Il Focolare Pizzeria

While driving from FL to MD our stopover for the night was in Columbia. With having our pups with us, eating in at a restaurant was not happening. I found them on Yelp, called and got the best service. The place is cute but packed with patrons. We got our 🍕 and headed to our place and my gosh, incredibly delicious!!! If you're staying in the area you need to find them!!!

Cool local spot. Great atmosphere. Small and quaint with hip artwork. Our pizza was a little undercooked and doughy in the middle. 4⭐ for the category. Personal preference for the sauce to be a little more savory and the crust more well done. We had the mixed greens salad and that was excellent. Service was ok. Our server was nice enough but we felt a little rushed. No checking in on the food, no refills, or offer for dessert.

Amazing pizza! 🍕 All of ingredients are real & fresh. You can tell the makers put some love into it. I had the spicy double pepperoni for my first time & it’s worth every dollar. This place will be my default pizza place for now on. No additional condiments or seasonings are necessary.

Excellent customer service! Best pizza I’ve had in a really long time and I’ve lived all across the country (grew up in NY and NJ). Get the confit garlic bread—it’s a life changer. Super cute spot and in the best part of the city (in my humble opinion).

We had a GREAT first experience at IL Focolare on a Wednesday evening. It's a cozy environment and even on a weeknight was quite crowded. So you probably should go early or make a reservation. It is definitely worth it! Since it was our first time, we ordered three pizzas for the three of us, far too much food but we wanted to sample more than just one. All pizzas were amazing. You can't beat the standard pepperoni with their delicious little pepperoni "cups". The roasted mushroom pizza was also delicious as was the spicy double pepperoni. The crust has an amazing chew, perfect on the bottom and the edges are wonderfully chewy. We also shared a chopped salad that had lots of "extras" in the lettuce (pepperoni cubes, at least two different cheeses, olives, etc.). Nicole was a fantastic server. This place is a hidden gem! It is a small dining room so be prepared to get there early or you might not get a table. It's worth your visit. No gratuity policy is refreshing and we were happy to pay slightly higher price in lieu of the additional tip. We will definitely be back.

This is the actual best pizza served in Columbia. The atmosphere is unique, personal, and down to earth. Reminiscent of my time spent in France and Spain. You don't rush through this pizza, you savor every bite and appreciate the fact that you can taste every ingredient. It's fresh and high quality. Try the housemaid sausage, fantastic!

Unsure if we were at the right place but we were. Small inside with a few tables. The pizza was awesome and we loved the garlic bread.

I ordered the skyline pizza for pickup. The system said it would notify me 10-15 minutes before it was ready. That did not happen. I was notified when it was ready, not before. It took me 10 minutes to get there. It was dark, and there was not any good lighting or signage I could see. I went in to pick up the pizza and mentioned this to the staff. He simply said,'You can't trust computers', then reached under the counter, handed me my pizza, and walked away. The box was barely warm, and after my drive home, it was cold. The pizza itself was great. However, anybody who knows Skyline might see room for improvement. I did not get the side of oyster crackers as advertised. These usually are with a 3, 4, or 5 way. There was mustard on top, usually only on a Skyliner. They kind of mixed both. Cheese should have been Cheddar, as classic Skyline has. Maybe some hot dog pieces to go with the mustard. The chili itself was spot on. I would like to go again, but I would order it inside to get it hot and fresh, but some service improvements could be made.

