Cassese’s MVR

I don’t know how there are any good reviews on here. Came in for lunch and waitress had four tables at any given time. We waited a little less than 15 minutes to receive drinks, and my mother’s drink order wasn’t even taken. Three people who were seated after us got their food before we got our appetizer. My mother’s soup had no noodles, my dressing came on my salad not on the side like I specified, and our waitress was NOWHERE to be found. This was very much the WORST SERVICE! I will never be coming back here, especially after the several errors that were made and could not even be corrected because the waitress was never there.

I have always had a wonderful experience at MVR, the service is friendly and quick even during busy lunch hours when faculty from YSU are there for their lunch meetings and the like. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is wonderful as well. My personal favorite is the Tressel Tortellini but you can’t go wrong with trying any of their classic menu items or even whatever they have on special. The prices are reasonable and the bar is always stocked. Go give them a shot, you won’t be disappointed.

Classic youngstown in the best way. Great service, good people, awesome food. Tressel tortellini, or the spicy bow ties mwa! P. s. Ask for them to make you a the spicy bow tie pizza. It. Is. Phenomenal!

Great place to have near a university! I loved the dish I ordered — Cajun Ravioli. Good lunch portions (I had some left over for a pre-​dinner snack) and affordable prices. *disclaimer: I’m from LA and do not have much to compare for prices.

Great atmosphere, delicious food, and friendly staff! Couldn’t have asked for a better experience.

Great Food! Great Service ! Great Tradition ! Great Prices and one of the best families you will ever meet !

Pretty good food, friendly service. It’s always busy so it much be a pretty popular place, just not really my style.

In all the years of going to this local iconic restaurant, I think I have only had one or two bad experiences. A Fantastic family owned and operated Italian restaurant.

This place is terrific! The best Italian food in the greater Youngstown area. Bocce courts out back as well. The courts are outside, but they are under cover — rain or shine, the leagues play on.

Great place to eat. The staff and the owners treat you like family.

This is and has been my favorite restaurant in Youngstown since I started college in 2003. The tresses tortellini named after Jim Tressel is my favorite thing on the menu. The sauce is a blush that had an incredibly taste and the portion is huge. Another favorite is the hot chips. So good with a spicy sauce. One thing that could be improved is the salad as it is basically bagged lettuce with shredded carrots and red cabbage.

This is pretty generic Italian. I came after all the great Unilocal reviews, but I was not really impressed at all. We had to wait 15 minutes even though we had a reservation, the bread was clearly from a bag, and the food was not impressive. I could have honestly made my penne carbonera at home and have it taste less «out of the box».
If you are looking for a place to take a loud family and have a large inexpensive meal, this is your place. If you are looking for an intimate atmosphere with great food, look elsewhere (and then let me know where that is around here…)

Great food. great atmosphere. A Ytown tradition… Owners stop by table and say hello. One of the best restaurants in Youngstown!

The food was just wonderful. The service was the best I have had in a long time. We had a large group and our server didn’t miss a beat. She went above and beyond.

I was told by a family member to eat here … Wow … GET the PENNE CARBONARA… Super glad I stopped here. The food service and crowd were excellent

Great food, great price but it is in Youngstown by the university so it is not in a great place but it is great for college students and business people going to be at courthouse. Family owned I have never had a bad experience here.

One of my favorite Italian restaurants in youngstown. Authentic foods with great deal!

The heart of Youngstown Italian dining
The MVR is home-​cooking in a friendly atmosphere. The spicy bow ties are my favorite dish. I also enjoy the hot chips with the best sauce that packs a kick. You can’t go wrong with any of the pasta dishes — delicious sauce. Hands down, one of my favorite places in the Mahoning Valley!

Note: Bocce and bar review only.
Bar: All the activity was outside when we visited. The bartender was super sweet and attentive. We soon left for the warm outdoors and where all the action was.
Bocce is free!!! I was so excited about that. In my hometown there is a bocce restaurant but it’s a bit more on the ritzy side. You have to pay by the hour to get a court. Here, it’s just grab it when it’s free. I had an absolute blast playing with my friends and having drinks until the late hours of the night.
I completely get why this is THE place to go in Youngstown. I’ll have to try out their menu the next time I’m up.

MVR=Mahoning Valley Restaurant
I had NO IDEA what this place was, or how delicious the food would be, until clients insisted we go there for lunch so I could get some «local flavor».
It’s an old school Italian restaurant with HUGE covered bocce courts and bar area in the back. The food was good, the service was quick, and it reminded me a lot of the old Dominick’s in Dayton, OH. Dominick’s is no longer there, but it was decorated in sports memorabilia from UD and with photos of local sports notables. Same thing at MVR, except the artifacts are from Youngstown State. You’re not going to find a ton of health food options on the menu, but it is diverse enough to offer an array of non-​pasta dishes and also vegetarian items. I had ravioli with spinach and mushrooms in herbed cream sauce… it was really good but it was drowning in sauce. My companions all ordered something different and everything looked good… plates were practically licked clean.
I highly recommend this place if you’re in the area. Youngstown doesn’t have a lot of local spots, but this one was really good. The crowd varied from college students in sweats all the way up to very elderly couples in fancier dress.