Guarino's Restaurant

Great food, true Italian. Could not stop eating the wonderful bread that the waiter said was made locally in the neighborhood. Ask the waiter what his favorites are and order one of those. Worked for me! more

All you hear about is "little italy" on the food network and by word of mouth. We went to Guarino's. nice on the ouside. We walked inand OH MY GOD!! We were in a time wrp back to 1930!! It had the ambiance of a Funeral Parlor. The chairs were Old and ricketey and didn't even match each other. All four of our chairs were different. The table cloths(doileys) were old and thread bare and stained. Eveyone was so close together, you may as well just set up a long table and sit everyone on both sides next to each other. It was actually scary in there!! Now to the OVER PRICED non-authentoc food. If this is whjat italians eat it's no wonder theyr'e always in a killing mood. My wife had the overpriced chicken picata. ONE small chicken breast (14.99) that was under cooked. It stuck to the plate causing the breading to fall off. Which the breading was flour and all you copuld taste was raw flour when you ate it. I had the ossobucco. It WAS NOT fresh. It was and terribly tasted like it was reheated. Do not waste your time even going to eat there. I guess my plans for vacationing in Italy are cancelled. Cause if this is how the food tastes there, Iwill be on a diet the whole time I will be there. more

I recently went to Guarino's late one afternoon for a quick lunch by myself. I sat at the bar, which was a big mistake. The food was great and the bartender was a sweet young lady that appeared well-educated and mature-- I appreciated the company. However, I wish I had sat in the back. Never in my entire life have I seen such mistreatment of employees. It went past yelling or scolding. It was the degrading tone and plain cruelty that made me so uncomfortable, I hurried my meal. Very uncomfortable experience. Obviously family-owned. more

very romantic, friendly, and their bed and breakfast is muy fantastico :) I go there every few months and it's always a great experience for us. This oldest running family restaurant in Cleveland never disappoints! more

My family and I went to dinner at Guarino's on Sunday May 23, 2010. We had a party of 10. I called to make reserations two weeks prior. When we arrived, the hostess seated us outside. I asked if they had something inside. She said no, they had a couple of big parties. Usually when you make reservations, they ask if outside is okay. They give you the choice. Strike one. The drinks were delivered. There was visable grease floating on top of the iced tea and soda. We sent one back, but we should have sent 4 drinks back. After an hour and 25 minutes (more than 45 minutes with empty drinks) we asked if they forgot about us. The server said he would send the manager over. We asked for refills, (they never offered refills the whole meal)and it took more than 10 minutes to get more soft drinks. The manager came over and asked if there was a problem. I stated yes, ... we have been here almost an hour and a half and haven't been served salads yet. She said "Are you mad?" I said yes we have children with us who will only be good for so long. The salads came out and the entrees were delivered while we were eating our salads. The food was horrible. My chicken tasted like it had been prepared hours prior and sat under the heat lamps. The portions were small and way overpriced for what was served. My son ordered veal parm with angel hair pasta. He received chicken parm with penne. The check was delivered. Nothing was taken off for the horrible food or service. I typically tip upwards of 30% but i wish they could have received what was deserved which is nothing. They added gratuity to the check since there were 8 people. The never offered to comp anything or give free desserts. It was an extremely bad experience. I wll never be back andwill share my experience with many people. My husband, who usually doesn't get too upset with things, has filed a complaint with the Better Business Cons: Poor Service, Mediocre overpriced food more

went to this restaurant 20 years ago and hated the food. this was the first time back because it was the only place open for Sunday lunch. manicotti is not always available and it was tasty here, but overpriced for pasta shells with cheese filling! the reason I won't go back is because they had the nerve to automatically add 18% tip for a party of 3! tipping is the customer's choice-not the restaurant's. if they want to be sure their servers make money they should pay them more. at their prices, I'm sure they have the money. they certainly don't spend any on redecorating! Cons: lot of nerve! more

dark and musty smelling interior, extremely slow service, detached and seemingly angered teenage waiters, unclean restrooms, and such a ridiculously "italian-american" menu of things I could make at home that I was in disbelief that people were paying king's wages for this kind of food. why would you eat here when there are easily 15 other great restaurants on the same street? Pros: none Cons: most everything else more

Returned this year-- same great ossobucco and risotto. Charming decor that won't be like the hard and boring plastic you see in so many places. Ask for Suzi or Erik to wait on you. The owner's daughter Rachel chooses great wine-- ask what she likes and order that. Pros: great specialties, in Little Italy, good service more

Worst dining experience I've had in a long time!! Food was still frozen and salad was wilted and brown. The service was horrific! No one came to our table for a half hour because the hostess never assigned us a server and that is what our server told us when they finally got there. The whole time we were there all we heard was the person I assume was the manager screaming at the employees. When it came time for dessert they were out of everything and it was way over priced!! Would not recomend to anyone!! Pros: Nice Patio Cons: Everything!!! more

Guarino's easily offers the most enjoyable dinning experience in Cleveland's historic Little Italy district. The entire neighborhood bustles with Northeast Ohio's culinary inquisitive and a family friendly atmosphere that is reminiscent. The area is something more Mediterranean than Mid-western, but Guarino's stands out. The restaurant offers moderately priced meals that taste comparable to the district's most pricey affairs. The service is top-notch, helpful and personable. The shrimp special offers succulent bacon wrapped shrimp that is only dwarfed by their spectacular calamari. The Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan are rich and flavorful but do not compare to the Veal. The restaurant also offers the Veal as well as the chicken in Scallopini and Franchise styles. The Steak and Feta salad offers a lighter fair and a creative change from the mostly traditional Italian menu. Guarino's is an all around great choice for anyone looking for a welcoming atmosphere, great food or both. Pros: Cusine, Service Cons: Crowd more

