Gio’s Pastaria, Haute Doughnuts to Open in Van Aken as Scorpacciata Pizza and Pasta Shops Set to Depart

It's been a busy summer at Van Aken District — and fall is bringing its own share of change. Before we get to the latest volley of news let's recap recent events.

In August, Dylan Fallon and Bac Nguyen opened an outpost of Ninja City in the Market Hall. The pair had spent considerable time and effort converting the former Domo Yakitori and Sushi space in the corner of the main hall into a user-friendly version of their flagship eatery in Gordon Square.


One week after it was announced that Michael's Genuine was closing its doors after four years, partners Ben Bebenroth and Jonathan Bennett revealed their plans to open Boom's Pizza in the space. Fans of that great pie will have to wait until late spring or early summer to enjoy their first slice.


That same week, Forward Hospitality decided to shutter Shake It, a fast-casual burger concept that never took root, and Garden City, the rooftop cocktail bar above it. No news yet on who will snag that desirable up-and-down property.


Van Aken District is discriminating when it comes to food tenants, making sure that operators don't step on each other's toes in terms of offerings. Boom's Pizza likely would not have been welcome had it not been for the impending departure of Scorpacciata Pizza, a fixture in the Market Hall since 2018. Owner Peter Reuter will close both his pizza and pasta shops in the coming weeks in advance of his move to the former Larchmere Tavern property by Shaker Square.


Stepping in to activate those two stalls is chef Zachary Ladner, who along with partner Carl Quagliata operates Paloma at Van Aken, Tutto Carne in Little Italy, Smokin Q's BBQ in Mayfield and the nearly 50-year-old Giovanni's in Beachwood. Following Scorpacciata Pasta's departure this weekend, Ladner will begin work converting the space to Gio's Pastaria, a "pasta-centric concept featuring all housemade pastas."

"We'll start with Roman-style and Northern Italian dishes and will roll out some Southern Italian pastas as the seasons change," the chef explains.

When it opens sometime next month, Gio's will offer a couple salads, approximately 10 pasta dishes and tiramiso.

When Scorpacciata Pizza decamps in December, Ladner and company will begin work on that space, with the goal of opening Haute Doughnuts sometime this winter.

"Every Saturday morning Carl would bring doughnuts into every restaurant," Ladner shares. "When he got sick a couple years ago, and everyone's morale was kind of down, I decided to start making doughnuts for the staff. Everybody really liked them and I just kept tweaking them with the idea of doing a doughnut concept one these days."

Haute will offer a large selection of fresh-fried, yeast-raised doughnuts (that just happen to be vegan), but also many that are filled or topped with non-vegan items.

"I feel like Van Aken District, especially the Market Hall, is a natural fit for doughnuts," he adds. "We have coffee right across from us and there's no real breakfast option like this in there."

Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.

Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter