Very good food and great service. My waiter Chris was very attentive and remembered my order even after taking care of multiple other tables. He walked by and before looking down at the table he asked how my pasta mia nona was. I got here pretty early so i beat the crowd, but I can see that it does get pretty crowded here, so get here before or at least by 6, to get good seating. I will probably be back here before I leave the area.
If you want really good authentic Italian food, this is the place! Great service from the minute you walk in.
(5)
Edwin C.
Always a superior place to take a client for a serious lunch meeting or enjoy a relaxed dinner with a date. Great place to see your neighbors. The wine room is unique for larger groups and quite private. Food is excellent and bar is superb. I highly recommend.
(5)
Tammy H.
I ate at this Resturant a year ago, it was good. Ate at this Resturant two weeks ago and the food was awful. My roasted chicken was bland and I sent it back. My apple crumb dessert, the sugar was grainy and the butter was separating from the caramel. The Italian nachos were cooked in oil that was not hot, causing the nachos to be hard and greasy. I will never eat at this Resturant again.
(1)
Gypsy H.
We are actually still here at the restaurant as I post this. While it seems to be a lovely, upscale establishment, the atmosphere is that more closely resembling a neighborhood bar. The noise from the bar is rediculous with no management of these customers. Where is the bar manager? Where is the manager? We ordered the Zucchini Fritte appetizer. It was bland. Both my husband and I ordered the medallions, but they were out of the side (garlic mashed potatoes), so they asked if wilted spinach was ok to substitute. Since we had no choice, we agreed thinking that they were obviously not going to charge us the same price for the inconvenience....not so. We were given a very small portion of spinach to accompany our medallions. No manager approached us to as if we were ok. Our waitress was only mildly attentive. The bus boy who was sweeping at the table next to us even seemed agitated at the noise from the bar and the lack of control on the part of the staff. Overall, customer service would be a 3 out of 10. The steaks were cooked to order, and seasoned well. The spinach was bland and not an adequate substitute for the side. With all of the noise we did not enjoy ourselves. We could not focus on the meal, or each other. We literally ate as fast as possible to get out of there. The waitress brought our bill, full charge. Will not be returning.
(1)
Michael M.
The service was excellent! We brought our very young kids and they didn't skip a beat. Not really a kids menu, but the small plates are perfect for the little ones. We went early, as this place is a great date night place and we didn't want to disrupt that! The food is excellent with lots of choices, high quality, very flavorful and the price is decent considering how much you get and how good it is. The pizza is Italian wood fire and the crust is amazing. The pasta carbonara is so good, I looked forward to the leftovers! Fresh salad with homemade dressings and the polenta really made this place memorable.
(5)
Pattie P.
I came here with no expectations so that was a good start. I ordered the mussels and the dish is very small in comparison to Carabbas and definitely not as good. Then I had the Smoked Gouda mac and cheese and the sauteed spinach. The mac and cheese was runny and was not very tasty. It was suppose to have truffles oil on it and there was none. The sauce was very bland and I had to add a ton of pepper and salt. The spinach was good. I am willing to go back and try another dish but am skeptical. The prices are extremely high for pasta.
(2)
Carmel P.
My coworker and I went here for lunch. Overall really satisfied with the experience. The service was GREAT, very friendly and offered up good recommendations. The place is very clean and open. The food was very good, only thing I will say is it wasn't very hot, which is big for me. I would go back for sure, just not the best Italian I have ever had, but worth a go.
(4)
Sarah M.
We stopped through here on our way out of Columbia since the restaurant next door was closed on Sundays. Our server was super friendly, and once he realized we were considering a bottle of wine, offered us an AT COST bottle since they were changing their wine selection!! SO, after telling him that we preferred something sweet and white, he brought us over a $40 bottle of white blend for $15. Perfect. Ordered calamari for the appetizer. It was yummy, particularly the mixed in spicy peppers. For dinner, we got the eggplant parmesan and the filet mignon. Eggplant parm was a huge portion, and just okay. The filet was cooked nicely and was seasoned with pepper and garlic...we loved it! The place feels a little "chain-y" but overall, nice experience.
(4)
alicia g.
