Always a great meal at Russo's. One of my favorite restaurants in the Akron area and the only one I know of that specializes in New Orleans/Cajun food. Jambalaya is great as well as the Halibut with Cajun sauce. Not really a mediocre item on the menu. read more

I've been using Yelp as long as I can remember and my experience at Russo's on 05/22/2026 was so bad it has lead to my first post/review. -if you're thinking about going to Russo's for drinks go to Vinifera instead. The atmosphere, selection, quality, and experience is superior. -if you're thinking about going to Russo's for oysters go to The Noisy Oyster instead. Their oysters have more flavor and are priced more reasonably. -if you're thinking of going to Russo's for steak or Italian food go to Porta Rossa instead. The ingredients are better quality and the food tastes much better. Our waitress and the hostess at Russo's were ineffective. The manager was combative, unprofessional, unapologetic, and very rude. She told us they were in the business of making money. The owner was not sympathetic to our situation and empowered the manager to treat customers poorly. They made no effort to try and offer us any discounts or adjustments to the check after all the errors and rude behavior. Loud atmosphere, slow and poor service, bad management and, overpriced and subpar food. Save yourself from having your own bad experience at Russo's. I strongly recommend going elsewhere. I find it hard to believe our situation was an isolated incident. read more

We really enjoyed our meals . I had the mushroom fettuccine with a medium rare filet which was cooked perfectly to order. Fettuccine was light , but a tad too much garlic - my husband had the filet with mashed potatoes and broccolini- the steak was seasoned and cooked to perfection. Mashed potatoes were creamy and broccolini tender with still a little crunch . We also ordered glasses of white wine which unfortunately weren't very cold . Food was so good though we will definitely return read more

Russo's - Mushroom fettuccine with a filet - Italian Near Me - Peninsula, Ohio

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Glad we gave Russo's another chance after my wife did not have a great experience here a few years back. We've been back three times in the last year and each time Russo's has provided an enjoyable dining experience for us. My wife and I like this restaurant for its food, delicious cocktails and good service. It's been a great 're-discovery' for us and it has become our go-to restaurant when we want to have a really special dining experience. This isn't a place where you can just show up and find a table--it's popular, so reservations are highly recommended. The dishes we've had here are delicious and in just-right proportions. We've come here with just ourselves and once with friends and have not been disappointed. Our servers have also been an important part of our dining experience at Russo's. They've all been personable and attentive. Russo's has two places to dine that offer two completely different experiences: the main dining room and the Bacchus Room. The main dining room has a combination of booths and tables in a carpeted area, making for a quieter atmosphere. The Bacchus Room is more of a casual sports bar type of area. It is a simple area with bare floors, standard tables, TVs with sports games on them and a bar, but also with garage doors that can open up to a patio in nicer weather. Both areas now have the same menu. The most recent time we came we had to sit in the Bacchus Room because the main dining room was full and we could only get reservations for Bacchus. We still had excellent service and a tasty meal. Finally, we've really enjoyed the cocktails here, especially the martinis. Great espresso martini and the sour apple has become one of my favorites. Be prepared to pay a little more to eat here, as we have generally found entrees to be around $35 on up and cocktails were about $12, BUT...so worth it! We look forward to returning. read more

Russo's - Twelve ounce French cut pork chop with smokey mac 'n cheese and grilled veggies.SO good! - Italian Near Me - Peninsula, Ohio

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Second time here! Love the rotating specials. The jambalaya was phenomenal with just the right amount of spice. Don't forget to order a slice of peanut butter pie for dessert! read more

Russo's - Italian Near Me - Peninsula, Ohio

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My favorite restaurant in N.E. Ohio, for special occasions. Very eclectic menu with both Italian & Creole. I've been going there for the past 15 years and my companions and myself have never had a bad meal with either cuisine. Cajun Jambalaya is my favorite. My only issue is the increase of prices especially the past two years. read more

Great experience at Russo's last night. We arrived at our reservation early and were promptly seated. We had fried green tomatoes with shrimp, roasted garlic head with plenty of hearty bread, and olive oil with cracked black pepper for dipping as well. Glasses of wine and martinis all around. The entrées were great. Homemade cavatelli with chicken, fillet with vegetables and mashed potatoes, hanger steak with vegetables and mashed potatoes, and Nola style fried chicken, with two kinds of relish and collard greens. Not the cheapest meal on the planet, but well worth it. read more

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Great food, highly recommend! Great service! Everything we've tried we love. Seafood Jambalaya is my husbands favorite read more

Excellent food and ambience. A bit pricey for pasta but worth it and friendly servers Altogether quite fine

Absolutely incredible. Highly recommended. Great for family friends or just a cocktail after work. The main bar is highly recommended to have a reservation given you can watch the kitchen cook. The Bacchus lounge also offers a smaller bar with incredibly nice bartenders. Delicious food and cocktails read more

