasonably priced. I would definitely recommend this place."

Giovanni's Pizza North Olmsted

★★★★☆ 3.9 (58)

"Our delivery driver was super pleasant. The pizza was delicious, this will be my new "go to" when I'm in town. I won't be purchasing desserts again, however. They are prepackaged and very small."

TJ's On The Avenue

★★★★☆ 3.8 (128) • $$

"Went here for my twin son's 15th birthday, and the food was amazing. We had a party of six and they started off with a basket of garlic bread rolls, which were a bit average in my opinion, but from there everything was dialed up to awesomeness. Our server, Nicole, was excellent and brought our drinks and salad promptly. The salads were delicious, especially with the shredded mozzarella on top however, the only dressing that appeared to be fresh was the house Italian. All the other flavors were served in shelf stable large foil packets. Next came the main courses all which were excellent, including pizza with pepperoni and Italian sausage, cheese ravioli, chicken, marsala, eggplant Parmesan and chicken Madison. The chicken dishes all came with a side of pasta, or you can choose broccoli as a vegetable. we had a mix of both, and the broccoli was done perfectly and the portions were large. Be advised if you're going to have the pasta on the side the automatic default is to have your pasta with red sauce, so if you want something different, you have to ask for it ahead of time and I think you could get it with garlic butter or Alfredo sauce instead Portions were large, and we all ended up taking small boxes home with leftovers I like this place a lot and will be back.They have a full bar and here is one other tip. We made a reservation via phone around lunchtime for 5:30 PM and when we got there at 5:20 they did not have our reservation on the list, however, they juggled a few things and still got us to our table within 20 minutesLastly, they do a very large takeout business as we saw many pizzas and meals, heading out the front door while we were waiting for our table so take out is a great option from here"

Polinori's Palm Garden Inn

★★★★☆ 4 (43) • $$

"The food is a good value for the price. All tomato sauce had meat; my partner had the gnocchi with sauce. I had the red snapper; I know from growing up in OH...all fish is frozen!Family business for generations! I would come again."

Astoria Grill

★★★★☆ 4.3 (4)

"Was able to sit at the bar because we did not have reservations. We ordered calamari for an appetizer and a few drinks. Bar service was great. We both ordered pasta dishes and a few more drinks. All was on point. The Manager stopped by to check in and we were given a card with the owners information to leave a review. It was great to check out and the team did a great job."

Maisano’s Little Italian Kitchen

★★★★★ 4.7 (9)

"Great menu, prepared using authentic ingredients and served by the friendly staff. Try it!"

Jo Jo Carloni's Italian Restaurant & Pizzaria

★★★★☆ 4.1 (273) • $$

"We love coming to JoJo's! We usually sit at the bar, where there are also some high tops, but the dining room is nice too. I'd recommend reservations for groups of 6+ (note that 20% gratuity is automatically added). They have a great selection of wine as well as rotating draft beers and craft cocktails. There's always a daily special too. We like going for their discounted small pizzas, and they have a great happy hour."

Spats Cafe

★★★★☆ 3.6 (31) • $

"For what Spats is attempting to be, they're doing an awesome job! This is definitely a divey place. It's a neighborhood sports bar and nothing fancy. The staff is warm and friendly to all and the food and drinks are priced right. The place could probably use a good scrubbing, but I didn't feel like I was going to get sick or anything. It's just old inside. They offer outdoor seating and a dining room side. The menu seems to have several scratch made items. The theme is mostly bar food with an Italian focus added. We had burgers and fresh cut fries along with two pint beers and two rocks pours of crown whisky. Bill was $31 before tip. Great value. The food was pretty good for the price. My only complaint was the crumbling sesame seed bun that came on the Spats Big Boy style burger. They grilled it, but it was obviously old because it crumbled when I picked it up. Next time I'll order a different bun. The kaiser bun that came with the bacon-cheddar-mushroom burger was also grilled but soft and fresh. The burgers themselves were juicy and flavorful and came with perfect fries, fresh not frozen. Loved the pickles too. The liquor selection was vast. Only a few beers were on tap though. The patrons we encountered on our first visit here were regulars and friendly. The staff were conversational and welcoming. The back wall of the bar was lined with televisions. Could see this being a perfect spot for a game or grabbing a drink and quick bar bite!"

3 Palms Pizzeria - Hudson

★★★★☆ 4 (393) • $$

"Very convenient location, free street parking. The restaurant is adorable, open concept and very industrial. The food was very good, you could tell they used fresh ingredients. Our service was very good, even with the heavy tourist traffic from solar eclipse!"

