50 Best Italian Restaurants near University Heights

“Great Food, Great Location, Friends, and Heritage“

“Simply the best pizza I've ever had. Superior toppings, great crust and consistent excellence for decades now. I find it unreasonable for me to go anywhere else.“

“Absolutely love doing our celebrations at LockKeepers! We've celebrated our Birthdays and anniversaries here through the years and it was always such a wonderful experience each time! Jackie was the best server! She really took good care of us and made sure we were happy during and after our meals. She's absolutely the best server one can ever hope for! We always had a very good gastronomic experience here at LockKeepers! Definitely coming back soon to celebrate more milestones! Thank you! Keep up the great work that you do! 👍“

“I want to say thank you, thank you, thank you to Ethan and his staff for doing such an absolutely amazing job at my daughter's wedding this past weekend. Ethan is the best! He is a pleasure to work with, he knows his job and does it very well. The servers were so kind and worked so hard while keeping a smile on their faces at all times. And the food...it was incredible. I am a picky Italian when it comes to Italian food and Alesci's has some of the best Italian food in Cleveland. Everything tasted fresh, homemade and authentic and my guests LOVED the food which makes me that much happier. This is the second wedding that Alesci's catered for me. I have 2 more kids to marry off and will no doubt be calling on Alesci's again! 5 stars on all accounts.“

“Simply the best pizza I've ever had. Superior toppings, great crust and consistent excellence for decades now. I find it unreasonable for me to go anywhere else.“

“Cozy casual but elegant restaurant with outstanding food and service. And to top it off—mama Cantena herself takes time to talk with all the customers.“

“This was the best dinner we have ever had and it is in Little Italy which makes it even better. Thank you for a great dinner with family and friends. We all loved everything we ordered. The server was great and other servers refilled water/beverages, nice team service environment.“

“My Favorite Italian Restaurant in town! Best food, wine, service and great atmosphere! Omg and did I mention desert ?! The most delicious! Valerio & Stella go above and beyond for their customers which they treat as a family! Highly recommend A +“

“Food is amazing, service is excellent. Pranzo! does not disappoint.“

“Everytime I go there the food always good and the worker Alway cool I love going their Thanks Jennifer 😍🤪🤪“

“Catering for Our Film crew was Perfect after a long day on Set!! Every dish was a celebration of Italy's culinary traditions, fresh, high-quality ingredients. The classic combination of ingredients was a snapshot of what Italian cuisine is all about. The Lemon Chicken, Peppers, Meatballs, Pasta and Salad were Perfection .... the team loved everything!“

“The Sweet Life Trio is a delicious appetizer. I love the meatballs.“

“Had a really amazing time at M Italian tonight. Food was fabulous and our server Theresa was such a joy and attentive and felt like a friend -thank you Theresa! I enjoyed the lobster and shrimp pasta and I taated the eggplant parm and it was also great. Can’t go wrong here and will be back soon for sure!!“

“Thank you for the lovely dinner! We had a fantastic time while visiting Cleveland. I’ll definitely be back.😘 Exceptional Italian food! 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹“

“great food and vibe.m.want more!!!“

“First time trying it and it was good! Definitely will go back when I visit town again!“

“This place was awesome. Service, food and ambiance just what you’d expect in Little Italy. I had fusilla (spellcheck) puntenesca excellent!! We will be back.“

“We had a wonderful waitress take care of us. Service was impeccable. I ordered a dish which came with Mexican corn. I didn't realize it was very 🔥🔥. They were very apologetic and offered substitutes. I couldn't ask for better service. The rest of the food was so good. We will definitely go again.“

“Fantastic restaurant! A true gem of Cleveland. The Freddie's Pasta is by my favorite and their martinis are delicious. Echoing other comments, while the menu is a bit pricey you get good sized portions. Another perk is that a lot of their dishes can be made gluten free. Overall, a great, cozy atmosphere and excellent service... this is one of my favorite places to go for a special occasion.“

“Pizza was ok nothing that made me say oooh delicious sauce was flavorless (took a bite with no pepperoni), pepperoni over powering that couldn't even taste the sausage and greasy. The mozzarella too expensive and cold, I live 2min away if that so it wasn't the drive time.“

“Food and service were excellent. I recommend.“

“The food is absolutely delicious!“

“The food is always fresh and delicious!“

“Got pizza this weekend for the whole family and friends this and it was absolutely delicious!! Fantastic quality of products and look forward to going back again soon. Great job team!!“

“We had my birthday celebration there. Let me tell you, the experience was just beautiful. There were 16 of us, and they catered to our every need. The serving staff was patient, and very thorough. They were so attentive, and made certain we were very well taken care of. THE FOOD! Man oh man. That food was the bomb. I think everyone had something different, and we are all still talking about how good it was! I recommend you have dinner with them. You will not regret it. It’s a whole vibe! ❤️❤️“

“No other better place! The staff is top notch and the ambiance is one of a kind! The food is remarkable!“

“Delicious entrees. Great service.“

“The best food in the world, the best martinis in the world world, the best, the best, the best, the best the best lemon drops ever“

“Beautiful patio. Great calzones. Good service. Cold draft beer“

“My mom was a waitress there years ago I was a kid in grade school at Brett and would walk there for lunch while she worked .I lived on
Rudyard .Great food yes the Parm is fantastic.I wanted an Italian sub for old memories but couldn't pass on the Parm ..Next time tho.“