Made dinner reservations for 530p on a Sat and wasn't too busy. Noise level wasn't overwhelming and barely noticed the TVs hidden at the bar that others complained about. Casual family friendly atmosphere. We ordered specialty cocktails, roasted garlic appetizer (with the bread and olive oil served, yuuum), seafood creole and shrimp and grits. With tax and tip about $140. All was delicious, but the seafood creole was by far the star of the show!!! Get extra of the bread to sop up the delicious broth! Server was knowledgeable, kind, and attentive. Will become a regular for us! read more

It was my husband's birthday,so he made reservations himself for Dec. 3rd at 5pm. We were not aware that it doesn't open till 5,everyone that came in the same time we did was seated in the restaurant but we were seated in the back bar area by ourselves. If we wanted to sit in the cold bar area alone why would we need reservations! There was only one person working BACK THERE, so service was good maybe because we were the only 2 people eating back there. Mussels were very good,my husband liked his entree mine wasn't what I expected. Ordered mushroom fettuccine,it was wide noodles with an over abundance of mushrooms. The meal was good but like I said not what I was expecting . May have to really think about visiting again. read more

First of all, the food was excellent, which makes this so much harder because the service was abysmal. My waitress was in training. She began by hovering and being a bit over attentive. She took my drink and appetizer order (the appetizer came out first) then after I asked, the drink came. She then took my dinner order which i ordered with a salad first. The salad came while I was still working on my appetizer. I never saw my waitress again. After an hour I asked a bus person if they could find my waitress and get another drink. When it eventually came from the waitress training my waitress I asked about my entree which I'd been waiting an hour for after I finished the salad. She put the order in at that time. More than an hour after I ordered it it was "put in." There was lots of apologizing and "sympathy and understanding" for how long I'd been there. When I asked for the check they charged me 7 dollars more than the menu price for my hour late entree. And made no effort or discount to try and make my tremendously bad and late service right. When I pointed out the overcharge, I asked, "Do you really not care about the service I received? Are you not even going to try to make it right. They gave me a three dollar discount with no more acknowledgement of the crappy way I was treated. This used to be a great place to eat. Not it's just expensive and they have proven that their customers are not important to them. Don't go. read more

Came midweek at 5:00 with spouse. No reservations and very few tables were occupied. Sat us all the way in the back in the lounge where 1 guy was sitting at the bar. Bartender took our order. Got water and entrees (Cajun Jambalaya ---which was spicy as expected and loaded with chicken-and a perch dinner which we were not offered side substitutes and did not enjoy greens.) We did not feel the meals were a good value. When we left, the main restaurant was still mostly empty. We were not asked if we wanted to sit in the bar and it was not a pleasant experience especially considering the prices. We feel strongly about supporting small local businesses but unfortunately this was not a positive experience. read more

This is a two part review. First part is our server. She was fabulous. Part 2 is the food. We had a salad with white french and the dressing seemed to be a bit watery. They didn't have jambalaya (how could this ever happen!!!) so we had something called Chicken Pastalaya. I wouldn't order it again. I had a vodka martini that was perfect. read more

I have been here many times and will continue to come here. Food is really good and they actually cook here - it isn't food just off the Sysco truck. Lots of creative dishes like corn fried jalapeño perch bites. Note the menu changes. Service is excellent and sitting at the bar for dinner is highly recommended- get reservations. The bar is art of the kitchen which is very cool. Well worth a drive to eat here. read more

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First time in the night before thanksgiving. Note if you park in the back and enter through the lounge it's a little bit of a confusing walk to get up to the host stand. But otherwise we were seated immediately with our reservation. I mostly came for oysters so those were lovely. Again it was the night before thanksgiving so paired the oysters with a light chicken salad. Which was honestly kind of hefty but good. Also was supposed to come on arugula but they were out so mixed greens instead. Also got the cocktail special which was a tasty cranberry aperol spritz. read more

The food was not worth the price. We don't mind paying a high price but it's gotta be worth it.

Fantastic find...open kitchen, great menu of Italian and Creole dishes wonderfully prepared Since we were a walk-in on Saturday evening, we sat at the bar. Dave the bartender was super friendly, knowledgeable of menu and made sure we were happy w our selections and wine selection. 5 star experience! Bravo! read more

First time here - food & service were spectacular! We got here before open & there was a small line to get in. Everyone was hustling and our server was right on time, every time! We both love Cajun food and the Jambalaya & gumbo were our favorites! There was no scrimping - every dish was large & FULL of deliciousness! Can't wait to come back! read more

Always enjoy Russo's. Great food. Best authentic gumbo around. Seafood creole is a must.

