There’s no shortage of authentic Italian eats in the Mahoning Valley.
“In the late 1800s, Italian immigrants began to arrive in the Mahoning Valley, settling in places like Youngstown, Warren, Lowellville and Niles. They brought with them their culture, and an abundance of food – including pasta. That food has become a staple of restaurants everywhere, including in Trumbull County,” wrote Valley native Vince Guerrieri in 2018, when covering Trumbull County’s Italian Food Trail for TourismOhio.
We looked to Tripadvisor for the top 10 highest-ranked, locally owned Italian restaurants around Warren.
Do you agree with this list? Tell us your favorite local Italian eatery — or your go-to menu item — by emailing news@mahoningmatters.com or by leaving us a message at 888-655-1012, option 2.
10. DiLucia’s Catering Service & Banquet Facility
Owned and operated by the Dellimuti family, DiLucia’s offers catering services at its banquet and bar facilities. “We offer our guests the luxury of a four-star venue while providing the same level of service for significantly less,” reads its website. DiLucia’s offers a wide list of breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet menu options and can host weddings, birthday parties, graduation parties, anniversaries and other events, including corporate breakfasts.
9. Brother’s Pizza
- 187 Folsom St. NW, Champion;
- 330-847-7900;
- Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday; closed Sunday;
- See the menu.
Brother’s Pizza focuses on pizza, strombolis, calzones, garlic rolls, sub sandwiches and other Italian specialties. You can also find traditional spaghetti with meatballs, chicken and steak rolls on the menu. Brother’s only does carryout and curbside pickup.
8. Wedgewood Fernando’s Pizza
- 8250 High St. NE, Howland;
- 330-609-6699;
- Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday (last call at 8:30 p.m.); 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday (last call at 9:30 p.m.);
- See the menu.
“Never go down in quality. That’s the trick. If you change, always change to something better,” are Wedgewood owner Fernando Riccioni’s standards. This iconic pizza shop, established in 1967, has earned national recognition for its Brier Hill-style pie (which is tomato sauce, green peppers and romano). For his 90th birthday in 2020, Austintown trustees presented Riccioni the key to the township. Its menu is nothing extravagant, owners say — “we just do pizza!” Order carryout online here or get it delivered via DoorDash.
7. Gus’ Italian Grille Xpress
- 1875 Niles Cortland Road NE, Howland;
- 330-609-8646;
- Open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday (delivery ends at 8:30 p.m.); 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday (delivery ends at 9:30 p.m.); from noon to 7:30 p.m. Sunday; closed on Mondays;
- See the menu.
Gus’ Italian Grille Xpress — “a staple of the community for years,” according to its website — has a full-scale pizza menu and signatures like pasta with meat sauce or vegetarian, Greek spaghetti and Hellenic shrimp pasta for carryout or delivery. It also offers chicken wings, calzones and strombolis. Order on the website.
6. Enzo’s of Warren
- 2918 Elm Road NE, Warren;
- 330-372-3314;
- Open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; closed on Monday and Sunday;
- See menus for lunch, dinner, banquets and catering.
Enzo’s has been owned by the Cantalamessa family for three generations. It does dine-in for lunch and dinner and also offers on-site banquets and off-site catering. The menus include chicken and veal specials, various pasta, pizzas and a wine list. “Here at Enzo’s, our greatest joy is seeing our friends come in hungry and leave well-fed and happy,” the website reads.
5. Café 422
- 4422 Youngstown Road SE, Warren;
- 330-369-2422;
- Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday; closed Monday;
- See the menu.
Café 422 was founded by Guerino “Greenie” Abruzzi and Orazio Rossi in September 1939. It’s open for lunch, dinner and private parties. On the menu you’ll find classics like hot peppers in oil, eggplant and chicken parmigiana, chicken cacciatore and Brier Hill-style veal. Daily specials include prime rib or beef on Wednesdays and fish and fries on Fridays. Café 422 also offers on-site catering and to-go catering.
4. Salvatore’s Italian Grill
- 8720 E. Market St., Howland;
- 330-609-7777;
- Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; noon to 8 p.m. Sunday;
- See the menu.
The award-winning Salvatore’s Italian Grill offers an extensive wine list and a broad variety of brunch, lunch and dinner selections. The menu also includes “old world dishes” and traditional Italian cuisine as well as gourmet burgers, wood-fired pizza, seafood specials, flame-grilled steaks and seafood. See the website for banquets and catering. Order curbside online or get it delivered by GrubHub.
3. Leo’s Ristorante
- 7042 E. Market St., Howland;
- 330-856-5291;
- Open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday; 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday; closed Sunday;
- See the lunch and dinner menus.
This eatery’s lineage can be traced back to 1968 and the “quaint” Parkman Road Dairy pizza shop, and to 1930, with the grocery store Pasquale “Patsy” and Louise Strollo opened on Youngstown’s East Side, according to its website. Three generations later, Leo’s Ristorante is continuing the family legacy. You can find on its menu sauteed Italian greens, fried smelts, summer clams and an “ultimate” caprese salad, along with pastas pizzas and other Italian favorites. You can also reserve a dinner or banquet spot online. Order online here.
2. Sunrise Inn
- 510 E. Market St., Howland;
- 330-395-7808 or 330-392-5176;
- Open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday;
- See the menu.
Sunrise Inn was founded in Warren in 1929 by Tom and Angelo Haidaris, and it became Warren’s first pizza shop after soldiers returning from World War II “brought the taste for pizza back home with them,” according to its website. Sunrise fires up “Old World” and specialty pizzas, garlic chicken and a wide variety of wings, burgers, sandwiches and daily specials. Call to order carryout. Learn about banquets online.
1. Red Plum Pizza and Pasta
- 8212 E. Market St., Howland;
- 234-223-2880;
- Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday;
- See the menu.
Red Plum Pizza and Pasta offers New York- and Detroit-style pizzas and specialty pies like the all-meat “The Butcher” and a four-cheese, along with Italian classics like fettucine alfredo. Its Plum salad with kalamata olives, feta and tomato basil dressing is one of its most-popular dishes. Order carryout online or get it delivered via DoorDash.