We came here for our friends 50th birthday party. The ambiance of the restaurant was nice but a bit loud. The food on the other hand was not what I would expect for the prices they charge. More than half our part had to send food back because it was burnt or too salty or looked more like soup than pasta. I personally had the veal and it was a giant piece of fat and sauce. I have had better food at Olive garden. I still prefer any place in Little Italy to this place.
Brendan M.
Excellent osso buco and braciole. The risotto and broccoli rabe garnishes were also on point. Nice atmosphere and great service. Will be back.
Joe McJunkins
Great authentic Italian food and wine. Excellent service and reasonable prices.
Dina K.
If you were thinking of ordering the pasta carbonara... don't!!! It was terrible not even worth $1! The atmosphere is nice but really loud.
Liam D.
The porchetta with polenta and kale was absolutely delicious! I can fine a single thing wrong with it! The atmosphere and wine were delicious! Prices were what they should be for the quality you get. Fried chicken livers, oso buco, anchovies, prosciutto plate and cheese, pear pana cotta, EVERYTHING! I'm surprised that there wasn't anything that stood out to me that wasn't good. If I had to say anything that I wasn't a fan of it would be the carpaccio only because it's the least flavor of everything. I'm not one for sashimi fish over other dishes. I'm also not a huge procuttio appetizer person over the food so obviously the entrees were my favorite! Hands down the porchetta was the best! Would love to go back! All polenta was cooked perfect! No dry meat either! Had a pleasant night!
John Chacona
Lovely experience. Best pappa al pomodoro I've ever had. Pappardelle was hearty yet subtle. Good wine suggestion from our excellent and modest server Michael. We arrived in the teeth of Snowpacolypse. Shelter from the storm indeed!
Shelly Mcwilliams Bouman
great staff and awesome food!!
Emma L.
We really enjoyed our dinner here before our show at House of Blues. My husband and I were visiting from out of town so I'm not sure how frequently we'll be back, but Chinato is for sure now on our list of options. We started with the suppli (fried rice balls) and I was surprised at how large the portion was for $10. Very happy though, because we were super hungry. I thought these had good flavor but they weren't discernably cheesy - these were saucy instead. Would order again as a snack for the table while deciding dinner choices. We split the mushroom salad to start. I love when places automatically split onto separate plates without making a big deal (or upcharging) over it. I wasn't sure what to expect from this "salad". It ended up being thinly-sliced button mushrooms in a really nice lemon-caper vinaigrette. It was a great dish to break up the richness of our other dishes. Would also order this again. The "Cacio e Pepe" linguine with was truly delicious but they should think about changing the name. This was in no way a cacio e pepe. It was supposed to have shrimp and scallops in it, but all I was able to find were very small shrimp (almost salad sized). The silky, rich, lemony sauce was SO good though - I would definitely want to order this again. My husband and I also decided to split the Diavolo pizza. The waiter said it would be a 12-inch pizza but it was closer to 9-inch personal size. We had ordered a lot of food so it was enough but it was a bit misleading. I would have been bummed if that's all I had ordered for $16ish. However, it was very good and had a perfect amount of spice. Not too timid, which I appreciated. Good crust, too! We ended dinner with double espressos, which were well made. I definitely hope we make it back to Chinato for another date night. Oh, great wine pour, too!
Sasha M.
It's AMAZING italian food with a twist. A great location for downtown with a hint of a romantic ambiance, a large menu with great small plate appetizers, and bartenders that go out of their way to make you great drinks . They have two TVs at the bar and it's never busy during Browns or Indians games so it's a great place to watch a game. Chinato is my new go to spot for awesome food. It's a bit on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for and I never leave feeling dissatisfied. I'd highly recommend it.
Brent R.
We celebrated my friends birthday this weekend. Everyone had an excellent time and the food was incredible. We had a large party so I made reservations. We shared appetizers to start things off. First was the Antipasti Platter. A large square tile with meats, cheese, olives, and other delicious morsels. Next was the Calamari, which was lightly breaded and deep fried. Meatballs came next. They were, surprisingly, breaded and deep fried as well. Muscles with cherry tomatoes rounded out the appetizer selection. Everyone agreed that the options were all excellent. My entree was the Risotto with zucchini purée and stracciatella. It was smooth and the risotto was cooked perfectly. I will definitely return!
Nice authentic Italian restaurant. We had the lamb with Brussels sprouts and roasted potatoes $24, and the Zupan de Pesce $30 ( which is a seafood dish with mussels shrimp and clams and a slightly spicey red sauce). The bread is very good and the service is outstanding. The lamb is a smaller dish and the right size. My husband didn't care for the pasta dish and thought it was because of the slight spiciness. The desserts are fabulous and I had cherry gilato and the tiramisu is amazing. I will definitely come back for the pizza next time. I thoroughly enjoyed the authentic espresso.
Ryan C.
