Villa Tronco Italian Restaurant

Villa Tromco was absolutely wonderful date night dinner spot. We got there early and were seated immediately. They had a great selection of drinks and food. Ordered a couple appetizers and drinks. For the main course my wife ordered the meatballs and I ordered the pork ribeye special both were plenty of food for the both of us. Is definitely our new favorite Italian restaurant. Staff were really nice and everyone was attentive not just the server. Kept checking in on us and making sure we were satisfied. Also I would be doing a disservice if I didn't mention that the amaretto bread pudding is a must have if you get dessert.

Went here for Valentine's and we really loved the place. What's family owned and is the oldest restaurant in South carolina. They introduced Pizza to Columbia. The excellent service in the delicious sauces were my favorites.

Dec 2025. Had 2 work functions here in 2025. Following our Christmas dinner we were honored to be invited to the Table Tennis room. We had a great time over all!

This place blew me out the park. I enjoyed the food so much and it reminded me of growing up in NY and eating at our favorite Italian restaurant. Food was amazing . Great prices , great service and everything was tasty . Authentic Italian food , which can be hard to find these days.

We hosted a legislative dinner for our local delegation, a party of 12. Upon arrival our table was ready and we were seated promptly. Service was excellent, very smooth and very attentive, especially with such a large party. The food was absolutely delicious! Everything was made fresh and in-house. One of the best Italy restaurants I’ve visited. If you’re in Columbia, looking for Italian with great food and service, you’ll want to make Villa Tronco a destination. Enjoy!

I can’t complain about the food or the atmosphere, but the service was extremely disappointing. During my visit, the server accidentally spilled tomato pasta sauce on my bag, which is worth $3,000. Instead of apologizing, they asked if I wanted cleaning supplies to clean it myself—I ended up cleaning it, and while most of the sauce came off, a small corner of the bag remained stained. When I spoke with the manager about the situation, her first response was, “What do you want us to do?” I was expecting an apology and options for how they could make it right. She then asked which food I had, offering to remove the price of that item. I had shared three plates with my sister, and I felt it was frustrating to be questioned about every single item rather than being treated with basic courtesy. Another staff member eventually apologized after I explained that I had not received one initially and again asked what I wanted. I requested the entire bill be removed ($100), but was told only the most expensive dish ($32) would be discounted. I just ended up paying for the full bill, and the staff then said, “No need to worry about the tip.” After this incident, I will not be leaving a tip. Was he expecting me to leave a tip? If this hadn’t happened, I would have visited at least once a month and spent over $100 each time. Very disappointing experience overall.

We went for Valentine's. I was immediately disappointed to find out that they were not serving the standard menu for Valentine's, but a different one with higher prices and a more limited selection that cuts out some of their biggest dishes like chicken parmesan. This was not communicated on the website or the several emails that were sent prior to our reservation. We ordered the villa tronco chicken and lobster shrimp risotto. Pasta was bland on the chicken. Lobster shrimp risotto was good but shrimp portion was lacking. The atmosphere needed a lot of work. The chairs looked like they came right out of a church fellowship hall, not the sort of thing you want to see at a restaurant where you're spending $100 plus dollars on dinner. The server did a good job but he was clearly in a section alone too big for him. If not for the separate associate dedicated to filling water glasses all night, it would have been a much bigger problem.

Villa Tronco is an amazing Italian restaurant located in the heart of downtown Columbia. The atmosphere makes you feel at home inside, especially the accommodating staff. I started with the fried mozzarella, very good with a nice sauce to match. The Chicken Marsala entree was delicious on top of a hefty portion of linguine. Don’t forget to try their famous cheesecake for dessert.

Old school Italian style restaurant. Cozy atmosphere. Pizza was very good, thin crust. So nice to get bread and butter with a meal without additional cost!! Delicious chicken Parmesan. Red sauce was amazing. Staff was very friendly

You know? 7 years later I can really appreciate Villa Tronco more. They're not trying to be fancy- just comforting. Sometimes it's really nice to go inside of a really dark restaurant on a cold night and eat chicken parm. The breakdown: pros: - the Italian Eggroll's were phenomenal. One of the best things I've had - period. - chicken parm melts in your mouth - tomato sauce is just perfect. Sweet, but not too sweet. - bread is oddly good. - it's pretty cheap. $23 for chicken parm is unheard of at most Italian Restaurants. cons: - none. With older age comes wisdom. Sometimes I just want a good, quality chicken parm that's not going to be $200 with the final bill. This place is classic and will take you back to a simpler time.