Service was over the top. Lisa was careful to make sure we had everything we needed. Our drinks were prepared perfectly. We enjoyed our afternoon being well taken care of. read more

Russo's - Italian Near Me - Peninsula, Ohio

My mother and I were visiting the area to see the National Park and this restaurant came highly recommended. Russo's exceeded our wildest expectations. The food is absolutely outstanding. Every dish we had was light, exceedingly fresh, and very generous portions. The menu offerings are unique. The balance of flavors in everything we ordered was perfect. They have an open kitchen and you can watch as they prepare the meals. It is one of the most impressive operations I've ever seen. Fast, efficient, and high quality all on display in a great atmosphere. The staff at Russo's couldn't have been nicer. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. Lisa took care of our table. Ask for her when you visit. She's an absolute delight. We will definitely be visiting again next time we are in the area. We both agreed that if we lived locally we would be at Russo's all the time. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a great night out of fine dining with good quality people. read more

I love Russo's! I have been dining here for over 15 years. My favorite dish is the shrimp and grits. The shrimp and grits recipe used during the last week of March 2025 was THE BEST! It had a tomato base and I went two nights in a row. I came back in April and you changed the recipe to something I would describe as shrimp, grits and corn kernels from a can. And my corn was surprisingly cold; and really out of place in my opinion. I had the shrimp and grits tonight, May 24, 2025. I reviewed the menu thoroughly and noticed the shrimp and grits said "new recipe" and found no mention of corn kernels thank goodness, so I ordered it. I would describe tonight's dish as shrimp, grits and mushrooms. The dish again was disappointing to me. The brown gravy sauce was heavy and the shrimp were not blackened like in the past - and I am assuming the numerous mushrooms made it all taste boringly the same. Please please please go back to the recipe used during the last week of March 2025!! I am hoping the owner or chef sees this review so they can go back to the home run recipe used in March, and burn the recipe cards for April and tonight's May shrimp and grits dish. The ambiance is always great. read more

Unique and interesting place. Owned by a Clevelander who learned to cook in NO. Good Cajun food. Great service. Great wine list. Highly recommend. read more

What an amazing meal! Loved the halibut with crawfish sauce! The barbecue shrimp are not to be missed. Lisa provided excellent service and made great recommendations for our dining choices. Can't wait to go back! read more

We stayed at The Inn at Brandywine and this restaurant was recommended. We made a reservation and we were sat right when we got there. Had some trouble with my drinks I ordered, so I just stuck with water. We ordered the homemade bread with the roasted garlic and it was so good. The garlic wasn't overpowering and the bread was some of the best I've had in a while!! My husband ordered the Cajun jambalaya and looked amazing!! We both had a side salad with hand made dressing that was really good. It was Thursday, so I ordered the special! 3 piece fried perch, some of the best I've had, very thick pieces and the breading was light and flaky and the tartar sauce was so tasty, with white beans and rice, collard greens (I've never tried collard greens before and they were so good I ate them all!), I also ordered a side of mashed potatoes that were so creamy and real with lumps, yummy!! All in all I'd go back again!! The place was quaint and had outside seating. Next time I would sit at the bar to watch the chefs do their thing!! My reason for 4 stars is because my drinks didn't turn out and they were a little slow getting our food out but I'd give them another shot for sure!! read more

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we stopped to have coffee and cannoli. Just plain coffee, which they needed to make.. 2 cannoll for $10.00. Put in a large to-go and rolled the stuffing out. I have a pi of them. wish I could show them. Not tasty at all. read more

3.5 rounded to four only to be nice for the area. Not trying to be egotistical, but nothing I couldn't re-create. Pasta was store-bought, sauce was OK. My first and only draft beer was flat. Prices were way over priced for what you got, but still was above average for Ohio, sadly. Went there because friends wanted to go, but would not go back, unless forced. read more

This place used to be great but it has done to hell. Service was abysmal. Food to FOREVER and was mediocre at best. The place was not clean. It was overpriced when compared to quality. This place now SUCKS UPDATE: the manager was nice and adjusted our bill, and gave a gift card to encourage another chance. read more

Russo's - And we had this friend at our table - Italian Near Me - Peninsula, Ohio

Wow ,outstanding ,amazing food great staff.Could be the best food in the greater Cleveland,ohio area.Every time I eat at this place it fortifies its GREATNESS. read more

Great food, enjoyable atmosphere and friendly staff made for a perfect date night. We started with Chicken Andouille with spicy mustard sauce. I was pleased to hear the menu was both Italian and Cajun and not a fusion as not sure how that would work. My wife and I both went for the later as it's hard to get Cajun in Ohio. We were both pleased with our selections of Creole for me and Shrimp and Grits for her. My seafood was fresh and cooked properly with a zesty sauce. I stole a few spoonfuls of grits which were creamy. We will definitely be back to Russo's and recommend it for those looking to steer away from kids, lame menus, boring chains. read more

