Cleveland's Oldest Restaurant Is Truly Old-School Italian

Anyone who knows Cleveland knows its dining scene is always more than what meets the eye. Lurking underneath unassumingly quaint restaurants is a rich history spanning decades, and in some cases, maybe even a whole century. Some of the best restaurants in Cleveland are neighborhood heirlooms, where deeply rooted traditions and generational stories are preserved in every dish. Nowhere else will you find this more than at Guarino's. Crowned as the oldest restaurant in Cleveland, this old-school Italian restaurant is a culinary time capsule.

It all began in 1898, when Italian immigrant Vincenzo Guarino moved from Sicily to Little Italy in Cleveland, Ohio, and eventually opened a tavern on 12309 Mayfield Road. In 1918, with the help of his wife Mary, he remodeled it into a restaurant. Mary's extraordinary cooking helped Guarino's achieve rapid, widespread success — and she became lovingly referred to as Mama Guarino. With hearty Italian dishes featuring vegetables plucked straight from a home-grown garden and homemade wine served in coffee cups since it was the Prohibition era, the restaurant captivated a diverse clientele. Notable diners included no less than Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. 

In 1954, Vincenzo Guarino passed away, and the business was passed down to his son Sam, who then left it to his wife Marilyn and lifelong friend Nancy Phillips in 1987. To this day, the business is still run by members of the Phillips family. They dutifully took over the mantle from their predecessors with a commitment to honoring the restaurant's core value of serving good-quality traditional Italian food.

Guarino's has never undergone any drastic changes, although Sam redecorated in an elegant and intimate Victorian-esque style in 1963, and that is the ambience that remains today. But many original features are present — at the bar, strings of beads hang from the ceiling, a historical nod to the Prohibition era, during which they were used to shield patrons who consumed alcohol from police gazing in. You may even spot antique decor that has been around since the 1920s. Customers can find themselves enjoying an al fresco dining experience on the same garden patio that was built by Sam Guarino in 1959, eating food made from generational recipes.

Indeed, the dishes that come out of Guarino's kitchen are still faithful interpretations of everything that was made decades ago. Most classic Italian dishes can be found on this restaurant's menu. For an appetizer, fried mozzarella covered in marinara sauce or garlic and cheese bread is a splendid start. Then explore the decadence of eggplant parmigiana, or chicken piccata — or try the lasagna, a 50-year-old signature that has stood the test of time with its original combination of sausage, ground beef, and melted cheese. Another less well-known signature worth a try is beef braciole, which is rare even for other Italian restaurants in the area, featuring steak rolls stuffed with prosciutto, eggs, cheese, and herbs. And there's pizza too, to complete the immersive Italian experience.