Marcella's is one of those classic happy hour spots that my friends and I keep coming back to. Not…read moreonly do they always accommodate our large parties, but the low lit ambiance and impeccable service cannot be beat. The arancini is a MUST try. I had never tried it before and was pleasantly surprised. I recommend getting a pizza or their mussels on happy hour. Definitely a great spot for a date night or girls night outing!

Marcella's is a classic Columbus staple. What makes it stand out above the rest is their happy…read morehour! M-F half off drinks and apps. My wife and I brought some out of town friends here on a Friday and left stuffed and feeling like we didn't break the bank! Amazing food. The meatball is to die for. Service was great. Our waitress was very friendly. Great ambiance. It stays busy so you'll need a reservation. I can't recommend this place enough.

The local interwebs suggested that this place might be worth the trip…read more The local interwebs were surprisingly accurate and if anything, understated. We arrived at 4:55 PM recognizing that we didn't have a reservation... I mean, what restaurant is packed right away when it opens? As it turns out this place is packed as soon as the doors open. They seat 40 on the high end according to the owner. We know this because he stopped to check on our experience, TWICE, while managing a full house. The food was superb. The price was fair, and given the quality, maybe even (dare I say?) a great value overall. For a red and white checkered tablecloth Italian dining experience, these guys are RIGHT on the money, RIGHT on the service, RIGHT on the quality. You can spend more but you won't get more. This place is worth every bit of five stars.

Pros: Worth the wait! The food is incredible…read more The specials are creative and delicious The Lemoncello is a must try! Cons: We booked our reservation 2 months in advance Limited seating Pro tip: The patio opens at 5pm and is first come, first served.

We had a wonderful experience! Our server, Allie, was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable about…read morethe menu. Her recommendations were spot on, and everything we ordered was delicious. We were celebrating a birthday, and she even offered to take pictures for us, which was such a thoughtful touch and made the occasion feel extra special. Ethan, our server assistant, was equally fantastic. He made sure our drinks were always full and kept the table cleared promptly, helping everything run smoothly throughout our meal. The food was excellent, the atmosphere was great, and the outstanding service from both Allie and Ethan truly made our visit memorable. We can't wait to come back!

This may have jumped into my top three favorite restaurants in Columbus! Wow! The patio has to…read morerival the best of what Columbus patio season offers. It's pricey but it's well worth it. The server was very knowledgeable. The wine list is immaculate. I am still thinking about this restaurant four days later. I can't wait to go back.

I was totally in love with this space and the food served inside. We ate around 6 PM and it was…read moregolden hour so the lighting was gorgeous. The space is very bright and airy: loved the floral and plant vibes. Our server was kind but maybe a bit apprehensive because we brought our two daughters. Sometimes I feel bad bringing kids but honestly we deserve to have good food even if there are little mouths involved. We had the focaccia starter and it was as pillowy and sumptuous as it looked. Next was broccolini which our 8 month old devoured. I tried the funghi pasta and my husband had the sausage ragu. Both had generous portions. The kitchen made butter noodles for our daughter and she LOVED them. I was pleased they didn't try to doll them up because she really did just want noodles and butter. Finally, the octopus was sooo tasty. The sauce was super flavorful and I love a good bean addition. Delicious meal all around.

