Gusto!

Really charming restaurant. The owners played the accordion for us the last time we were there. And the food and wine were lovely too! Try it!

Fresh Calamari cooked to perfection and a delicious take on Bruschetta started our 14^th Anniversary meal at Gusto. My beautiful wife had gnocchi in pesto with Gouda that was light and flavorful. My veal shank was cooked perfectly and the marrow was silky and decadent. Capped the meal off with cannoli’s that reminded us of a South Philly bakery we love. Crystal our server was attentive and sweet and the beer is cold. All around wonderful experience we recommend!

Solid 4 stars for Gusto! I went with a small group for a talk and really enjoyed myself. We were started with meatballs, which were well done, followed by salads and bruchetta (which I passed on). We then had a fettuccine with peas mixed in, which was amazing. We then were given our main course– mine was a salmon dish with potato fries and veggies. If you weren’t stuffed with that, the cannolis and tiramisu were so good I took some to the night team at work.
I went on a Wednesday and our group was the only one in the restaurant at 630 pm. I’m hoping it was just a mid week thing, because the food was quite good!

My husband and I hadn’t been to Little Italy and we chose Gusto based on online reviews. We were very pleased with this restaurant. We were seated a little early, our server was attentive and knowledgeable. I had the beet salad and the wild boar pappardelle. My husband had the romaine salad which he was not crazy about, but he had the pistachio gnocchi which he loved. I loved everything that I had it was delicious! Our only disappointment was the owner didn’t play the accordion like we had read online. That would have been the icing on the cake. We would definitely however return.

Huge thank you to gusto and staff who saved the day for us! They took in our group of 25 wedding rehearsal dinner guests last minute when maxis in little italy saddley double booked their banquet room and were unable to accommodate. Gusto gladly took us in, sat us comfortably, and quickly made a wonderful italian meal. Service, staff, food were all excellent and they truly saved our rehearsal dinner!

As with all Little Italy restaurants, it took me way too long to get around to trying Gusto. I’ve been living a two minute walk from this place since 2009 and hadn’t decided to check it out until last weekend. Unfortunately, the wait was not worth it. WAIT being the key word.
I called ahead of time, as we were famished and didn’t want to encounter a long wait at 8pm on a Saturday night. I needed to be in bed early for the CLE Marathon the next morning, too, so there were a few factors at play here. Gusto came through when they said they could squeeze a table for 3 in in about 15 minutes. PERFECT. We got there and waited at least 15 more minutes for our table to be ready (also, the owner/​manager touched me and leaned in way too close when he greeted us. I CANNOT handle being touched by strangers). They really shouldn’t have squeezed us in because they clearly weren’t prepared or in any position to take another table that night.
We started with mussels, which were delicious and actually came out quickly, but that almost made the wait for our entrees even more torturous. We waited at least 45 minutes or so for some pasta and a wedge salad. Total, we were there around 1.5 hours and only spent about 20 minutes with food on the table. My penne was OK; the pasta was nearly flavorless and incredibly dry. I picked the beans, spinach, pancetta, and tomatoes out of it and ate those, leaving almost all of the dehydrated pasta – I was too hungry, tired, and anxious to say anything/​get another dish made. My mom’s lasagna was good and my husband’s salad was good… but none of those dishes were spectacular enough to make up for the time we spent there.
Also, the noise level made it hard to even enjoy each other’s company while we waited. There was a keyboardist in the front and while he was good, it was pumping through the small dining space so loudly that we couldn’t talk to each other. When that stopped, the owner/​manager came around with an accordion and started serenading tables loudly. Luckily, he didn’t come to our table as we were literally HANGRY. And if I got my eardrums blasted any more I would have cried.
I really don’t see myself visiting again. I have this theory that if you can’t completely blow me out of the water with $ 15 pasta in LITTLE ITALY, then I’m just going to make it at home for pennies and sit on my porch listening to the Sinatra soundtrack blasting through the street. Comfortable, not a waste of time, tasty.

Went on Mother’s Day as I was traveling to Cleveland. Had the lasagna and chocolate cake. Lovely dinner. Great service. Looking forward to returning on another trip.

Food was great. I had a phenomenal tortellini with peas, pancetta, and a cream sauce. Boyfriend had pappardelle with wild boar. Also very good. Portions were right for the price. Our wines were good. The bartender was pleasant.
The only bad thing was it was a dead Sunday night with the owner and his family as the only other customers. The two little girls from the table sat up at the bar, where we were sitting, most of the time. If you don’t want the kids sitting with you at your table, why should we have to sit with them? I’m assuming this was just a weird night, so I wouldn’t really hold it against them, but us single folk out on a date prefer a quiet pasta dinner.