Hi We came in last night for dinner with my brother who graduated from ft jackson really good food yum wish we had one in California
(4)
Elise B.
I love Travinia. It is one of my "go to" restaurants for a nice meal. I love the ahi tuna, Italian nachos, Italian salad, and have enjoyed every entree I've ordered.
(4)
Michael R.
Went here today for my first time for a company holiday lunch and was very impressed. I ordered the Seard Mai Tuna salad and it was very delicious. Atmosphere is very calm and quiet with music playing softly in the background. Will defiantly go again! Maybe even today but with the gf.
(5)
Terris R.
This is my 3rd visit in 30 days. I actually love this restaurant. The service is outstanding and the food is delicious! I've come for lunch & dinner--they are consistent! Just ordered take-out so let's see how it works out!
(5)
Maria P.
Would not recommend. Ordered a salad without any dressing, but was unfortunately served one drowned in a sauce. Waitress kindly corrected the mistake, but took very long in bringing a simple salad over. My brother's meal, chicken, while large, was not very tasty (my friends agreed with this). Our evening didn't start out too well because our reservation was basically "mixed up": the waitress who scheduled our reservation forgot to request our family name (I must admit, though, that this is partly our fault, as well). As a result, once we showed up, we had to wait quite some time in order to retrieve our table because the staff had no clue who had booked the reserved table. A huge minus to this restaurant was the cost of our meals. Even though our experience may not have been even satisfactory, it is our own unique experience and more than likely not be the same experience as everybody else. A major good point is that this restaurant has many gluten-free alternatives, which is awesome. In the end, though, my family and I will for sure not visit this again, and would never go our of the way to recommend it to anyone.
(1)
Marqus R.
This is a big, size wise, restaurant tastefully decorated and having a rather chic classy look about it. It's supposedly Italian but I found the food to be a very Americanized Italian, somewhat in keeping with their rather silly looking wall pictures a long dead Hoboken New Jersey Italian, Frank Sinatra. I had thier Filet Marsala, but trust me, you won't find such a dish anywhere in Italy and even if the did make it in Italy it would be more than a filet with a pat of herb butter and a couple of afterthought mushrooms added on to it. Overall I found their food to be good, but nothing of real Italian quality and their service to be rather inexperienced, unskilled, somewhat rustic though polite, accommodating and friendly.
(3)
Gary G.
This place is better than most in Columbia, but that is not saying much. Every time we go in search of decent Italian food in Columbia, we are disappointed. Travinia is OK, just not great. Not sure why it so hard.
(3)
Deb B.
Travinia has a great atmosphere! The food is very good. No boring sides here! The bread appetizer is to die for! Not a good place for kids but it is great for date night! Bartenders are awesome if you just want to stop in for a drink and appetizers!
(4)
Linda K.
I ordered the mushroom prosciutto carbonara pasta. The pasta was so bland I didn't know what flavor it was. It wasn't that there wasn't enough salt. Just bland. I am kinda disappointed and probabily won't be back.
(1)
Lori H.
great service. great food. relaxing family atmosphere. we could actually hear each other during dinner! definitely try the nachos! and the calamari!
(5)
T S.
Horrible experience. Poor service, terrible food and no one there to address our issues. Carrabus or even Olive Garden is a much better choice!
(1)
Dawn R.
Frozen pizza dough at an Italian restaurant. I was craving pizza and I thought an Italian restaurant! Wow. What a disappointment. This place serves frozen pizza dough, was there cheese on it? I think there may have been but it was hard to tell. It was not worth the $11.99 for this tiny frozen pizza...at an Italian restaurant. This is absolutely an item that they should remove from the menu. I didn't get anything else so I can't rate it but I won't be back to try anything else after this experience.
(1)
Magan C.
Wow this place was a disappointment. The ambience was inviting and we were seated quickly. The staff and our server were pleasant and welcoming so I had fairly high hopes...until the food showed up. There's nothing Italian about the food served at Travinia. The pasta was bland at best and the opinion was unanimous amongst our table concerning my friends entrees as well. Yuck. Save yourself the time and just walk across the street to Solstice. I actually just read someone comparing eating at Travinia's to eating Olive Garden's leftovers and that's the best way to describe the food served.
