Tony's Italian Ristorante — Restaurant in Columbus

About as close to a typical traditional Italian place as Columbus is going to get. Went in there for lunch today and for a Friday it was empty, only one or two tables at noon. A 70 degree day and overcast but fairly comfortable for Central Ohio in the summer so I asked to sit on the patio and was told it was closed for lunch although there was nobody in the entire place and there were at least two people serving tables. So much for that. The lunch menu had most of your standard Italian dishes and the Friday special was the Cioppino seafood or some kind of chicken she described to me. I wanted to get sausage and peppers because that's always my test of a real Italian place and she said the $9 appetizer sausage and peppers could be had for 13 bucks which was most every other dish's price and includes a salad or soup and some bread and butter. The salad was good but on the small side and the herbed butter was a relatively small little ball and four or five slices of crusty bread which was okay. Got my usual black coffee and it was refilled without having to ask. Tablecloths and nice dishware but that annoying white paper on the table. The napkins are those industrial-grade towels that you can wash your car with. When the sausage and peppers came out it was a little disappointing. A somewhat on the small side bowl with pasta that was passable but not al dente. A little overcooked which tells me since it came out so fast it was prepared and not boiled fresh. It definitely wasn't 9 or 10 minutes. Nice peppers and onions sauteed and a decent tomato sauce but the sausage was disappointing. Instead of that nice Italian link sausage expecting at least one or two there were instead four little sausage meatballs. Tiny things. And they were black on one side like the guy had forgotten to take them off the grill. Crusty on the outside but again it appeared they were the type that have been either sitting around waiting to be plated or came out of a bag which would really be disappointing. Spicy Italian but dinky and on the burnt side. There are other places that will slice it up so you can't tell how many links you actually got. To me a real Italian place will leave them whole so you know you're getting what you ask for. I suppose this was the lunch portion but I'm guessing since they considered sausage and peppers an appetizer this is how they give it to you as an entree. With the number of businesses and attorney's office's around here you'd expect this place to be jammed on a Friday afternoon. I'm guessing everybody has tried it and given it a pass eventually. One of those places that at one time may have been really spectacular or really family authentic like TAT on the Eastside but have kind of been let to slide by the aging owner. Since the dude seating people was on the Aging Italian dude side I'm going to assume that was Tony. Did not ask. I might give this place another chance if ever I'm jonesing for Italian on the near Southside. I still find myself going into the TAT occasionally despite the frozen concoctions they serve instead of home-cooked Italian just for the old family pictures and Roman Catholicism all over the place. It's just nice to have a sit-down restaurant with a cup of coffee. Almost forgot I ordered the cannoli and that was disappointing. It's apparent that these places have almost identical cannoli which they obviously order from some other bakery that mass-produces them because the crust was on the hard to stale side. The other drawback is the men's restroom. You walk in the door and it's like they put it into the smallest space they could find in the building. The john is right on top of the entrance door and there's no coat hook so once you get inside you barely have room to turn around and try to sit down without bumping your elbows on both sides and banging your head on the paper dispenser which sits inches from your face in front of you. I had to hang up my jacket on the stall corner outside so if your wallet, keys or gun are in it keep an eye on the feet coming in inches...

I ate an absolutely-delicious "early supper" yesterday 2-9-2023] at Tony's Italian Ristorante at 16 W. Beck St. in the "Brewery District" neighborhood of Columbus and only 1½ blocks west of the "German Village" neighborhood of Columbus.

I periodically attend early-Monday-evening meetings at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission [MORPC but Tony's is always closed on Mondays so I had never before had the opportunity to eat there.

Immediately before I had eaten yesterday at Tony's Italian Ristorante, I had attended, about four blocks away, an extremely- crowded "farewell reception" for a MORPC staff member who had been in the process of leaving that organization.

After I had attended the MORPC reception for about half an hour, I decided that "I really needed more quiet in my life." So I left that reception and walked about four blocks to the southeast to Tony's Italian Ristorante where I had been able to eat an absolutely-delicious meal at that very pleasant restaurant.

I had arrived at Tony's Italian Ristorante exactly when they had been scheduled to open so their door had been locked when I had first pulled on it; they unlocked that door within two or three minutes.

My food choice for yesterday had been Spinach and Cheese Cannelloni: "pasta filled with fresh spinach, ricotta and parmesan cheese baked and topped with twin sauces: fresh marinara and alfredo."

I had never before heard of cannelloni but what had been brought to my table several minutes later had been very similar to three burritos covered with two different flavors of sauce. My meal had been served with ciabatta bread and herb butter. I had also had the choice of an Italian house salad or a bowl of wedding soup; I chose the bowl of wedding soup.

The lighting at Tony's Italian Ristorante had been extremely dim while I had been there. I had previously decided -- while viewing their website on my home computer -- what I would order last night, so I got out my smartphone and read out loud to my server what I had previously decided to order rather than trying to read the actual menu that she had brought to my table.

Seated next to me had been a table of older adults [all of them probably in their eighties] who immediately got out flashlights so that they would be able to read their menus.

I overheard one of them say to their table, "They probably charge you to turn on the lights." So I went over to them moments later and told them that my grandmother [who probably would be 120 years old now if she were still living] had always carried in her purse a six-inch-diameter magnifying glass that she would use in situations like that.

If you are looking for a high-quality Italian meal served in a wonderful space, I strongly recommend Tony's Italian Ristorante. I am certain that I will return there at some point but not on a Monday and not...

Last night was our first time at Tony’s and I will absolutely be back! The service there was so accommodating and friendly. Tony himself was our host! The man even helped someone with wheelchair needs by storing the chair and bringing it back out when they needed it and was so kind. Our waitress was so friendly and outgoing and was so accommodating when my husband needed plain noodles with no sauce for his marsala. Speaking of food we ordered the chicken Marsala and Tony’s Own Fettuccine and oh my god they were both mouthwatering. They both came with salad and my husband switched to a Cesar salad instead for an upcharge and it was soooo good. I loved the uniqueness to the house salad with the two garbanzo beans, one pasta salad noodle, olives, tomato and blue cheese. It was soooo good especially for someone who loves blue cheese. The Cesar salad was also so good. We also ordered an appetizer of the bruschetta and it had to be one of the best orders of bruschetta I’ve had in a long long time. The bread they used complimented the ingredients so well and really brought the flavors together. Tony’s own fettuccine is now hands down my favorite pasta I’ve ever had to date. The cream sauce was so so good and the crab used was melt in your mouth amazing along with the shrimp and scallops. The chicken marsala was incredible and the sauce was so savory and perfect. My husband and I will definitely be back soon!! If you haven’t tried Tony’s...