Borgata Bar

★★★★☆ 4.3 (21)

"I have a group of friends who get together for food and drinks monthly. We try to go to different places each time and in February, one suggested Borgata. I was skeptical at first due to the parking situation in Little Italy, but she insisted that their food is *superb* and that it would be worth the hassle! I thought... superb food? At a bar?? Whatever... ok. So 8 of us show up and I ask my friend what she recommended. Without hesitation, she said the blackened chicken Alfredo. Sure. Turns out that half the table took her advice and ordered it. The rest got burgers. When they brought our plates, I had a couple of quick reactions:1. They serve it with spaghetti instead of the usual fettuccine. 2. Compared to the others who ordered the same dish, my piece of chicken was very small, which actually made me privately upset that I wanted to point it out to our server, but decided not to.I bit my tongue, then a slice of the chicken after. OMG!!! Anger gone! So tender. So flavorful. Perfect charring! And, OMG!! The 3 pieces of garlic toast that comes with it is no toast that I've ever had before! If the dish didn't come with chicken, I swear that toast could've been the feature! It's seriously that good! The Alfredo was rich and creamy and the spaghetti actually worked well.If I had to be picky, it's that they don't have a great beer selection. But I like food better than beer anyway, so I didn't mind. Borgata, I shall return!!"

Caesar's Italian Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (20) • $

"This place is a hidden gem despite a very dated interior. We stop in when we want butterfly shrimp, and they never disappoint. They are one of the few establishments with a salad bar open post covid. Although small, it is pretty ample. Waitresses always seem somewhat unbothered, but we've never had an order come out wrong. One of the best spaghetti sauces I've had in the area as well All the cakes and cheesecakes come from Mocha house too. Tuesday and Friday have all-you-can-eat perch dinners for 8.99, too, which you can't beat, and their perch is incredible. Worth a stop-in for sure. I took off one star due to the dining room jot always being super clean looking, but again the food makes up for that."

Tomaso's Italian Villa

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (32) • $

"Everything is awesome. The food is made fresh so the wait might be longer than some but worth the wait. It is nice to support a family owned business"

Cuoco Bella

★★★★☆ 3.5 (196) • $$

"Hubby and I had lunch there on our 25th wedding anniversary, and they were kind enough to comp our cake! Server was Johnny-on-the-Spot despite how unusually busy they were on a Wednesday afternoon. I'd call the ambiance a "good date place!""

Maxim's Pizza

★★★★★ 4.5 (36) • $

"Nice place to grab a quick slice during lunch. Salads and subs also look great. Few tables but a good takeout spot. Pizza was very good. Friendly and quick service."

Corso's Italian Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.9 (68) • $$

"We went back after a hiatus. The food is still excellent with huge portions. My husband had the stuffed flounder, which he said was incredibly excellent. I had the shrimp pesto made with penne. There is enough penne left over that we are adding veggies and more shrimp and have it for dinner tomorrow. The wait staff was attentive and friendly. The good came quickly and was hit. I did forget to request the dressing on the side, so the salad was a little too drippy for my taste.They are really good with social distancing."

Dominic's Pizza

★★★★☆ 3.6 (129) • $$

"Breadsticks and Calzone were great. Had the fish and fries, more than I could eat. Great service. Coming back again tonight."

Rosie's Italian Grille

★★★★☆ 3.8 (411) • $$

"After moving back to the Toledo area I am most excited to have Rosie's in my life again!This place always has a great happy hour, fantastic food and the service is always amazing. We have yet to eat here since we've been back, but we've order take out a couple times and the food is always hot and the hostess staff is always so nice. The goat cheese chicken is a MUST TRY if you like goat cheese. The flavor is unreal!"

Mama Guzzardi's Italian Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 2.8 (113) • $

"On a cold snowy January afternoon the hubby and I finally got to go see Mama G. When I say it was like being welcomed home with the pleasant atmosphere and stellar wait staff our gal was Madison . She made us feel like we were the cousins they had been waiting family dinner for. Quite Rat pack style music played at a comfortable level, Frank Santra sang followed by My guy Dean Martin you really expected to see Mama to walk out from the kitchen and give you hug and say she missed us. I guess that's what the food does. It gives you a warm hug. I had Lasagna the hubby got a meat lovers pizza. Both were amazing! Madison told us exactly what we're in for. The pizza was thin crust and it stood up to all that meat, it didn't get floppy."

Michaelangelo's

★★★★☆ 4 (163) • $$$

"Michaelangelo's has a parking lot on a snow night that was a plus. The restaurant is lovely and has two patios for warm weather dining. The eggplant terrine is a miniature eggplant parmigiana was very good. The osso bucco over risotto was among the best I have had. The veal scallopini with risotto cake was spectacular. The homemade gelato and cookies were a nice way to end our meal. There is a nice wine list. The service is a team approach and very helpful. We plan on going back with friends."

Valenti's Ristorante

★★★★☆ 4 (78) • $$

"Great food and service with a fair price right in the neighborhood. I'll be back. The only thing I'd like to see would be more craft beers on the menu. Oh well, I'll just drink wine!"