New to Solon, But Dino's Has Been Serving Italian Fare for Decades

Dino’s Restaurant may be new to Solon, but it has been serving up Italian-American fare for more than 50 years at its Willoughby, Willowick and Mentor locations.   

Originally started by the Tibaldi family in the 1960s, Dino’s is still family-owned and operated by brothers Pete and John Tibaldi, along with Tony Dobbert, co-owner and manager of the Solon spot. 

Inside this multi-level eatery, you won’t find red-checkered tablecloths, Chianti bottles dripping with candle wax, or ropes of garlic hanging on the walls.  The décor is plain and simple; the food does all of the “talking.” 

“Our focus is on bringing customers authentic, delicious food with attentive service,” says Dobbert.  “All of our dishes are prepared from scratch and made to order from our hand-kneaded pizza dough to our many fresh salads.”

The menu consists of a variety of pastas, chicken and veal dishes, steaks, seafood, sandwiches and – naturally – pizza. 

“Our signature dishes are the Chicken Piccata that is lightly battered and sautéed in a butter, white wine and lemon sauce, and our homemade Cavatelli, which everyone has loved so far,” said Dobbert.  “Another house favorite is our famous Parmigiana entrees in your choice of chicken, veal or shrimp.”

Another great menu feature that enables you to sample a couple of different items is the combination platter, where you can choose two main dishes, a salad and a choice of side dishes.  For busy families, you can’t beat the Family Pack Dinners that readily serve four to six people.  

Dino’s opened only three weeks ago, yet is already receiving repeat customers along with steady carryout orders.  Private parties can reserve the upstairs space or rooftop deck, and Dino’s also caters in offsite locations.  There is a bar on the first floor and another one up the winding staircase that serves the upper level.  Dino's is open Monday through Thursday from 11:20 a.m. to 1o p.j., Friday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“We just knew that Solon was a good next move for Dino’s.  It’s a well-populated area that appreciates good food, and it’s close to home,” adds Dobbert. 

Dobbert lives in Twinsburg, but has connections to the area through St. Rita’s and Solon schools.  As a way of reaching out to the community, Dino’s tries to employ from within the neighborhood and has hired students from Solon High School's Excel-Tech Culinary Arts Program.           

Dobbert and his partners are well aware of the history of the location, but are unwavering in their insistence that they are here to stay, and have put measures into place to insure that happens.  For example, in addition to the on-site parking adjacent to and behind the building, Dino’s has extra parking spaces in the lot on Station Street right across from their building. 

Solon’s restaurant line-up is really shaping up nicely with the addition of Dino’s and bringing in visitors from all over the area.