Best Family Dining: The Original Mario Fazio’s in Willoughby Hills

Best Family Dining: The Original Mario Fazio’s

You'll always be treated like family at The Original Mario Fazio’s in Willoughby Hills.

“When you walk through the door, it's like you're eating in our home,” says Frank Fazio-Grk, third generation of the Fazio Family & general manager of the restaurant, which began in the 1970s as a small pizza shop by Mario Fazio and succeeded by Lisa Fazio who cultivated the restaurant into a vibrant dining experience & flourishing catering business.

Featuring made from scratch Italian American classics, there’s much more on the menu beyond exceptional customer service. Check out these three things. 

• Lisa’s Salad. The restaurant’s signature salad, this medley of mescaline greens, grapes, blueberries, gorgonzola cheese and candied walnuts is topped with Lisa's sweet pink vinaigrette.

• Lemon Chicken. A tried-and-true Fazio’s staple, the hand-breaded chicken cutlet is doused with a sweet lemon glaze and paired with green beans au gratin and creamy parmesan risotto or cavatelli marinara. 

• Pizza Pie. Founder Mario J. Fazio’s original recipe, this pizza features homemade dough, a fragrant Sicilian sauce packed with fresh basil and oregano and house-grated provolone cheese for a rich, savory finish. “We take pizza very seriously,” says Fazio-Grk. With numerous Signature Pizzas available, you may have trouble ordering just one.

With more than 50 years in business, it’s no secret that Mario Fazio’s is doing something right. 

“We’ve been able to maintain our authenticity and keep doing things with our own people, a lot of whom have been here for over 20 years,” says Fazio-Grk. “The magic is in the people.”

34400 Chardon Road, Willoughby Hills, 440-585-3883, mariofazios.com