Pelino's Pasta — Restaurant in Columbus

Pelino's Pasta, nestled in a part of town where parking is akin to a treasure hunt, beckons diners with the promise of an extraordinary culinary adventure. Unfortunately, my visit left me with a mix of emotions, and the hope of being amazed turned into a sense of disappointment. The moment I walked in, the lighting hit me like a wave, a stark contrast to what one would expect in a fine dining establishment, felt more like a cafeteria. A subtle dimming of the lights could have worked wonders in setting the right ambiance. The noise level in the restaurant was deafening, making it nearly impossible to hold a conversation with my companions sitting just inches away. Seating arrangements were equally underwhelming. The disparity in chair heights between banquettes and chairs created an uncomfortable discrepancy. I couldn't help but wonder why such basic issues, like equalizing the seating, remained unaddressed in a restaurant of this caliber. It's the little things that matter, after all, even in an upscale setting. I shouldn’t be sitting 6 inches lower than those on the other side of the table. Now, let's delve into the culinary journey. It began on a promising note with the $5 focaccia bread, a delightful start. However, the Latte Miele e Zucca, though decent, failed to overshadow the simple focaccia. The Zuppa di fagioli was served disappointingly cold, with a grainy texture, leaving much to be desired. The Torelloni di zucca was a letdown; a mere two pieces of pasta left us longing for more. The flavors were there, but the portion size felt inadequate, to put it mildly. The Pecora in Tre Modi provided a glimmer of hope. The lamb was well-seasoned and delicious, but it fell short on temperature, and a few more gnocchi would have elevated the dish to greatness. The Cacio e pepe, prepared tableside in a substantial cheese wheel, had all the potential to be the star of the show. However, it fell short with its lukewarm temperature and a disappointing lack of creaminess. The cheese wasn't melted sufficiently, leaving room for improvement. Amid these highs and lows, the Spaghetti Sulla Piazza stood out. The pasta was perfectly cooked, and the harmonious blend of EVOO di Sicilia and Romano cheese made it the culinary highlight of the evening. As we concluded the meal with the Tiramisu, it was evident that dessert was the saving grace in an otherwise underwhelming dining experience. The service was a mix of excellence and neglect. Our server was knowledgeable about the menu, personable, and everything one would expect from fine dining. However, their attentiveness was lacking. The constant struggle to secure water refills, despite multiple requests, was frustrating. The simple solution would be to leave more than one carafe on the table, especially when catering to a party of six. In the end, my hopes of being wowed were left unfulfilled. Pelino's Pasta fell short of expectations, particularly considering its high price point. While there were flashes of culinary brilliance, the overall experience felt like a missed opportunity. If you can overlook these shortcomings, you might uncover hidden gems in the menu, but it might also leave you wanting more - not just in terms of flavors, but also in the finer details, like the extremely small wine pours and the low-quality restroom paper towels and soap dispensers you have to battle with to get any soap out. Our final tab, covering a four-course meal complemented with wine for two, surpassed the $300 mark, including gratuity. Given the plethora of dining options available in the area and the fierce competition in the market, regrettably, it seems unlikely that we'll find ourselves returning to this establishment. Pelino's Pasta, while promising, ultimately fell short of our...

I was incredibly excited to try this place and with all the hype it took some time to get a reservation, but I was finally able to get one back at end of August. First I would like to say the service and presentation of all the dishes were amazing, but there were some major issues with our meal that has made me give it only 3 stars. Since they have a fixed 3-course or 4-course menu, options are already limited so I was expecting every dish to be impeccable. We ordered one 3-course meal and one 4-course meal so we could expand our options. For appetizers, we had the Bruschetta con Lonza, Caprese, and Raviolo al Uovo all of which were amazing and full of flavor. For main courses, we had the Cacio e Pepe and the ‘Nduja. These dishes were far from perfect. The pasta in the Cacio e Pepe was undercooked and gummy and not enough pasta water was added when they mixed it in the parmesan wheel at the table so it was very dry and kinda difficult to eat so I wasn’t able to finish it even though the portion is small. While this is a simple dish with only a couple of ingredients, it was quite bland. I have made cacio e pepe at home multiple times and have gotten more flavor than this dish. The ‘Nduja was also quite bland. My boyfriend’s words after trying it was “it just seems like it’s missing something.” It also had barely any sausage in it which is concerning since the dish is named after the sausage. For desserts, we had the Torta al Cioccolato and the Frutti do Bosco. Both of these were incredible! The Frutti di Bosco is probably one of the best desserts I’ve ever had in my life and I think they have some the top desserts in Columbus. Another issue I had is that once we sat down and ordered drinks we were offered fresh bread. Since it is a fixed menu I assumed this would be included in the fixed cost as it was not mentioned there was an extra charge for it. I was wrong, we were charged for bread and while it’s only a few bucks it just kinda rubbed my the wrong way that the additional cost wasn’t mentioned. Because of the huge issues with the pasta dishes and because this is a “pasta” restaurant, I can’t really recommend this restaurant. If there wasn’t a fixed menu I would be there all the time to have appetizers...

Decided to try Pelino's for a night out with our oldest son on New Years' Day. The restaurant is in an older building with exposed brick and a nice, small-ish dining room with tasteful art on the walls. The kitchen is open, which is always a plus. We were greeted on arrival (nice lady from Bologna), and seated promptly for our reservation.

Our waiter was very good - knew the menu well, had his pronunciation down, and was not intrusive in handling the table.

Service and aesthetics aside, the dining room was a bit chilly. Even walking through towards the kitchen, there wasn't a lot of temperature change.

You are guided to a three-course meal and strongly encouraged to not go a la carte. Some of the "add ons" were pushed a bit. Know that a bottle of water will be $7.50, and the focaccia (three small strips of focaccia with a tomato paste on top and [unsure why] some olive oil to dip) is $8.50.

The meal was significantly overpriced for what it was. My wife's Tortellini in Brodo had four tortellini and about an ounce of broth on them. My Risotto dell'Inverno had maybe five spoonfuls of risotto and was out in under ten minutes. The Carbonara served was equally about ten bites of a tubetti-type pasta with a few not-very-crisp pieces of guanciale on top.

Dessert-wise, my panna cotta was OK, I ended up eating only the panna cotta itself and not the bizarre mixture of spiced smear of something, differently spiced crumbles, and oddly spiced whipped cream dots on the plate. The tiramisu that came to the table was unique in that it was served in a moka pot, but was otherwise marginal. My wife's Il Gioiello dell'Inverno was marginal at best. Finally, expect a $4 espresso if you want to cap the dinner off.

A three course "meal" (a tiny antipasti, pasta, and a desert) , glass of wine, two bottles of water, a blood orange soda, and facaccia coming to just over $225 should not have you walking away hungry. I guess I am grateful that they bill themselves as an "osteria" instead of a "ristorante" as the bill would have been significantly higher.

Save your self a significant amount of money, this is just...