Osteria Italian

We decided to try Osteria Italian one summer evening before a show at the playhouse. When we first entered the restaurant, we were greeted by a cozy space with just a few tables and a bar area. It was dark and a bit snug--perfect for a romantic dinner or a game of "Who's going to bump into the waiter first?" Our waitress welcomed us from the other end of the bar and led us into a beautifully elegant dining room. Our server, Dora, was on top of her game, explaining the specials and answering our menu questions like a culinary magician.We placed our orders, and everything came out in a timely manner--no waiting forever like you do at some places when time seems to stand still. For appetizers, we had the scallops, which were a generous portion and tasted fantastic. We also ordered the asparagus soup, which, as the youngsters say, was 'Fire!' (I'm still not sure what that means, but I'm on board.)I went for the Ossobuco alla Fiorentina (bone-in lamb shank), and let me tell you, it was a portion fit for a king. Tender and flavorful--just wow! My wife chose the seafood risotto, which was also a hefty serving. She had no complaints, just a chorus of "ummm, ummm, ummm" that could have been mistaken for a new pop song.We saved room to share the Banana Foster Tiramisu that our fantastic server Dora recommended. I'll tell you, it was exactly what my taste buds were craving after such a terrific meal.Osteria Italian was a delightful find, and we'll definitely be coming back for more. Everything was delicious and cooked to perfection. The atmosphere was elegantly bougie--just the way we like it!

This was definitely the best dining experience we had in Cleveland. The food was fantastic! We sat at the bar and enjoyed chatting with the other guests, bar tender and Dexter (partner, owner?, brand ambassador) . The ambience of the bar area is upscale and the employees provide a high level of service. There were several regulars that stopped in while we were there and the staff welcomed them warmly. For our meal we enjoyed two of the antipasti - the sausage stuffed banana peppers and the smoked salmon. Both portions were very generous and could easily have been a delicious light dinner! We then ordered the orecchiette with Italian Sausage and the gnocchi. Again, both portions were generous and delicious. Go and enjoy this upscale establishment!

The experience was lackluster, and I was super bummed for that. Husband made a valentines reservation and we arrived on time at the host stand. It took a few minutes for them to figure out where to put us. The hostess offered us the bar or a weird, low table with a couch in a high traffic area. I was disappointed and she kinda gave us attitude because we 'just walked in'. I almost turned around and left, but husband gave her our names again and confirmed we had a reservation. Oh okay, she found us a table in the dining room which was not full.The dining room was very open and tables kinda closed together, so I didn't feel like it was very intimate. Also, the bathroom doors open up right to the dining room. It was off-putting.We started with the beef tartare, which lacked flavor. The bread and butter was very good. Excellent flavors. My seafood risotto was better than I have expected, but still needed some seasoning. At basic, salt and pepper. The risotto was cooked absolutely perfect, which can be difficult to achieve. Husband liked his food and the meal portions were generous.The server was okay, not great. There was a man milling about who looked like he was the manager. He was very present and paying attention to details. That makes a big difference and I could tell he really cared about the restaurant. He might be the reason I'll try it again, on a lower-profile night.

Had the best birthday celebration here last night with my husband. The service was impeccable and we were treated like royalty. The staff takes their time to deliver an incredible experience and ensure we savored each course and each moment. The pasta was perfection and the Gorgonzola cream sauce was to die for - not too overwhelming as Gorgonzola can tend to be. Loved the red sauce accompanying the meatballs and definitely will be getting a red sauce based pasta next time I come back. Everything was delicious and we truly enjoyed the atmosphere and can't wait to return. Great spot for a special occasion!

Tucked away on a side street in downtown Cleveland is Osteria. This restaurant has a wonderful relaxing atmosphere. When you enter the dining establishment, you will walk through the bar area to the host stand. Very friendly as we were walking through to our table. The entire staff was very attentive the entire evening. The food was delicious and portion sizes were substantial. The pasta was perfectly cooked too. Very unique pasta dishes and entrees are prepared here. I also noticed that all employees were working very hard to make sure guests at both the bar and in the dining room were taken care of. Lots of deliciousness here! Will definitely be back very soon!

