Boardman, Ohio is an area that prides itself on rich and satisfying Italian food, thanks to the efforts the various Italian restaurants make to satisfy the taste buds of both residents and visitors.
Whether you want Italian food made with the finest ingredients, cozy environments to hang out in, or new people to meet, these 17 Italian restaurants in Boardman, Ohio, tick these boxes.
Papa Gege’s Italian Villa
$ | (330) 473-1659 | WEBSITE
Founded in 2013 by Eugene Razzano, Papa Gege’s Italian Villa has made a steady mission to serve its customers classic family recipes of Italian cuisine made from high-quality ingredients.
First called Italian Village; it was changed to Papa Gege’s around 2020. Four Gege’s sauces, including traditional Alfredo, Bolognese, and Vodka, had gotten first place in the four sauce contests out of five in Boardman last year at the Southern Park Mall.
To enjoy Papa Gege’s excellent meals like pizza, wings, tacos, pasta soups, salads, paninis, etc., you can dine in or sit on the beautiful awning-covered patio outside.
You could also decide to pick up your ordered meal in the ‘walk-up window’ and eat at home. To give back to the public, Papa Gege’s sell their Pepperoni rolls for fundraising for local organizations like churches and schools.
Antone’s Kitchen
$$ | (330) 965-0333 | WEBSITE
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Antone’s Kitchen was started about 60 years ago to continue a family tradition of serving Italian food to the Mahoning Valley.
To bring family and friends together, it serves quality and fresh food in a comfortable environment where you can enjoy a pleasant time with loved ones. Apart from being a dine-in restaurant, it allows for curbside pickup.
Antone’s is a small dining room, but the connection to their past and tradition is everywhere. The family photos hung on the walls give the restaurant a homey feeling.
Looking at their menu, you’d notice a unique blend of traditional Italian cooking with modern dishes. Their favorites include Mama’s Meatballs, chicken and eggplant parmesan, etc., from the original 1961 menu.
Taking inspiration from popular restaurants, the restaurant also features a Build-Your-Own Pasta Bowl section in its menu.
This section allows customers to construct their dish from a list of various pasta, sauces, and toppings. Antone’s Kitchen also offers both indoor and outdoor catering services.
Domino’s Pizza
$ | (330) 953-3100 | WEBSITE
A household name and the second-largest pizza restaurant chain globally, Domino’s Pizza was founded in 1960 by Tom Monaghan and his brother. Today, it has 18,300 stores worldwide, including the outlet at Boardman.
If you are a big fan of Domino’s Pizza and find yourself in Boardman, just walk into their restaurant to taste their unique pizza dishes. They have as many as 15 pizza toppings which can be used in over a million ways.
There are over thirty million ways to make a Domino’s pizza, including a design-a-one-of-a-kind pizza, where the Pizza builder lets you select every part of your pizza, including the toppings.
Are you a vegetarian? Not to worry, Domino’s has options for vegans. In 2008, the chain restaurant branched out of making only pizza and began to make pasta and salads, providing their customers with more menu choices.
Olive Garden Italian Restaurant
$$ | (330) 726-8380 | WEBSITE
Olive Garden Italian Restaurant recently started a branch in Boardman, Ohio, and it’s been a hit. Ranked the fourth-best Italian restaurant in Boardman, Olive Garden is a family-friendly restaurant where you can get a nice meal and chill out with friends, colleagues, family, etc.
The restaurant provides about 16 appetizers, including Pizzaiola Flatbread, soups and salads, pasta, chicken, etc. If you love adventure, you’d have your fill at this restaurant.
Like many other restaurants, besides their dine-in feature, they also offer delivery services, from curbside pickup to no contact delivery. They are ready to serve you in whichever way you want.
Wedgewood Fernando’s Pizza
$$ | (330) 726-2010 | WEBSITE
Wedgewood Fernando’s Pizza is one of the 5 Wedgewood Pizza Shop Corporate Family companies. If you want to enjoy authentic Italian pizza culture, Wedgewood is the place.
They only provide pizza dishes because they want to focus on making the best for their ever-growing customers.
There are pizza options for both vegans and nonvegans. For instance, the Buffalo Chicken Pizza is one of their highest-rated nonvegan choices.