Boy...I've lived in Columbia for a decade and I'm kicking myself for not trying this place out sooner. I've meant to go since the pandemic, but I really don't know why I never stopped in. Anyway, I'm in that group that thinks all pizza is good pizza. Frozen pizza has its place in life, heck - so do Lunchables if the calling comes. I've ate pizza all along the East Coast and in Chicago. I will say, this is fantastic pizza. Absolutely hands down in my top three. I ordered for pick up and when I arrived the inside is small. I brought this back to my house, so next time I would love to eat inside to have it fresh ( I live 30 minutes away). When I got to my car and took a peek it was gorgeous. I'm talking should be in a monthly pizza magazine gorgeous. I got pepperoni and chopped basil. Also, I got a side of ranch (very herby ranch which is my favorite). I got home and just ate this whole thing without saying a word. It was delicious...and I really can't think of anything else. It was phenomenal, great, fantastic, insane, ridiculous, etc. If you're like me and you haven't gone yet you need to immediately. You don't have to travel for fantastic pizza and that makes me prouder of living in Columbia.

Il Focolare is one of my new favorite spots in Colombia! I am very selective with my pizza but this was absolutely incredible. Each pie comes in one size, 13 inches, which is essentially a personal pie. The crust was perfect and the sauce was also excellent. It's definitely a more causal place, very small dining room so I would recommend a reservation just in case. For drinks, they have a selection of beer and wine as well as some spritzes. For the non alcoholic drinks, they have Wild Bill's soda which I didn't expect to be as good as it was. I got the diet cola flavor and I totally loved it. Another thing that is interesting is this restaurant doesn't require gratuity at all, the prices reflect gratuity already included. I will absolutely be back to Il Focolare!!!

Stumbled upon this newish pizzeria started by the smallSugar owner (which I also highly recommend), located on the edge of Cottontown, just a block from Elmwood. Fresh, seasonal ingredients (e.g. corn in the summer; brussel sprouts in the fall) with a wood-burning stove and a solid wine & beer list all hit the spot. Customer service was friendly and fast. It's a small, cozy place that has to be a neighborhood favorite. I'll definitely be back!

This place has very good pizza. I give it four stars very clean. The weight. Staff is very helpful and kind.

I ordered online here, in part because when I pulled it up, the website gave an hour and a half later as the soonest pickup time, which I took to mean they were packed. In fact, the order was ready in more like an hour, and fortunately I was already headed over, and it wasn't that crowded there. Still, I didn't quite get the peak freshness I'd hoped for. They were out of the salad I wanted; I ordered a garlic bread (with a smallSUGAR loaf since I didn't have time to stop there during this trip). It wasn't quite as delicious as it looked, but fit the need. A side of ranch for the bread and the pizza crust was dynamic in flavor. The pizza was of a thinner, more basic crust than I like. The hot peppers I got were fantastic and overall the ingredient quality was good and the salt was not wildly excessive as it is in many places. However, for thirty bucks plus for a smallish pizza and garlic bread, I just wasn't as impressed as I was hoping to be. Eating in probably garners a better experience, but I don't know that I'll get around to it.

This place doesn't describe their pizza as authentic, so I'll just call it kick-ass! I judge pizzas based on their crust: thickness, crispness and char. The wood-fired oven here is amazing and worth a visit to watch it in action. Our server was excellent and made great suggestions. I'm glad the restaurant pays it staff a fair wage. We started with garlic bread, a rustic sourdough with roasted garlic. It was delish. Next, the chopped salad was extremely tasty and photogenic! I love to order a Margherita at a new place because of its simplicity. You really get to enjoy the sauce and cheese. My wife orders the Pepperoni with sausage and fresh basil, as suggested by our server. Both were perfect! The Olive Oil Cake was an awesome end to our meal! Pricing, service, pacing and food quality/quantity were exceptional. I will say when you drive up for the first time, you may think you have the wrong address. Once inside, you know you've found the right place!

Top of the line service Top of the line pizza Don't let the facade of the storefront fool you... go in and check it out! Got two pizzas: Prosciutto and Pepperoni Sauce was very good- we got extra on the prosciutto We walked in at 7pm. Our made fresh to our order pizzas were ready in about 20 minutes. Every seat (minus three at the counter) was filled, and it was still served within a more than acceptable amount of time. Again, the service was great. We had a nice chat with our server after we finished. We wish you luck social media for the semi- pro soccer team server.

