44 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! 👍“

“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 +“

“Fantastic food and service!“

“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!“

“9/24/2025: This place is a gem! The food and service was amazing! Our server Katina was very attentive and made sure everything was great throughout the night!! We also enjoyed talking with Moma and her daughter. Such an added bonus to the night to meet and hear their stories! Can't wait to go back---until then I will enjoy my left overs!!“

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

“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.“

“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.“

“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.“

“I had a wonderful birthday dinner with my wife on Saturday. The food was outstanding and the service even better! Jose brought me out a piece of tiramisu cake with a candle! Thank you everyone for adding to my wonderful birthday! We will definitely be back!! ❤️“

“Best Italian food in the area period! My famiIy has enjoyed many visits/celebrations there over the years and the food/service is always great! Nothing on the menu is a bad choice and definitely save room for desert. You can tell their food is made with love ❤️“

“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.“

“The food was very good. I was a bit surprised that they don't grate fresh cheese here (and instead provide a shaker) since even Olive Garden does that. Also, the potstickers come in orders of four, which seemed stingy. Service was a bit lackluster. Our server had an attitude in particular; she left us hanging twice and muttered things under her breath walking past our table. And they were out of the dessert special that they offered us.

The food outweighed the lackluster service. Would recommend.“

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

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

“great food and vibe.m.want more!!!“

“We got a last minute reservation on a Friday night after a recommendation. We weren’t sure what to expect, and we were VERY happy! I had a delicious classic Paper Plane cocktail and hubby ordered a bottle of red wine. We started with frog legs as an appetizer…lightly fried, and so much garlic and lemon…perfection! I had the chicken pitta, my husband had veal parm (our server Tony suggested it as it would go great with the wine he chose). Both dishes were so plentiful we each took half home. The amount of artichokes and red peppers on my piccata was very generous, they don’t skimp on anything! We ended the night with Affogato and it was also wonderful. Bottom line is the whole experience was great! We can’t wait to be back in Cleveland and come back…don’t miss out.“

“Food and service were excellent. I recommend.“

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

“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! 🍝“

“Very low key but if you know you know. I caught the chicken parmesean special. The chicken was crispy and help up against the sauce. You also get a salad and bread. Everything was ok but the atmosphere wasn't really welcoming. It kinda reminded me of a scene in Goodfellows and the Sopranos. It looks like you could have easily ran into John Gotti!!“

“The food is always fresh and delicious!“

“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! ❤️❤️“

“My husband and I had lunch today for the first time at Scotti’s, and it was phenomenal! It will definitely become regular new spot for us. The food was fresh and absolutely delicious. Honestly, I would be satisfied eating just the bread with olive oil and vinegar and enjoying a nice glass of wine! The service was also super friendly! I’m looking forward to spending some time on their beautiful patio when the weather warms up.“

“The owners and staff are amazing and I’ve never had a bad meal there and one of my recent favorites is their chicken Marsala!“

“great food great service ty“

“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!!“

“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.“

“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.“

“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“

“Guarino’s in Little Italy 🇮🇹 within God’s Country Ohio, aka Cleveland, is the BEST dining establishment and experience in the United States. Of course, everyone has their favorites, but this is without exception the most exceptional location anywhere. And I’ve been around this globe several times. There is not another group of dedicated family (both descendants of the Guarinos and the team members that became family throughout the years) that care as deeply for the people that dine with them and the food that serve us. It is World Class in every way. Ted“

“Unique, fresh, and delicious! We will definitely be ordering from here again!“

“The red headed black male chef that served me today was condescending and rude. I was expecting great service since he was the chef and only two people in front of me. He was too busy correcting me on menu item names to make my order correctly. This location needs better service from the chef. No napkins and 2 forks left at the drink station that needs cleaning as well.

Went back 12/11 and had a wonderful experience with a different chef, Chef Geovanni. He was kind and efficient. I’ve updated my review based on that!“

“We just got this two days ago for the first time. It was excellent pizza, and will definitely be back.“

“Outstanding. Every dish was creatively conceived and skillfully executed. Thomas, our server, was engaging and helpful. You can tell that everyone here genuinely cares about their particular role and strives to provide a memorable dining experience.“

“I ordered the spicy vodka pasta and it was delicious! My mom ordered the salad and that was also very good.“

“Consistent. Friendly. Good food“

“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.“

“Food was pretty good. The service was excellent. They did a massive remodel to this place almost unrecognizable compared to what it used to be. Kinda miss the old nostalgic look it had but either way it looks very good in there. The pizza is excellent here 🍕“

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

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