Blue Wolf Tavern
$$ | (330) 726-1736 | WEBSITE
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Blue Wolf Tavern was first founded in 2001 by Joseph Rzonsa, and although it wasn’t first established in Boardman, it has been operating for about 18 years.
It is a farm-to-fork eatery with menus inspired by the local culture and focused on making healthy foods from locally-sourced ingredients.
Their recipes are handcrafted, and dining selections are made from scratch and served in a cozy, comfortable, and contemporary environment inspired by the Northern woods.
There’s a pub with happy hours, weekly DJ’s steaks, etc. Enjoy their Zucchini Parmesan, Chicken Alouette, or Red sauce Pasta for a start. Whichever you choose, it’s sure you would get that tingling feel of Italian cuisine all over your taste buds.
Cornersburg Pizza
$ | (330) 758-4501 | WEBSITE
Cornersburg Pizza is a chain of pizzerias that found its way to Boardman, Ohio. Its menu includes dishes ranging from appetizers to pizzas and chicken wings, not forgetting the various pizzas you can try out.
Apart from its four traditional pizza dishes, they also serve thirteen other specialty pizzas to fit your choice and mood.
They offer up to fourteen different toppings on their pizzas, from bacon, banana, peppers, and even the controversial pineapple toppings.
While you can dine in, Cornersburg Pizza also has take-out, no-contact delivery, or pick-up options. You can hire them to cater to both your indoor and outdoor parties.
Ianazone’s Homemade Pizza
$ | (330) 729-9600 | WEBSITE
If you are looking for a place to try out pizza like the ones you make at home, Ianazone’s Homemade Pizza is where you should go.
It claims that its homemade pizza dishes and accompanying sauce are made from daily, fresh dough and top-quality ingredients with a custom blend of cheese and exotic toppings.
Although the restaurant is known as Ianazone’s pizza, pizza isn’t the only thing it offers. You can also get salads, wings, calzone, beverages, and other gluten-free Italian dishes.
Bj’s Restaurant and Brewhouse
$$ | (517) 246-0010 | WEBSITE
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Mike Philips and Bill Cunningham founded BJ’s Restaurants Inc in 1978 in Southern Carolina.
Later in April 2017, BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, one of the finest Italian Restaurants, was opened in Boardman, where Cheddar’s Casual Cafe once stood.
You can enjoy quality Italian meals at BJ’s like pizzas, pasta and sauce, soups and salads, and fresh, handcrafted beer made from scratch.
It not only puts its energy into cooking wonderful meals to make your tastebuds dance but also focuses on providing a high-performing, comfortable and inclusive family environment in tandem with its cultural values.
Combine Brothers
$$ | (330) 953-3773 | WEBSITE
Combine brothers was first established in 1989 in Hermitage, and just last year, it grew bigger and took up space in Boardman, where Landmark formerly resided.
The restaurant is directly opposite the Southern Park Mall on Market Street, so if, by chance, you are at the Mall shopping and you start to crave some Italian food, you know exactly where to turn to.
Asides the popular dishes like pizza and pasta, it also has a chalkboard special that changes weekly, so you get to treat yourself to something unique and different.
Rise Pies
$ | (330) 965-4261 | WEBSITE
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Rise Pies was founded by Ed and Eddie Muransky, who teamed up with Chef Vernon Vesta to create unique pizzas with high-quality ingredients. If you are a traditionalist, you will enjoy the simplicity of its Margherita.
Otherwise, you would love it Hawaiian Shirt Day. You can also try out its buffalo chicken pizza or the meaty Da Bears and keep exploring the dishes on their menu. There are provisions for you if you are a vegetarian.
With 3 doughs, 8 sauces, 8 kinds of cheese, and over 25 premium toppit pizzas, there are thousands of possible pizza combinations for you to create.
The environment is upbeat, serene, and family-friendly. It’s an excellent place to spend some family time or bond with a friend.
Pizza Joe’s
$ | (330) 965-8888 | WEBSITE
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Pizza Joe’s is a family-owned business started by Joe Seminara in 1985 in Ellwood city. However, Pizza Joe’s in Boardman is owned and operated by a Boardman native, Mario La Marca.
As a dine-in restaurant, Pizza Joe’s focuses mainly on making the best pizzas that satisfy customers’ cravings and make them come back for more.
