Best Lasagna in Greater Cleveland: Bruno’s honors the Old-World flavors of Italy

CLEVELAND, Oh — When Art Modell pulled the Cleveland Browns from the city in 1995, hundreds of jobs were lost – including that of Bruno DiSiena, who served as head cook for the players and coaches at the team’s Berea facility.

DiSiena worked for the team from the time they opened their training facility in 1991 until “The Move.” Choosing to not go with the team, DiSiena found himself at a crossroads.

“I had worked in the restaurant business since I was 14 years old. I started out washing dishes and doing prep work before moving to the front of the house. It was truly all I knew. Fortunately, my brother-in-law had a client who was trying to sell this place” he said, motioning around the dining room of Bruno’s, located on W. 41st Street in Cleveland. “It was a good price, and had a couple of apartments in the back, so I decided to take a shot.”

Nearly 28 years later, Bruno’s Ristorante & Catering is a thriving concern and one of Greater Cleveland’s most beloved restaurants. It recently finished third in our cleveland.com “Best Lasagna in Cleveland” poll. If you want to try it for yourself, Bruno’s is open 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Tuesday – Friday; and for dinner 4 – 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

While lasagna is not listed on the lunch menu, DiSiena says to “just ask your server, we always have some freshly made.”

The self-taught cook opened his namesake restaurant serving lunches only, and catering.

“I really didn’t know anything about running a restaurant. It was all trial and error, and I learned a lot those first couple of years,” he said with a broad smile. “But little by little it took off and became what it is today.”

DiSiena grew up on the West Side of Cleveland, though his parents hailed from Coreno Ausonio, Italy, a tiny village of about 1,000 residents, 90 minutes south of Rome.

It was his mother’s Old-World recipes that DiSiena used to launch his business. He still uses the same recipes today to satisfy his loyal clientele’s taste for true Italian cuisine.

Helping his mother, Francesca, in the kitchen as a child, was where DiSiena’s love of cooking began.

“I was the youngest of seven, so I was always home helping her set the table, doing the cooking, and tagging along with her doing the shopping. That was where it all started for me. So, it just seemed natural – when it was time to get a job – to work in a kitchen.”

He says his lasagna is, “by far our best-selling pasta dish,” with hungry patrons ordering an average of nearly 400 plates of the layered deliciousness weekly.

Not feeling the pasta? Bruno’s also serves up an eggplant lasagna – made with layers of the veggie replacing the pasta, Romano and Pecorino cheeses smothered in a blush sauce.

Another unique menu item is Linguine Alla Pescatore — a Bouillabaisse-styled dish filled with Mediterranean seafood (shrimp, scallops, calamari, and mussels) sauteed in a light marinara sauce and served over a bed of pasta.

Looking for something a little heartier, be sure to order Bruno’s Chicken Parmigiana, served with a side of spaghetti and fresh-baked Italian bread.

All of Bruno’s entrees are made in-house daily.

Regular clientele are aware that while reservations are not required they are heavily recommended. The tiny dining room accommodates 40 – with an additional 10 seats at the bar. There is an outdoor patio at the rear of the restaurant, which seats an additional 30.

Dinner hours are busier, though lunches are gaining steam as diners discover the close proximity to downtown and the ease of free parking.

Besides the food, DiSiena credits his staff for his customers’ loyalty.

His head chef was been with the restaurant from the beginning. While youngsters often come to Bruno’s for a first – or summer – job, his staff averages 22-year longevity.

“I have good people, really good people working for me. I am very blessed in that regard. I do my best to take care of them, and in return, they take care of me,” DiSiena said. “While I don’t have blood family working in the restaurant, it still feels like home because of them.

“And I think our customers can feel that love and respect when they come in, as well.”