(1)
Swetha G.
I really had high hopes for Travinia but unfortunately it didn't meet my expectations for the five star review I thought I would be writing. What I liked: - The decor. It has a nice atmosphere and a slightly upscale yet inviting design. Good lighting, nice tables and furniture, and overall appealing aesthetic. - Happy Hour. Their happy hour is I believe daily from 4 to 7. On top off that, on Wednesdays (when we had dinner there), it's half off Martinis. A couple of people in our group ordered a few and seemed to really like them, that more were ordered after the initial drink. I had some type of champagne beverage that came in a small bottle and it was only $4 with the HH discount. I unfortunately do not remember the name of it but it tasted great and I was very happy with it. - Buttermilk garlic dressing. First time I had this type of dressing and it was lovely. What I didn't like: - My pizza. I ordered their veggie pizza, which comes with roasted squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and onions, and considering how great these toppings typically are, I was surprised by the lack of flavor. I was hungry so I ate most of it, but I have to say, for $12, it wasn't the best quality pizza that I've had. - The small hair I found in my house salad. It was at the bottom of my salad after I'd gone through 2/3s of it, and it was small, but nonetheless, it was REALLY gross. We were in the middle of a great conversation at the table, so at the risk of tampering the mood to point out a hair in the food, I didn't bring it up, but it did dampen my experience and I was icked out. In fairness to Travinia, they were not alerted of this so they did not have an opportunity to address it, but that's still no excuse for bad kitchen sanitation, and does not justify that a hair from someone in their staff made it onto a diner's meal. I would've given this place a 3.5 if it weren't for the hair because as I pointed out, there were a couple of good things from our dinner there. However it got bumped down because it is never acceptable to find hair in food. I'm comfortable recommending this place for drinks and hanging out, but for good food, I'd suggest going to Solstice just around the corner.
(2)
Shannon K.
YOUR RESERVATION WILL NOT BE HONORED! I reserved the private dining, wine room, three weeks ago to celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday. Our reservation was for 6:30 and I was told we would need to be out by 8:30 because that is the only other time Travinia will reserve the room. Fair enough. I spent weeks planning to bring a huge cake along, balloons, a nice centerpiece...since I THOUGHT we would be dining in a private room. THE ROOM I RESERVED. My family and I arrive at 6:10 on our reservation date and ask if we can go ahead and bring some things inside. I tell the hostess we reserved the wine room and she tells me, "You are not in the wine room but we have your reservation." And she proceeds to take me to some tables in the back. Meanwhile, there is already a party in the wine room. Now, I ask you, if only two reservations a day are made (as I was told, 6:30 and 8:30) why was there a party already in the room, enjoying dinner at ten minutes after six? Who knows! Probably some acquaintances of the manager who got leeway into the room regardless of the fact that Travinia had already reserved the room. We were comped three appetizers (at first we were told 4 and then it magically became 3). Three appetizers for disrupting what would have been a nice 80th birthday celebration for my grandmother. Instead, she was upset because her grandchildren were upset. THANKS TRAVINIA for leaving that lovely memory for us. And, too bad for you. We had plenty of money to spend in your estabishment but ordered the very minimal (no drinks,when we probably would have gotten bottles of wine) because you didn't deserve any more money than you received. Thank you to our server, Andrew B. for being wonderful. You were the only good part of our visit and YOU deserved every dime of tip you received.
(1)
AJ B.
This is by far my favorite restaurant! The service is excellent and there is a quick turn around on food service. I have dined here about 5 times, and everything I have tried has been delightful. Very clean and soothing environment.
(5)
Dick W.
Good high end Italian restaurant. A cut above franchise places. You can't do much better for Italian food in Columbia. Nice bar area.
(4)
Liz S.
Overpriced seared tuna. Desserts were frozen, like grocery store. Service was excellent!!! Get pasta if you come here. Pasta Mia Nona was good.
(3)
Eaton O.
You might leave hungry. I am 2 for 2 on that, Just ok. Been here twice for lunch, nice place and decor, slightly pricey at an avg lunch of around $11-12. Yeah, I know it is chic to serve the "gourmet small" portions.... Crabcake was very good.....but just ONE cake, and fairly small....hungry an hour later. Chicken Parmesan, normally a filling dish...but not when the chicken is smaller than a Chic Fil A patty. Looks like these guys are very hung up on food cost...and profit. You can only run on reputation so long in a small town.