YE Gurl Says: Speck Had the Scene, But Did It Feed the Girl?…read more Place: Speck Italian Eatery Date: June 30 You know a restaurant is popular when you've been trying to get a reservation and keep losing the battle. So when a girlfriend chose Speck Italian Eatery for girls' dinner, I was ready. Italian food is one of my first loves. I was expecting good food, a good atmosphere, and frankly, a little "this is where everybody is trying to be seen" energy. And on that front? Speck delivered. The space is airy and attractive, the atmosphere was lively, and despite the seating being a little tight, our table toward the back had plenty of room. My girlfriend had been raving about the focaccia, so obviously we had to test the theory. Housemade focaccia with olive oil and sea salt? Yes, ma'am. We shared a few things, including the Crudo--hamachi, blood orange, Castelvetrano olives, fennel, and basil--and the Gem, a crunchy vegetable salad with pistachio, Parmesan crumb, and vinaigrette. Our waiter deserves a shoutout because when it came time to settle up, he was gracious enough to split the shared dishes down the middle for both the portions and the bill. That's good service. For my entrée, I ordered the Cacio e Pepe--except this version uses gnudi, peppercorn, and pecorino. It was good enough that I immediately thought about the beau, who loves cacio e pepe, so half went home with me. I also ordered another focaccia to go. And naturally, I had my Peroni while I was there. So here's where my Italian grandmother's spirit entered the chat. The food wasn't bad. The value is what lost me. For a pescatarian dinner, I felt like the portion sizes and prices didn't quite meet in the middle. Maybe I'm spoiled. I've eaten Italian food made by grandmothers and grandfathers in Little Italy, New Orleans, and Italy itself. I'm accustomed to Italian food being generous, comforting, unfussy, and--most importantly--filling. Speck feels more like consumerism Italian to me. Beautiful room. Beautiful plating. Trendy ingredients. Great atmosphere. But I'm still sitting there wondering when dinner is coming. And the bill didn't help. There's a 3% charge toward team member healthcare, and my portion of the dinner came to about $57. My girlfriend also had a basic Pomodoro pasta, around $17, which means the two of us were already north of $100 before drinks on her side, dessert, and my 20% tip. For two people. And we weren't exactly leaving with the kind of leftovers that could feed us tomorrow. That math gave me pause. YE Gurl Insight: There's a difference between expensive food and expensive dining. I'm perfectly willing to pay for an exceptional meal. But when the experience is carrying as much of the price as the food itself, I need the food to make me forget what I paid. Speck didn't quite get me there. And that's unfortunate because the restaurant absolutely has the atmosphere and popularity to become a regular destination. Final Take: Atmosphere: 1/2 Service: Food: 1/2 Portions/value: 1/2 Pescatarian Experience: 1/2 Would I return? Maybe--but the bar is now considerably higher. YE Gurl Says: Speck is a great place to be seen. I'm just not convinced it's the place to get fed--at least not if you're a vegetarian watching your dollars. I was generous with that 20% tip because the service deserved it. Consider that my chef's kiss goodbye... at least for now.

Service was good and actually really fast! Our pasta came out in like six minutes... so something…read moreto keep in mind if you're trying to extend date night. The ambiance was good too! And the food -- yum!

Absolutely wonderful waitress, Calista! She explained the…read moremenu and the restaurant, can tell she takes pride. Food was wonderful. We ordered two bottles of wine and three dinners plus a pizza as appetizers. Pizza was perfect.

Went for my birthday dinner and it was very mediocre. I got the shrimp pomodoro linguine and the…read moreshrimp was SO overcooked. I couldn't even eat them all. The dish overall lacked flavor. However, the roasted beets + carrots app was super good. That was the best thing of the evening. Overall, I just didn't love it and probably wouldn't go back. A pet peeve of mine is also when you put a note in a reservation or fill in why you're coming and then there's no acknowledgment. Some restaurants are really good about that and make it feel special and basi didn't.

Look at My Review & See Exactly Why‼ No Atmosphere…read more No Proper Service No Meat Variety NOT Worth It

