Think of it as the hipper, younger cousin of the traditional Italian restaurant with the red checkered tablecloths. Geraci’s, a local, family-owned Italian restaurant with its flagship location in University Heights, recently opened a pizza shop downtown run by third-generation owner Bucky Spoth.
Spoth told The Land the opening of Geraci’s Slice Shop at 603 Prospect Ave., where Vincenza’s Pizza and Pasta was located until it closed in 2022, is a “dream come true.” He said he enjoys serving downtown workers, families going to ball games, and late-night crowds looking for something to munch on. While slices are the main entree at the new downtown location, whole pizza pies are also available, along with a few different Italian dishes, sides, and salads.
Geraci’s Slice Shop is nothing if not neon. From the street, a bright Geraci’s sign with an arrow pointing downwards at the storefront beckons hungry revelers and curious passers-by. Once inside the door, families and friends alike can order a slice of pizza or a whole pie and a drink to go along with it while bellying up to the nostalgic tables and taking in the 1980s decor. Geraci’s is located within the 5th Street Arcades but has an entrance on Prospect Ave., minutes from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and within walking distance of Progressive Field. Spoth said the different types of people that frequent downtown made the location especially enticing to Geraci’s.
“The Guardians game will be shooting off fireworks and everybody seems to kind of gravitate towards our shop,” he said. “It’s located right on the main walkway from the stadium to East 4th or the casino and we are lit up like a Las Vegas strip, so you kind of just stumble on in.”
“We get all kinds of crowds,” he added. “That was our driving force of going down here.”
While the crowd diversity was a big selling point for Geraci’s, they are still family-centric. “That has always been the bread and butter for our business, a casual family eatery,” Spoth said.
The slice model is relatively new for Geraci’s – there’s one other location in Willoughby – and the owner said it’s a good model for downtown Cleveland, where many people may prefer the grab-and-go option. Indeed, on a recent lunchtime visit, a headphone-wearing patron ordered a pizza and proceeded to eat a slice walking down the block, seeming to reflect the shop’s appeal to downtown workers. “We are an east side institution so we are opening up the doors for many more people to try us out, and it’s affordable,” said Spoth. “You can go in and order a slice of pizza for $5 or $6, whereas at the other location you had to go in and eat a sit-down meal.”
In addition to the standard cheese and pepperoni pizza, there’s also Spicy Vegan, the Pink Hawaiian, and the Grandma G, which is a six-square pie with stripes of red, pink and pesto sauces, among other choices. If pizza is not your thing, then the menu offers other options like lasagna and meatballs – including a “meatball flight” (try all three sauces: pesto, red sauce, and pink sauce). If you’re looking for a drink, there’s beer, wine, and cocktails. Geraci’s Slice shop even sells airplane bottles of booze so that patrons can build their own cocktails using the soda fountain.
Geraci’s Slice Shop has an outdoor patio and cozy indoor booths, providing several options for patrons to dine in if they don’t want to order at the counter and eat on the street. The entire interior is filled with fun decor, from the neon signs that read “Slice to Meet You” and “Slice, Slice, Baby” to the retro posters of Bernie Kosar from the Browns and Brad Daugherty from the Cavs. The restrooms are even Dirty-Dancing-themed and there’s a neon sign with an arrow pointing to the corner that says, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner” (a line from Dirty Dancing).
Downtown events are not the only time when Geraci’s experiences an uptick in customers, Spoth said. With downtown gradually coming back from the pandemic, the traffic has been steady. Weekdays are often busy, particularly around lunchtime when they serve many downtown workers. The demand is so strong that there is often a line out the door during lunchtime, he said.
Spoth takes pride in the consumer diversity of Geraci’s. “ You have Mayor Bibb who comes in to buy a slice of pizza or even the homeless guy who earned a little bit of money,” he said. “It’s exactly what I thought and wanted the place to be. It’s a fun environment where anyone is welcome.”
The fact that it’s a family-owned business is part of what makes it unique, he said. Geraci’s just celebrated their 67th year in business on July 2, and Spoth wants to continue the family legacy, albeit in a spunky, retro, ’80s-themed kind of way. “I am in a very unique situation because it’s this longstanding family-run business where it all goes back to,” he said. “I just have to make my family proud, and I’ve got to make the customers who supported us like we’re family proud.”
Geraci’s Slice Shop is located at 603 Prospect Ave. Cleve. 44115. The hours are Sun.-Mon. 11a-11p, Tues.-Sat. 11a-12a. Their website is www.geracissliceshop.com.
Rachelle Miller was a participant in The Land’s community journalism program.
We're celebrating four years of amplifying resident voices from Cleveland's neighborhoods. Will you make a donation to keep our local journalism going?
