After being in business for over twenty years, Scotti’s Italian Eatery has gone through a lot of rough times recently and has come out on the other side. In July of 2019, the owner was ready to call it quits due to the road work that closed the I-90 exit at East 185th Street. His loyal customers rallied around him, and he changed his mind and decided to stay open. Then Covid hit, and he pivoted to takeout only. The restaurant then had to suffer through the lengthy Water Pollution Control project that tore up the street and then the Streetscape Improvement Project. I am happy to say that the endless construction is finally over and business is starting to pick back up, but it wasn’t easy.
Scotti’s is cash only, which doesn’t help bring in customers since most people have stopped carrying cash. But that is also the reason that prices stay low. He also rolls with the punches and offers added bonuses like a Tesla charging station and “affordable Pet Shots” at the location. But, most importantly, the food continues to be made from scratch and is top-notch and affordable. And now that the weather is getting nicer it will be patio season, and Scotti’s has a great back patio.
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The restaurant itself features a long bar, an open kitchen and a comfortable dining room with tables and booths with tables that are not bolted into the floor.
I started frequenting Scotti’s during the pandemic. Since then I have only dined here by myself in the middle of the day (so I haven’t been able to order an appetizer like the much-loved and intriguing stuffed hot peppers), but service has always been great. You are greeted warmly and told to take a seat. I was even greeted by a back of staff worker (the cook?) in addition to the server on my most recent visit. Each meal is accompanied by a house salad with tomato, cucumber, olives, walnuts and shaved cheese (get the house dressing!) as well as a basket of soft, warm, house-baked herb focaccia with a dipping sauce of herbed balsamic vinegar and olive oil. You can also just order butter to enjoy the flavor of the bread without the overpowering vinegar and oil. The bread is soft and delicious and worth the trip alone!
Doug Trattner reports that Scotti recommends the veal dishes, but for me the star of the show here are the calzones. The dough is light and crisp, and I love the combinations. A dish/cup of warm marinara for dipping is served on the side. My absolute favorite is the Bocconcini, which features fresh mozzarella, plum tomatoes, spinach, provolone and the house dressing. The Caprese is similar to the Bocconcini (with fresh mozzarella, tomato, fresh basil and provolone cheese) but also includes proscuitto. I found it to be very salty from the proscuitto, but if you love proscuitto you’ll love it. The Florentine intrigues me, because it contains scrambled egg and cheddar cheese in addition to spinach, tomato and provolone. But I just adore the gooey fresh mozzarella and provolone combo so much in the calzone.
The pizzas are hearty and use all fresh ingredients. The Classic Deluxe features pepperoni, sausage, black olives, fresh mushrooms, green and red pepper, onion and anchovies. I recently ordered a small pizza with sausage, mushroom and green pepper to go and enjoyed it reheated in my air fryer. The green pepper was very fresh and a little overpowering, but the sausage and mushroom was perfect.
I am definitely a creature of habit. I had a photo of the lasagna as carryout during the pandemic and unwittingly ordered the lasagna again on a more recent visit. The lasagna is really good – gooey, flavorful and filling. It layers meat sauce and ricotta and provolone cheese in between fresh pasta sheets and tops it with more sauce and some parmesan.
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I was in the mood for something different the other day and ordered the Scallop Fettucine Dinner with a sundried-tomato, basil and alfredo sauce. The large sea scallops are sauteed in garlic and olive oil and set atop a bed of perfectly cooked fettucine coated in the delectable sauce. It was delicious.
Scotti’s is open during the week from 11:30 to 9 pm and 4 to 9 on Saturdays. If you follow the restaurant on Facebook, Scotti often posts that he is there on a Sunday or for special events like the Super Bowl or Christmas Eve making pizza and other food, and you can tell he really loves and remembers his customers.
If you’ve been paying attention at all, I literally live at the top of the hill to Little Italy. I prefer to drive to Scotti’s on E. 185th in North Collinwood or Mama Catena’s in Euclid for a more authentic and better experience. Do yourself a favor and give them a try!
Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Eats 