I had been recommended Gusto! by a friend who insisted we try it. The food was only ok and the apps were not very good. The bar maid seemed puzzled by making sangria, despite the fact it was one of the specials they were running. The cheezy keyboard player did his best frank sinantra impression but failed miserably. Not impresed.

Gusto is a very tasty and intimate restaurant in the heart of Little Italy. The owner played the accordion for my friends and I while we ate a delicious dinner (I recommend the lasagna & gnocchi). He also offered us all limoncello drinks after dinner, which was a nice gesture, especially after we spent $ 45 on one bottle of wine and then another $ 45 on a 2^nd bottle of the same wine after being told we would get «the house special price» for a bottle. Note: Always ask how much the house wine bottle is. Overall, I am very pleased with my experience & would definitely return! ;)

We went to Gusto’s based on great review from some family, so we were maybe expecting too much.
We had called and made reservations since it was a Friday night. When we arrived, we had a hard time finding the place because they had taken their awning down and there was nothing except a small menu stuck to their window. Upon entering, there was nobody in the place except a man in a suit talking on the phone (owner maybe) and the staff. This was at 7:30pm on a Friday.
Anyhow, the service was delightful, and extremely attentive (maybe too much at times). I had ordered the calamari and my wife ordered the the bruschetta. The Calamari was delightful in the spicy sauce that they served with it. More like a soup to me, but I loved it. The bruschetta was okay… it needed something as it was really a bit dry.
Salads did not come with the dinners and we had to purchase them separately. Each was $ 7 I believe, so I was expecting something that would blow me away. I had ordered the grilled Romain salad, and it was nothing more than ¼ of a heart of Romain some dressing and maybe a half of cherry tomato. Very disappointing.
I had ordered the veal scaloppine, and my wife just opted for simple spaghetti and a meatball. The veal came with 3 veal’s a side of polenta and 5 snow pea pods. It was okay, but not outstanding. It didn’t have much taste to it.
The meatball that my wife had was excellent… very tender and flavorful.
The shock though was when the check came… Gusto is an okay place, but to charge the premium prices they do (especially since Unilocal promotes them as $$) because there are better places on the hill that cost less. My wife ordered a glass of wine which was good and at a reasonable price, but I had ordered a bottle San Pellegrino water and they charged us $ 7. I understand they need to make some money on us, but to charge over 4 times the going rate is a bit nuts. On top of that, they charge $ 5 for a small cup of coffee that was average, and $ 6 for an expresso that was mostly coffee grinds and also just okay.
I would have rated this place higher, but for the price they are charging, I want to go WOW when I taste my food… that didn’t happen here. I think if they were to knock the prices down some, keep the same level of service they would do well and the place would be packed at 7:30 on a friday evening.

It’s was my second time there and I wasn’t impressed, more disappointed than anything. I ordered the Osso Buco which was almost 30 dollars. The plate was covered with what looked to be a 16 oz plus piece of meat but was really 3 bites of meat and the rest was bone. The meat that was on the bone was great but there was nothing to it. Also there was no sides or even a salad included with this entrée. The server was very polite and had to apologize numerous times for the long wait for the food. There are other places where the portions are bigger and better priced. The owner is a hover on every table also it’s a little awkward. Will try not to go back here

Very good food and service. the tortellini were tasty… bordeaux was good as well. My wife’s seafood surprise was also good and even had a bit of spice to it. Tiramasu is their homemade recipe they said. It was not the best I have ever had and was dripping with coffee liquor but was pretty good.
Owner came over twice and played the accordion for us
A fine experience

I came to Little Italy in 2012 by mistake, when I was looking for any pasta places to carbo-​load before the Cleveland Marathon and was pleased with a restaurant on the street near «Random Street.» I couldn’t remember the restaurant so I Unilocaled it and believed I was at this place… but when I went there, I was mistaken. In any case, it was a job well done.
I ordered the Spaghettini with meatballs and bread to-​go, since I was on a tight schedule and parking can be notoriously difficult to find in this area. I asked for extra bread and was glad to get it. Overall, not a bad experience. Service was nice and the people were courteous to my needs.

The employees were very nice and attentive. The food was very good. Portion size was excellent and food quality was terrific. I’d say the only small drawback was some dirty wine glasses. That being said, my favorite touch about the place was the personal attention that the owner gave us. He was very attentive and thoughtful.

