bruno's ristorante

service terrible. this is my favorite place to eat... however, after many positive reviews, i have to say the service has become unacceptably slow to the point of ridiculous. the past two visit have been a struggle with us leaving the second time after wait over an 1.5 hours for our entrees on what was a slow wednesday night. poor services and what can only be called an incompetent kitchen have been the norm for my last visits... i won't go into it - but the evening with out of state guest was just terrible. no bruno wasn't there but that doesn't matter... after all the great cleveland reviews that have made this a popular must eat spot, the place is now slipping badly... i ate there just a few days ago and the food is still top notch but even with bruno there the service was slow, inattentive, and well just slow and uninviting.... seems like lots of the old staff may have moved on as i see several new servers... not ready to give up yet - but, hey they better get there act together as i eat here at least 15 times plus a year and that will change... right now, unless you've got an open schedule for after dinner, you might want to consider other options... i truly hope this changes quickly... what a shame


-----21 jul, 2009-----

must try...... best kept secret on the west side…. small intimate eatery that has its own old world charm and won't break the wallet for a casual evening dinner out. food is absolutely fabulous - end of story. we have tried most of the menu and have never been unhappy. best eggplant lasagna i have ever eaten hands down… lunch special are inexpensive and the portions plentiful… make sure you have the wedding soup and don't pass on the bread with a little olive oil while waiting for your dinner that will arrive quickly and piping hot… you will not be disappointed here….

first time dinner. my new girlfriend suggested bruno's last night after claiming it as one of her favorites. being in the restaurant business for over twenty years it was time to see how her palate measures up...i think she is a keeper!! the food and service were impeccable. the portion sizes were over the top. almost every table, which were all full, had to-go boxes that were filled. this is perfect because you cannot stop eating this food and you will definitely want left overs for lunch and dinner the next day. i started my maiden voyage with the bolognese, which was second to none. my date went with chicken romano which was massive, tender and done right with an amazing pesto cream sauce. i plan to try this whole menu and cannot wait for my next experience. just an fyi people this place is all about the food and the company. its up to you to create the atmosphere, so if you need tvs or gimmicks to make the night right, than stay away or find a better date.

...the restaurant and bar area is quite cozy and traditional. there aren't many tables, so i do suggest making a reservation. parking is free in a small lot across the street, and check out their website for coupons before dining there. our server was outstanding, and so pleasant and attentive even though she was working in the dark and heat. they really tried to make us feel at home there. our ice water was never empty!

food good - service terrible. we had reservations for 3 on a tue. at 6:30. when we arrived the dining room was filled (keep in mind the dining room has 10 or 11 tables with seating for 40 people) there was 1 waitress, 1 runner, 1 bartender. i don't know if some one called off but it was choas. the waitress mel was taking orders from tables that were seated after us. she was totally lost. after waiting 20 min we had tell her we were ready to order. waited another 15 min for our drinks. ordered pork chop with polenta, told they were out of polenta !!! how can you run our of food at 7:00 on a tue???? at 8:00 pm we got our food. really 1 hr !!! other tables around us were making the same comments. be prepared to spend 2 1/2 hrs. we left at 9:10 p.m.

it was not our first time here, but it will be our last! 1.5 hours for our food to come out after multiple complaints. the food tasted like it was sitting under the hot lights for awhile. i guess we where not worthy.


-----03 oct, 2010-----

wonderful food and great service. our server was todd, ask for him when you make reservations!

finicky diner. i was 100% impressed by this restaurant. as a transplant its hard to impress me. the decor, service and entrees were perfect. i will be back with guests.

authentic neighborhood italian. dined there december 29 with a party of six. server (mel) was friendly. liked the intimacy of the space. sausage and pepper appetizer was good, a bit heavy on the garlic. for main course we tried the "best in cleveland" lasagna (good), veal with artichokes (tasty), veal marsala (liked it), veal saltimbocca (liked it), and a couple others.

overall menu was varied but traditional, all dishes prepared well. kitchen was a bit slow, place was full. expensive for regular italian fare, but would go back for the intimacy.

good comfort food. excellent italian wedding soup and bread. the other "authentic" italian dishes were more american italian. the options my party had were a bit too salty and contained about two pounds of cheese. nice on a cold december day but not a healthy mediterranean meal choice. no children's menu but i didn't feel my two small children were unwelcome.

