Brought the wife and a couple of fiends here for my birthday. I had been raving about the food at Borgata and they were curious, so what better place to go on a Friday night? So many great restaurants in Little Italy that it's hard to walk in to a random establishment and not have a great meal. But this little bar tucked away at the corner right before heading up Mayfield hill is a hidden gem. It's not a big place. It's not fancy. It's a "bar". But I promise you... they have GREAT food here! There's always a crowd at the actual bar during the few times I've gone, but for as small as the dining area with tables is, I'm a bit surprised as to why it isn't full of diners more often. Perhaps because they've labeled themselves a "bar" and maybe most passerby's think you can only drink there. So this is my one little way of getting the word out: EAT @ BORGATA!!! You won't be disappointed... Especially if you try the blackened chicken Alfredo! Perfectly seasoned, super tender chicken, creamy Alfredo sauce, with the 3 pieces of the most perfect garlic toast - it's carb heaven on a plate!!! DO IT!! One of the greater things about this establishment is that if you savor and enjoy your meal and drinks patiently enough and not rush out, you'll likely meet the chef as he goes from table to table asking how you are enjoying your meal. Twice I've had a nice conversation with Chef Armun, this time a little extended as we got to know more about each other. One of my friends happen to mention that it was my birthday. Jerk! (something I don't really like to announce). Then something happened when we were done with our meal and were on our way out. Chef Armun stopped us and said "Can you give me 5 minutes? You can't leave yet." I'm confused, but said "oooohkay, sure." A few minutes passes by and comes out with a slice of the most decadent cake with a candle on it and the whole place started singing happy birthday! For sure an occasion I will always remember. And it's things like this that endear places and people near your heart... where and when you truly feel treated as friend or family by a small, local business. To Chef Armun and Borgata... thanks for the impactful experience!! To everyone reading this: EAT & DRINK @ BORGATA! You won't be disappointed! read more

See all

Food was surprisingly delicious for a bar that looks and feels very divey and not for young lone women to be at really otherwise . The bread pudding was delicious and soft with layers of flavor. It had a caramel sauce and tasteful strawberry fruit accent. The garlic toast was fantastic and a perfect mix of loaded on garlic and butter and not too thick bread so it wasn't dry or hard at all. The salad with shrimp was impressive. The shrimp on the salad (3 for $4) are huge! Yum. The chef came out when I got my food and let me know he labeled everything on the outside which was a thoughtful and helpful gesture! Not too terribly expensive either. read more

See all

My friend from Tampa came to town last October to visit. I had to work on that Friday and I told him he should take the rapid train from airport to Little Italy and go out explore, maybe check out Museum of Art and some cool architecture, bars and restaurants. His first stop of the day was Borgata Bar. He had a drink right around lunch hour and said this bar was awesome. He said the food was excellent as well. I have been meaning to come here for almost a year now. Finally during the weekend of The Feast I had my chance. Tremendous little classic Cleveland bar. Had the pork cutlet sandwich and it was fantastic. Highly recommend this bar for food and solid Cleveland experience. read more

See all

So not sure what Michelle is talking about in her review. But for starters they don't cook their Alfredo in a pot. And they make the Alfredo sauce from scratch per order. And they use a full chicken breast. This is a disgruntled person who took her food home and made it look not up to par to satisfy her own agenda. Anyways!!!!! Here is my blackened chicken Alfredo that I always order because it is so good. Took it home today because I had an appointment The only thing you are not seeing in this picture is my delicious garlic toast because I was impatient and ate it in the car LOL. If you haven't been here you definitely should go. The food is great and the staff is even better! read more

See all

Borgata was such a delightful experience! The food and the people and the karaoke! Loved it all :)

If you want to have the Italian version of "Cheers" You must visit Borgata Bar in Little Italy. Leslie welcomes you with with warmth and humor and serves a great drink! The Ambiance is old time Italy with a beautiful wooden bar and lots of old pictures from the 20's thru 60's. A great way to while away a lazy Saturday afternoon read more

Love this old school gem!! Took my parents out and Leslie single handedly made it an unforgettable afternoon. The other patrons are so friendly. Everyone felt like family in minutes. Can't wait to return. I love Borgata Bar!!! read more