Food and service were both great! Excellent Italian food. Plus the owner came around and chatted with us. Definitely recommend!

My family of three visited Villa Tronco on a Saturday. Parking was easy at the lot next door or the public parking garage nearby. We made a reservation for 5:30 but arrived a bit early and were seated immediately. From the pictures, it looked like tables had cloth tablecloths and it was a brighter restaurant. We were seated at a booth in the back and it was VERY dark. There were cloth napkins but no cloth tablecloth. It wasn't a problem, but definitely not what we saw in the pictures. The ambiance of the restaurant was nice, but being seated so close to other patrons made it quite loud and I was often distracted by conversations of other people seated nearby. It wasn't very "private". We were brought bread and drinks very quickly and placed our orders. We ordered the kids pizza, the chicken piccata, and the lasagna. I also added on the side salad for an additional price. There was a $4 charge to add pepperoni to the kids pizza. The kids pizza was good, but had a very thin crispy crust that my son wasn't a big fan of. The chicken piccata was delicious. The lasagna was good but not the best I've ever had. We looked at the dessert menu but opted to get something nearby at a bakery. We paid about $80 for the three meals, one beer, and one drink. Overall it was a nice restaurant that I would return to again, but wouldn't say it was the best Italian food I've ever had.

What went well: * Great service. Our server was attentive, patient, and friendly. * Delicious veal parm. Generous plate! * Cozy booth. Ideal corner table for an intimate birthday dinner for four. What I disliked: * Busboy's cologne was so strong that I couldn't taste my food each time he came near our table / refilled our waters. This is a problem. * Freshly cracked pepper and shaved parm not offered...which seemed odd for an old school Italian restaurant. * Bread pudding fell flat; tasted like butter and vanilla extract. Nice little spot, but for finer Italian dining, I prefer Di Vino Rosso.

Villa Tronco is an old-school Columbia restaurant, but the cuisine is tasteless. (We recently tried VT again in hopes that it had improved; sadly, this was not the case). If you are looking for freshly made pasta, homemade desserts, artisanal breads and authentic Italian recipes, then try Angeline's or Portofino's in Charlotte, NC. Villa Tronco's decor is still dark and dated. The Chicken Parmesan & Veal Piccata were bland/ underwhelming. The presentation was not visually appealing, either. The only bright spot was the prompt service at Villa Tronco.

The service was exceptional. The food is extremely fresh with a large variety offered. Had a wonderful scallop dish with fresh pasta. The sauce was nice and light! My dinner companion had vegetables and salmon. Said they were the best smash and zucchini he ever ate.

Such a disappointment! Thing's definitely were not up to what we were use to there. First of all we were a party of 9, ( 6 adults and 3 children) Celebrating 2 birthdays.. meals were a total disappointment with watered down no flavor sauces, the antipasto had very little on them and my goodness the cheesecakes were cut so small the 3 pieces could have equaled 1 serving. Did I mention the gelatos were served without spoons, by the time the spoons came the desserts were melting. There was no excuse for such a poor experience we had. Since we have been here before and always raved about it, well let's just say we will never be back.

I went with my family when we were visiting South Carolina. The ambience was nice and the service was good but the food is not real Italian. My in-laws enjoyed their Salmon, the muscles were hit or miss but had a nice sauce, the side of vegetables I ordered were delicious, but the pizza and pastas were terrible. Their claim to fame on their menu is their spaghetti and meatballs and that they are a 3rd generation Italian establishment so it was particularly disappointing that it was so terrible. The sauce had no flavor it was just tomato and the meatball, though tender was also bland. The spicy red sauce on my husband's pasta was not red, was not spicy, very watery and mostly flavorless. The pizza my kids ordered was actually gross and they didn't finish it.

they made us wait for 30 minutes and we had a reservation. on top of that, they gave us our pasta LUKE WARM with barely any sauce, overcooked. then charged us for extra sauce, when it was legit so dry: they just took forever for everything. we spent legit 2 hours there and it was terrible. our server forgot multiple things, i felt bad for him but still.... such a bad experience. we had to ask for bread as well... would never recommend

Love this spot. Great good and a very cozy and old school Italian restaurant atmosphere. Service is excellent

I called my order in and the food was amazingly delicious. It seemed like whoever made my pizza, made it with care. All the ingredients were fresh and the thin crust-well it was sooo good. Also everyone who helped me, from the young man and women at the front, to the man who came out the back and opened the door for me were so nice.