I’m not generally not a fan of Little Italy restaurants. The area is generally too busy, parking is too difficult, and I’ve not found the food to be nothing spectacular. We went here on a Saturday night for a family dinner to welcome our son home from dinner. What a unique, positive experience. Very memorable. The appetizers and entrees were very good. The desserts were outstanding. Service was very attentive and great. The atmosphere hit it out of the park. Live piano music with seasonal songs and Broadway and movie themes. Hearing «As Time Goes By» was amazingly romantic. And then the owner put on his accordion, went to each table to play a song with the hostess, who has a beautiful operatic voice singing along. It added a great amount to the evening. Also, valet parking is provided for a small fee, right in front of the restaurant. Although you could probably find more spectacular food elsewhere, the overall experience here is special. Highly recommended.

Mediocre minus food. Nothing special. We were disappointed. Environment was ok.

Ambiance: 4. Old world feel inside is enhanced by occasionally accordion playing right in the heart of Cleveland’s Little Italy (which coincidentally sits right next to some great dessert spots). That said, the main dining room is a little noisy for this kind of Italian meal, and the secondary room is quiet but feels just too secluded.
Cost: 3. Great medium-​sized Italian portions, in line with most Little Italy prices (~low $ 20s for most pasta dishes and high $ 20s/​low $ 30s for meats). Note that items are a la carte so salads/​appetizers do add up quickly. More positive is that they are reasonable on wine prices.
Food Quality: 4. Gusto does a great job of adding unique flavors into everyday Italian dishes, and explaining that in English on the menu. For example, our party ordered the bruschetta that was topped with white truffle oil. Pasta dishes were all outstanding, highlights including the veal tortellini and seafood lasagna. Gusto seems to specialize in cream based sauces, which probably isn’t best for our hearts but was awesome at the time for our stomachs & brains.
Service: 5. Great waitress + remaining wait staff. Even though we dined rather late, we weren’t rushed through our meal and owner (at least I think it was owner) came by to see how we were doing shortly after our main courses. Bottom line: they care.
When to return: Whenever you’re craving Little Italy, especially for a nice night out with a significant other or a few friends. Might be an avoid on a first/​second date due to noise in the main dining room, seclusion in the other room. Great spot in summertime for 2 in front on the patio.

Looking for an romantic, authentic Italian date night spot that oozes with atmosphere? Gusto!
Its small space really lends to that intimate feel you’re looking for on a date, but the accordion music is what really puts the powdered sugar on the cannoli. The owner, Ricardo (at least I think he’s the owner), strapped on this huge instrument and went table to table playing old Italian favorites. My beau and I softly joked that we should be slurping the same piece of spaghetti when he came up to our table.
Now, it’s rare that a night out for Italian eats isn’t already an indulgence, but Gusto really makes it decadent. We’re talking luscious cream and butter sauces, rich seafood pasta dishes and nothing you’d allow on a diet. But, man-​oh-​man does everything look beyond delicious.
We ended up spliting a caprese salad, the puttanesca and some other luxurious dish with lobster. Although it was tasty, the salad was minuet – I mean so tiny it was almost not there. When our main dishes came out I was relieved to see that I wasn’t expected to consume 6lbs of pasta, like many other Italian restaurants. The puttanesca was perfectly cooked, spicy and the perfect amount to fill me up. On the other hand, Jason was not impressed with the portions and left quite hungry. Maybe next time around we’ll order our own salads.
This is not your mom-​n-​pop, casual Italian eatery. If you’re looking for a nice treat for a date night out, then this is right up your alley. It’s a little more on the pricey side, but not so much that you’ll break the bank.
Oh, and remember that street parking can be a hassle over there. There is a lot that charges, but if you don’t want to pay try the side streets.

A bottle of wine (Piemonte region, forgot the vineyard), Gnocchi with truffle oil and lobster, and Ravioli as well as an order of Calamari made for a succulent meal in this cozy little restaurant.
Dim lighting and textured paint and frescoes lent no room for ambiguity as to the type of cuisine we were here for. The flavours were zesty and strong, but not as delicate as I would like. In all honesty, I’m between a 3.5 and a 4 for this restaurant. Good, but not amazing.
Between here and the Grotto, I suspect I’d go back to the Grotto — with one caveat; the portions here are far more hefty. You’ll definitely feel like you get more for your money’s worth here.