Matteo’s Casual Italian

After my third visit to Matteo’s, I felt I had to give my review. I experienced consistently friendly and attentive staff and delicious food.
Two things stand out for me and will be the reason for coming back. First is the fresh, home made pasta. Not too many restaurants do this. There is definitely a difference in the taste and texture. And their sauce is wonderful. I wish I could figure out how to copy theirs and make it at home.
Past restaurants have had a difficult time lasting in this spot in Grand Pacific Junction. I encourage people to try Matteo’s so we can keep this gem in Olmsted Falls.

OK… when we entered Matteo’s for a 6:30 reservation at 6:25, we were told it would be 5 – 10 minutes to seat us. Noticed an a number of 4 top empty tables… so we stood at the door along with other patrons to be seated at tables that were vacant??? We had a party of four. +‘s = first Little Italy cocktail-Matteo’s take on a Manhattan… first one was excellent… second was made differently with the first with different garnishes to the point that i was probably drinking something different the second time around??? Maybe they had a different bartender? Second drink was not close to first… so it make one wonder about quality controls…
+‘s…Italian Wedding Soup was excellent per 3 people in our party who enjoyed it… spaghetti sauce was pretty good…
so so… breaded calamari and clams/​mussels appetizer, while tasty, were a bit overpriced for the amount of food provided. Meatballs were so so…
Two in our party had Shrimp Matteo and the other two had the Veal Matteo. All four conferred and indicated the meals were good but not something that would not prompt us to return anytime soon.
The server (Hope) did her best and was pleasant and accommodating. Owner was doing his best to take care of patrons… but the timing in between drinks… appetizers…entrees was off a bit.

I went for a business lunch here and it was a nice little spot. This area of Olmsted Falls is charming and this place fits right in. The food was ok, not bad, not great, but I only tried the flatbread, so I didn’t have the opportunity to be really wowed. The bar area is really pretty and I will definitely go back and try it again.

Service was very good as was our food. Small plates are great. Very reasonable dining. Warm bread, dipping sauce and eggplant parm were all delicious. All 5 in our party were happy with their meals

We recently had the pleasure of working with Tom and some of his staff members to have a private party hosted at Matteo’s. Our time with them couldn’t have been better! The planning process was simple and laid back and absolutely everything was ready when we arrived. Our servers were very friendly, attentive, and accommodating to our group and made the day special for our guests. We planned a sandwich menu for lunch and the food was amazing! I can personally say we loved the chicken parmesan and caprese sandwiches the best! Matteo’s prices were very reasonable compared to other locations we had inquired about, and the staff was more friendly and inviting in assisting us with our requests. It was a lovely day for our family, and Matteo’s made us feel like family that day as well. We have also enjoyed a couple quiet date nights there in the past and will not hesitate to do so in the future. Certainly, we owe a huge thank you and recommendation for Matteo’s!

I finally was able to make it to, Matteo’s and I came with high expectations. I was let down. The dining room was way too bright. The lighting didn’t set any type of mood. Our server, although he was younger was unprofessional. He made us feel rushed the entire time and had to order so he could get us out of there. We like to take our time when we go out and we weren’t able to do that. He used words like «freaking» and just never let us relax.
The bread was like baby portions. We were given 4 bit size pieces and had to ask for more, twice. I have never sent back a drink but I did at Matteo’s. It was an Old Fashion with nothing but ice. Even the remake wasn’t much better.
The salads we had were bite size too. It was pathetic. The food was sub par. We both got the Gnocchi. It really didn’t have any favor to it.
I’m sorry to say I won’t be back or recommend it to anyone.

My husband and I just left Matteo’s. I’m not sure what a previous reviewer was referring to when he said the restaurant was too bright. It’s a lovely restaurant with beautiful linens on the tables. I have been in some restaurants that were so poorly lit you couldn’t read the menu. In any event, my husband and I both had a martini and they were great. My husband had a veal dish and I had the small plate of lemon chicken that came with either a cup of soup or a salad. I opted for the wedding soup which was truly homemade and delicious. The lemon chicken perfect over angel hair pasta. Not too lemony. The owner stopped at our table twice to make sure everything was good. They have a nice bar area as well. We will definitely be back.

I hosted a bridal shower for my daughter yesterday at Matteo’s. What a fabulous experience. I can’t praise them enough. The shower guests were raving about the food which was delicious. The service was exceptional. We ordered 37 meals and they were served quickly and nearly everyone was served at the same time. The lemon chicken was a big hit. I had the lasagna and I can’t wait to return to Matteo’s for more. The restaurant is beautiful and super clean. The owner, general manager, and the event planner, Sarah were all in attendance and checking on us regularly. Guests were overheard saying that it was one of the nicest bridal showers they had ever been to. Thanks Matteo’s!

Had a very tasty side salad and great pizza, not a typical pizza pie but a baked crust looking more like a flat bread, didn’t look like much at first but filled us up! We’ll go back to try other menu items. Adorable décor and comfortable, friendly atmosphere.