(3)
Orlangela A.
Wifey said..."Hmm...not really sure what the 5 stars are about, but i dont think this resturaunt deserved 5. I am a huge italian fan, and this place was not worth going back to. Ive been to many italian resturaunts and i feel like this wasnt true italian fod. The caesar salad wasnt good at all...didnt really taste like caesar dressing actually. The asgiao cream pasta was alright...but i coulda made it at home, and it would have tasted better. It was not creamy enough, more on the watery side. Eh...i would try Dianes on divine if you want some good italian food for columbia." Hubby said..."ehhhh...yeah for the price of this place they could make real homemade pasta or something. I didn't like how it tasted...it tasted like Olive Garden leftovers. And service was a tad slow even though they ddin't seem busy. The place is nice and you can sit outside, but the food just isn't that great."
(2)
Monica K.
Came here for lunch and actually came back for dinner the next day! The restaurant is pretty large and never really filled to capacity even at dinner so you don't have to worry about waiting for a table (yet). Service was acceptable at lunch (we waited a long time for our food for some reason, but our server was at least very pleasant and apologetic), but the service at dinner was wonderful (attentive yet not overbearing). For lunch I had the soup/salad combo - the salad is fresh and the tomato basil soup is very good (reminds me a little of vodka sauce?). At dinner had the baked ziti which was actually made with what I would consider 'rigatoni' (I love rigatoni). It was very hearty. I finished the entire plate (not sure if that means I eat too much or if the portions were too small) - I'm used to having to take leftovers if I go out for pasta. They give you a side of this bread roll (pretty moist and delicious) that has olive oil/garlic/herbs on top. So good! Not too much garlic where you taste it all day, but you might want to pop a mint if you're going to a business meeting afterwards.
(5)
Jeff A.
Awesome food wine and staff... Be sure to ask for Adam!
(5)
Pamela C.
Great for lunch but I wouldn't recommend it for dinner.....
(3)
Geoff B.
The service, price, selection and quality are always outstanding. Only complaint I have are for many patron's that show up in flip-flops and short's. This place has a bit of class, slacks and collared shirt should go without saying. But this is Columbia.
(5)
Cassandra S.
We (my husband and I) went to Travinia for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. We sat on the patio, and the bartender (who sat us) took our drink orders and brought our beverages almost immediately.. That was the high point of the meal. We didn't see anyone for about 15 minutes. So I finially walked inside to see if we could place our order. The manager saw me and said he would send our server out to take the order. Several minutes later, the manager came out and took our order and said he would send someone out to refill our drinks. Another ten minutes later I had to go back inside to get some more iced tea, and heard the manager yell into the kitchen that he needed the items we ordered "on the fly" as though they never got rang in. After 10-15 more minutes we got our food, and 2 of the 3 items we ordered were actually really delicious, but the salad we got was missing about half of the items listed on the menu. No one checked on us while we were eating so we could ask for a salad with the right ingredients, and as we were about one minute away from walking out from a place that clearly didn't care about our business our server showed up again. The manager then came out with our bill. He admitted that they "forgot about us a few times" and said that he took 50% off of our bill. He actually only took 25% off, and although we never made a fuss about anything, he genuinely didn't seem to care that despite the fact that there were maybe 3-4 tables in the entire restaurant, we were completely ignored by him and his staff. I'm pretty forgiving about restaurant issues, especially if it's busy or something goes wrong at some point. That being said, this was one of the worst dining experiences I have ever had and not only will I never return, but I will be telling everyone I know about this totally sub-par experience.
(1)
Larry B.
More upscale than most restaurants in the area. Probably best restaurant in NE Columbia in my opinion. Every entree that I have gotten in the couple times that I have been has been very good whether it be traditional pasta, seafood pasta, or pizza. Slightly pricy for the area, but not too bad.
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Upscale Noise Level : Average Good For Dancing : No Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : Free Has TV : No Dogs Allowed : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
Tanya S.
