Endwell Taverna — Restaurant in Columbia Township

I was a big fan of Endwell until today. The placed served very good food when it opened. It would appear that matters have slipped. First, let me qualify my experience - i have worked in top-notch restaurants in New Orleans, north carolina, Mobile, Alabama, and I owned and operated a mobile kitchen in South Carolina. I also served as the restaurant reviewer for Arizona Food and Life magazine.

That behind us, I have been disappointed in the food service at Endwell on my last two visits. Understand, I want success for it. However, the pizza we ordered today was exceptionally greasy, and the 'tuscan' chicken wings were a bomb. Now, my first job was at a neighborhood pizza joint many years ago. I learned then that subtely soured cheese can 'break' when fired in the oven. Breaking is a process where oil separates from the product when heated. Toppings like pepperoni can also add to that, but, when I see lakes of grease, I suspect it may be the cause. I pointed this out to our server in the most helpful and friendly way. She was gracious and offered to replace it. Apparently, she alerted the kitchen help who were not pleased, nor were they particularly polite. We were visited by an obviously angered cook in need of explaination. I explained my thoughts politely, and accepted a redo. The pizza was very greasy, once again. I do not intend to return anytime soon. Which is sad, because the pizzas I enjoyed prior to my last two visits were excellent.

I would also add that no restaurant should ever allow the kitchen help to confront...

Not a traditional style NYC pizza. Choices were very limited, and I could not build my own pizza. Getting a topping removed was a 5 minute wait while the waitress had to go ask if that was possible. I dared not ask if I could build my own pizza, as I feel doing so would anger the kitchen staff.

The pepperoni was the best from all the options, and the only traditional tasting NYC style pizza. The other options were just weird combinations that I didn't care for, in what seemed to be an attempt to be fancy for such a simple item. It felt like hipster food instead of a classic NYC pizzeria. Clam sauce, lemon, mint, ricotta, etc. on their pizzas. No thanks.

The dough was fine, but it tasted like any other Neapolitan style pizza if you've had one. Crust was chewy, no crisp at all. Grimaldis in Kansas City gave me a better taste, a bigger pizza, better value, and more authenticity for what NYC style pizza should be.

The portion size was incredibly small for a $17 pizza. Not a good value at all if you're hungry. But if you're one of those people who enjoys paying high dollar for small plates, it's probably something you'd like. But I don't think the quality of the pizza matched the price. The pizza was only about 10 inches, which is barely enough to feed one person.

Can't say I was impressed. I was hoping for a great pizza experience, but the term NYC Pizza is thrown around loosely. I'm not digging the hipster vibe, and the upscale feel to it all when I just wanted some comfort food that...

We had dinner at Endwell Taverna tonight, a new Italian spot that just opened in downtown Columbia. My husband and I dine out almost every night, so we know the local food scene well. It’s always been strange to us that good Italian food was hard to find here, so we were super excited when we heard about Endwell Taverna.

Usually, we wait a couple of weeks before trying a new place, but we couldn’t resist and went tonight, even though it’s only their third or fourth night open. I’m happy to say it was a fantastic experience!

The service was top-notch, especially our server Bella, who was amazing. The menu had lots of great options, and everything we tried—from starters to desserts—was really, really good. The vibe was cool, and the stylish bar will be a great addition to downtown Columbia.

We even took a moment to tell the manager, Sam, how much we enjoyed everything. We wanted him to know they’re doing a great job and to keep it up. We’re thrilled to finally have a great Italian restaurant in Columbia and can’t...