Valerio’s Restaurant

There are a dozen great restaurants in Little Italy, of course, but this one is our go-​to place for a good evening. It’s a relatively small restaurant, so it’s wise to reserve in advance, although we have successfully gotten a table on a walk-​in.

This is a unique experience in the Little Italy area. If there was one word to describe the ambiance it would be cozy. The dining room is relatively small with a bar and a variety of table sizes from tables for two to tables for eight. The menu has a nice variety of items and there are daily specials. I really like the calimari appetizer — sauteed instead of breaded was nice. Their daily special appetizers are good as well. There is a nice variety of pasta and seafood options for entrees. There is a full bar and fairly extensive wine list. Their tiramisu for dessert is very good. Service was attentive and timely. Overall, a great place for a quiet Italian dinner in the bustling Little Italy area.

The best restaurant in little Italy. Much better than Mia Bella. Better value and flavor than Giovanni’s in Beachwood.
The menu is not large but each of the offerings are cooked to perfection. I have had both seafood and meat entrees and all have been exceptional in taste and preparation. They don’t do take out unfortunately. The osso bucco is amazing. Prices are reasonable and portions are generous.
Only criticism is the parking, they do have valet, but parking in little Italy is generally frustrating.

Great meal. In town for my father’s medical treatment at Cleveland Clinic. Looked up a spot close to the Clinic and the Intercontinental. I am so glad I stumbled upon Valerio’s. It has a nice ambiance, warm staff and it was easy to get in on a Sunday night. We had the orricchiete, ziti and the osso bucco special. The orricchiete had a delicious balanced, creamy tomatoey sauce along with flavorful sausage crumbles. The risotto that came with the osso bucco was extremely flavorful. One thing I loved was that the food came out hot and stayed hot. The dessert was incredible — tartufo? This meal was a huge pick-​me-​up during our health ordeal.

The worst service ever experienced in 20+ years of going to Murray hill. Customer is always wrong here.

Lovely intimate dining room. Staff was attentive and knowledgable. We shared a salad and appetizer for fun. Baked asparagus wrapped in prosciutto was excellent. Requested three baskets of bread! We both loved our main course. Would highly recommend!

Just happened to wonder into this little jem for the first time last night. The food was great, service was good and drinks were strong. I felt at home, and I’ll be back.

Our favorite in little Italy. Very authentic food! We usually start at the bar for a cocktail. Lisa the bartender is wonderful and then off to an intimate table. Te whole staff is very warm & help to always make it a fabulous experience.

Last Sunday while in Cleveland on a visit we decided on Italian food for dinner and went to Valerio’s on recommendation of a friend. The meal that we had was by far the best, authentic Italian food we have eaten in ages, probably since Italy. We shared a special antipasto of bresaola served over arugula with parmesan curls brightened by a squeeze of lemon: simple but perfect due to the quality of the ingredients and the perfectly balanced proportions. I ordered the osso buco served over creamy parmesan infused risotto cooked to perfection with a deeply flavored sauce bringing the whole dish together. The risotto had the right texture… creamy, moist but not soupy. My husband had the penne Bolognese, a traditional dish found in most Italian restaurants. But let me tell you that this was no ordinary Bolognese: in fact it was extraordinary with a complexity and blending of flavors that epitomize the wonder of true Italian cooking. Accompanied by a good and generous glass of red wine the meal was sublime. The portions are very generous and left us room only for due espressi.
The restaurant is welcoming and intimate and the waitress, daughter of Valerio, made us feel at home and comfortable throughout the evening. Valerio regularly visited the dining room to check on diners and to greet regulars sitting at the small bar. The atmosphere and fantastic food here makes you want to become part of the «regulars». Buonissimo! Bravo Valerio!

Great cozy, intimate Italian restaurant. Updated décor unlike some places on the street in need of a major update. I love that it is not a zoo/​factory in here. Good variety of food. Started with the dinner salad. nothing more than a pile of mixed greens. Balsamic vinaigrette was good. I went with the Orechiette with sausage and the man of the house went with spaghetti. Both dishes were good but I felt like the sauce was missing something… garlic perhaps? Just a little dull. Sausage was yummy in my tummy. Great all-​Italian wine list with Sangiovese for $ 5 a glass. Score. Chef Valerio is visible in the dining room when he comes out to greet many regular diners. Bartender was also our waitress. Very friendly and good service. She said Valerio makes a family meal for the staff each night. Very cool. Nice spot for a quiet dinner with occasional live acoustic music from a 1-​man band.