Very good food and great service. My waiter Chris was very attentive and remembered my order even after taking care of multiple other tables. He walked by and before looking down at the table he asked how my pasta mia nona was. I got here pretty early so i beat the crowd, but I can see that it does get pretty crowded here, so get here before or at least by 6, to get good seating. I will probably be back here before I leave the area.
(4)Ronda S.
Food is wonderful and the atmosphere is very nice but definitely not casual dress, dressy casual maybe. Choc cake not so decadent, Creme Brûlée was very good!
(5)Jill K.
If you want really good authentic Italian food, this is the place! Great service from the minute you walk in.
(5)Edwin C.
Always a superior place to take a client for a serious lunch meeting or enjoy a relaxed dinner with a date. Great place to see your neighbors. The wine room is unique for larger groups and quite private. Food is excellent and bar is superb. I highly recommend.
(5)Tammy H.
I ate at this Resturant a year ago, it was good. Ate at this Resturant two weeks ago and the food was awful. My roasted chicken was bland and I sent it back. My apple crumb dessert, the sugar was grainy and the butter was separating from the caramel. The Italian nachos were cooked in oil that was not hot, causing the nachos to be hard and greasy. I will never eat at this Resturant again.
(1)Gypsy H.
We are actually still here at the restaurant as I post this. While it seems to be a lovely, upscale establishment, the atmosphere is that more closely resembling a neighborhood bar. The noise from the bar is rediculous with no management of these customers. Where is the bar manager? Where is the manager? We ordered the Zucchini Fritte appetizer. It was bland. Both my husband and I ordered the medallions, but they were out of the side (garlic mashed potatoes), so they asked if wilted spinach was ok to substitute. Since we had no choice, we agreed thinking that they were obviously not going to charge us the same price for the inconvenience....not so. We were given a very small portion of spinach to accompany our medallions. No manager approached us to as if we were ok. Our waitress was only mildly attentive. The bus boy who was sweeping at the table next to us even seemed agitated at the noise from the bar and the lack of control on the part of the staff. Overall, customer service would be a 3 out of 10. The steaks were cooked to order, and seasoned well. The spinach was bland and not an adequate substitute for the side. With all of the noise we did not enjoy ourselves. We could not focus on the meal, or each other. We literally ate as fast as possible to get out of there. The waitress brought our bill, full charge. Will not be returning.
(1)Michael M.
The service was excellent! We brought our very young kids and they didn't skip a beat. Not really a kids menu, but the small plates are perfect for the little ones. We went early, as this place is a great date night place and we didn't want to disrupt that! The food is excellent with lots of choices, high quality, very flavorful and the price is decent considering how much you get and how good it is. The pizza is Italian wood fire and the crust is amazing. The pasta carbonara is so good, I looked forward to the leftovers! Fresh salad with homemade dressings and the polenta really made this place memorable.
(5)Pattie P.
I came here with no expectations so that was a good start. I ordered the mussels and the dish is very small in comparison to Carabbas and definitely not as good. Then I had the Smoked Gouda mac and cheese and the sauteed spinach. The mac and cheese was runny and was not very tasty. It was suppose to have truffles oil on it and there was none. The sauce was very bland and I had to add a ton of pepper and salt. The spinach was good. I am willing to go back and try another dish but am skeptical. The prices are extremely high for pasta.
(2)Carmel P.
My coworker and I went here for lunch. Overall really satisfied with the experience. The service was GREAT, very friendly and offered up good recommendations. The place is very clean and open. The food was very good, only thing I will say is it wasn't very hot, which is big for me. I would go back for sure, just not the best Italian I have ever had, but worth a go.
(4)Sarah M.
We stopped through here on our way out of Columbia since the restaurant next door was closed on Sundays. Our server was super friendly, and once he realized we were considering a bottle of wine, offered us an AT COST bottle since they were changing their wine selection!! SO, after telling him that we preferred something sweet and white, he brought us over a $40 bottle of white blend for $15. Perfect. Ordered calamari for the appetizer. It was yummy, particularly the mixed in spicy peppers. For dinner, we got the eggplant parmesan and the filet mignon. Eggplant parm was a huge portion, and just okay. The filet was cooked nicely and was seasoned with pepper and garlic...we loved it! The place feels a little "chain-y" but overall, nice experience.