My wife and I went here last night. Her first time. We split the chopped salad and had a13" pizza with pepperoni, muchrooms and onions. She ordered a white wine and I had a Perone beer. The salad was great. Pizza was excellent...great cheese and crust was very good. I think this in the top three that we've had in Columbia/Lexington area. Service was great. Definitely a go to place, just wish they were open for lunches!

We didn't take a photo because we were starving but none needed! Imagine the best and freshest, most authentic wood fired pizza you've had and that's it. I loved that it's totally a hidden gem, I never would have known it was there had friends not taken us. Worth the trip.

Excellent pizza.... Excellent service and great vibe. Enjoyed the experience....and they mean what they say ... they refuse tips

The pizza is excellent. The Margherita and (limited time) Summer Squash are my favorites. The staff is friendly and just attentive enough and the interior is interesting and always smells wonderful!

The place has a nice hole in the wall feel. The service was pretty good. They make their own wine which I was not the biggest fan of. I do however think their pizza is one of the better places in Columbia. The crust is pretty good. Would recommend giving it a try.

After an underwhelming experience with Il Focolare many years ago, I broke down & went back. The place is a great little place with just a few tables and some stolls at the bar. The wine list is impressive and I would love for the bar area to be more interactive. They don't claim to be authentic Italian pizza and it's not, but the ingredients are pretty top notch. I ordered a cheese pizza with pepparoni & fresh basil. The dough was a little thicker than I would have liked, but moreover, it was slightly over charred. The cup & char pepperoni was a good call because it added another layer of flavor, as the sauce was not as flavorful as I had hoped. I asked for fresh basil to be added, but they had forgotten it. Hubby chose the white pizza with jalapeños. He enjoyed his but would have liked a more pungent cheese like blue cheese to have been on the pizza. I have had take- out from this place several times during covid, and I can say that the pizza is definitely better served hot in the restaurant. If u have a chance to get a table, it is worth your while.

Fantastic! I'm so excited to jump on this bandwagon! This area is beautiful! I can't wait for more walkable and fun spaces in this area!!! I love to walk!!!

Service was great all the workers were very kind and the food was amazing. Pizza was the best we've had in a while the sauce was fresh and dough was perfect. We would definitely return this is a hidden gem.

Soooooo... First of all, the prices are WAY too much for what you get. It's bonkers how much they charge for quality and quantity. The pepperoni pizza was meh, and small for what you get, not worth it. The mushroom and potato pizza was good - not incredible but pretty good. Mostly that topping combo is hard to find, so that's why they get stars for that alone. The garlic bread was good. Again not incredible but pretty good. I got the order to go. The interior seemed trendy but fun. With the price I will just not go here again. It was disappointing. But if you want to try it, it's not bad if you don't mind throwing $$ around.

Olive Oil Cake is amazing!!!! Order it early in case the next table steal the last serving haha The pizzas are also really good, my favorites are the prosciutto arugula and the mushroom. Anything there would be awesome. They don't have normal sodas, only seltzer like things. The ambiance is nice, not a lot of tables but I eat in every time I visit. They seem to have an active carry out situation as well. They don't accept tips but the prices are still very reasonable. One of my favorites in Columbia- only pizza I need!

Yelp reviews were good, photos looked good so I figured I'd try it. I'm from Buffalo, NY so always an adventure trying to find a good Buffalo style pizza and wings. I've had excellent pizza's that were cooked in regular pizza ovens, conveyor style ovens and wood fired ovens. The later are nothing special, its a current fad for making pizza and in a couple years all "these" people will be selling they're $800-1200 backyard stone pizza ovens for $150 on ebay. I definitely DO NOT want to pay a premium charge of $1 for what you call "firewood fee", what a joke! They say a 13" pizza but the box is barely 12" with its thickness so you figure it out. Anyway $29.60 for a 12" 6 slice pizza is ridiculous, that's $5 a slice, come on! The flavor was good, presentation was good, needed more sauce but that could be just me. Sorry but I won't be going back.

