Located on the corner of Lee Road between Silsby and Meadowbrook, Marotta’s is a charming Italian restaurant with a rich legacy of flavor and tradition. 

Marotta’s offers a wide variety of dishes, ranging from the Molto Marotta Pizza, which includes pesto, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, tomatoes, spinach and mozzarella, to the Shrimp Gremolata, which is a linguine with gulf shrimp in a lemon, white wine and garlic sauce. 

Owner Brian Linihan, who opened the restaurant in 1998, shared his favorite menu item. 

“Deli bolognese, the Bolognese pasta, which used to be a special, and now it’s on the regular menu,” he said.

 “I learned how to make that in Bologna, Italy, where it comes from, in a place called Piazza Santo Stefano,” he said. “I kind of bribed the kitchen where we were eating with a bottle of wine.” 

He then altered the plate to match the American palate. 

Linihan explained that the restaurant started with a shared dream between him and his late wife, Alicia Linihan. 

“[Alicia] always wanted an Italian restaurant, and I had restaurants before, so I told her I can open a place with her,” he said. “We worked together at an Italian restaurant, and it’s the only job that she and I were ever let go from; then we said, you know what? We’re going to open our own place.”

The Linihans seized the opportunity to start their restaurant when a property in Willoughby opened up in 1998. 

“I worked for a catering company, and she worked for Sysco Foods, so we saved and had a friend who knew of a restaurant that was wanting to sell,” he said. “We found this place in Willoughby called Longo’s Pizza, and we took that over and changed the whole format of the place, knowing we were going to move the restaurant.”

Within six months of opening the restaurant in Willoughby, Linihan found Marotta’s current location in Cleveland Heights and began building while the Willoughby location was still open. Linihan explained the financial challenges of building the new restaurant.

“We borrowed money from credit cards, took out every loan we possibly could, and put liens on our cars and our house to open Marotta’s,” he said. “It was [Alicia’s] dream.”

He described how their vision of the restaurant integrated Alicia’s Italian roots as well as their experiences studying abroad.

 “[We knew] it was going to be very rustic Italian, with the idea of bringing food that she grew up on, Italian American cuisine,” Linihan said. “I was going to bring what I knew from [my experience working at a] restaurant in New York, and she was going to bring what she grew up with and what we both learned in Italy.”

Marotta’s opened the current location in Cleveland Heights in 2000 and has been going strong ever since. Linihan described why he chose Cleveland Heights for Marotta’s new location.

“My wife was born and raised in Cleveland, went to St. Ann’s and Beaumont, and her father had a hair salon [on Lee Road] that was technically two doors away from where we are open now,” he said. “So, she was very familiar with the area, and we were lucky enough to find a location with a really good landlord.” 

As a small business, it can often be challenging to find the right people to hire, as job markets are already competitive and smaller businesses have to deal with smaller budgets and less brand recognition than large chains. Linihan described Marotta’s hiring process. 

“The first thing we see is the application. How they present themselves is a big determining factor,” he said.  “Then, when we interview them, [we take] their appearance [into account], meaning, if they’re well kept. If they just show up and don’t take it seriously, there’s not a chance.”

He explained how Marotta’s takes advantage of the digital age to verify an applicant’s history. 

“[We use] social media, and we can make several phone calls to follow up on their recommendations,” he said. 

Additionally, Linihan mentioned that Marotta’s takes applicants’ experience into account toward the end of the hiring process; however, they are always open to teach their employees the ways of the restaurant. 

Elizabeth Linihan, daughter of Brian Linihan and a senior at Beaumont High School, described her duties working at Marotta’s.

“I’m a host, so I handle DoorDash orders, and when people come to pick them up, I give it to them,” she said. “I write down to-go orders, give them to the pizza guy and the chef, and then, as a busser, I bring water, bread and oil to tables and clean them.”

Elizabeth explained why she enjoys working at Marotta’s.

“I like working because I get to meet new people, gain customer service experience, and strengthen my communication skills,” she said. “I’m meeting people that my parents have known for a while and that they’re friends with while also making money and spending my time doing something productive.”

Elizabeth plans to attend college during the fall of 2025, pursuing a degree in finance and potentially culinary arts. She described the thought process behind choosing a major.

“It’s always been the number one thought on my brain to do that after high school because of my parents and because of all the cooking we do at home,” she said. 

If you’re looking for a delicious Italian restaurant with humble roots to add to your monthly dinner rotation, give Marotta’s a try.