Molto Bene Italian Eatery — Restaurant in Lakewood

It has been a few years since I've eaten at an Italian restaurant in Cleveland. I know, it's unforgivable! Much like when it comes to other cuisines like Mexican and Japanese, a lot of people have their favorite Italian restaurant. I feel fortunate that I do not, because it allows me to explore places with a wider scope and open mind.

My friends and I stopped by here yesterday after work for a nice dinner and to taste the Gelato we had been hearing about. It is not a large place, but I am a fan of smaller, more intimate settings. It is very clean and modern. A house-turned-restaurant, it is an excellent place to go on a date.

Open only for dinner, you can easily enjoy a meal with someone without all the loud distractions of a much larger chain. All of the staff were very pleasant, and our server took real good care of us. Warm Bread with olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar were a great way to start off. The Foccacia Ripiena was a recommendation for an appetizer, and it did not disappoint. Warm, simple, and delicious.

The three of us each tried a different dish. I chose to go for the Lasagna. I was treated to a large portion with generous amounts of Tomato Sauce and Mozzerella Cheese. It was piping hot, and each bite oozed cheese and Bechamel. My friend who is Italian tried a bite, and he said it was nearly as good as his Nonna's. High praise!

As planned, we finished off with a scoop of Gelato. There are so many flavors, and they invite you to sample as many as you would like. After trying a few, I opted for the Tiramasu. Absolutely wonderful. All the flavors I sampled were delicious, and they are so rich and creamy.

I plan on returning for a date night, no question. It's a nice place with great people and delicious food. Skip the chains, and support local businesses such as this. Add this to your tour of Italian restaurants in Cleveland. I highly...

Having worked in upscale Italian dining in the past, I learned what true Italian cuisine was from the owners who came from Italy, sharing their gift with the western world. Molto Bene has absolutely outdone themselves. Their arrabiata sauce is phenomenal, with a very strong kick, but smooth consistency. It was a beautiful compliment to the shrimp it was prepared with, which impressed me further as the dish is not originally on the menu. But the real winner of their primary menu is their pizza. Don't come looking for greasy, heavy American pizza. Molto Bene will stun you again with true, Italian style pizza. Exquisitely light crust, with a crisp bottom, a light, flavorful sauce just to coat the top of the inner dough, and the perfect balance of cheese and toppings. Ours was Italian sausage, onions and evoo, and it was very filling, and large for the price (only 9 dollars) and yet light on the stomach. Lastly, the dessert was heavenly. We ordered their espresso-covered gelato and their lemon cake. The French vanilla gelato was not too strong, nor too sweet and the espresso poured over it turned it into an immaculate dessert. The lemon cake, however, was unforgettable. Moist cake with layers of lemon, lightly drizzled with a raspberry sauce, dusted with powdered sugar and topped with blueberries, the presentation was also heavenly. The lemon cake underneath was not overly sweet, which let the powdered sugar do it's work on top, and the berry flavors complimented the lemon flawlessly. I have never been as impressed with any restaurant as I am with Molto Bene. This small, house-turned-restaurant is cozy, filled with nice decor, casual yet felt upscale, well staffed, and as authentic of Italian food as you can find in north-eastern Ohio. Thank you all for sharing your gift...

After hearing great things about this place from friends, I decided to give it a try.

I ordered the Ceaser salad and Cioppino. My wife ordered the Caprese salad and the Tortelloni in Crema di Funghi. The food wasn’t anything amazing, pretty average at best, but my gripe with the meal is with the Cioppino. The white fish was served in the hot broth, which caused it to be way over cooked and tough. The scallops were a complete joke, they were literally the size of my fingernail. I was also served 9 unopened mussels in my dish, which makes me seriously question the quality of their seafood.

Comparatively, the Cioppino from Luca West puts Molto Bene to absolute shame….and at the exact same price point.

The server, Carlo, was a good guy and I liked him as our server. When I brought it to his attention, I could tell that he was a bit disappointed with the kitchens service. Carlo came back our table and told me that the cooks said they put extra mussels in the Cioppino because they don’t always open. What kind of insane logic is that? It would make more sense not to serve mussels that have gone bad in the first place and risk giving someone food poisoning! The lack of attention to remove mussels that have gone bad from a dish is dreadful.

I appreciate Carlo tryin make things right and smooth out the situation. He came back with the bill and told me the manager removed the Caprese salad from the total to compensate for the situation. I’m truly surprised the manager didn’t come to our table to do any kind of damage control or even apologize.

Needless to say, I would never eat at this place again and could never in good faith recommend Molto...