Best pizza in Columbia. It's small inside but it's worth the visit. Service is great, prices are fair. Don't hesitate!

Wow! What a cool spot! Only 7 tables and some bar seating so it could get crowded. Chopped salad was delicious and the pizza was superb. We got the pepperoni. You can tell the cheese was high quality and the cupped pepperoni was fun and flavorful. You could see the wood fired oven right in the open. And to top it off a delicious chocolate Nutella mousse dessert. Great service! So glad we found this hidden gem!!

First and last visit - Quality of the products is amazing. However, $30 for a small pizza is ridiculous. One of my pizzas was not made as ordered and they refunded with a call which was great customer service but the value in the amount you receive for the price is simply not there.

We came the Wednesday after Christmas. Sat right down around 5:20p. No wait. We waited maybe 20ish minutes for the pies. The times we came before it was carryout only due to the pandemic. The first thing I noticed on the menu was "We do not accept gratuity. Our prices reflect that decision. 50% of our revenue is used for employee wages." I love that. I ordered the Paw Paw IPA with a cold glass. It was very light for an IPA. I am enjoying it. She had the Sant' Evasio Correse. I'm no wine connoisseur but it was crisp and tasty. The pizza was amazing. The mozzarella and the sauce tastes so fresh. The crust has the slight char I love. Her pizza: "They did not disappoint with the spice level." We will make plans to be here anytime we are in Cola.

We walked in around 5:30 on a Saturday. There was no one there and I think we were their first customers. We were greeted immediately by a lovely waiter. We ordered immediately. We got two pies, one margarita and the spicy double pepperoni. I would say the pizza maybe took around 15 minutes ? The pizza was around a medium, honestly perfect size. Now the star of the show! The pizza was amazing by far the best pizza I've had in the midlands, no comparison. Their sauce is so flavorful and their ingredients just taste so fresh. The crust is cooked perfectly and the dough tastes great. All around 5 stars. And everything is priced extremely reasonable and something I found interesting is they pay their staff living wages so gratuity is not accepted. I will be retuning again ... and again.

The ambiance has a fun and hippie vibe. I ordered: The spicy double pepperoni and margherita pizza. The food was flavorful. I enjoyed the authenticity of the meal since everything was made in house from scratch.

expensive! $80 for 2 personal pies a soda and a beer. undercooked. dough not crisp, a bir soggy. not flavorful. dough needed a bit of salt btw Parma cheese is extra!!!

Went here for the first time the other day and this is definitely the best pizza I've had in Columbia. We got a sausage and a white pizza and both were delicious!!!

Great pizza! Very authentic tasting. Found on google as the highest rated pizza place in Columbia, so we decided to give it a try. It's pretty small on the inside, but has a beautiful stone pizza oven and smelled great. The service was quick, as soon as we sat down we were given menus and water, although the drink selection was somewhat limited to alcoholic drinks, few were non-alcoholic. We ordered the garlic bread as a starter. It was very oily and pieces of garlic were chopped and more of a topping, rather than as part of a spread. It was made of sourdough bread, which I can't say I enjoyed as much as maybe focaccia or Italian bread , but to each is their own. We ordered the Prosciutto pizza, and it was great. The crust was perfect. Perfect texture, perfect charring that you can only get from an authentic pizza oven...absolutely exceptional. The sauce was great, and the arugula added a nice bite! A quick side note, the ranch was incredible. Probably some of the best ranch I've ever tasted and I took it home to try with chicken the next day. Would 100% recommend checking them out!

I'm from New England, I've lived in Charleston and Aiken for the past 11 years, and this is the best pizza I've ever had in South Carolina! The sauce, the cheese, the crust, it's all fantastic. I couldn't be happier with this place. Plus, the service was friendly and fast, and the prices are fair. Highly recommend!!