This place would do well in Boston where I live, or New York where I grew up. Sauces were great. Service was great. Chianti by the glass was terrific and well priced. We had burrata appetizer, orecchiette alla salsiccia, spaghetti pomodoro basilica, tiramisu, chocolate mouse (needed smaller spoons to excavate every last remnant). All was excellent. We were so glad to walk in on a Sunday evening while visiting the city.

True Italian restaurant with simple and fresh ingredients. I had guests with me that had a few allergies. They were more than accommodating and very gracious in surpassing my guests expectations in their meal selections.
I have dined here four times this year. I truly believe that they have the best veal dishes in the city. Chef Valerio always takes the opportunity to check on his guests that are dining.
I highly recommend the Calamari in the spicy red sauce. Request no breading on the Calamari.
The salads are simple and are served with very fresh ingredients.
They do offer gluten free pastas for dinner.
The 22oz long bone ribeye steak was perfectly seasoned.
Carry on Valerio’s! I will be back for more!

My wife and I hit Valerio’s for a casual mid-​week date night. We were the last table seated for the night, and even though we probably kept the staff busy a bit later than they might have liked, no one skirted on the service at any point. This didn’t go unnoticed, and it was certainly appreciated. The food was fairly good but not overwhelmingly spectacular — we enjoyed the fresh mozzarella di bufala starter and the oreccheitte alla salsiccia. Overall a solid experience, with a rating rounded up for the stellar service we received.

Best restaurant I’ve been to in little Italy. My boyfriend and I went here for a date night about a month ago. The restaurant was very cozy. We were seated in a corner which was dimly lighted except for the candle on the table– very romantic! The restaurant definitely has a relaxed feel, but is more dressed up than the other restaurants in the area.
Our server was very attentive throughout the meal.
He stopped by our table often, but also kept his distance and kept an eye on us from afar– allowing us to have some privacy. He was very knowledgable about the menus, which was great because a lot of it is in Italian. The bottle of wine he recommended was great!
The food was fantastic. It’s much more dressed up Italian rather than your typical spaghetti and meatballs. We started with the beef carpaccio and the caprese salad, both of which were fantastic. Then we both had pasta dishes for our entrée. His was orecchiette with tomato sauce and Italian sauce and mine was a cheese tortellini in a cream sauce with prosciutto and peas (similar to a carbonara). They were both delicious, but mine was the clear winner. The portions were huge and our leftovers ended up being a second dinner for us the next day.
Although a bit pricier than other little Italy restaurants, Valerios has my vote as best restaurant. Already thinking about next time!

Great place. Food was great, had the rack of Lamb which was one of the specials of the night. One of the best.
Our waitress Lisa, was by far the best waitress I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. Definitely recommend this place.

Very good place in a great restaurant neighborhood. Little Italy in Cleveland is a great spot in the world. If you have to be in Cleveland for some reason, check this place out.

I’m not usually one to like the Mayfield area of town; the restaurants there have always seemed a little «thrown together». Valerio’s is kind of like that; stuffed in a location that doesn’t seem quite right for it. I was taken out for a post-​christmas date, by an old co-​worker. It was nice for a date type romantic thing I guess, but it was a little small and noisy.
We both started with the shrimp ravioli, then I had the chicken breast w mushrooms, and my date had the 10oz fillet w cream sauce. The chicken was a little dry but the sauce and mushrooms more than made up for it. My date raved about the fillet.
The service was spotty; but probably because the place can get crazy confusing with it’s size and all the people they pack in to the space. All in all, I’d come back but I wouldn’t go out of my way.

Had a similar horrible experience here. Was enjoying ourselves at the feast all day and came here for dessert and wine and after telling them they had two separate people confirm that we were only having dessert and not dinner. They both were incredibly rude, then at the end of the night they put the wrong credit card on our bill and barely said anything after we told them. no apology, no explanation. it was a real bummer to the end of our evening. If you don’t want to give your table away for dessert then just ask us to leave, don’t be jerks about it.

We had a horrible experience at this restaurant, rude waiter and poor service.

The night I went there was a big party happening at the next three table. and still I didnt think it was too loud. Maybe the other reviewers like it library quiet? anyway — thats my whole view on atmosphere. now to the real review — — the food here is delicious and authentic. No wolfgangpucky nonsense going on here. Just excellent Italian food. Even thier bread is delicious.