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Mickey Ciriello, owner of the landmark Luigi’s Restaurant in Akron, has died at age 78.His parents, Nick and Rose Ciriello, founded the popular restaurant in 1949.Luigi’s is famous for its Italian food, celebrity photos and long lines of loyal customers.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Akron has lost one of its most famous restaurateurs.
Mickey Ciriello, the longtime owner of Luigi’s Restaurant, died early Oct. 29 after a brief illness with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, his wife, Becky, confirmed. He was 78.
The downtown landmark at 105 N. Main St. is famous for its pizza, pasta and cheese-laden salads, as well as long lines of people waiting to get inside.
Portraits of entertainers who have dined there — from Jay Leno to Chrissie Hynde to Bob Costas — line the restaurant’s walls along with giant murals of the Italian countryside. When the jukebox plays, a tiny curtain parts on a mechanical bandbox above the door and a puppet orchestra sways in time to the music.
Michael “Mickey” A. Ciriello was the son of Nick and Rose Ciriello, who opened the business in 1949. They named the establishment after a radio character in “Life with Luigi,” a CBS comedy series that aired from 1948 to 1953.
Luigi’s original hours were 5 p.m. to 5 a.m., which catered to late-night crowds in Akron. Nick worked the front while Rose cooked in the back.
“Everything happened downtown,” Mickey Ciriello recalled in a 2006 interview with the Beacon Journal. “That was before the suburbs. The theaters, the bars, the hotels — everything was downtown.
Nightclub entertainers and theater performers were among those who flocked to the restaurant meals.
“In the old days, there was no parking available so we had to rely on the parking of the businesses around us after 5 o’clock,” Ciriello said.
Ciriello attended the University of Akron, served in the U.S. Army and joined the family business.
In his youth, Ciriello was a powerhouse bowler, leading Luigi’s teams to victory in league tournaments. Dozens of trophies maintain places of honor along the restaurant’s walls and signed photos of professional bowlers occupy coveted spots next to those of entertainers.
“My dad didn’t advertise, but he used to sponsor a lot of bowling teams,” Ciriello once recalled. “His philosophy was they were out at night and you got them into the restaurant because they were out at night. It worked.”
In the nationally syndicated comic strip “Funky Winkerbean,” cartoonist Tom Batiuk modeled the fictional Montoni’s pizzeria after Luigi’s, incorporating the Akron restaurant’s distinctive awnings, bandbox and celebrity photos. Local residents recognized it immediately.
After Nick Ciriello died in 1979, his widow turned over the business to Mickey and his sister, Marie Keith. Rose Ciriello passed away in 2001.
It’s very much been a family affair.
Tony Ciriello is the third-generation operator, taking over from his uncle Mickey and his mother, Marie Keith.
Luigi’s survived the demolition of the North Hill Viaduct and a North Main Street reconfiguration that cut off the block from the rest of downtown.
Customers kept coming back. The restaurant remains a popular hangout after 76 years.
Mickey Ciriello was diagnosed about a year ago with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a neurodegenerative disorder.
Survivors include Becky Ciriello, his wife of 32 years, sister Marie Keith, nephews Tony Ciriello and Terry Rose (Layla) and Danny and (Kari) Holmes, and a host of relatives and friends.
Arrangements are being handled by Ciriello-Carr Funeral Homes. Calling hours will be 10 to 11:30 a.m. Nov. 4 at Oak Hill Presbyterian Church, 2406 Ardwell Ave., Akron, with the funeral service to follow at 11:30. Pastor Brian Nutt will officiate. For more information, go to cirielloandcarrfh.com/ or call 330-836-3100.
Mickey Ciriello was thankful for the generations of loyal customers who frequented his restaurant, he said in 2006.
“We’ve been very fortunate over the years,” he said.
Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com
Dining and Cooking