After reading the reviews online I asked the hotel for a recommendation. They know thier city! Guarino's food was great! The service was good and friendly and I left full and happy! I will be in Cleveland for a few months and with the help of the Comcierge at the Intercontinental Hotel, I have found my spot. Pros: Food and staff Cons: Cab service more

slow service, $45 for lunch no booze included. dirty inside. salad was soo tiny. Lasagne was ok. manacotti was small and lacked flavor. this place just continues to go downhill more and more every year. It was so dark in there that I think they do it on purpose so that you can't see all the dirt!! Save your money and go to trattoria Pros: parking Cons: everything else more

I have worked in the business for 14 years. I have worked with Italian, French, and Mexican and Caribbean cuisine. I am an accomplished sous chef trained in Arizona, Pamplona (Spain), and Park City, Utah. I recently relocated to Ohio and was hired at Guarino's. Everything that is served is frozen. Food is flash boiled and sauce is applied, then sent to microwave oven's. Nothing is made in-house. I repeat- nothing is made in-house. Pros: you might get a smile Cons: horrible experience. more

The moment we walked in the attitude of the employees is simply maddening. We ordered dinners. never received our salads. My friend received a mixed drink with dirt in it. By the time the waitress made her way back to us it was time to go, never did replace the drink. The people that work here are not friendly at all. No eye contact ever occurred. I will NEVER go back there or recommend.. Pros: none more

This was my first time eating at this "authentic" Italian restaurant. I feel confident in my decision to make it the last time. I should have known walking in it was going to be a painful night. The bartender/waitress/decorator unenthusiastically glared up from behind the bar, cluing me in on the mood she was in. We were seated without a word and stayed put for 10 minutes before being asked for drinks. I ordered a diet coke ($2.50) which was actually half a can and was never refilled, neither was my water. The place was practically empty and the people who were seated after us were served long before. The food took 45 minutes to come out and boy was it worth the wait! The calimari was dry and chewy, the pasta was bland and tasted like it was boiled in the box. For anyone who can cook spaghetti (opening the box is optional apparently) invite some friends over, dont say a word to them and charge them 60 bucks for bad food because there is obviously a future in it. As bad as the food was the service was even worse. Not a thank you or a youre welcome all night. Not even a how is everything? Our table was left cluttered and we had to stack the plates just to make room for our entrees. Our tables werent even touched (including water/drink refills, plate removal, etc...) If authentic italian means the worst service and the most tasteless food imaginable then yes this is authentic! Perfect example of why a tip should be optional, maybe even the entire check. Cons: Everything more

We went to a food show around noon then to Little Italy for lunch and Guarino's was one of several open so we chose it on length of service and ambiance. Service was good and so was the salad, albeit small- then the bottom fell out. My Chicken Piccata was tough and bland. The sauce appeared to be from a can as did the sauce accompanying the pasta. Mussels were dry and bland as well - was the garlic burned?. Two pasta dishes were unpalatable and the bruschetta was a slice of bread topped with a slice of tomato and some cheese - no hint of garlic. Not one out of seven had a good lunch. We would not recommend this restaurant. Pros: open for lunch Cons: less than appetizing food more

Sooo disappointing for a place that has a great location andvery nice patio setting . It had been on our list of summer things to do too for a romantic night out. Well we had unbelievable slow service. Waited 15 minutes to be greeted at our table, another 15 minutes to get the wine we ordered. (Over priced at $7 a glass too.) Then the " real" waiting began. Everyone had been served around us-even those who had just sat down. We ordered cheesey garlic bread- it was like stale sliced plain white bread with Kraft shaker parmesan cheese shaken on it? Not real melted cheese?Our food truly took about 40 minutes. All we had was spaghetti and meatballs? and I ordered grilled chicken pasta and asked for mixed vegetables with it. They put in sliced cooked carrots, and the server had said it was broccoli, cauliflower etc? It was awful, I do not go to a restaurant to pay for a pasta chicken marinara dish with carrots? The female heavier set server was very aware how awful the service was- and she didn't even comp a glass of wine. We spent over $75 for this awful meal.I will NEVER reccomend this place. What a total disappointment. Pros: Parking lot is right next door, patio setting Cons: Service more

The food is so-so. My friend & I oder Escargot for starter. The escargot tasted spoiled. For entree, I ordered a seafood pasta. The seafood (only 3 shrimps & 5 bay scallops, and some artificial crabmeat) is way over cooked and the pasta is too mushy. My friend ordered a veal shank, totally under cooked. The veal is way too tough. Definitely not worth the price. Pros: Nice location Cons: So so food, BAD service more

The only good thing about this restaurant is the private parking lot - sadly, the experience inside the restaurant was poor. The cost for myself and my boyfriend was almost $60.00 w/tip, here's what we got for that: more

Like one of the previous posters, I experienced excruciatingly slow service when they weren't that busy. The food was okay, but not worth waiting for when there weren't that many other customers. The waitress never did ask me if I wanted something to drink. And I had to ask for the check 3 times. I haven't tried any of the other restaurants in this neighborhood, but surely there must be better experiences than this. more