DeGaetano’s Village Square Pizza to close this week. Credit: Google Maps

For approximately 50 years, Village Square Pizza in Woodmere has been the place to go for Italian American staples dished up in a no-frills family friendly restaurant. If you happen to live in the eastern suburbs – or grew up there during the past five decades – you likely have enjoyed Friday night meals starring antipasti salads, pizzas, spaghetti with meat sauce and chicken parmigiana. For many young diners, Village Square introduced us to those very delicious and, at the time, exotic, white pizzas.

For the past 27 years, the restaurant has been operated by Joe DeGaetano, who purchased the restaurant from the previous owners in 1995. According to DeGaetano’s daughter Melissa, “he’s decided that it is time to move on.” He will be 86 years old next month, she added. Prior to purchasing Village Square Pizza, DeGaetano owned a produce business at the Northern Ohio Food Terminal.

The restaurant (27349 Chagrin Blvd., 216-831-5282) will be open through Sunday, February 27.

This article appears in Feb 23 – Mar 8, 2022.

For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.