I really wanted to like Guarino’s, but the experience was disappointing from start to finish. Service was poor—the server forgot requested items and even walked away mid-conversation…multiple times. The food was just as underwhelming: bland, lifeless, and completely lacking the rich flavors you expect in Little Italy. The sauce tasted like it came straight from an industrial-size “lunch lady” can, not anything resembling a recipe passed down from an Italian grandmother. Stay away from this place.!The reviews are true. The only redeeming quality is the parking lot which why I suspect it stays in business.
moise lumumba
The food was really just ok. I lived in Italy for a while and this doesn't even come close. I've had great Italian food in America. This was really just ok. The atmosphere was pretty cool. The highlight was the host/boss/owner, he was absolutely Fantastic.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Saltimbocca
Tammy Daws
We’ve visited twice. Most recently this past weekend. The first time was right after Feast weekend so the menu was limited. Food was decent but not the best Italian I’ve ever had. This visit was worse honestly. We had 7pm reservation. Seated immediately. Able to valet park in the lot. Valet guys were really nice and attentive. Wait staff was nice. The food was mediocre at best. My son had the Chicken Piccata. His pasta was broken into small pieces and way under cooked. My daughter had an unappetizing looking Chicken Parmesan. Over cooked chicken with a warmed slice of mozzarella over barely sauced rigatoni. My Eggplant Parmesan was about the same presentation. Husband had their highly recommended lasagna and he was less than impressed. The bread basket is not even real Italian bread. It’s like sliced white bread from the grocery store.The historic restaurant is nice but it doesn’t make up for the lackluster food. Can’t say that I would ever go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Sarah Strong
We chose here based on the history and Alfredo is my son’s favorite dish. It was his birthday celebration so what better place to stop! We were greeted instantly with warm vibes and light jokes. The service was fast and attentive. Our server went above and beyond in every way and was so kind. The food came quickly and was delicious. Way above expectation. Thanks for a great dinner and environment for our kiddos 12th birthday! The patio was cozy and had the perfect amount of holiday vibe. I hope to make it back to Cleveland again someday to eat here again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
yuliana kvinta
Had dinner with my boyfriend after visiting Severance Hall. We decided to try one of the local places. Stinky water to begin with. Waitress didn’t ask questions, didn’t help by suggesting ideas, just asked if we are ready. My boyfriend asked for salad, asked me if i want any. I didn’t have time to answer or to ask for options, she just grabbed menues and left. We got two house salads, with whatever dressing…. One of the oldest Italian restaurants, they serve tasteless far from fresh greens with croutons from the local supermarket…No comments about other ingredients that have never been part of Italian cuisine. Tiny not fresh mushy salad for $8. Cold sliced tasteless bread with single- served butter came few minutes later. Lasagna and Ravioli with beef for dinner. Sauce from Aldi is definitely better than one we were served. The pasta wąs disgusting: tasteless, heavy dough. Any decent supermarket pasta is times better. I get mine from Aldi, made in Italy, enjoy it very much! I am not talking about fresh made pasta etc. I didn’t taste any beef in my ravioli, just dark mushy unknown matter… Any decent supermarket ravioli is times better . I honestly don’t remember when last time I had worse experience and had worse food that we had to pay $56 including taxes, before the tips. How this business is still alive??? I have been to two very old restaurants in other locations that have same issue, they run on the old fame. However two others at least offered good food, overpriced, but fresh and honest. This one has nothing but cozy room and history. Our waitress didn’t ask us how is our food even once! When my boyfriend answered no to her dessert offer, she rolled her eyes. I am speechless. It is an insult and theft of time and money to me.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Craig Compton
The food is.....ok. I am of Italian descent and we never flood the plate with sauce. If you want a true authentic Italian restaurant, then I would say Mario's in Detroit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Jim Setele
Terrific experience as always. The food was spectacular.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
719edvinp
Garlic exellent if you like white bread broiled with Parmesan cheese Lasagna 60 years old recipe we were super exited but once it arrived Walmart frozen lasagna tasted better Service standard nothing special We saw few flies inside the restaurant while it’s cold outside Bread was served cold and dry Water was sitting in the table no ice For an occasion this was a huge disappointment paid $102 for 2 apps and lasagna glass of wine and a beer Maybe 60 years ago this was the place but today I was disappointed
Presto67
Visiting Cleveland and went to little Italy for lunch. Service was excellent. Red sauce is very tasty. Old school Italian eatery. Must stop. Plus they have a parking lot.
I9894VAbp
There is no way anyone, at least a true Italian, can like this food. I realize it is a staple in LI, and maybe I am used to home cooked Italian food, but this place was terrible. I've been here three times, and each time the service was poor and more importantly, the food was actually horrible. Like canned tomatoes for sauce, no flavor and bland. I will eat anything and not complain, but to actually pay for food like this; never again.