Dinner for 4 Saturday night, lucky we got a table, no reservation. They were busy. Only busines around with an nice atmosphere. Diverse menu offering’s. The items consumed @ the table were, wedding soup, great, veal, good, chick parm, ok, meatballs, o.k. mac & cheese, ok. Some of the items came out cold and have to be sent back to be warmed up. Took a pretty long time to get our food. Service is not safistacated or polished. The kids that work there could use some training.

Excellent food; relaxing atmosphere. The Gnocchi Gorgonzola is outstanding. Try the gelati. My only criticism is that water wasn’t offered, particularly since we had ordered martinis. Water should always be served alongside a martini.

I’d been meaning to go to Matteo’s for a while. It has adorable décor and I’ve been told they really upgraded the space. It had a wonderfully modern and current feel to it, with colorful photos of italy and succulents abound.
The food was actually quite good, it just wasn’t great.
We started off with bread and a quite nice but garlicy dipping sauce. They were a little light on the bread and we actually had to ask for it to be refilled at least two other times. We’re not big bread people, but a tiny slice per person just looks skimpy.
We ordered the the Meatball starter, Mac-​and-​Cheese, Ravioli, Lasagna and Gnocchi. Specifically the Lasagna was huge, but though it was filled with everything in the book (including tiny formed meatballs — strange?), it just seemed to be lacking in flavor. The Gnocchi was good but chewy. I’m not sure if they’d been frozen or vacuum packed, but they weren’t the light fluffy gnocchi that I look for.
Lastly we ordered a cannoli. Again, the stuffing was a bit dense and had less of a ricotta taste than I’d prefer (it was almost like an icing?)
I’m being picky, but I feel like with Italian restaurants, there are plenty of wonderful options out there where everything is handmade, flavorful and better than expected. Matteo’s is still a nice local option for the area, but if it were me, I’d make a drive.

My wife and I visited Matteo’s for the first time this past weekend and were blown away. Probably the best italian food I’ve ever had (although I will admit, I am not an italian food connoisseur).
We started out with the bruschetta which was good. It was definitely more interesting than the typical «bread and sauce» junk you get at most places. Nice, complex flavors.
My wife had the italian mac and cheese which was tasty, especially on a cold evening. I had the Pollo Matteo’s. It was cooked perfectly and the lobster sherry sauce was amazing. So good that I just put the leftovers on my salad for lunch the following Monday! The garlic mashed potatoes were good, but I’ll probably opt for the mac and cheese next time. I also had the mushroom soup of the day, which was also excellent.
Service was attentive and friendly without being overbearing. As I said, I’m not much of an italian food fan, but I’ll certainly be returning!

Went for dinner with friends Friday night. Good menu with a lot of options for everyone.
We ordered zucchini frites, fried calamari and the meatball & sausage appetizers. The two fried items were cold and inedible. The lone meatball & sausage was warm and tasty.
I had the lemon chicken. Pucker up, as it was very tart. Accompanying broccoli was cold. My buddy had shrimp Matteo. His shrimp was fine but the pasta was mush. Neither of us finished our meals. The ladies faired a little better. One had the pork chop and one had the chicken Matteo. Both were slightly over cooked. The wait staff and management really did not help the overall experience. I can see where there is potential. I want to like it as we need more options in the area.

What a great night out at Matteo’s! The atmosphere is quaint, the staff is very friendly and the service was excellent. Our courses came quickly. The bread and oil was warm and fresh, all our dinners were piping hot and delicious. The portions were very healthy, even on the small plate portions. I had the Italian Mac n’cheese and it was delicious! The gooey Asiago and Romano cheese sauce mixed with chopped spinach, artichokes and crispy bacon was out of this world. The only thing keeping me from adding a 5^th star was the hostess leaving us by the hostess stand for 10 minutes on a slow night. Thank you for a lovely evening Matteo’s!

when i first came upon Matteo’s i was really excited to try it. months go by and i just wasn’t feeling it. we were looking at all sorts of places to go on Friday and we finally decided to give it a try and i’m glad we did.
i ordered the meatball appetizer. to my surprise Danielle (who doesn’t like beef) liked these and i had to stab her hand a few times to keep her out of my food. i think the infection is clearing up after some antibiotics.
for dinner we didn’t really jump outside our comfort zones. Danielle had eggplant parmesan. eggplant is gross. she said she liked it a lot but she might be nuts.
i had the veal parmesan. it was really good. both came with sides of homemade spaghetti and the red sauce tasted great. i was sopping up the sauce with the bread and wiped my plate clean.
also interesting was the dip provided with the bread. instead of the oil and vinegar you might get elsewhere, they gave what tasted like dressed up Italian dressing and i loved it.
Matteo’s is very pretty inside and is definitely worth a shot, even if you’re not in the area.