Borgata Bar - My beautiful parents. - Italian Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Stopped into Borgata for a quick drink that turned into an amazing experience! She played songs that everyone in the bar sang and OMG, everyone sang along and had a GREAT time! We celebrated with people that came in where they were celebrating Father's Day and they joined in and sang and had a great time. Leslie is amazing at engaging the customers and everyone there had amazing time! This is such a great place and Leslie makes it THE PLACE to go for FUN! read more

I love this place!! Great food, amazing bartenders!! I highly recommend stopping here if you're in the area!! My new favorite spot to go to! So much fun and everyone is so kind and accommodating!!! I love this place! read more

Ordered chicken alfredo and got spaghetti with butter sauce with hardly any chicken. Bartender was nice but won't get food from there again. read more

Borgata Bar - Ordered chicken alfredo and got spaghetti with hardly any chicken in a butter sauce. Won't get food there again. - Italian Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Bartender was absolutely horrible and so rude. We showed up and were asked to show our IDs. She asked my one friend if she had an issue and why she was so upset (which she wasn't). She wouldn't take our order and then said "I heard Tolis is a great spot" over and over while we were just trying to get a couple drinks. Weirdest bar experience ever. read more

Bartender Kelly is always friendly and handles the whole bar by herself so well! Hamoon the chef clearly takes pride in his work, and Hubby and I got to chat with him for a bit when he brought out our food. As for ambiance, it's SUPER relaxed. Not dive-y, but definitely a place to chill out and have a burger and beer while you watch sports on the TVs behind the bar. read more

Borgata Bar - Hubby's Borgata Burger! - Italian Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

See all

Everything was awesome. Had the meatball sub, and hot beef sub. Both awesome. The bruschetta appetizer was awesome. The prices were awesome. The portions were awesome. The cleanliness was awesome. The service was awesome. I mean, our server's name was Ave Maria. Doesn't get more Italian and awesome than that. Like I said, everything was just awesome. read more

The bread pudding is so amazing you won't regret ordering it. The service is great too. read more

Borgata Bar - Bread Pudding - Italian Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

I had the pleasure of discovering Borgata bar last weekend. We arrived at seven to find the bar busy but not packed. We were greeted immediately by the staff and welcomed to a table. Drink orders were taken quickly and provided as requested. The highlight of the evening was discovering their wings, which are huge with a new special sauce they have. It's absolutely delish! The calamari was also very good. We then switched to Italian food and had a chicken Parm, a veal Parm sandwich, and spaghetti and meatballs. All were very good, and we portions were big enough that we took some home for later. The wings were so good we even took home another order for our family! The new sauce is absolutely amazing! We can't wait to go back again. read more

Back months later and they did it again! Amazing food, vibes, staff, and overall the greatest place. Skip the other places and come straight to here when you are in little Italy!!! read more

Borgata Bar - The chicken parmigiana was to die for!! - Italian Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Best restaurant ever. Love the meatballs and the pizza. Awesome staff! You can play bowling while you Eat. Super fun! Great hole in the wall! read more

Arrived at 830pm after a long day at the Clinic. Advertised as open for food, we arrived to be told no food due to a busy weekend. We Ubered here, bow what? The cook comes over and says I can do a couple of Lasagna dinners...we are ecstatic. 18 minutes later he comes back out to tell us I'm sorry, everything's frozen. There's no doubt what happened. Kimmie, the bartender was so anxious to get out of there she expressively told him no. How she can direct traffic. I have no idea because when I was leaving, she was on the phone and a drunken conversation with her boyfriend about hotdogs and a hamburgers for the weekend dropping multiple F bombs. I have never been so upset by some uninterested employee looking to get out of work rather than provide a service for a customer in an establishment she represents. Never again will I visit, this place doesn't deserve your visit, Kimmy needs to be let go and sent to intermediary customer service training. Feel free to reach out to me if you want to discuss. Employing this person is a bad idea. read more

Unassuming dive bar in Little Italy. Cheap drinks and affordable American Italian vitals. Little Italy needed a no frills blue collar dive bar. It's nice not to pay 10$ for a watered down drink. read more

See all

The food was very good and the staff and customers are a real pleasure. Found my time there to be very enjoyable and looking forward to the next visit.. read more