(4)alicia g.
Hi We came in last night for dinner with my brother who graduated from ft jackson really good food yum wish we had one in California
(4)Elise B.
I love Travinia. It is one of my "go to" restaurants for a nice meal. I love the ahi tuna, Italian nachos, Italian salad, and have enjoyed every entree I've ordered.
(4)Michael R.
Went here today for my first time for a company holiday lunch and was very impressed. I ordered the Seard Mai Tuna salad and it was very delicious. Atmosphere is very calm and quiet with music playing softly in the background. Will defiantly go again! Maybe even today but with the gf.
(5)Terris R.
This is my 3rd visit in 30 days. I actually love this restaurant. The service is outstanding and the food is delicious! I've come for lunch & dinner--they are consistent! Just ordered take-out so let's see how it works out!
(5)Maria P.
Would not recommend. Ordered a salad without any dressing, but was unfortunately served one drowned in a sauce. Waitress kindly corrected the mistake, but took very long in bringing a simple salad over. My brother's meal, chicken, while large, was not very tasty (my friends agreed with this). Our evening didn't start out too well because our reservation was basically "mixed up": the waitress who scheduled our reservation forgot to request our family name (I must admit, though, that this is partly our fault, as well). As a result, once we showed up, we had to wait quite some time in order to retrieve our table because the staff had no clue who had booked the reserved table. A huge minus to this restaurant was the cost of our meals. Even though our experience may not have been even satisfactory, it is our own unique experience and more than likely not be the same experience as everybody else. A major good point is that this restaurant has many gluten-free alternatives, which is awesome. In the end, though, my family and I will for sure not visit this again, and would never go our of the way to recommend it to anyone.
(1)Marqus R.
This is a big, size wise, restaurant tastefully decorated and having a rather chic classy look about it. It's supposedly Italian but I found the food to be a very Americanized Italian, somewhat in keeping with their rather silly looking wall pictures a long dead Hoboken New Jersey Italian, Frank Sinatra. I had thier Filet Marsala, but trust me, you won't find such a dish anywhere in Italy and even if the did make it in Italy it would be more than a filet with a pat of herb butter and a couple of afterthought mushrooms added on to it. Overall I found their food to be good, but nothing of real Italian quality and their service to be rather inexperienced, unskilled, somewhat rustic though polite, accommodating and friendly.
(3)Gary G.
This place is better than most in Columbia, but that is not saying much. Every time we go in search of decent Italian food in Columbia, we are disappointed. Travinia is OK, just not great. Not sure why it so hard.
(3)Deb B.
Travinia has a great atmosphere! The food is very good. No boring sides here! The bread appetizer is to die for! Not a good place for kids but it is great for date night! Bartenders are awesome if you just want to stop in for a drink and appetizers!
(4)Linda K.
I ordered the mushroom prosciutto carbonara pasta. The pasta was so bland I didn't know what flavor it was. It wasn't that there wasn't enough salt. Just bland. I am kinda disappointed and probabily won't be back.
(1)Lori H.
great service. great food. relaxing family atmosphere. we could actually hear each other during dinner! definitely try the nachos! and the calamari!
(5)T S.
Horrible experience. Poor service, terrible food and no one there to address our issues. Carrabus or even Olive Garden is a much better choice!
(1)Dawn R.
Frozen pizza dough at an Italian restaurant. I was craving pizza and I thought an Italian restaurant! Wow. What a disappointment. This place serves frozen pizza dough, was there cheese on it? I think there may have been but it was hard to tell. It was not worth the $11.99 for this tiny frozen pizza...at an Italian restaurant. This is absolutely an item that they should remove from the menu. I didn't get anything else so I can't rate it but I won't be back to try anything else after this experience.
(1)Magan C.
Wow this place was a disappointment. The ambience was inviting and we were seated quickly. The staff and our server were pleasant and welcoming so I had fairly high hopes...until the food showed up. There's nothing Italian about the food served at Travinia. The pasta was bland at best and the opinion was unanimous amongst our table concerning my friends entrees as well. Yuck. Save yourself the time and just walk across the street to Solstice. I actually just read someone comparing eating at Travinia's to eating Olive Garden's leftovers and that's the best way to describe the food served.
