CLEVELAND — Cleveland chef and Parma native Dante Boccuzzi is getting closer to opening his 11th restaurant in Northeast Ohio, the latest being a high-energy Japanese fusion restaurant at the corner of East 4th and Prospect streets.
Goma by Dante is currently under construction, but gets closer to opening each day.
"We're opening up all these front windows. So there's going to be big garage doors that swing open in the summer. And you could just overlook the Rocket Mortgage arena there. And I'm just envisioning people pouring out of there after a concert and just coming in and hanging out and continuing the fun from the evening," Boccuzzi said.
Boccuzzi, a two-time James Beard Foundation Rising Star nominee, originally announced the new restaurant was coming to Cleveland's East 4th Street in February of 2020 with hopes of opening that June.
Now, a year later and with ongoing efforts to reach the light at the end of the tunnel amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Boccuzzi is once again eyeing a June opening. He began construction in December and hasn't stopped since.
From finding the right locations for the POS system and servers to nailing down the prime locations for TVs so Browns, Cavs and Tribe fans can always catch the game—Boccuzzi is making sure everything at the new downtown restaurant is perfect.
Boccuzzi reached out to Cleveland artist Mike Sekletar to design murals inside the restaurant, which will feature a full sushi bar and a hot kitchen offering Shabu-Shabu, fresh noodle entrees, tempura plates and hot clay pot dishes. There will also be a craft cocktail lounge called Giappone located in the lower level of Goma.
Goma is expected to open the first week of June, but before it opens, Boccuzzi needs to staff the restaurant and is currently hiring.
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