Mario Fazio's Italian Restaurant

Rarely do I give a 5-star rating but I feel compelled to do so in this post-pandemic "nobody gives a damn anymore world." In my opinion, Mario Fazio's exemplifies the art of hospitality; that dining is as much about the experience as it is the food.

My wife & I dined here for the first time on the evening of Sat., 03/02/2024. Not really being a local resident, I chose Mario Fazio's based on its Yelp rating and gluten-free options for my wife. We were not disappointed.

The building is unremarkable from the outside & does not appear to be as large as it actually is once inside. Some may consider the decor kitschy, others whimsical, and a few reminiscent of nonna's home sans plastic covers on the furniture. We chose whimsical with the spring/Easter decorations. In any case, it was clean and inviting.

We were immediately and warmly greeted by a woman preparing drinks behind the counter. A moment later the host, a friendly young man, also warmly welcomed us and inquired if we had reservations. Uh-oh. We did not. "Let me see what I can do. Please, have a seat and give me a few moments." Shortly thereafter, the host returned to escort us to our table.

My wife and I shared a stuffed Hungarian pepper as an appetizer which was among the best we ever had. I had pizza which was very good. My wife had gluten-free pasta with marinara sauce which she said was excellent.

Our server provided excellent service but I want to provide a word of caution. Be patient. As I said at the start of my review, Mario Fazio's is about the experience - sharing memories, stories, and laughter with friends and family where the ambience and good Italian cuisine complements rather than becomes the focus of the occasion. If it's your desire to dine in the same amount of time it takes to get the oil in your car changed, this is not the venue for you.

One small (petty?) note: soft drinks are served in cans with the server "cracking it open" & pouring it into a glass for you at the table. There may be sound business &/or sanitary reasons for doing so. It just seems incongruous to the rest of the experience.
_______

Fellow Yelpers!

You did not let me down with your reviews which led me to Mario Fazio's. If you've read to this point, please take a moment to respond to my review. Thank you!

I was at a weekend gettogether and got to eat food that was catered from Mario Fazio's. It was amazing! The lemon chicken, chicken parm, pizza, broccoli parm?, were soooooo good! like, soooo good! Their bread was good too. I hate it when I keep eating only because my mouth tells me too, but that is what happened here. It was soooooo good!

The perfect authentic Italian restaurant of cleveland.
We love its extraordinary pizza so fresh and delicious

Came in as a large party today ,a funeral , food was served family style . Everything came out beautiful and huge portions .. unfortunately I have food allergies and was unable to try any of it . however ,the staff there was so kind and made me a special meal . It was delicious and huge portions . It was so good ! How nice is that ? And what great service ! I'd definitely try this place . They had lemon garlic chicken that was breaded , a soup , a salad , pizza , bread , mixed roasted vegetables, green beans , and cassata cake ! I can't do meat, dairy , or butter as I'm highly allergic .. however the waitress came up with a vegetarian option for just for me . When I don't have tick virus anymore , I'm gonna come back hungry and try everything !

I ordered a cheese pizza for pickup and was told to wait 45 minutes. I picked up the pizza which was cold by then. The pizza had cheese on half; little cheese or melted on the other half. The crust was thick and hard to bite into. This used to be an exceptional place we would go; no longer. We will be going elsewhere.

They left the "Sunday" out of the sauce. I remember when the pasta with Sunday sauce was a special offered once a week or so. Now it's on the everyday menu. Where it should be dark and rich with braised meat throughout, it was watery, had little flavor and very little meat. The meatballs were almost white inside with so much bread. The veal meatball appetizer was very good. Our service was impeccable.

Veal Marsala no longer on the menu but they made it for me! Thank you!

Very welcoming! I did not have a reservation and they still seated me right away!

I placed a lunch order for me and my mother. We usually order the Mr Nicks Chicken Dinner with the Lisa Salad and the squash risotto for 27.99. We did something different today and ordered one lunch special with an upgraded Lisa salad and one lunch special with wedding soup. I was charged for one lunch special with an upgraded Lisa salad and one large wedding soup which was 32.99. When I called I was told I can order a dinner meal for 24.99 or there is nothing else they can do. I have almost paid 60.00 for a meal I could've got for 24.99? I love this restaurant and me and my mom eat here a lot, but this will be my last time here.

Great service and with a comfortable atmosphere. The food was as usual exceptional. They accomadated our large group very nicely.

Got takeout. Lemon chicken with the risotto, and lasagna. The lemon chicken was so good.

Absolutely fantastic. Would highly recommend.