We read that this restaurant was top rated in Ohio. Unfortunately, it was not up to such rating level. We loved the history, server was very considerate. But the food could have been better. We will go back at some point to give it a second chance. But for now, we will explore Little Italy for better dining experience.
Sarah Latham-McCoy
🌟 A Meal to Remember – Thank You for Making It Special 🌟
After finishing my last round of chemo, we wanted to mark the occasion with something meaningful(a good meal shared with my husband). We chose Guarino's in Little Italy, and it turned out to be the perfect! From the moment we walked in, the staff made us feel welcomed and cared for. They didn’t just serve us food — they gave us an experience filled with warmth, kindness, and that meant more than words can express. My lasagna and my husband's spaghetti and meatballs were absolutely delicious! The atmosphere was calm and inviting, just what we needed after such a long and emotional day. Thank you to everyone for taking care of us! Your hospitality and excellent food turned a simple lunch into something truly memorable. We will never forget your kindness! We’ll definitely be back, this time to celebrate health and new beginnings!
This Dark Place
Honestly I was pretty disappointed. The garlic bread was amazing the sauce that was with the garlic bread was amazing but somewhere between the garlic bread and the chicken parmesan the sauce became not good lol there's too much oregano like that's all I could taste I literally eight only a few bites of my dinner and my girlfriend didn't even eat her dinner We just threw away $20 worth of food. I'd suggest using the marinara sauce that you use for the garlic bread for all your entrees lol was my first time to little Italy and I wasn't that impressed especially with no parking available
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Simi Yogenthiran
We went to Guarino's for dinner with family visiting from out of the country. Picked it for the patio which is quite lovely.
We ordered lasagna, chicken parmesan, chicken piccata, pesto pasta and angel hair with marinara.
Unfortunately, the food was shockingly BAD!! The chicken parmesan was particularly awful. In fact absolutely abysmal. Almost like one would have to make a special effort to make the food SO bad. Soggy pasta, sour sauce and bad chicken. The pesto wasn't bad but with excessive amounts of oil. The marinara sauce is terribly dissapointing too. The bread was like wonder bread! Portions are large but such a shame that the food is absolutely awful. Never going back despite the lovely patio.
I don't understand how Guarino's has on 4.5 rating!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
Rachel S
I honestly don’t know how this place has such good reviews. It took about forty minutes for the food to arrive from when we ordered. We only had a personal pizza and a lasagna. Frozen pizza looks and tastes better. My husband didn’t even eat half of it. The lasagna had a tough top layer. It was edible but probably the worst lasagna I’ve ever had. The building is interesting and antique looking.
I really wanted to like Guarino’s, but the experience was disappointing from start to finish. Service was poor—the server forgot requested items and even walked away mid-conversation…multiple times. The food was just as underwhelming: bland, lifeless, and completely lacking the rich flavors you expect in Little Italy. The sauce tasted like it came straight from an industrial-size “lunch lady” can, not anything resembling a recipe passed down from an Italian grandmother. Stay away from this place.!The reviews are true. The only redeeming quality is the parking lot which why I suspect it stays in business.
The food was really just ok. I lived in Italy for a while and this doesn't even come close. I've had great Italian food in America. This was really just ok. The atmosphere was pretty cool. The highlight was the host/boss/owner, he was absolutely Fantastic.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Saltimbocca
We’ve visited twice. Most recently this past weekend. The first time was right after Feast weekend so the menu was limited. Food was decent but not the best Italian I’ve ever had. This visit was worse honestly. We had 7pm reservation. Seated immediately. Able to valet park in the lot. Valet guys were really nice and attentive. Wait staff was nice. The food was mediocre at best. My son had the Chicken Piccata. His pasta was broken into small pieces and way under cooked. My daughter had an unappetizing looking Chicken Parmesan. Over cooked chicken with a warmed slice of mozzarella over barely sauced rigatoni. My Eggplant Parmesan was about the same presentation. Husband had their highly recommended lasagna and he was less than impressed. The bread basket is not even real Italian bread. It’s like sliced white bread from the grocery store.The historic restaurant is nice but it doesn’t make up for the lackluster food. Can’t say that I would ever go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
We chose here based on the history and Alfredo is my son’s favorite dish. It was his birthday celebration so what better place to stop! We were greeted instantly with warm vibes and light jokes. The service was fast and attentive. Our server went above and beyond in every way and was so kind. The food came quickly and was delicious. Way above expectation. Thanks for a great dinner and environment for our kiddos 12th birthday! The patio was cozy and had the perfect amount of holiday vibe. I hope to make it back to Cleveland again someday to eat here again!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had dinner with my boyfriend after visiting Severance Hall.