Chinato is situated conveniently in the heart of downtown Cleveland. With a nice, upscale atmosphere, I enjoyed my experience. The food was good. We started with a cheeseboard. The diversity of cheeses they had available was impressive. For our entrées, I had the lamb, which I thought was delicious, while my boyfriend had he tuna. We also both had cocktails, both of which were exceptional. My boyfriend's drink, a passion fruit martini with basil accents, was particularly good. Despite the pleasant ambience and the better than average food, the service here did not live up to my expectations. For am establishment of this scale, with this atmosphere, and with food this food, I was expecting sophisticated, professional service. Instead, our waiter, despite seeming to understand the menu and he wide variety of options, was sloppy and awkward. He was uncomfortably candid, awkwardly struggled with shifting plates on and off the table, and lacked the professionalism I had anticipated at the beginning of the night. Despite those draw backs, I felt the food and atmosphere was great, and had we had better service I would certainly leave a higher rating. As long as you aren't expecting 5-star service, I'm confident the food her won't disappoint.
Daniel Markiewicz
I had an opportunity to visit Chinato as part of the Gateway District Walk and Dine event yesterday evening. The dining room is attractive, the atmosphere pleasant. Staff were friendly and attentive. As I joined my group late, I didn't catch the chef's description of the food sampling and I ate relatively quickly, but the sausage was flavorful and delicious, the chopped fingerling potatoes were prepared nicely, and the cooked greens were crisp and delightful. The plate was paired with a refreshing vodka and pomegranate cocktail. I look forward to returning to Chinato to experience more and to introduce my wife to the place!
Claire L.
If you want a nice atmosphere, decent food, and to spend a lot of money but still leave hungry, this is the place for you. My husband and I had the shrimp appetizer. There were three shrimp on the plate, so I let my husband have two of them. We ordered our meals. He got the veal something or other and said it was ok. I got a half portion of the ravioli. When my plate came, I was disappointed to see THREE small sand dollar sized raviolis. THREE. For $13! Even if I had known the half portion was that small, I couldn't have brought myself to get 6 of them for $25. Nurp. My husband did order two drinks that were fine. But for $84 dollars, I would have appreciated leaving without feeling like all I did was take a deep breath for dinner. My stomach was growling just as much as when I walked in. All that to say, our server was awesome.
Renee L. DiRuscio
Celebrating my husband's 40th birthday this evening at Chinato on E. 4th St. When I made the reservation prior, I was happy that they remembered everything. Our server Gian was wonderful, the host seated us at a private corner booth as requested, the food was delicious, and it cooled off to take a walk after dinner. We had a great night! Thank you Chinato!
We came here for our friends 50th birthday party. The ambiance of the restaurant was nice but a bit loud. The food on the other hand was not what I would expect for the prices they charge. More than half our part had to send food back because it was burnt or too salty or looked more like soup than pasta. I personally had the veal and it was a giant piece of fat and sauce. I have had better food at Olive garden. I still prefer any place in Little Italy to this place.
Excellent osso buco and braciole. The risotto and broccoli rabe garnishes were also on point. Nice atmosphere and great service. Will be back.
Great authentic Italian food and wine. Excellent service and reasonable prices.
If you were thinking of ordering the pasta carbonara... don't!!! It was terrible not even worth $1! The atmosphere is nice but really loud.
The porchetta with polenta and kale was absolutely delicious! I can fine a single thing wrong with it! The atmosphere and wine were delicious! Prices were what they should be for the quality you get. Fried chicken livers, oso buco, anchovies, prosciutto plate and cheese, pear pana cotta, EVERYTHING! I'm surprised that there wasn't anything that stood out to me that wasn't good. If I had to say anything that I wasn't a fan of it would be the carpaccio only because it's the least flavor of everything. I'm not one for sashimi fish over other dishes. I'm also not a huge procuttio appetizer person over the food so obviously the entrees were my favorite! Hands down the porchetta was the best! Would love to go back! All polenta was cooked perfect! No dry meat either! Had a pleasant night!
Lovely experience. Best pappa al pomodoro I've ever had. Pappardelle was hearty yet subtle. Good wine suggestion from our excellent and modest server Michael. We arrived in the teeth of Snowpacolypse. Shelter from the storm indeed!
great staff and awesome food!!
