Due Amici — Restaurant in Columbus

DON'T go to Due Amici and sit at the bar when there is an older man with white hair working. Otherwise known as "PM B" on my tab.

I approached the bar after work, wanting a simple nightcap after a long monday. The thing is, I wouldn't usually visit here, but places in the area are usually closed Mondays, so I walked in and asked the old man if the bar was open. He looked at me like I had four heads and hesitantly said, "Yes," but not long, we're closing really soon." He said it twice, as he checked for the time. I wasn't there for a long time (or a good time for that fact), so I sat down and ordered.

He made the drink. Slid it down the bar like he was practicing social distancing and walked away. And at that moment, I was completely disgusted. No napkin, no garnish, no water. No name was given. No name asked...

I sat there for a few minutes, feeling like I should NOT be there. I needed water, but the same bartender that said they were closing soon was at the other end of the bar, offering more rounds to the other guests, handing out Dove Chocolates to some as they left, while yelling profanities regarding the coaching of NCAA games playing on the TV.

I pulled out my own water bottle and began to try and enjoy my drink, but I couldn't. This bartender was disgusting. The way he treated me versus the other 3 guests there was so apparent. I asked for the bill and didn't even want to finish my drink.

He said "just a minute" as he chatted it up with the other guests about fine wine that only was produced in magnum size. "Good to know," I thought as I waited for my check.

He finally gave me the bill. I'm sure he could see the look on my face translated the level of disgust I felt about my experience. He tried it. I mean, I tried to fix it. What he'd done. It was too late. I saw it. And no raggedy drug store chocolate was going to fix this. He literally gave me candy and winked at me. Like, "we're good now."

I paid the bill plus 20% gratuity. (Because I'm classy). Left my drink unfinished and waited for google to ask me how my visit to Due Amici was.

Here you go, Google!

Lastly, I have eaten here before, but a very long time ago. So I don't remember the dining experience. However, I've been to way too may Michelin rated restaurants while living in Manhattan to even want to try this place again, especially given my recent experience! I live in the next block and won't be back.

So...it's a long story, but the owner invited me back. All is well at Due Amici. Sometimes, it just takes a second try.

Visit during happy hour! 50% off appetizers and flatbread, wine, and house...

Terrible service. Average food for the price. Wanting to support a locally owned downtown spot, we went for what we hoped would be a nice Christmas Eve dinner. Our hopes were dashed shortly after being seated. The restaurant has a warm and pretty ambiance with exposed brick and candlelight. The charm ends there. Our waiter wasn't blatantly rude, but also wasn't at all friendly nor engaging. Quite frankly, he seemed bothered to even have to be working. I wanted to ask for a lemon for my water, but he was so short with us each time he swung by our table, that I didn't even get the opportunity to ask. Being Christmas Eve, we wanted to treat ourselves to dessert, but he didn't even offer us the dessert menu and when we enquired, he sighed and couldn't be bothered to bring it, so instead he just rattled off some of their offerings. In fact, the only time he was at all friendly, was when he brought the check, which incidentally wasn't even in one of those nice black leather check holders that you would expect to see in a place with such attitude, but rather a receipt just thrown in front of us onto the table. The kicker was when I inquired to the girl clearing the table next to us (since we barely saw our own waiter) if she could point me in the direction of the restroom. She literally rolled her eyes, sighed, and in a nasty tone said, "IN THE BASEMENT". Mind you, this is a one story restaurant in an old brick building. I was left to find the basement door and then make my way down two levels to the restroom. The sensor on the trash can lid in the restroom seemed to be broken, so people were literally just tossing their used paper towels in a pile on top of it. Needless to say, a rather large pile of trash had accumulated. Our food was average. Nothing to write home about. Our entree was supposed to come with an accompaniment, that never arrived. The only bright spot was the manager behind the bar. She was lovely and couldn't have been nicer or more apologetic. Were it not for her, the entire evening would have been a bust. I still won't be rushing back...

Some context before: the beginning and end of the experience was pretty bad. The middle, however, was a very nice experience. Also, we are 22 y/o, just out of college, which absolutely played a role in our experience. We had a reservation and were seated on time, but we immediately noticed that we stood out in the restaurant, as it was mostly older couples or families. We sat and waited for 15 minutes while no less than 5 different staff members (servers and hosts) buzzed around the other tables, including directly next to us and behind us. Not even a “I’ll be right with you”. We might as well have been sitting in the alley waiting for service. There was a table of 4 older women that were seated behind us about 5 minutes after we were seated and they were attended to right away. Very, very insulting. We decided to re-seat ourselves at the bar since no one cared if we were in the section or not, and Devin the bartender (shoutout to Devin for great service. He really did save the experience) greeted us immediately, got us menus and water. He recommended wines to us and it was an all around good experience after we changed seats. However, when the food came was when the experience went sour. My girlfriend (nut allergy) ordered the pesto pizza and immediately began to feel the effects of the pine nuts used in the pesto. There was no allergy notice like one may expect on a menu, and needless to say our night was over. Devin was very understanding and helpful, and a manager came to apologize and explain that their pesto used nuts. HOWEVER, I would recommend this restaurant to another person, granted they are someone more of my parents age, or a family. I would not recommend this restaurant to an OSU student or recent grad. You will stand out, and the staff will be averse towards serving the “broke...