Top 8 Italian Restaurants in Cleveland

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While easy favorites like burgers and fries are a great go-to, sometimes you need something a little more refined to suit your palate. If you’re in the mood for a delicious Italian dinner in the Cleveland area, we have the restaurants that you’re looking for on this list. 

The Palazzo Restaurant

10031 Detroit Ave, Cleveland, Ohio

The Palazzo Restaurant‘s charming brick and stone construction first played home to the Spaghetti Grill before becoming Palmina’s in 1947 and finally Palazzo in 1993. In 2018, the site underwent a major renovation as the Palazzo took on new management. Chef Rafael began making homemade pasta at age six, establishing his love of Italian cooking early.

The menu is filled with gourmet Italian dishes like the antipasti Pera Sacchetti pasta pillows served in a truffle cream sauce with pear and Formaggio, the classic Caprese Insalata, and the essential Margherita pizza. The pasta selection includes stuffed veal tortellini, handmade bucatini, lobster stuffed ravioli, and potato gnocchi.

Mia Bella

12200 Mayfield Road, University Circle, Cleveland, Ohio

The 150-year-old building that houses Mia Bella offers a charming and rustic atmosphere for an Italian dinner with hand-painted Tuscan frescoes adorning the walls and beautiful exposed brick. The signature Mia Bella pasta dish features cavatelli, homemade marinara sauce, garlic, shallot, and basil. You can also order decadent pasta entrees like lobster ravioli, carbonara, bolognese, and gnocchi Alla Romana.

For a filling entree, you can select from a variety of hearty dishes like the grilled lamb chops in a spicy tomato mint sauce, veal piccata with a chardonnay lemon sauce, or steamed middle neck clams with linguini. Pair your meal with one of the hand-crafted cocktails or fine wines from Mia Bella’s wine cellar. 

Michaelangelo’s Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar

2198 Murray Hill Road, Cleveland, Ohio

Chef Michael Annandono takes the helm at Michaelangelo’s, where Italian comfort food abounds. The antipasti selection alone could become a well-rounded meal with options like grilled portabella mushrooms in a drunken goat cheese sauce, Wagyu beef tenderloin carpaccio, and calamari with roasted tomato, slivered garlic, and Pino Grigio.

The handmade pasta at Michaelangelo’s includes ricotta and black truffle stuffed pasta, lobster ravioli, and veal-stuffed tortellini. You’ll find the entrees can accommodate any craving with options like filet mignon served with wild mushroom trifoliata, truffle whipped potato, fried leeks, and steamed asparagus. Another favorite is the pan-seared Alaskan halibut with fingerling potatoes, summer squash, heirloom cherry tomatoes, and Pinot Grigio reduction.

Angelo’s Nido Italia

12020 Mayfield Road, Cleveland, Ohio 

White tablecloths, classic figurines, and an outdoor patio strung with paper lanterns create the perfect date night ambiance at Angelo’s Nido Italia. Get started with appetizers like calamari, grilled Portobello mushrooms, and grilled peppers. Try a hearty sandwich with an Italian flair for a leisurely lunch, like the veal parmigiana sandwich or the meatball sub. If you’re in the mood for pasta, you’ll find an abundance of options, including angel hair, spaghetti, cavatelli, jumbo cheese ravioli, and more.

Presti’s Bakery & Cafe

12101 Mayfield Road, Cleveland, Ohio 

Presti’s Bakery has a long history as a family establishment, dating back to 1903 when the original Presti’s Bakery opened. Two granddaughters of the Bakery’s founder now run Presti’s from a location they’ve renovated in Little Italy. A great-grandson of the founder acts as the current pastry chef. 

The bakery menu includes assorted bread, pastries, cookies, gelato, and specialty cakes, like tiramisu, Italian cheesecake, and sorrentina. The cafe menu includes pizza by the slice, stromboli, bruschetta, subs, and deli salads, like Sicilian eggplant salad and Mediterranean salad, making it easy to grab a convenient Italian-inspired lunch.

Maxi’s Bistro

12113 Mayfield Road, Cleveland, Ohio 

Maxi’s Bistro has a lively and vibrant atmosphere downstairs with a quieter dining room for private events of up to 50 people upstairs. You can begin with classic Italian appetizers like calamari, bruschetta, or prosciutto. The pasta menu includes everything from linguine with meatballs in a fresh tomato basil sauce to clam pasta with a white wine and garlic sauce to farfalle with Italian sausage, bell peppers, and hot banana peppers.

You’ll also find a complete selection of specialty pizzas with intriguing ingredients, like the Darcy pizza topped with hot banana peppers, Kalamata olives, butter, garlic, and herb sauce. The entree menu includes several Italian favorites like veal saltimbocca and chicken marsala.

Trattoria On the Hill

12207 Mayfield Road, Cleveland, Ohio 

Trattoria On the Hill has been a staple of Cleveland’s Little Italy since 1984. The eggplant Parmigiano is the most popular item on the menu, layered with mozzarella and served with a helping of linguine on the side. Other house specialties include homemade vegetarian lasagna and shrimp and gnocchi trattoria. The pasta entrees include cavatelli, ravioli, linguine and clams, and gluten-free pasta. 

If you’re in the mood for pizza, sample one of the specialty pies, like the shrimp and red peppers pizza with a hearty red sauce or the chicken and artichoke pizza with a creamy white sauce.

Guarino’s

12309 Mayfield Road, Cleveland, Ohio 

Guarino’s boasts elegant Victorian decor inside with a romantic patio for outside dining. A trumpet vine that the founder’s son brought over from Sicily still thrives in the garden of this longstanding establishment. Guarino’s makes it easy to start your meal right with appetizers like calamari, bruschetta, garlic and cheese bread, and prosciutto stuffed olives. The house favorites are lasagna crafted from a 50-year-old recipe, chicken piccata, veal saltimbocca, and brasciole. 

Classic pasta like Fettuccine Alfredo or spaghetti and meatballs and a small selection of pizzas help round out the menu. You can also top off your meal with one of the specialty cocktails or an Italian dessert, like cannoli, tiramisu, or spumoni.

So, there you have it. Volkswagen of Streetsboro informed you of the eight best Italian restaurants in the Cleveland area. Did we include your favorite restaurant on the list? If we missed a great find, let us know to pass along your recommendations. We love learning where to point our customers when they drive off the lot of Volkswagen of Streetsboro.