We really enjoyed our dinner here before our show at House of Blues. My husband and I were visiting from out of town so I'm not sure how frequently we'll be back, but Chinato is for sure now on our list of options. We started with the suppli (fried rice balls) and I was surprised at how large the portion was for $10. Very happy though, because we were super hungry. I thought these had good flavor but they weren't discernably cheesy - these were saucy instead. Would order again as a snack for the table while deciding dinner choices. We split the mushroom salad to start. I love when places automatically split onto separate plates without making a big deal (or upcharging) over it. I wasn't sure what to expect from this "salad". It ended up being thinly-sliced button mushrooms in a really nice lemon-caper vinaigrette. It was a great dish to break up the richness of our other dishes. Would also order this again. The "Cacio e Pepe" linguine with was truly delicious but they should think about changing the name. This was in no way a cacio e pepe. It was supposed to have shrimp and scallops in it, but all I was able to find were very small shrimp (almost salad sized). The silky, rich, lemony sauce was SO good though - I would definitely want to order this again. My husband and I also decided to split the Diavolo pizza. The waiter said it would be a 12-inch pizza but it was closer to 9-inch personal size. We had ordered a lot of food so it was enough but it was a bit misleading. I would have been bummed if that's all I had ordered for $16ish. However, it was very good and had a perfect amount of spice. Not too timid, which I appreciated. Good crust, too! We ended dinner with double espressos, which were well made. I definitely hope we make it back to Chinato for another date night. Oh, great wine pour, too!
It's AMAZING italian food with a twist. A great location for downtown with a hint of a romantic ambiance, a large menu with great small plate appetizers, and bartenders that go out of their way to make you great drinks . They have two TVs at the bar and it's never busy during Browns or Indians games so it's a great place to watch a game. Chinato is my new go to spot for awesome food. It's a bit on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for and I never leave feeling dissatisfied. I'd highly recommend it.
We celebrated my friends birthday this weekend. Everyone had an excellent time and the food was incredible. We had a large party so I made reservations. We shared appetizers to start things off. First was the Antipasti Platter. A large square tile with meats, cheese, olives, and other delicious morsels. Next was the Calamari, which was lightly breaded and deep fried. Meatballs came next. They were, surprisingly, breaded and deep fried as well. Muscles with cherry tomatoes rounded out the appetizer selection. Everyone agreed that the options were all excellent. My entree was the Risotto with zucchini purée and stracciatella. It was smooth and the risotto was cooked perfectly. I will definitely return!
Restaurantji Recommends
Nice authentic Italian restaurant. We had the lamb with Brussels sprouts and roasted potatoes $24, and the Zupan de Pesce $30 ( which is a seafood dish with mussels shrimp and clams and a slightly spicey red sauce). The bread is very good and the service is outstanding. The lamb is a smaller dish and the right size. My husband didn't care for the pasta dish and thought it was because of the slight spiciness. The desserts are fabulous and I had cherry gilato and the tiramisu is amazing. I will definitely come back for the pizza next time. I thoroughly enjoyed the authentic espresso.
Chinato is situated conveniently in the heart of downtown Cleveland. With a nice, upscale atmosphere, I enjoyed my experience. The food was good. We started with a cheeseboard. The diversity of cheeses they had available was impressive. For our entrées, I had the lamb, which I thought was delicious, while my boyfriend had he tuna. We also both had cocktails, both of which were exceptional. My boyfriend's drink, a passion fruit martini with basil accents, was particularly good. Despite the pleasant ambience and the better than average food, the service here did not live up to my expectations. For am establishment of this scale, with this atmosphere, and with food this food, I was expecting sophisticated, professional service. Instead, our waiter, despite seeming to understand the menu and he wide variety of options, was sloppy and awkward. He was uncomfortably candid, awkwardly struggled with shifting plates on and off the table, and lacked the professionalism I had anticipated at the beginning of the night. Despite those draw backs, I felt the food and atmosphere was great, and had we had better service I would certainly leave a higher rating. As long as you aren't expecting 5-star service, I'm confident the food her won't disappoint.
I had an opportunity to visit Chinato as part of the Gateway District Walk and Dine event yesterday evening. The dining room is attractive, the atmosphere pleasant. Staff were friendly and attentive. As I joined my group late, I didn't catch the chef's description of the food sampling and I ate relatively quickly, but the sausage was flavorful and delicious, the chopped fingerling potatoes were prepared nicely, and the cooked greens were crisp and delightful. The plate was paired with a refreshing vodka and pomegranate cocktail. I look forward to returning to Chinato to experience more and to introduce my wife to the place!
If you want a nice atmosphere, decent food, and to spend a lot of money but still leave hungry, this is the place for you. My husband and I had the shrimp appetizer. There were three shrimp on the plate, so I let my husband have two of them. We ordered our meals. He got the veal something or other and said it was ok. I got a half portion of the ravioli. When my plate came, I was disappointed to see THREE small sand dollar sized raviolis. THREE. For $13! Even if I had known the half portion was that small, I couldn't have brought myself to get 6 of them for $25. Nurp. My husband did order two drinks that were fine. But for $84 dollars, I would have appreciated leaving without feeling like all I did was take a deep breath for dinner. My stomach was growling just as much as when I walked in. All that to say, our server was awesome.
Celebrating my husband's 40th birthday this evening at Chinato on E. 4th St. When I made the reservation prior, I was happy that they remembered everything. Our server Gian was wonderful, the host seated us at a private corner booth as requested, the food was delicious, and it cooled off to take a walk after dinner. We had a great night! Thank you Chinato!