A family owned restaurant that has been in Columbia for over two decades serving a variety of Italian fare for both lunch and dinner. The standard menu is small and straight forward yet you can expect a lengthy array of specials to see to the list. This evening we ordered exclusively off the specials menu, splitting between us the trout and fried green tomato caprese salad. Portions were hearty providing more than enough to feed us both. Staff is friendly making you fresh just like you are dining with family. Dining room is quaint and because of its small size can get a bit noisy. Looking for a special treat, try planning to dine during an upcoming Thursday when they have live opera performers

We were greeted and sat right away. The interior is old (a certified historic site) but very well kept. Lovely Italian music plays throughout the restaurant. I ordered an espresso martini to drink. It was wonderful. I got the chicken parmigiana and my husband got the linguine and meatballs. For dessert we ordered tiramisu. Everything was fresh and delicious. We will definitely be back.

We, me and my two friends did not receive a warm greeting. We were asked if we had reservations? We were honest and were going to leave if reservations were required. WE were then told to "follow me? by a woman who assumed was the hostess. The busboy was confused about how many people were at the table---when it was clear three people sitting directly in front of him. One of my friends was greatly offended. We ordered drinks and an appetizer which was really good. However, the waitress spoke in a very condescending manner to one of my friends. She asked him questions as if he never dined in a restaurant in his life. I then, decided to speak with the waitress and she then acknowledged me and continue to serve other tables. I requested the manager, and she sent over a very young man who was very apologetic---he never asked what was my issue, he seemed very nervous and stood very far away from me-----he then offered to take money off the check; which was approx. $30.00. When he returned my check; no money was taken off for the insulting behavior of the waitress. My party and I moved to the front of the restaurant and now the manager apologized again and zeroed out the check---for some reason he thought we ate three entrees which we did not. An older man, we assumed was a manager or a maybe the owner of the restaurant---attempted to make small talk---however, he never asked us; what was the problem----he seemed to not really care if WE the customers were unhappy. Don't worry, WE won't return. If you are wondering...my party and I are African-Americans and the staff at Villa Tronco were Caucasian minus the bus boy. Treat ALL customers properly; without customers restaurants don't exist.

Always a wonderful experience. I've loved this place since I was a teenager back in the 80's and it has remained consistently excellent and classy.

Oldest Italian restaurant in Columbia. Family owned. Very extensive menu. If they don't have it, you don't want it.

FANTASTIC! They have a great wine list and the food was amazing. Will be back for sure!

Finally went after 24 years in Columbia.. yes, that's on me. Not gonna lie, it's on me for not trying out this GEM earlier. History of the restaurant is cool. Food is even better.. I had the pancetta and broccoli soup which was amazing. The bread was delicious. I asked the waitress what she would recommend, she fired off about half the menu and specials..I settled on the villa tronco chicken. As Italian dishes go I was very impressed with the presentation. Artichokes were delicious. The dish blended very well on flavors.. I'm looking forward to returning and burning through the rest of their dishes which I suspect will be so delicious..

Off the jump the service was top tier.. the wife and I attended March Madness and game ended early .. we showed ended up being early for out reservation .. they allowed us to enter early and sit at our table before the doors opened ... started with the Calamari... it was served piping hot out the grease. Wasn't too bad for my personal taste I would have like a little more seasoning. The dipping sauce was too much of a mayo base if that makes sense. For my entree I ordered the seafood pesto ... the waitress loaded me up on the Parmesan cheese.. the dish was great ... the pesto is missed with Alfredo and cheese .. mussels , scallops, and shrimp were cooked perfectly ... the dish was also plate perfectly ... for desert we order the caramel apple bread pudding with caramel gelato .... The bread pudding was not my fav .... BUT this here gelato was SLAPPING.... Dope dining experience overall s/o to our waitress Candace she was amazing

This is a family owned business that has been in Columbia since 1940. The owners and staff are overwhelming in their support. They do a great job to provide attention to their customers. While there are some reviews that indicate the customer would rather go to a chain Italian restaurant, I would suggest you go here to support a local business that has been going strong for over 80 years. We will be back again soon!