As a Destin, FL native now living in Dublin, OH, I've been on the hunt for the best spots around…read morehere. A coworker of mine suggested this place to me a year ago when I started my new job. After skimming through the reviews I was a bit hesitant on coming here, but honestly I can assure you that the only thing I regret is not trying this place sooner. My boyfriend and I noticed it was in a small plaza and our first thought was that a "hole in the wall" place are usually the best so we were immediately excited. I did make a 6pm reservation after reading the reviews even though it was Wednesday and we were seated on arrival. We noticed the place was starting to get packed so I do agree that making a reservation would be best or try to avoid coming here on the weekends if you have issues with waiting or being crammed in small places. From start to finish, everything was a delight. Here's what we savored: * The homemade bread and butter- simply fantastic. I was going to ask for warm bread after reading a review, but since the waitress brought it out immediately I didn't mind and honestly it didn't need to be warm because it was good as is. The butter IS a true winner. I had to pace myself because I didn't want to fill up too soon! * Apps: WARNING portions are generous enough to be meals! We couldn't believe they were appetizers when it was brought out. Crab Cake- I've eaten a lot of crab cakes and I will say no, this wasn't the best crab cake I've had in my life BUT it was definitely a really good crab cake. Especially one with no breading. It was served with a delicious lemon butter sauce. Whoever wrote that the sauce was "sour" in a review made me giggle while eating this because I mean the sauce has lemon in it... hence the name, but even so the flavors were perfectly balanced and I enjoyed every bite. Fried Eggplant- okay my taste buds went over the moon with this one. An absolute standout. The eggplant was cooked to near perfection, and the creamy tomato sauce was to die for. 10/10! It was such a flavorful dish. Tossed Salad- a fresh, vibrant salad with a vinaigrette dressing so addictive we finished it in minutes. This is a unique salad because of the bow tie pasta in it. The tomatoes and green beans that also come in the salad are a nice touch and very enjoyable. * Entree- my boyfriend ordered the Chicken Marsala and he loved it! The chicken was cooked flawlessly, and the pasta was incredibly soft--possibly one of the best texture I've ever experienced. The marsala sauce was rich and flavorful. Ravioli- I opted for the spinach noodles with ricotta cheese and chose the link sausage. I also asked to have the crumbled sausage added as well (for an extra charge) because I needed to try this sausage that everyone has been talking about..... This Morettis sausage recipe does NOT disappoint. If you don't like "spice" you won't like it because it does have a kick to it, but I enjoy spicy. I will say I'm a fan of the crumbled sausage over the links though. It may be the same thing??? but I could go without the link casing. The ravioli were massive, perfectly stuffed, and absolutely delicious. Dessert: We couldn't resist not ordering and trying the dessert so we took it to go. They were offering a caramel apple cheesecake. After the food coma wore off, we enjoyed it at home, and I fell even more in love with this place. It's unlike anything I've tasted--cheesecake with apples inside is a game-changer! Every sauce and dish was outstanding, bursting with flavor and made with care. Karen took excellent care of us, making us feel welcome and ensuring we had a fantastic first experience. We're already planning our return to explore more of the menu. Thank you for a wonderful dinner. This place truly exceeded my expectations!

We hadn't been to Moretti's in years, and decided to give it a try this summer. The first time we…read moretried they were closed for summer vacation. The second time was when we found out they close at 8pm. The third time was a charm - we had a 6:15 reservation, and were seated promptly since that was apparently considered the late end of the dinner hour. Our party of six contained three people in their 40's and three 75+. We felt like we brought down the average age significantly. It was like being at a slightly upscale MCL. But LOUD. Like as in could not converse with the person next to you without shouting level loud. The bread and butter were the highlight - fresh bread and a wonderful compound butter with garlic, onion, and herbs. The wedding soup was also very good, with enormous slabs of chicken and vegetables, but oddly no meatballs. The salads were creative, incorporating pasta, green beans, and other items rarely seen in a standard side salad. The entrees were where things got weird. Unlike most of our party, I like mushrooms - but I'm not sure I've ever seen a menu with so many of them. Even the otherwise traditional chicken Parmesan had a large assortment of them scattered across the top. They were tasty, but there did not seem to be any consideration of presentation or general compatibility with the primary ingredients. The vast majority of items are in red sauce, which was fine but not particularly memorable. The piccata sauce was reminiscent of the lemon substance served over fried chicken at old school Chinese restaurants. We shared the tiramisu and caramel apple cheesecake, both of which were wonderful but neither of which was made by the restaurant according to the server. Even with the relative scarcity of Italian restaurants in Columbus, I suspect it will be a few more decades before we circle back to Moretti's again - but if we identify the source of the bread or desserts, we will be first in line at those places.

