Guido's Pizza Haven

Full disclosure, a friend of a friend owns Guido's Pizza Haven and Restaurant in Chesterland. Our friends have said nothing but good things about the food over the years, and have often mentioned that we all should meet out there for dinner. But, with what seemed like a really long drive out to Chesterland, it just didn't happen. Until the 2015 To Dine Challenge list. My friend submitted the nomination, and I just knew that it needed to make the final list. We've literally talked about it for YEARS, and I still hadn't been. Well, that recently changed.

The restaurant has quite the following, and even the new, larger location is always packed. We selected a Tuesday evening, thinking that it would be a better choice than a weekend night. At 6:30pm, there still was about a 15 minute wait, and a rotating line of take-out customers.

I instantly liked how a portion of the kitchen was open. It was fun to watch them work as we waited, and the smells wafting from the window were tantalizing.

Once seated, we let our friends guide us through ordering. For the table, we ordered a small Pepperoni and Sausage Pizza.

This pizza was unlike any other pizza that I've had in the Greater Cleveland area. Square pizza is their thing, which leads to extra crispy crusts on each little slice. It was thick and doughy, plenty of cheesy goodness, and quite enjoyable. We regrettably didn't have any leftovers for the next day.

Portions are large here, but many of the main dishes you can get as a meal or just a small plate. Mr. H ordered the meal of Chicken Parmesan.

It came with a salad (ask for the pink house dressing, not the regular), and a side of pasta of your choice. He went with a mix of the Meat Ravioli and Cheese Ravioli.

The pictures don't do the size justice. We both ate some of the Chicken Parm, and there was half of it leftover the next day that we AGAIN split. The chicken was pounded so thin; it's the thinnest version that I've ever seen. Our friend loves it, and compares all other Chicken Parms to it. For me, a self-proclaimed chicken breast hater, I liked it too. Mr. H enjoyed it, but would have preferred for it to be thicker. The ravioli were fine, but not memorable. It's the only thing that I wouldn't order again.

I decided to try the Eggplant Roll-ups.

This is their small version! It was enough for us both to have some, and I still took one home for lunch the next day.

Completely in a "carb coma" after this filling meal, we rolled out of there and headed back to Cleveland.

The food is classic Italian, and one of the better Italian meals that I've had in the area. I truly enjoyed the restaurant, and the charming family that runs it.

Other notes: It's BYOB, and cash only!

You may not find yourself in Chesterland often, but if you do, I suggest checking out Guido's Pizza Haven and Restaurant.

Guido's Pizza Haven and Restaurant
12809 Chillicothe Road
Chesterland, OH
440-729-9666