(1)Swetha G.
I really had high hopes for Travinia but unfortunately it didn't meet my expectations for the five star review I thought I would be writing. What I liked: - The decor. It has a nice atmosphere and a slightly upscale yet inviting design. Good lighting, nice tables and furniture, and overall appealing aesthetic. - Happy Hour. Their happy hour is I believe daily from 4 to 7. On top off that, on Wednesdays (when we had dinner there), it's half off Martinis. A couple of people in our group ordered a few and seemed to really like them, that more were ordered after the initial drink. I had some type of champagne beverage that came in a small bottle and it was only $4 with the HH discount. I unfortunately do not remember the name of it but it tasted great and I was very happy with it. - Buttermilk garlic dressing. First time I had this type of dressing and it was lovely. What I didn't like: - My pizza. I ordered their veggie pizza, which comes with roasted squash, zucchini, mushrooms, and onions, and considering how great these toppings typically are, I was surprised by the lack of flavor. I was hungry so I ate most of it, but I have to say, for $12, it wasn't the best quality pizza that I've had. - The small hair I found in my house salad. It was at the bottom of my salad after I'd gone through 2/3s of it, and it was small, but nonetheless, it was REALLY gross. We were in the middle of a great conversation at the table, so at the risk of tampering the mood to point out a hair in the food, I didn't bring it up, but it did dampen my experience and I was icked out. In fairness to Travinia, they were not alerted of this so they did not have an opportunity to address it, but that's still no excuse for bad kitchen sanitation, and does not justify that a hair from someone in their staff made it onto a diner's meal. I would've given this place a 3.5 if it weren't for the hair because as I pointed out, there were a couple of good things from our dinner there. However it got bumped down because it is never acceptable to find hair in food. I'm comfortable recommending this place for drinks and hanging out, but for good food, I'd suggest going to Solstice just around the corner.
(2)Shannon K.
YOUR RESERVATION WILL NOT BE HONORED! I reserved the private dining, wine room, three weeks ago to celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday. Our reservation was for 6:30 and I was told we would need to be out by 8:30 because that is the only other time Travinia will reserve the room. Fair enough. I spent weeks planning to bring a huge cake along, balloons, a nice centerpiece...since I THOUGHT we would be dining in a private room. THE ROOM I RESERVED. My family and I arrive at 6:10 on our reservation date and ask if we can go ahead and bring some things inside. I tell the hostess we reserved the wine room and she tells me, "You are not in the wine room but we have your reservation." And she proceeds to take me to some tables in the back. Meanwhile, there is already a party in the wine room. Now, I ask you, if only two reservations a day are made (as I was told, 6:30 and 8:30) why was there a party already in the room, enjoying dinner at ten minutes after six? Who knows! Probably some acquaintances of the manager who got leeway into the room regardless of the fact that Travinia had already reserved the room. We were comped three appetizers (at first we were told 4 and then it magically became 3). Three appetizers for disrupting what would have been a nice 80th birthday celebration for my grandmother. Instead, she was upset because her grandchildren were upset. THANKS TRAVINIA for leaving that lovely memory for us. And, too bad for you. We had plenty of money to spend in your estabishment but ordered the very minimal (no drinks,when we probably would have gotten bottles of wine) because you didn't deserve any more money than you received. Thank you to our server, Andrew B. for being wonderful. You were the only good part of our visit and YOU deserved every dime of tip you received.
(1)AJ B.
This is by far my favorite restaurant! The service is excellent and there is a quick turn around on food service. I have dined here about 5 times, and everything I have tried has been delightful. Very clean and soothing environment.
(5)Dick W.
Good high end Italian restaurant. A cut above franchise places. You can't do much better for Italian food in Columbia. Nice bar area.
(4)Liz S.
Overpriced seared tuna. Desserts were frozen, like grocery store. Service was excellent!!! Get pasta if you come here. Pasta Mia Nona was good.
(3)Eaton O.