A year later and this is still one of my favorite places to eat and have a cheat day we were late to our reservation and I felt so bad but they were still able to seat us. Our waitress was so sweet with our table of 5 and I had no idea they had a kids menu but thank goodness they did for my daughter. I ordered the raspberry lemon drop martini and it was so good ! The sourness of the raspberry lemon and the sweetness of the sugar rim was a perfect combination. We ordered fried oysters which was one of their specials tonight along with steamed mussels and calamari for appetizers. The oysters and calamari were fried perfectly with good seasoning and the sauce had the perfect flavor to compliment them. The steamed mussels were cooked perfectly, soft texture and tasted so well with the butter. I ordered the creamy seafood pesto like last time and it was better than I remembered. The flavor was amazing from the pesto sauce and the ocean flavor of the shrimp, scallops and oysters. Only thing I hate is having shrimp in my pasta with the tail on. Please take those off the scallops were cooked perfectly though. It was probably my favorite part. My bf got pesto linguine with lamb chops and his lamb was cooked perfectly as well I think it was a perfect meal. They did not miss tonight. My daughter is super picky and she ate her linguine with meat sauce and she tried calamari for the first time and loved it. I'd say tonight's experience was a 10/10

Best Italian restaurant I've been to in a long time. We went for date night after passing by and seeing a couple eating out front. It looked amazing and tasted even better.

We had a meal at Villa Tronco last night. The meals were not good. I had Pasta Primavera with chicken. The chicken was not good. Very dry and the vegetables were over cooked. My friend had a fettuccine with shrimp and the sauce was too thick. No alcohol was purchased and the two plates cost $57. We will not return.

We went with friends to celebrate a birthday last Friday night. Had seating in a nice room by the bar. Villa Tronco has been a long time favorite of ours but it seems like we get the Villa Tronco Chicken every time since it's so good. I'd heard their pizza was supposed to be good so I ordered the house special pizza this time. I was very disappointed. The crust was very dar on half of my pizza and very flimsy, like it had been soaked in oil or something. You couldn't bite off a piece as it was almost like wet cardboard. The other half seemed to be crispy and would hole the toppings in place without dropping. My friend felt the same way. My wife ordered the VT Chicken and that was great, as always. We also ordered a side salad which was good. There were other orders for a clam linguine, Shrimp and scallop with Alfredo sauce. Both of these were good. Food was good with exception of the pizza. Service and atmosphere are very good. The pizza was so bad I had to drop my ratings to a 3.0 for this visit.

It's a wonderful family owned and operate restaurant. They serve authentic Italian cuisine, it is delicious! This restaurant was started by their family to make food for the soldiers who were homesick got Italian food, they were use to in NJ & NY, who were training at Ft. Jackson. I've been eating there for over 30 years, was introduced to them, by one of my customers. So thank they are still serving people in Columbia! Try it, I guarantee you will love it!

Outstanding. Great food and ambiance! Loved the old Italian feel East to get a reservation

Columbia gem! amazing history with fun staff. the food was so good- reminded me of mt family's home. I love being there and can't wait to go back.

I visited Villa Tronco in a food tour of Columbia and was super excited as we entered. Unfortunately I was disappointed with the food selection of Italian egg rolls, which were okay but a strange choice for a classic Italian restaurant. Fortunately the tiramisu made up for it and was made perfectly!! I rated 4 stars because it was probably the selection of food more than the quality of the restaurant that left me disappointed. I would love to visit again and try something else!

Service was good. Everyone was friendly and helpful. The food was fine. The drinks were good. At this price point i am looking for better than average food.

I ordered delivery and it was wonderful. One of the best still open villa Tronco Italian food. It still after all these years worth the money. Thanks. C. T.

The food, ambience and service were tops. We are Cajuns from South Louisiana, so we know our food. We were in Columbia for the LSU football game. We split the veal piccata. It was to die for. Delicious. They have a broad and varied wine selection. Even the owner came by and visited our table. We will definitely come back on our next trip.

This place is as close to authentic, Italian grandmas cooking as it gets. This is real deal Italian which is hard to find in the south. Coming from a family with their own Italian restaurant, it's hard to top, but this place exceeds expectations. The owners and staff are friendly and the atmosphere is comforting. Highly highly recommend. Edit: MUST TRY: anything with red sauce, homemade cheesecake and the tiramisu!!!!

Very romantic restaurant! I came here for my third anniversary and it was the perfect spot. The complimentary warm rolls were a nice touch and the pasta was fresh and delicious. Plenty of vegetarian options. Staff was attentive and polite. The owner was available to check in and say hello. Bathrooms were very clean with nice soap. I hope I can return soon!

No matter how many newer Columbia offerings we sample, we always look forward to a return visit to Villa Tronco. Their Italian cuisine is some of my favorite. No matter how much I venture to some of their more creative and innovative cuisine, I always look forward to a return to their standard lasagna and other staples. We love this Columbia standard that always gives a great "hometown" feel.

