In 1898, Vincenzo Guarino arrived from Sicily and settled in Cleveland’s “Little Italy” to live with relatives. With the money saved from working as a road worker, he purchased a building, which housed a poolroom/tavern with an apartment above. Vincenzo married Mary, a young lady from the neighborhood, in 1918. While he operated the poolroom, and tavern, Mary prepared dinners in the back dining room for friends, neighbors, and the clientele of the business… Thus a restaurant was born. They served dinners for many family occasions of their clientele from baptisms to weddings. Homemade wine and liquor was served in coffee cups during prohibition as the strings of beads hung from the ceiling to shield the bar from the police in the streets. The clientele grew to include professors and musicians from the local institutions as well as prominent families of Cleveland. Vincenzo and Mary raised three children in the apartment above. They helped operate the family business while attending school and college. In 1954, while traveling by boat to visit relatives in Sicily, Vincenzo passed away outside Lisbon, Portugal. Vincenzo’s only son, Sam, decided to make a career in the restaurant business after his graduation from college and ran the operation for over thirty years with his wife and children. In 1959, the “garden” was built for formal dining as it is today. Still standing is the trumpet vine brought from Sicily and planted by Vincenzo. In 1963, Sam remodeled the restaurant in the Victorian décor that it still reflects today. The restaurant clientele continued to grow from the original patrons to include artists, Metropolitan Opera stars, actors, local television and radio personalities as well as politicians and clergy. Sam Guarino passed away in 1987. A life-long friend, Nancy Phillips, along with Sam’s wife, Marilyn, took over the business and started a new tradition. Sam’s children left the family business for other careers while Nancy’s children and grandchildren stepped in to carry on the traditions. The apartment was changed into private dining rooms called the Victorian Parlors which are decorated in Victorian style with antiques, china, and glassware purchased on trips around the East as well as personal items from home. The main parlor can accommodate up to forty people and has been used for meetings showers, weddings and of course, family dinners. The Intimate Parlor seats up to eight. The garden has been expanded and now seats over 100 people comfortably and was named to countless “best patio” lists for the city. The trumpet vines continue to enhance the beauty and charm of what some call “the most romantic patio in Cleveland!” With many changes throughout the years, the American-Italian cuisine remains the same! From our flavorful marinara sauce to our refreshing piccata, and our decades old lasagna, the old recipes still speak volumes. To this day, you can still come by Guarino’s and visit the Nancy’s children, Rachel & Scott and her oldest grandson Scott Jr, who still take pride in serving Cleveland for over a century.