the ambiance said that all emphasis was on the food. the restaurant was one room with really no decor at all. there was bar seating that was more engaging. also, perhaps because of the size, every time the back door was opened to load catering trucks the temperature dropped about ten degrees.

wait staff was ok, but nothing special. i had to pull over a chair myself to place my baby's portable car seat on. the restaurant also isn't handicapped accessible.

i, and the rest of my party said they would go back but i would hope to see a few healthy diet options.

my wednesday @ brunos'. i came to brunos' with my daughter this past wed.evening.i didn't realize it would be so crowded on a mid week night.i had no reservation,but was quickly seated at the only available table next to the kitchen/restroom area. i always hate that,but next time i'll call ahead..i say that because there will be a next time.
i didn't see veal marcella on the menu,but i asked,if the veal medallions could be used instead of the chicken. she said i'm"sure" we can do that for you. (nice feeling already) they did and the sauce was the best i have ever eaten.
the portions were all very generous and the salads were of fresh crip ingredients.also the server realized the i was someone who ate my salad after my meal(last) and put it aside til needed
.ok ok, like someone on this blog site said the bread wasnt that great and you had to keep asking for it...thats all i could find to be critical about,but i'll bring my own bread and go back.yes i'll call first cause the seating area is small,but worth waiting for.

bruno’s gets five-and-a-half stars out of seven. the food is simple but excellent, prices are very reasonable, especially given the amount of food (almost everything comes in under $20), and service was perfectly fine. all in all, a satisfying, filling, and very italian meal.

delicious dishes... on a whim and the recommendation from an sehs alum....i went to dinner last night. the restaurant was very cozy comfy, the service friendly yet professional, i had lasagna and my husband had the veal parmesan. i loved the tomato sauce,real veal for the parm and the the bread was truly delicious and warm - just had to have that second basket.
i will go back again.. to bruno the chef owner - thank you for a great dining experience....br. james e. sent me..

very disappointed. i went to the restaurant with a friend today to try it for the first time from the suggestion of a coworker. the restaurant is very small, when we entered, they asked if we had reservations, in the future i would suggest you make them, but we were seated quickley. we both ordered ice tea, the tea was good. we did go on line and they had a coupon for a free appitizer. we wanted to order the oliva impanara but they said they dont make it anymore. so we ordered the antipasta. the dish looked good, but the meats were awful. we also go bread with our meal that is suppose to be home made, again, the bread was so dry and untasty. i am always looking for the good, so i figured lets keep going, the rest of the meal might be great. no such luck. we received our salads, my ranch dressing was so bland and the house salad was very peppery. the leafs of the salad were looking as the salads were a bit too old. again, figure we will no be disappointed in the main course or dessert. we then got the main course. my friend got the ravioli and cheese and i of course got the lasagna, suppose to be best in cleveland. ugh. i tasted the ravioli, the shell was very thick, the cheese inside was not very good and the sauce was terrible. as for my best lasagna, i was so dissapointed. the sauce was not at all good, the lasagna just tasted so poor. i have to say that if that is the best in cleveland, i would never want to try lasagna anyplace in cleveland. infact, i had a stoufers lasagna and it was better then theirs. fianlly we got the dessert. terimisu. i have no expierence in knowing what is good in terimisu, but my friend did. i ask them how they rated it, they said it was very good, i had some and it was good, but i had to rely in their opinion. i never write reviews, but i just had too this time. i usually give a restuarant two chances, you never know, maybe it was just an off day or maybe we just ordered the wrong meals. i dont think i am going to go back to try it again. i have eaten in many restuarants, from all over the united states to italy to isreal. so you can listen to my review or just possibly it was a bad day.

another recession casualty?. maybe it's the economy, or maybe nobody at bruno's cares anymore. my family and i have been going to bruno's for at least a decade- dine in, carry out, entertaining friends from out of town. over the past two or three years, i've noticed a very disappointing downward spiral in bruno's quality of food and the general 'give-a-@&$%' of the staff. a $14 lasagna ought to have at least a little bit of sauce on it- but it was so dry i swear it could have caught fire. the caesar dressing was putrid, as was the meat in my stuffed peppers. needless to say, i did not finish my dinner and am only hoping i don't get sick from the meat. thanks a lot, guys. i'll never be back.

great meal! we found this coupon in our "deck of cards" and decided to try it on a whim. the food and service were both very good. i will be returning soon!

horrible service! they kept seating people before us that apparently had reservations, even though when we called to make reservations they wouldn't let us.