My friend and I wanted to treat ourselves after flying to Cleveland for a grueling 3 days of classes, and Osteria Italian did NOT disappoint. The ambiance is very romantic which we weren't expecting but we enjoyed the quiet, dark setting for the night. High quality, great portions, and great service. We started with the arancini which was OH MY GOSH the best arancini I've ever had. Perfectly crispy on the outside, soft, buttery, and flavorful on the inside. Absolutely amazing. My friend ordered the ravioli which she loved as well. It was made perfectly and filled with just the right amount of ricotta and spinach. She enjoyed it very much.I had the rack of lamb dish and although it was overall very flavorful, my meat was over cooked. No pink inside, and was the slightest bit tough to chew. I did enjoy the mashed potato and the vinaigrette on the lamb. All in all it was a thoroughly enjoyable dish despite the overcooked meat.

We were really looking forward to a great Italian meal. We made a reservation although we were one of 4 tables in a large dining area. It was cold. The server suggested a table for two next to the restroom. We asked if we could move one table away. We often share dishes like we did tonight. Orecchiette alla Panna con Pomodoro e Salsicca She said, "no dessert, then?" Really?

Can't say it was my favorite. I will say the live music was a terrific touch. My fiancé and I came a bit earlier in the night and we were sat at the farthest table, very close to where all the waitstaff hung out. We would have preferred a booth as there were several booths open our entire meal and it was uncomfortable hearing their conversations of the staff. They don't bring menus right away which is strange, we also got an appetizer list that was the same as the appetizers on the menu so that was confusing. Our waitress was attentive but she was clearly new and nervous as she wasn't comfortable running through the menu. They did not have the wine we requested so they suggested another bottle that was quite a bit more expensive without any consultation. I also didn't love seeing the kitchen directly or staring at bland tasteless bathroom doors my entire meal. The food: The bread was cold very quick, the butter was okay and there was an orange butter served with no description of what it was. The stuffed peppers were recommended by our waitress and they were mediocre at best, the sauce lacked taste as did the meat- didn't love. Would have rather had the arancini I had heard about (mostly why I came) but they did not have them. The entree of veal tortellini was ok but didn't have much flavor and was missing something. My finance got the filet with Gorgonzola and it was OK, mostly tasted Gorgonzola. We would have gotten dessert but I didn't think it would be worthwhile after a mediocre meal. They also have a disclaimer on the dessert menu about a 3% fee added to each order. Not worth it - much better Italian places in Cleveland!

This was my first time dining at their new location. The interior is decorated very well and it's a good ambiance. I wasn't expecting an awesome meal top to bottom but it was! I dined at the Warehouse District location a few times and I don't recall the food being this good. Arancini - must order. These are a favorite APP for me so I order them frequently at Italian restaurants and these by far are the best I've had. They were very soft inside with a perfect crust. The side sauces were a fabulous compliment. Ossobuco - another hit. Also best I've ever had. It's cooked for 8 hours and covered in its own au jus. It has a bit of spicy which was unexpected but delicious. Served with green beans and half lumpy mashed red potatoes. Veal Tortelinni - very good as well but more on par with other restaurants. Lots of veal inside and cream sauce was delicious. The only reasons I didn't give five stars was because we were seated for ten minutes without being served to start. Turned out that the assigned server forgot about us so we got a new one after a visit to the hostess. Also we waited a long time for the meals to come out and we were comped glasses of wine for our patience. I'll be dinning here again.

Disclaimer: this meal was pre-Hamilton and I did not leave us enough time to get from dinner to the theater so some of this is on me...We did a double date to Osteria last week. The food was tasty but somewhat overpriced (-1 star) and, although friendly, the service was very slow even though we told them we had tickets to the show (-1 more star). Now for the food:Charcuterie board (4/5): really good although it leaned much heavier toward meat than cheese, which is a personal preference Arancini (5/5): SO GOOD, a must order. I loved that they had both the pesto and marinara base. Mushroom pasta (4/5): good mushroom taste and creamy, luxurious sauce but the penne itself wasn't anything special My dining partners also had a salad, the half duck, and the special for dinner and everyone seemed to enjoy. Bottom line is that I'm definitely open to trying here again but will definitely go on a night when I don't have a deadline for dinner to wrap up.