We came with reservations on a Saturday night, make sure to make these as they are typically booked Friday and Saturday. We tried twice to make same day reservations and couldn't get in, you have to call to make reservations. Restaurant was nice, had an old school Italian vibe to it. The first thing I noticed was rolled out paper for tablecloth, which seems a little cheap to me for a restaurant that's $20-50 a plate. The server greeted us promptly with water and bread. We shared a bottle of wine, there was a pretty extensive list. The menu had a good variety of Italian and creole food. I had the seafood creole and she had the mushroom pasta. The seafood creole was loaded with fresh seafood and had a spicy tomato sauce, the flavor was good, a little spicy and the right amount of salt. She had the mushroom pasta and said it was good. Each meal also came with a nice sized garden salad. The food was good, but not great. Server was ok, but seemed pretty uninterested. She basically took the orders and brought the food. We asked for extra bread with our meals that she never brought. Not quite the service you'd expect at a restaurant that's on the pricier side. If we go back it would be to try the Bacchus club, their bar with a little cheaper menu. I just don't think the food and service e matches the price tag here. read more

Russo's - Seafood creole - Italian Near Me - Peninsula, Ohio

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Love it all! Wish we lived closer! Everything was delicious & service was spectacular!

This place is amazing! Caesar salad with Calamari. Voodoo mojo oysters to die for! Dave the bar tender was so professional and friendly. The menu has something for everyone. I asked for anchovies on my Caesar and they delivered!! Please visit this place! read more

Russo's - Caesar salad with Calamari - Italian Near Me - Peninsula, Ohio

Came here for a work dinner when I was in town for work. The place is definitely unassuming and maybe a bit questionable considering it is right next to a small/weird motel. BUT I was pleasantly surprised bc the oysters I ordered were pretty good and the lightly seared yellowtail was really good! I probably never would have come here in my own, but I'm glad I did. I am sure we will be back and I am looking forward to ordering the same meal! I didnt pay so I dont know the prices but looking at the menu, everything seemed very reasonable and the service was great! read more

I have to be honest, I did not expect much judging the building from the outside. However, I was very happily wrong. We sat at the bar (which doubles as a kitchen), which is probably the best seat in the house, as a good amount of cooking takes place here and you are able to watch. The service was great, very attentive. It seemed like many of the guests went there frequently as they knew some of the staff by name. The menu has a strange mix of Italian and Creole. Our meal from start to finish was absolutely delicious. So unexpected from a restaurant in the middle of Ohio. Would highly recommend the peanut butter pie dessert. We ordered a piece to share and loved it so much we ordered a second to take home. Prices were very reasonable. Parking was plentiful. We will definitely put this on our repeat list because the food was excellent! read more

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Really bad food. I ordered a beet salad and it was truly the worst plate of food anyone has ever given me. For the prices here, they really should put some kind of basket of bread on the table. read more

First time at Russo's and food was very yummy! You get bread to start, and we got the calamari app which I forgot to get a picture of but was 10/10. Highly recommend that. It did take a looonnng time for everything (was there almost 2 hrs total with a family of 4), but they were packed and short a server. Was still a good experience though! We went on Ash Wednesday so could've been another reason they were so busy. I got the fried perch w/ Mac and cheese and veggies. Mac n cheese was my favorite part.. it's so Smokey tasting and delish! Very southern. Wish they had just a giant bowl of that on the menu! All the food was great. Coleslaw side was very tasty as well. read more

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I've been here twice in the last couple of months. I would have to say this is one of my new favorite restaurants. It's a little pricey but well worth it. They offer cajun and creole type foods that are amazing. Hard to find this kind of flavor in northeast Ohio. I had a Mojito which was quite delicious. My husband had a couple of martinis but they were a bit too sweet. One in particular the lemon drop was nasty. If you love Creole or teacher or a little bit of spice you Will love this place. The hostess is amazing. We thought we made a reservation online but apparently it had not been confirmed. When we got there she told us we were not on the list. We were disappointed but pleasant. The hostess was amazing and still fit us in even 15 minutes what we thought we had made our reservation time. Our waitress was quick and efficient. We could've used a few more glasses of water but we saw her running around like a mad woman trying to take care of everyone as best as she could. The second bar was understaffed but we didn't have any problems getting our drinks pretty quickly. We had the cooked oysters, crab claws, the breaded fish appetizer, the apple salad, and the fish in a creole sauce. Everything was delicious. The crab claws were the only thing in my opinion that weren't super exciting because they basically just steamed them and add a little side of mustard nothing fancy. Everything else was fancy well prepared and delicious. The apple salad was amazing. read more

Russo's - Mojito - Italian Near Me - Peninsula, Ohio