Italian menu, gourmet pizza, comfort food coming to Buzzard Cove
by Dan Holland
Visitors to the Cleveland Metroparks Hinckley Reservation will soon have a new Italian restaurant and pizzeria to visit at Buzzard Cove, located directly across from the park entrance.
Buzzard Cove Scratch Kitchen & Bistro, in an existing building at 1053 Bellus Rd., will offer a wide range of gourmet pizzas, Italian dinner specialties, burgers, wings, salads, subs, desserts and a children’s menu in a 70-seat restaurant. The establishment, to be open year-round, will do carryout and delivery.
“There’s a big void in this area for carryout and delivery service,” said Joe Gallo, who owns the business along with partners Greg Sukenic and Mike Anthony.
“It’s crazy how much business we do here during the summer months with the putt-putt course and driving range,” Gallo said. “With those attractions and food, people will be able to make a full experience of it now. They can maybe play putt-putt, and then come in and have lunch or dinner here.
“For those who spend summers at Hinckley Lake, they’ll have the option now to come across the street, pick up some pizza or other food, and go back to the park.”
Buzzard Cove was founded in the late 1980s, after Sukenic’s father purchased a golf course at the site.
“He then redeveloped it, added a new mini-golf course and a new building to the property,” Sukenic said. “It has been there as Buzzard Cove ever since.”
Original plans to open a pizzeria in spring 2020 morphed into the full-service restaurant.
“We never got the pizzeria opened earlier this year, because it became a bigger project than we anticipated,” Gallo said. “So by the time we got drawings done, moved some interior walls around, put up another [exhaust] hood and a walk-in cooler, the project mushroomed. Now, we’re getting close to the finish line.”
They plan to open the first week of December, he said.
“We’ve been thinking about this for a couple of years, and we found Mike (Anthony), who could implement it,” Sukenic said. “We’re working on our final permitting, because we did renovations in the restaurant. We’ve been adding on and doing some remodeling.”
New tables, booths and chairs were brought in. Plans call for additional tables to be added to an outdoor patio next spring. Partitions will be attached to the backs of the booths to provide a physical barrier between customers. The owners strived to adhere to all mandates in regard to COVID-19 restrictions, according to Gallo.
“We’ll be following all the state guidelines,” said Sukenic. “Hopefully, we’ll do a big carryout business, because I don’t know if a lot of people are going out to eat right now. We’ll have delivery and also dine-in, all in accordance with the necessary precautions.”
Anthony, who will run day-to-day operations, is hopeful that the menu will bring a much-needed option to area residents and day visitors.
“This isn’t going to be like your average chain-restaurant type of pizza,” he said. “We’re making everything from scratch and using all premium ingredients, the best of the best.”
The restaurant will offer a number of specialty pizzas as well as the option to “build your own” pizza. “We just want to offer the basic comfort foods that people love,” Anthony said. The owners expect to employ about 10 people, who will cover a number of shifts that begin at 11 a.m. and extend into evening hours. For more information, visit buzzardcove.com.
Feature image photo caption: Buzzard Cove co-owner Joe Gallo expects the new Buzzard Cove Scratch Kitchen & Bistro to open in December for dine in and carryout. Photo from ScripType archives