What a nice surprise Matteo’s turned out to be! My wife and I visited on a Tuesday evening around 5:30pm; our server, Michelle, ran through the daily specials and brought us our drinks promptly. Next was warm Ciabatta bread with a delicious dipping oil. We ordered the Sausage Stuffed Peppers for our appetizer; the sausage with fresh and spicy and the homemade marinara sauce was perfect. For our entrees, my wife ordered the smaller portion of Chicken Parm (a steal at $ 10) and I tried the daily special, Smoked Chicken Ravioli. Both were fantastic! As it was relatively early in the evening, our service was very good. Michelle was very attentive without being overbearing. We’ll have to see it the service is the same on a busy weekend evening. Highly recommended!

This place is pretty good, but by no means not the best Italian I’ve ever had. We try the pizza and pasta. The pizza was definitely a lot better than the pasta was. There were a lot of toppings on it and he sauce was pretty tasty too.

A new addition to the culinary selections in historic Olmsted Falls is Matteo’s. Opened by entrepreneurs Tom Grassi and his partner Dave, the theme is casual Italian featuring recipes from Tom’s Sicilian grandmother. The site of restaurant is in an old bank building that previously housed two other restaurants in the past couple of years. That record would not normally bode well as the food industry is a high risk venture.
But the partners have expanded the floor plan of their site to push to the street entrance which opens to a casual bar with the dining area in the back.
As I have mentioned in previous reviews, I have some strict preferences after living in Italy for many years. But regardless of whether you know the specialties or not, one can determine quality at any level.
Here are some quick impressions of Matteo’s.
Still in the developmental stage on the floor as of this date though they have been open about a month as of 4÷24÷2015. The hostess, while not aloof, was not the energetic, charismatic individual I would have in place to welcome diners and make them feel this was a unique location and experience. She perfunctorily ushered us to a table and said our server, Anthony, would be along.
Anthony demonstrated a lot more energy, but lacked a great deal of finesse. He did not seem to readily know the menu, but I was willing to accept that with a recent opening. Still, with a lot riding on an open, I would have expected management to better recruit and train. Have to take a few points for not being a bit more gracious in his approach.
The tables themselves sported fresh linen with a paper liner. The diner ware had great lines and balance.
We were served warm crusty bread and a dipping sauce while the first course was being gathered. Good bread with a nice crust. The dipping sauce had the consistency and taste of an Italian dressing with a few bits of peppers and tomatoes. Nice, but I probably would have seen the same thing on my salad if I had selected the Italian dressing. Some good olive oil flavored with garlic and rosemary would be a better choice.
The co owner, Dave, returned with our first courses. A wedding soup for my friend and I took the house salad. The soup was hearty and well flavored. The salad was acceptable with a minimum of tomatoes, some good field greens and red onion. Could have skipped the packaged pepperoni and thrown in some good olives or pepperacini for my tastes.
Anthony was back with our wine selections. But service technique was lacking as he attempted to hand me the wine awkwardly across the table. Serve from the right, my man.
Adequate selection of wines by the glass though an addition of a Lambrusco would have been welcome for those who don’t appreciate dry wines. (American tastes lean toward much sweeter wines.)
Main course arrived with gnocchi for my companion while I took the Italian mac and cheese with a side of meatballs and sausage.
With all the other slights overlooked, I will admit the meatballs and sausage were spot on. Moist ball of veal, beef and pork with just the right seasoning. Sausage was also excellent with a distinctive flavor of fennel. Again, would have been great to get the backstory to better promote the restaurant from Anthony when we ordered on the preparation, but perhaps that will come in time as the staff truly gets on board with product knowledge.
My dish was capivati with a mix of cheeses and a type of bacon that I would hope was panchetta. Nicely done though I would have liked a bit more cheese (it was not goopy or overcooked as most recipes I find seem to be) and perhaps a presentation that indicated that it was ‘al forno’ — baked. Though I was told later it was, just didn’t appear so. (the picture posted in the strip above is what it should look like… not was served to me unfortunately).
We capped things off with their version of a tiramisu that Anthony had included in a list of desserts he had some difficulty in describing fully. He did know that this tiramisu was more cake like than the traditonal and took extra effort to describe the ‘discoloration’ in the layers as the expresso flavoring. Perhaps not the most apt word to use, but we figured it out. It actually appeared more similar to an Italian cream cake, topped with fresh whipped cream and a strawberry glaze. Good portion for the money but not really tiramisu to me.
Bit of uncertainty with the bill which listed an item at the wrong price, but Dave was quick to handle it. (Still goes to show that it doesn’t hurt to check the bill before paying)
Overall, a good experience with the bill coming in around $ 60. I am intrigued to try some of the other offerings and would return at some time in the future. The tables were filling up closer to 6 p.m. so diners are also interested in their fare. Good food, but I would suggest a heartier helping of ‘Allegria’ or ‘joy or happiness’ as the Italians say from the staff next time. «Read less

Great food, great service! The warm bread (Asiago cheese bread?) was delicious… The new bar area is a great addition. A welcome addition to Olmsted Falls restaurant scene — the new Tremont area out west! ;)
Also loved that they offer 2 portion sizes on many dishes!
Eggplant parm, Italian Mac ‘N Cheese, flatbread pizzas, spaghetti & meatballs all yummy!!!