We decided to try one of the local places. Stinky water to begin with. Waitress didn’t ask questions, didn’t help by suggesting ideas, just asked if we are ready. My boyfriend asked for salad, asked me if i want any. I didn’t have time to answer or to ask for options, she just grabbed menues and left. We got two house salads, with whatever dressing…. One of the oldest Italian restaurants, they serve tasteless far from fresh greens with croutons from the local supermarket…No comments about other ingredients that have never been part of Italian cuisine. Tiny not fresh mushy salad for $8. Cold sliced tasteless bread with single- served butter came few minutes later.
Lasagna and Ravioli with beef for dinner.
Sauce from Aldi is definitely better than one we were served. The pasta wąs disgusting: tasteless, heavy dough. Any decent supermarket pasta is times better. I get mine from Aldi, made in Italy, enjoy it very much! I am not talking about fresh made pasta etc. I didn’t taste any beef in my ravioli, just dark mushy unknown matter… Any decent supermarket ravioli is times better . I honestly don’t remember when last time I had worse experience and had worse food that we had to pay $56 including taxes, before the tips.
How this business is still alive???
I have been to two very old restaurants in other locations that have same issue, they run on the old fame. However two others at least offered good food, overpriced, but fresh and honest.
This one has nothing but cozy room and history.
Our waitress didn’t ask us how is our food even once! When my boyfriend answered no to her dessert offer, she rolled her eyes.
I am speechless. It is an insult and theft of time and money to me.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
The food is.....ok. I am of Italian descent and we never flood the plate with sauce. If you want a true authentic Italian restaurant, then I would say Mario's in Detroit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Terrific experience as always. The food was spectacular.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Garlic exellent if you like white bread broiled with Parmesan cheese Lasagna 60 years old recipe we were super exited but once it arrived Walmart frozen lasagna tasted better Service standard nothing special We saw few flies inside the restaurant while it’s cold outside Bread was served cold and dry Water was sitting in the table no ice For an occasion this was a huge disappointment paid $102 for 2 apps and lasagna glass of wine and a beer Maybe 60 years ago this was the place but today I was disappointed
Visiting Cleveland and went to little Italy for lunch. Service was excellent. Red sauce is very tasty. Old school Italian eatery. Must stop. Plus they have a parking lot.
There is no way anyone, at least a true Italian, can like this food. I realize it is a staple in LI, and maybe I am used to home cooked Italian food, but this place was terrible. I've been here three times, and each time the service was poor and more importantly, the food was actually horrible. Like canned tomatoes for sauce, no flavor and bland. I will eat anything and not complain, but to actually pay for food like this; never again.
Restaurantji Recommends
We read that this restaurant was top rated in Ohio. Unfortunately, it was not up to such rating level. We loved the history, server was very considerate. But the food could have been better. We will go back at some point to give it a second chance. But for now, we will explore Little Italy for better dining experience.
🌟 A Meal to Remember – Thank You for Making It Special 🌟 After finishing my last round of chemo, we wanted to mark the occasion with something meaningful(a good meal shared with my husband). We chose Guarino's in Little Italy, and it turned out to be the perfect! From the moment we walked in, the staff made us feel welcomed and cared for. They didn’t just serve us food — they gave us an experience filled with warmth, kindness, and that meant more than words can express. My lasagna and my husband's spaghetti and meatballs were absolutely delicious! The atmosphere was calm and inviting, just what we needed after such a long and emotional day. Thank you to everyone for taking care of us! Your hospitality and excellent food turned a simple lunch into something truly memorable. We will never forget your kindness! We’ll definitely be back, this time to celebrate health and new beginnings!
Honestly I was pretty disappointed. The garlic bread was amazing the sauce that was with the garlic bread was amazing but somewhere between the garlic bread and the chicken parmesan the sauce became not good lol there's too much oregano like that's all I could taste I literally eight only a few bites of my dinner and my girlfriend didn't even eat her dinner We just threw away $20 worth of food. I'd suggest using the marinara sauce that you use for the garlic bread for all your entrees lol was my first time to little Italy and I wasn't that impressed especially with no parking available
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
We went to Guarino's for dinner with family visiting from out of the country. Picked it for the patio which is quite lovely.
We ordered lasagna, chicken parmesan, chicken piccata, pesto pasta and angel hair with marinara.
Unfortunately, the food was shockingly BAD!! The chicken parmesan was particularly awful. In fact absolutely abysmal. Almost like one would have to make a special effort to make the food SO bad. Soggy pasta, sour sauce and bad chicken. The pesto wasn't bad but with excessive amounts of oil. The marinara sauce is terribly dissapointing too. The bread was like wonder bread! Portions are large but such a shame that the food is absolutely awful. Never going back despite the lovely patio.
I don't understand how Guarino's has on 4.5 rating!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 3
I honestly don’t know how this place has such good reviews. It took about forty minutes for the food to arrive from when we ordered. We only had a personal pizza and a lasagna. Frozen pizza looks and tastes better. My husband didn’t even eat half of it. The lasagna had a tough top layer. It was edible but probably the worst lasagna I’ve ever had. The building is interesting and antique looking.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
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