In a recent Facebook thread about another restaurant on Euclid avenue, someone commented about the pizza shop with jukeboxes on the tables. That restaurant was called Armao's Pizza.
Armao's was in a small strip mall on the North side of Euclid Avenue, very close to Babbitt road. The strip mall was built as the Euclid-Babbitt Shopping Center. Frank Homan's building was six units and he began renting them out in 1956.
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| Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 12, 1956 |
25571 was first occupied by Harold Trattner, realtor, beginning in Spring 1958.
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| Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 26, 1958 |
Knotty pine! I can almost see it now! Thick, dark wood and hammered metal fixtures as far as the eye can see.
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| Cleveland Plain Dealer, April 16, 1963 |
Even an office full of knotty pine will only take you so far, and Harold Trattner, realtor, took his growing real estate business and moved to a larger location down the road approximately 5 years later.
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| Euclid Sun Journal, July 11, 1963 |
Who needs real estate when there's pizza? An ad from July 11, 1963 teased at the opening of the new Di Bella's Pizza and Restaurant at 25571 Euclid avenue!
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| Euclid Sun Journal, July 18, 1963 |
And as promised, Di Bella's Pizza and Restaurant opened Monday, July 22, 1963. Their grand opening ad boasted pizza, spaghetti, ravioli, fish, shrimp, and pressure-fried chicken.
Shortly after the new year 1969, owners Charles and Phyllis Armao changed the name of Di Bella's to Armao's, noting the name was really the only thing that would be different. Likely not a coincidence, Di Bella was Phyllis's maiden name.
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| Euclid Sun Journal, January 9, 1969 |
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| News-Herald, February 10, 1969 |
The notice in the News-Herald features the chefs hat and script style name that would remain for many years.
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| 1974 Euclid High School Yearbook |
Armao's pizza had quite a run at 25571 Euclid avenue. In 1974, they were still offering Italian fare as well as pressure fried chicken.
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| 1981 Euclid High School Yearbook |
In this highlight from the 1981 Euclid High School Yearbook we get a glimpse inside the kitchen of Armao's Pizza as Dave Marvin works his part-time job there.
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| 1984 Euclid High School Yearbook |
In 1982 and 1983, Armao's Pizza was voted #1 best pizza in Cleveland by Cleveland Magazine. In 1984, they were awarded the same distinguished honor by an even larger magazine.
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| July 1984 Cleveland Magazine |
Armao's dining room accommodating a full house is shown in the photo above from 1984. Do you think those wooden panels in the photo are the same knotty pine walls that graced H. Trattner's, realtor, office?
Armao's Pizza and Restaurant continued to serve Euclid and many surrounding communities with delicious dishes. I can't pin down a month-day-year that they closed, but on Monday, June 26, 1995, lightning struck the plaza. At 9:30 pm, a lightning rod that was meant to disperse the energy safely instead directed the electricity into the electrical system of the plaza. The fire likely smoldered for hours before someone noticed and alerted the Euclid fire department.
The weather was hot and humid and 2 firefighters were treated for minor injuries whilst battling the blaze. Ohio Casket, Rent-A-Center, Vinnie's Donuts, Mario's Flowers, and Euclid Babbitt Beverage were destroyed in the fire. Armao's Pizza and Restaurant was already gone by the time Euclid-Babbitt Shopping Center burned.
Today, the land that housed the 6 storefronts is occupied by an Advance Auto Parts, 25521 Euclid ave.
Charles Armao passed away in 2008.
Thanks for this. My sister worked there (Armao, not Trattner) in the early years. I didn't realize the whole strip had burned down.
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