If you find yourself at Pizza Joe’s, you could try out their taco round pizza, traditional square pizza, or round veggie pizza for a start.
You could also have some meatball subs or an original stromboli. Whichever you decide on, Pizza Joe’s got you and much more.
Cafe 422
$$ | (330) 629-2422 | WEBSITE
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Cafe 422 was started in September 1939 by two friends who became partners after discovering their mutual dream of opening their restaurant.
Guerino ‘Greenie’ Abruzzi and Orazio Rossi first opened Cafe 422 in Warren before opening another outlet in Boardman in 1949 after seeing how great a success the one at Warren had been.
Cafe 422 is well known for its Breaded Zucchini and Mozzarella Marinara, not forgetting its ‘to die for’ pizzas.
To keep you whet your taste buds while the food’s being done, it has daily special drinks on the menu, such as Monday’s Draft Beer, Wine Down Wednesday, or Friday’s Martini.
It also has a Mediterranean Night every Thursday. Although it has new owners, Serdar Dede, and his brother, you can be sure Cafe 422 still keeps its standard.
Caffe Capri Italian Bar And Grill
$$ | (330) 726-9900 | WEBSITE
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Caffe Capri Italian Bar and Grill is a Quaranta family-owned business first set up in 1996 and, after many hurdles crossed, was brought to Boardman in 2005.
Its dine-in area is much more casual than its predecessor’s, but the quality of its meals beats its competitors’ hands down. It is a perfect place to celebrate a special occasion, maybe a birthday or a promotion.
Whatever the occasion is, as long as it calls for a cozy place, Caffe Capri is the place. If you are a newbie at the restaurant, try their Chicken Parmigiana or their wonderful Tiramisu. Then, choose from other menu varieties later.
Springfield Grille
$$ | (330) 726-0895 | WEBSITE
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Looking for a blend of American, Italian, and Asian cuisine? Springfield Grille is what you are looking for. Its cultural accents already make you anticipate the culinary experience it provides.
To make the most of it, first book a reservation. Their Zucchini Romano is a good place to start, or if you feel a little ‘seafoody,’ you could order their Lobster Bisque or the crab-stuffed Portobello.
Turn it up a notch higher and go for the ‘evil’ Calamari Diablo. Get ready to eat as much as you can while having the time of your life. It’s more fun to go with a dear one or make friends with those you meet.
Little Caesar’s
$ | (330) 629-8187 | WEBSITE
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Little Caesars is a multinational restaurant chain established in 1959 by Mike and Marian Ilitch. As the third-largest pizza restaurant chain in the United States, it is no surprise that Little Caesar’s managed to find its way to Boardman, Ohio.
Each day, freshly-made, world-famous pizzas are accompanied by a secret blend of spices that customers want to die for. But if you dine in, you can rest assured you’ll try more than their pizza dishes.
You could try the pizza cooked at 475° for food safety and never touched for safety’s sake. There are also other options like the Classic Pizza with pepperoni or cheese, and you can accompany that with some fizzy drink or juice.
Cocca’s Pizza
$ | (330) 726-1669 | WEBSITE
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Another family-owned Italian restaurant on this list would be Cocca’s Pizza. It was founded by Nick and Tina Cocca in 1982 and is now being operated by their son, Steve Cocca.
In 2019, the restaurant won the People’s Choice Award in the Valley Pizza Challenge, proving that it still keeps the customers satisfied even after so many years.
You could have their incredible pizza, topped with their family recipe tomato crust and then smothered to deliciousness with fresh Mozzarella, or enjoy their mouth-watering Pepperoni Rolls.
Whichever decision you make, you can be sure it will be the right one.
Summary
If you have a thing for Italian cuisine and find yourself in Boardman, Ohio, the Italian restaurants listed above are the perfect places to start exploring for a great meal.
You could go there for a relaxing time alone or with your loved ones for a thrilling, memorable experience. Whichever restaurant you choose, you can rest assured it would be worth your time.
Charlie Hammond has worked as a food and recipe blog writer for years. At Birch Restaurant, he works on finding and writing the best side dishes you can try! When he’s not working, he loves going to the beach, trying seafood dishes, and finding good places to eat.