My partners barber recommended This pie when she stated we loved all Small sugar. This restaurant is located off of Sumter Street in the bustling area of Cotton Town. They are currently carry out only but the customer service was amazing. We got the mushroom pizza, Burrata & Butternut Squash and Olive oil cake! As I expected everything was amazing quality products and freshness that you can taste!

After discovering Il Focolare's incredibly delicious and savory potato rosemary pies, we have fallen in love with this pizzeria. We love the pies so much that we now order 2 - one for dinner and another for leftovers. The olive oil cake with raspberry sauce is also very good. Happy to support this small, local business!

Oh my! So, you how they say if you are a small business, you should stick to what you excel at to build your business. This place is doing that. Now, because of Covid they aren't doing any inside dining. The place is way too small to safely social distance. But they are in the process of purchasing outdoor seating. They excel at making a 13" (medium sized) pizza. It's their only size right now. So for an amazing pizza you have to start with fresh, homemade dough. And you will know you're eating that because the crust is so flavorful, so chewy on the inside and crispy on the outside, that you don't even need dipping sauce. This is crust that has the mettle to be thin crust hand tossed and smothered in a delicious red sauce base and toppings that doesn't become soggy, but comes out perfectly crispy on the bottom. Then you need an amazing red sauce. Theirs isn't some high sodium purée from a can. (I'm almost sure). This sauce has the texture and taste of a homemade sauce made from fresh tomatoes that's been lovingly simmered and reduced for hours. Then you have the amazing toppings. They put fresh jalapeños that have been very thinly sliced, so you get a bit of heat without a mouthful of too much heat. This pizza looked and smelled so amazing I ended up scarfing 1 1/2 slices in the parking lot! (And scorched the roof of my mouth, but it was soooo worth it! Now, on to an important point! The prices are slightly higher than most other places for that size, BUT: here's what they say on their menu. (Paraphrasing) They don't accept gratuity (tips) because their prices reflect their commitment to pay their staff a liveable wage. Amen to that. They do offer delivery, but only on certain days and to limited areas. They don't have dedicated delivery guys and they don't pay for the delivery services. (Most places like Uber Eats, Grubhub etc, *I've heard , I could be wrong * charge businesses about 30% of the cost of the order to deliver, which for small businesses is nearly 100% of any potential profit)

Excellent !!! The real deal. Fresh ingredients, great dough, wood fired oven, great staff. Highly recommended...best Pizza in Columbia...Real Pizza!!!

Hands down the best pizza in town. Wood fired pizza. Definitely need to order an extra next time!

Il Focolare has been a fixture in the nearby area during the pandemic. We ordered from them numerous times, and also supported their efforts in the community. They are great neighbors and they serve great food! Strangely we dined indoors for the first time ever. They have safety precautions that make us more comfortable. While I knew the food was great, I had no idea how much better the experience was in the restaurant. Pizza is just better out of the oven and on a plate than it is out of a box. We split the pizza after starting with salad and drinks. The Caesar was amazing. The service was amazing. We can't wait to return now that they have indoor dining again.

Most delicious pizza ever!!! We ordered the mushroom pizza and spicy pepperoni. The mushroom pizza was creamy and delicious! The spicy pepperoni is spicy... the good kind of spicy. It was packed with heat and flavor! A friend recommended this place and we ate there twice in the last week! It does take awhile to get the pizza ready, so call ahead. The wait is SO worth it!!

This a Unique restaurant with excellent brick oven pizza! Fast service, funky pop culture art all over the place. Just a neat place

Cute neighborhood pizza. Prosciutto pizza and salad were good. The gentlemen making the Pizza and salad did a fantastic job. I felt the glass wine was overpriced and the pour looked to be 4 ounces for 13.00 a bit much. They were out of four menu items which the server informed us of when greeting our table. A bit off putting. I would certainly visit in the future. The prices are a bit much 40 bucks for one person.