You might leave hungry. I am 2 for 2 on that, Just ok. Been here twice for lunch, nice place and decor, slightly pricey at an avg lunch of around $11-12. Yeah, I know it is chic to serve the "gourmet small" portions.... Crabcake was very good.....but just ONE cake, and fairly small....hungry an hour later. Chicken Parmesan, normally a filling dish...but not when the chicken is smaller than a Chic Fil A patty. Looks like these guys are very hung up on food cost...and profit. You can only run on reputation so long in a small town.
(3)Orlangela A.
Wifey said..."Hmm...not really sure what the 5 stars are about, but i dont think this resturaunt deserved 5. I am a huge italian fan, and this place was not worth going back to. Ive been to many italian resturaunts and i feel like this wasnt true italian fod. The caesar salad wasnt good at all...didnt really taste like caesar dressing actually. The asgiao cream pasta was alright...but i coulda made it at home, and it would have tasted better. It was not creamy enough, more on the watery side. Eh...i would try Dianes on divine if you want some good italian food for columbia." Hubby said..."ehhhh...yeah for the price of this place they could make real homemade pasta or something. I didn't like how it tasted...it tasted like Olive Garden leftovers. And service was a tad slow even though they ddin't seem busy. The place is nice and you can sit outside, but the food just isn't that great."
(2)Monica K.
Came here for lunch and actually came back for dinner the next day! The restaurant is pretty large and never really filled to capacity even at dinner so you don't have to worry about waiting for a table (yet). Service was acceptable at lunch (we waited a long time for our food for some reason, but our server was at least very pleasant and apologetic), but the service at dinner was wonderful (attentive yet not overbearing). For lunch I had the soup/salad combo - the salad is fresh and the tomato basil soup is very good (reminds me a little of vodka sauce?). At dinner had the baked ziti which was actually made with what I would consider 'rigatoni' (I love rigatoni). It was very hearty. I finished the entire plate (not sure if that means I eat too much or if the portions were too small) - I'm used to having to take leftovers if I go out for pasta. They give you a side of this bread roll (pretty moist and delicious) that has olive oil/garlic/herbs on top. So good! Not too much garlic where you taste it all day, but you might want to pop a mint if you're going to a business meeting afterwards.
(5)Jeff A.
Awesome food wine and staff... Be sure to ask for Adam!
(5)Pamela C.
Great for lunch but I wouldn't recommend it for dinner.....
(3)Geoff B.
The service, price, selection and quality are always outstanding. Only complaint I have are for many patron's that show up in flip-flops and short's. This place has a bit of class, slacks and collared shirt should go without saying. But this is Columbia.
(5)Cassandra S.
We (my husband and I) went to Travinia for lunch on a Saturday afternoon. We sat on the patio, and the bartender (who sat us) took our drink orders and brought our beverages almost immediately.. That was the high point of the meal. We didn't see anyone for about 15 minutes. So I finially walked inside to see if we could place our order. The manager saw me and said he would send our server out to take the order. Several minutes later, the manager came out and took our order and said he would send someone out to refill our drinks. Another ten minutes later I had to go back inside to get some more iced tea, and heard the manager yell into the kitchen that he needed the items we ordered "on the fly" as though they never got rang in. After 10-15 more minutes we got our food, and 2 of the 3 items we ordered were actually really delicious, but the salad we got was missing about half of the items listed on the menu. No one checked on us while we were eating so we could ask for a salad with the right ingredients, and as we were about one minute away from walking out from a place that clearly didn't care about our business our server showed up again. The manager then came out with our bill. He admitted that they "forgot about us a few times" and said that he took 50% off of our bill. He actually only took 25% off, and although we never made a fuss about anything, he genuinely didn't seem to care that despite the fact that there were maybe 3-4 tables in the entire restaurant, we were completely ignored by him and his staff. I'm pretty forgiving about restaurant issues, especially if it's busy or something goes wrong at some point. That being said, this was one of the worst dining experiences I have ever had and not only will I never return, but I will be telling everyone I know about this totally sub-par experience.
(1)Larry B.
More upscale than most restaurants in the area. Probably best restaurant in NE Columbia in my opinion. Every entree that I have gotten in the couple times that I have been has been very good whether it be traditional pasta, seafood pasta, or pizza. Slightly pricy for the area, but not too bad.
(4)