Barino Italian Southern Eatery

"Really wanted to love this place. The appetizers were good and the atmosphere was excellent. Lots of space between tables and a great vibe. 2 of us got a dish with the vodka sauce and it just wasn’t good unfortunately. However, 1 person got the lasagna with bolognese and that was great. Lots of the other dishes looked great. I will give this another try because it has everything to be a hidden gem, but it just wasn’t on this day for us."

"My husband and I made reservations for two a month in advance to spend Valentine’s Day here. This was our first visit. We were sat at a 6 top which was uncomfortable as we started the dinner already feeling odd about being two people taking up that much space for a night we knew would be completely booked. I have worked as a hostess before, and it makes no sense logistically to have two people on a date night sit at a large table meant for a family. I asked, “is this going to be used as seating for anyone else who may come in?” Just to make sure we hadn’t walked into an awkward family style situation. Hostess said “no” and walked away. Already uncomfortable start. Our waitress was kind and helpful, but we sensed she was stressed and in a hurry to get us out of there due to turnover. It seemed we were checked on every 5 minutes and staff was just waiting for us to leave. The entire dinner lasted maybe 30 min because we felt so rushed by the staff. The floor layout had our table right next to the host stand so we could hear how stressed staff was about turnover on a busy holiday night. Not great for what is supposed to be a chill, romantic dinner. The food itself was good, but not amazing for the price. The Ricca pizza was mostly jam and the sweet overpowered the savory. I would give it another shot on a weeknight when tensions weren’t high about serving all their reservations on a Holiday. I literally left stressed out because I could feel the stress from staff. It’s probably a great spot in normal circumstances, but we were disappointed with the experience. Would have much rather stuck with our go-to River Terrace for a nice, unrushed, romantic Italian dinner. Maybe just growing pains?"

"Stopped in as passing through town. Enjoyed our experience, food, and service. We had the Pollo Parmigiana and the Speziata. Both were very delicious and the portion size was well worth the price. The bread was delicious. I highly recommend and will hopefully be back when coming through again."

"The restaurant is nice looking with a patio. The staff was friendly and helpful with the menu. The brussel sprouts was crispy, tasty and well executed. The pizza was overwhelmed with green peppers, could have used more sausages. The meatballs and marina sauce were excellent. The Gustosa was a true blend of southern and Italian cuisines. The smoked pork has a nice bbq flavor and the pasta has a flavorful marina sauce. The tiramisu was awesome."

"Best Italian food I’ve had in a very long time! We met friends there for dinner tonight. We drove about 45 minutes from our town to Columbia and were not disappointed! Definitely make reservations because the seating area is limited. The interior is decorated nicely with several tables in the center and booths lining 2 walls. They don’t play music which was nice because we could carry on a conversation without talking over the music. Our server was friendly and attentive throughout dinner. We started with 2 appetizers, the baked/fried ravioli and the basil pesto cheese flatbread. See pictures for menu names. The ravioli was full of delicious stuffing inside a crispy pasta served with a rich tomato marinara. It’s a generous serving of 6 large raviolis. The flatbread is cheesy with a swirl of fresh basil pesto on top. For dinner, I ordered cheese lasagna with red sauce. I was going to get meat sauce, but it was a mixture of beef and pork, which I don’t like. The lasagna was thick with several layers of pasta and cheese and the serving size was generous. My friend ordered the pizza with fig jam, bacon, smoked pork, mozzarella, and goat cheese topped with arugula and balsamic glaze. The crust was crispy and it was topped with plenty of fresh arugula. She really liked it. The other entree we ordered was linguini pasta with shrimp, onions, peppers, chicken, and Italian sausage tossed with a spicy white sauce. There were large shrimp and plenty of the listed ingredients. The sauce was creamy and flavorful. We ordered the tiramisu and cannoli for dessert. The tiramisu was flavorful, but too dense… which is just a personal preference. We will definitely return sooner than later. We spent about $45 per person which included a glass of wine, appetizer, entree, and dessert! A lovely evening with friends!"