We ordered to our dinner to go. The pizzas came out as we entered to pick them up. We started with the Chop salad. Chopped romaine, ripe cherry tomatoes, marinated olives, spicy/sweet pickled peppers, cubes of pecorino Toscano cheese, cubes of pepperoni and topped with with a tasty oregano vinaigrette. We followed that with 2 pizzas. The Mushroom pizza. White base pizza topped with whole milk mozzarella, a blend of roasted wild mushrooms, herbs and olive oil. The prosciutto pizza. Tomato base pizza topped whole milk mozzarella, 18 month aged prosciutto, Paul's arugula, pecorino cheese and olive oil. Both pizzas had nice char spots on the crust adding to flavors. Both of the pizzas paired well the bottle of Chianti we had.

In my opinion simply overrated and overly expensive. This is a normal pizza. Water, flour, some tomato sauce, some pepperoni and cheese at $25 it is an insult to anyones intelligence. I just came from Southern Italy last month and went to Naples, Sicily, Pompeii, Cefalu, Tropea, Matera and Amalfi Coast and all throughout the trip we ate one of the best tasting pizzas ever and without exaggeration we spent close to $25 for two pizzas along with two Aperol Spritz drinks. It is shame to come back to overrated Columbia to have this kind of experience. The pizza had a good flavor and consistency, but there is no justification for it to cost $25 it is simply overpriced pizza.

Not a pizza connoisseur; however one of best pies recently tasted. Small, 8 tables (?) and 8-seats bar style (?). Very friendly staff, beer, Italian Vino by glass or bottle. Choose to walk-in to order take out, see-feel the vibe and watch the pies in-out of oven...nicely orchestrated...ordered the prosciutto with basil, excellent dough that fluffed in baking process, Italian Rose' and almost to minute, 20-minutes as wait staff promised...Very DAMN Tasty...Me thinks I and others have found a gem...So please support this restaurant business...Promise "you" will enjoy...I'm sure they will leave a light on for ya....again its small, say Hello to those by ya...remember to use your Southern Manners....:)

First time going and definitely not the last! My boyfriend and I went on a Sunday night around 7ish and got a nice seat at the bar with a view of the pizza cooker. Dalton was our server and he was outstanding! Super friendly, genuinely excited to have us be there, and had great conversations with him. We order the kale ceaser, margarita pizza, and the Brussels and goat cheese pizza with pepperonis added- everything was delicious!! They make the dough in house along with everything else. I did notice once they run out of dough for the day they are done so that happen around 8pm and they closed at 9pm (good fyi!) They don't accept gratuity and dalton definitely deserved it, they must pay their employees well because you could tell he enjoyed his job and helping the customers. Can't wait to go back and make it a regular spot for my bf and I.

Friendly staff. Excellent, authentic pizza! Will be back for more. Loved the spicy pepperoni pizza!

Excellent pizza at this little place in the Cottontown area. It's not easy to find so pay attention and don't miss it. We did take out but seemed like a great place to hang out

Delicious salads and great pizza. Cool little kiosk style place where it is all about the food. Very laid back, highly recommend.

Loved our pizzas. Wish I had ordered a side of ranch to dip my pizza bones in definitely looking forward to my next visit

Excellent pizza! I'm from Jersey and, we'll everyone knows you find the BEST pizza there (sorry NYC). The pizza at Il Focolare is so very tasty and the people who work there couldn't be nicer. I stop in for a pie every time I visit my daughter.

Food, great! Take out service Not Great! Who cares about the ambiance if the service is bad. My wife ordered two pies, a kale salad, and some garlic bread. She was not received kindly. Please adjust your behavior

Now online ordering is available seven days a week 11am-7pm curb side pick up only. You can also pay it forward for medical personal at 14.00 for a cheese pizza for our local heroes.

Really great service, fantastic food. I've tried almost everything on their menu and haven't found something that's done me wrong. Great environment, but it does fill up quick so best to call ahead.