“Just what downtown Willoughby needed! Such a cute and cozy pizza place/Italian restaurant serving up the classics done simply and done well. We ordered the Salad Bowl and it was a meal in itself. I really appreciated the lettuce- no iceberg here, just crisp mixed greens and lots of Italian cold cuts, cheese, egg and olives. Ordered a small pizza with sausage, onion and banana peppers and it was delicious. They use the crumbly sausage, which again, I totally appreciate. I can tell quality ingredients are used here and it makes such a difference. The staff were great! A really pleasant and welcoming group of young people. Nice job! We will be back soon!“

“Their pizza really is a thing of magic. The sauce is delicious… ingredients are high quality. Like when you compare this to most pizzas out there, you can see this is the best around. When we need a week-day pizza party, this is the place to go.“

“Our favorite family restaurant. The best in little Italy, hands down. we've been coming here for decades and it never disappoints. Angelo & his staff are top notch.“

“Tried Cuoco Bello for my first time tonight and it was delicious! I ordered the chicken parm for carry out and it was flavorful, a large portion size, and better than I had anticipated 😊 Just what I was looking for in a great meal! The staff was friendly and I can't wait to go back and try something else! Also, they have weekly specials so definitely check those out too! Highly recommend! 🍝“

“As always - comfortable restaurant, friendly and personable wait staff. The apple/beet salad was delicious. Great place for lunch and conversation, HOWEVER, I can't wait for your coming Valor Park location. Brecksville needs a restaurant like FLOUR, and I'll be waiting for the door to open Marilyn McG“

“My husband and I popped in for dinner after he arrived home from a family event. We wanted a date night after being away from one another for several days/nights. It was our first time. I sent him the menu as he boarded his plane and he was looking forward to a “new spot”. It did not disappoint. We were attended to from the time we sat down until after we tabbed out. We tried several dishes to get an idea of their style of cooking. The prosciutto melted in our mouths.. the ricotta was extremely creamy and bread from Breadsmith? DELISH. The Italian wedding soup was delicious, the pig n’ fig pizza was excellent (kudos on the dough and crust!), the spicy vodka rigate was on point! Not too spicy.. just that perfect amount of crushed red pepper in the sauce. The wine list was an extensive and our servers (we love to sit at the bar) was top notch! (Forgive me because I’m bad with names but I believe they were Alyssa and Jackie?) it is now on our list of must return spots. They were jamming for a Wednesday night. We initially sat at the rail bar but a couple waved in our direction to let us know they were leaving in a few minutes. If you’re looking for a quiet, romantic spot, it’s not quiet but it doesn’t echo, either. The details are beautiful, the artwork is pleasant to the eye and it was a perfect romantic date night spot for us. One of the better Italian spots in the area. Kudos and thank you for a great evening! Oh. P.S. the 12 month prosciutto with ricotta “primi” is definitely enough to share with 4 people. lol. So good!“

“Truly an experience in its self. The atmosphere was wonderful, everything was fresh and absolutely outstanding from the food to the service our waiter Christian was extremely friendly and knowledgeable he made our first experience dining amazing would highly recommend!!“

“Visiting from Maryland, and read good reviews about Danspot. Glad we came. Dinner was fantastic. I had the Shrimp Piccatta, and my wife had Pipette pesto pasta with chicken. Both were outstanding. And our server Jake, was wonderful. Friendly and attentive. If you're in the area of the MGM Northfield, be sure to stop at Danspot. You will be glad you did.“

“I can’t give enough stars! What a great first time! Alex was our server and she was so cute, friendly and came with great suggestions. We also went during a Valentines wine tasting and Ed was our wine guy who was a joy. The atmosphere was small but inviting with the right amount of light. Everything was beautiful and I’d definitely recommend and go back.“

“Wonderful sweet sauce! Huge portions!“

“The best pizza in Ohio!“

“Amazing service, delicious food plus gluten free options. Will def be back“

“Had a lovely dinner with friends. Our server was outstanding as far as attentiveness and service! Food was very good overall. We never feel rushed. Only disappointment is how cold it is when seated in the barrels. We like the privacy aspect but will sit at tables from now on. Barrels can feel like a wind tunnel when AC is on.“

“Had the BEST pizza in years here today. I will be back! AWESOME“

“Look, this deserves 5 stars simply because you get decent food at ANY HOUR of the night. 1am spaghetti with homemade meatballs? Banging. Is it like being transported to Italy? No. Is it cooked and seasoned properly and delivered to your hotel at christ-o-clock in the evening? Absolutely. Portion sizes are also huge, so yay leftovers!“

“I haven’t been to Piada Since they first opened. I wasn’t a big fan back then. I was having a day and needed to step out of work for a few moments, wow. The food was delicious and Chef Carla was just full of hospitality. Great experience, can’t wait to come back and see everyone again.“

“Had the Italian sub and a slice of sausage pizza both were FANTASTIC!! Can’t beat the price either worth every penny!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“

“The food an service is excellent. We both had steak and it was one of the best steaks I have ever had. The waitress was exceptional. It was our birthday and at the end of our dinner she brought us both a peice of cake . I highly recommend this restaurant.“

“After looking into every restaurant in little Italy we ended up choosing borgata bar and we are so happy we did! Everything was amazing. The owner and staff were wonderful the food was delicious. Everything was just perfect.“