This is an unassuming little bar at the end of the street. Gives off a dive bar vibe, which I tend to enjoy. The bartender who served us (I'm terrible with names but she had cool piercings) was very friendly and helpful. Food was out of this world. My family is Italian, and I honestly expected typical bar food (aka good when you're drunk but nothing special), so I'll admit I was skeptical, but the food was seriously incredible. We had the award winning meatballs, not your typical served with red sauce, but still amazing. The braciole was classic and hearty and nostalgic, reminded me of Sunday supper with my family. The sausage lasagne was unlike anything I've ever had, it was possibly the best lasagne I've ever had. The portions are very generous (as in there's basically another meal or two that you'll have in your guaranteed to-go box), and the entrees came with amazing garlic bread and appetizer salads. Everything was very reasonably priced. I'm very glad that I found this place, I can't wait to go back. I would definitely recommend to anyone!!! read more

Called an audible and stumbled to little Italy for the night - all the staples had 2hr wait, and there were 6 of us. Walked almost towards the end of little Italy ( a bit bummed) and this old timer with a cane mumbled "good food" outside this hole-in-the-wall..... so We walked in, moved our own table, grabbed a Peroni and enjoyed the decor. Didn't have high expectations for food, menu was simple, no frills. To our surprise, food was banging! Chicken parm landed, mussels were perfect, service was fun. Kids loved it too! Price was much less pretentious than the other spots down the street. And that SAUCE! We'll be back. read more

We came in after a wedding with a large party. What a great experience from the food to drinks with wonderful service. The owner is super kind and gracious. I live in Las Vegas and next time I come to Ohio I will be sure and make a stop here. read more

The food was incredible. Fresh, flavorful, and fried to perfection breaded cutlet sandwich, with some of the best fries I've ever had. Definitely got my money's worth here. read more

Borgata Bar - Breaded chicken cutlet sandwich and fries - Italian Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

Borgata is a no frills dive bar tucked away at the end of the little Italy strip. We stumbled in on a rainy Sunday evening and were immediately greeted by a friendly bartender who wanted to make our meal memorable. We look forward to returning to this neighborhood establishment (especially for the garlic bread!). If you get the chance to go definitely order the meatballs!! Whether you're going for a cheap bite or a night cap after dinner, make sure you stop in to say hi to one of their friendliest bartenders, Hasha! read more

This place is a huge disappointment. Started strong with the mussels but went downhill from there. The braciole was a piece of roast beef lunch meat with something stuffed in it over a salty sauce of spaghetti. The veal parm sandwich was just ok. it's fine for a drink but the food isn't up to par for where it is. read more

Food is always great and the service is fast and friendly. Great place to have dinner without breaking the bank.

Great old school pub,friendly ,great prices ,on food and drink, for the area,Saturday, a Sunday football all day. read more

See all

You go to the trendy restaurants in Little Italy and they all have a wait, then you go on Yelp and see this unassuming establishment at the end of Little Italy and have a drink, then you see all of the food and have an appetizer, then you can't help but try an entree, then you fall in love with the locals and forget about the wait you would have had to endure had you wanted to be trendy. The food is phenomenal (get the meatballs and calamari!!!!) and the rest will fall into place, i'lll be coming back here every time I come to Cleveland read more

Borgata Bar - Italian Near Me - Cleveland, Ohio

We found this friendly neighborhood bar on our first day in Cleveland. The lasagna was delicious and the good vibes from the super nice staff were so welcoming. Because I was having surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, I had to stay in our rented apartment all week recuperating. But my husband found a home away from home at The Borgata Bar. And when he told everyone about my surgery, the chef gave him a gift for me! It was a beautiful set of turquoise jewelry: a necklace, matching earrings, and two bracelets. How nice is that?! When I go back to Cleveland for a followup checkup, I will definitely give that chef a hug...and order a big plate of his lasagna. read more

Dollar for dollar the best spot despite the small entree menu. One of the best lasagnas I've had. Overstuffed myself but hard not to with how good the sauce and bread is as well. Good selection of house wine. read more

Service is horrible even if your patron. Worst food and drinks in little Italy. The ambiance is hostile.

This is the best bar in Cleveland and I don't exaggerate. If you need a drink at a reasonable price, made to your exact desires, then this bar is your place. Carlos, Asha, and co. will make you a stiff drink and a tasty burger and talk your ear off all night. A true dive bar, the only place in Little Italy that isn't overpriced or pretentious. read more