Absolutely love this place! The food is great, particularly the pizzas, chicken parmesan, and…read moredesserts. All of the waiters I've experienced have been overtly kind and attentive. The environment is typically quite loud, but that's to be expected since I've rarely seen the place with an empty table. My one request would be the option to order online for takeout orders, but, otherwise, Forno is one my favorites!

We went there for Father's Day and we had reservations. Which is highly recommended. We were able…read moreto sit outside in the beautiful weather. We ordered drinks, mine was the strawberry rose which turned out surprisingly delicious! We ordered the strawberries that had vodka in it with whip cream. A nice delicious surprise. I had the hamburger with cheddar cheese and onion. It was cooked perfectly. The service was also outstanding. We were not bothered or smothered. We are already talking about meeting up for happy hour. Looking forward to it.

A birthday dinner to remember. The intimate setting. Personal service with great attention to…read moredetail. Delicious food that took me back to my grandfather's meals. We had the burrata, chicken parmesan, the special pasta of the night, a chicken thigh & Italian sausage dish with a white wine sauce, the lemon sorbet and a cappuccino to close it out. Then a cannoli as a gift from the restaurant and serenaded by the others in the dining room. Truly a special night, can't wait to go back.

Amazing food!! Intimate atmosphere, great service. Best lasagna I've ever had by far ( and that's…read morewhy I've ordered at every Italian restaurant I've visited). Great cocktails and dessert as well. You need to try this place. PS: plenty of leftovers even better the next day!

Arriving at the restaurant for the first time I opened the front door & immediately struck with the…read moresmell of Seafood which indicated to me the restaurant needs a better ventilation system. I also noticed unfortunately there was no sitting or lounge area for customers to sit if they are Waiting for a table or waiting for a ride share. If you have to wait you are literally in the way of servers or the opening of the front door. I opted for the "Lighter Fare" menu at $55.00, your only two other choices were a Tasting menu at $110.00 or a Pelino's Dinner at four courses for $69.00. The menu is very limited, there is no A la carte available. Our server was professional & polite & the entire staff was lovely. I ordered : First course :Tornare alle Origini Eggplant, Pachino tomatoes, Castelvetrano olives, Pantelleria capers Main Course: L'Oro Verde della Sicilia Rigatoni, Lemon, Butter with Pistacchio di Bronte Crema Dessert : Semifreddo agli Amaretti Amaretti crumble, Semifreddo with Chocolate Sauce This breakdown comes to $18.00 per course. Looking back even the Lighter fare menu is too expensive especially for only one main course on the nights menu that offers Shrimp on your pasta, not even a protein like Chicken or Beef. The most disappointing part of the meal was the temperature of the food, not even remotely warm for this small restaurant. I had a guest dining with me and their first course of Toasted focaccia, Salt-cured Italian anchovies, Bagnet Verd which was comically 2 tiny pieces of bread smaller than a quarter & rock hard for $17.95. Sadly, I would not recommend Pelino's Pasta its too expensive & your clothes smell of seafood after dining there.

Wow wow WOW. When I say this was one of the best dining experiences I've ever had, I am not…read moreexaggerating. This little gem in Victorian Village is a must visit for anyone who loves authentic Italian food and stellar service. I came here with my roommates family for a celebratory dinner and had an amazing four course dining experience. I was intimidated at first by the number of courses, but each dish is in a small tasting format. Not only was the food delish but our water was incredible. He took time to go through each dish and explain the ingredients and origin. You could tell he was super passionate about his job and the food there. I'm going to come back to try their cacio pepe that they mix in a cheese wheel in front of you!! 10/10!!