This is our go to date night restaurant. Great food service & atmosphere. Make sure to get reservations due to its popularity on weekend nights.

So far the best Italian food in the COLA! This was on my foodie list for a while, so finally I tried it. I made a reservation, because the book out fast. The hostess was kind and quickly took us to our seats, waitress was on point the whole night. The owner introduced himself and made sure we were good the whole evening, I really like when a business owner takes pride in their businesses. The place is very charming and it sits on a back corner, lots of free parking in the weekends if you plan accordingly. I loved the setting and it really had a Italian feel. Ive eaten at plenty of Italian restaurants in Italy so I was very impressed. The food was good and the service was awesome. This will be my spot for yrs to come, and any guest that come into town who want Italian food. Pics coming

How funny. It was a rainy first night in Columbia and we wanted to go Italian. researching Yelp! we picked this cozy restaurant in downtown. It is located in a small building adjacent to a former fire station, which is now part of the restaurant. To our surprise, we had been here three years previous with friends that we knew in Chicago. Same place, but with Covid, tables were more spread out. It was like seeing an old friend. Nikki was our superb wait person and she walked us through the menu. Good solid Italian dishes. Plenty to choose from. Decent wine lists with half bottles and by-the-glass options. Nothing fancy...just good food and service. We split a side salad ($4) which was a nice light Italian oil and vinegar dressing on it. A bottle of good Chianti wine rounded off our table and made the wet night go away. I had the veal piccata ($24) which was a bit tough, but flavorful and a decent portion of linguini to go with the veal. Wife had a special, eggplant rolletini ($23). This was quite a heavy dish with thin slices of eggplant fried and wrapped around ricotta cheese, on top of linguine and covered with a rich marinara. Very yummy, but between the two of us, the richness and quantity of it were more than we could finish.

Everything was excellent,Food,Service and Ambiance. I also enjoyed reading about the history of the restaurant!!

It had been far too long since I dined with Villa Tronco. It's not hard to see why this is SC's oldest restaurant (1940). The menu is a delightful pairing of fantastic specials (like the dijon encrusted cod pictured here) and timeless classics that haven't changed (like the pizza, which is great as an appetizer). The ambiance of live music from inside and the fantastic weather outside were the perfect accompaniment to my stellar meal. I will be back often - maybe even before I finish typing this revie...

Going to Villa Tronco is like sitting down at your Nonnas kitchen table - it's delicious, comforting, and you'll always have some to take home with you. I've never had a dish here that didn't immediately make me roll my eyes and "Mmmmmm" as my tastebuds were overwhelmed. The staff is friendly & very knowledgeable of the dish preparation, the ambiance will calm & comfort you, and the food will have you wanting to order more even though you'll be stuffed. If you don't have plans to visit Villa Tronco tonight.... Why not?

The music, ambience, and service was great. However, the food was mediocre. Very bland. Not really Italian cuisine.

Small quaint establishment with quiet charm. I had the eggplant and it was amazing. Thoroughly enjoyed it and the sauce and amount of cheese was just right. The chicken parm was ordered as well and it was very nice.

I had high hopes for this restaurant, I really wanted to love it but it sadly missed the mark. Nothing was bad but nothing was great. Split a lasagna and fettuccine Alfredo with chicken, guest with us also had the linguine with red sauce and meatballs. Drinks were great but took a while. Go for a drink and app perhaps want to still love it!

My first dining experience with Villa Tronco was memorable and enjoyable. Old-school atmosphere and feel of the old country in Italy, where I have spent several vacations in city and countryside. Wait-staff was very nice and were hard-working. The owner dropped by to say hi and we talked for a few minutes. Food was very tasty!. I would go back.

The service was good, the food was ok and the ambiance was ok. The company was the best part.

We planned a dinner with family and we had a great space in the restaurant. The food tasted good however rolls were hard and all of our food was lukewarm. No one came to check on us and we didn't make a fuss because we were just glad to have family time. With food and drinks we spent $350 for 7 of us...they need to monitor their food service.

The oldest restaurant in in Columbia to my knowledge converted from an old fire station or something along those lines. Recently stopped and got a nice slice of tiramisu for desert after dinner. Would recommend reserving a table here for a meal especially if more than three.

Seriously the best Italian food in the state. You can't go wrong no matter what you order. Fascinating history, polite staff, romantic atmosphere. Do yourself a favor & eat here.