Some of the best fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp I've ever had! Also ordered it the second time it was so good! Shrimp was perfect and not overcooked. Also the fried ravioli was good and another wonderful appetizer was with tomato, mozzarella drizzled with a delicious balsamic vinegar. Great cheese cake as well. Go early! They open at 4PM and it fills up fast.
Delicious Italian Food served in a Casually Elegant Setting!Our party of 4 was looking for some post-work-day comfort food and Italian was squarely on our collective radar screen.We began with some iced waters, a prosecco, two white Moscato's and a Messina Italian Beer. All of these hit the spot! Italian beer doesn't get much attention as it should because they are crisp, light yet bold, and thirst quenching.As has been the trend for several years: Brussel Sprouts as an appetizer. Barino's interpretation kept this popular dish alive and well with a baked presentation that facilitated some crispy and chewy leaves. The right amount of butter was used along with fresh lemon, garlic and parmesan cheese. This dish did not last long as we all forked our portions on to our share plate.We moved-on to the Eggplant Parmesan. Simply delightful! Think eggplant filets that were perfectly fried in seasoned Italian bread crumbs, about 4 nice-sized pieces. Eggplant filets were served over house made linguini with marinara sauce and toped with some fresh mozzarella. Wonderful!Next dish was the chicken alfredo. The chicken was done perfectly! Seasoned well, fully cooked, yet moist and served over a bed of linguini and a nice alfredo sauce that wasn't too heavy, too peppery or too watery. Nicely done.Part of the mix was the baked pesto and cheese flatbread. Again, fresh mozzarella and Marinara sauce served on homemade flatbread dough. Rib-sticking delicious.Of course, no Italian experience would be complete without sampling the Bolognese which is a ground meat marinara sauce. Just like homemade with a little elegant touch.We left no room for dessert, which was a bummer!Should our business travel bring us back in the area, Barino Italian Southern Eatery will be a, "Must Visit!"
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Brussels Sprouts, Caesar Salad
Mary Anne Giampapa
Had an issue with one entrée and they quickly fixed the issue!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pomodoro Lasagna
Savannah Horner
This place was such a treat! My husband and I went for dinner and enjoyed the twist they take on Italian cuisine.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brussels Sprouts, Pollo Parmigiana, Caesar Salad
Scott Grytza
Really wanted to love this place. The appetizers were good and the atmosphere was excellent. Lots of space between tables and a great vibe. 2 of us got a dish with the vodka sauce and it just wasn’t good unfortunately. However, 1 person got the lasagna with bolognese and that was great. Lots of the other dishes looked great. I will give this another try because it has everything to be a hidden gem, but it just wasn’t on this day for us.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Jordan Skinner
My husband and I made reservations for two a month in advance to spend Valentine’s Day here. This was our first visit. We were sat at a 6 top which was uncomfortable as we started the dinner already feeling odd about being two people taking up that much space for a night we knew would be completely booked. I have worked as a hostess before, and it makes no sense logistically to have two people on a date night sit at a large table meant for a family. I asked, “is this going to be used as seating for anyone else who may come in?” Just to make sure we hadn’t walked into an awkward family style situation. Hostess said “no” and walked away. Already uncomfortable start. Our waitress was kind and helpful, but we sensed she was stressed and in a hurry to get us out of there due to turnover. It seemed we were checked on every 5 minutes and staff was just waiting for us to leave. The entire dinner lasted maybe 30 min because we felt so rushed by the staff. The floor layout had our table right next to the host stand so we could hear how stressed staff was about turnover on a busy holiday night. Not great for what is supposed to be a chill, romantic dinner. The food itself was good, but not amazing for the price. The Ricca pizza was mostly jam and the sweet overpowered the savory. I would give it another shot on a weeknight when tensions weren’t high about serving all their reservations on a Holiday. I literally left stressed out because I could feel the stress from staff. It’s probably a great spot in normal circumstances, but we were disappointed with the experience. Would have much rather stuck with our go-to River Terrace for a nice, unrushed, romantic Italian dinner. Maybe just growing pains?
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 3
Duane Buggert
Excellent decor very comfy. Staff was friendly food was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kris D.
Most authentic Italian food in Columbia!!! We just returned from a trip to Italy and got hooked on their fine cuisine. We were so delighted to discover this cozy little place with great service and delicious Italian menu. It is one of our favorite restaurants here in Columbia!!
Dru Rymer
Good food, good atmosphere, good people, good company.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Paula McDaniel
We have been here several times. Love this Italian restaurant!
It is a nice place - we just weren't really that excited about the fusion of Italian and Southern food. We started with the Pommodoro Verde with Mozzarella ( fried green tomatoes) but probably would have liked it better as a salad. For entrees tried the Manzo Al Marsala brisket and pasta- it was closer to a cream sauce than Marsala. So it came across more like max n cheese than Marsala. The Eggplant Parmesan was nice but breaded a bit heavy. Our friends went with the more conventional lasagna and chicken Parmesan dishes which were more traditional and well liked. Still like the location/staff and bold menu choices. Nice place and good execution. We'd go back.... But probably choose the more traditional items for our taste.
Annie H.
Excellent food and service! Warm and cozy environment with soft music. The brisket is absolutely delicious!
Alan F.
We celebrated our anniversary with dinner at Barino's. What an awesome experience. Great food,service and atmosphere.We will be back,again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
hlc 785
Absolutely delish!!
Amy Worley
Highly recommend! The food and setting is stunning!
Some of the best fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp I've ever had! Also ordered it the second time it was so good! Shrimp was perfect and not overcooked. Also the fried ravioli was good and another wonderful appetizer was with tomato, mozzarella drizzled with a delicious balsamic vinegar. Great cheese cake as well. Go early! They open at 4PM and it fills up fast.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Caprese Salad, Fried Ravioli, Cheesecake
Delicious Italian Food served in a Casually Elegant Setting!Our party of 4 was looking for some post-work-day comfort food and Italian was squarely on our collective radar screen.We began with some iced waters, a prosecco, two white Moscato's and a Messina Italian Beer. All of these hit the spot! Italian beer doesn't get much attention as it should because they are crisp, light yet bold, and thirst quenching.As has been the trend for several years: Brussel Sprouts as an appetizer. Barino's interpretation kept this popular dish alive and well with a baked presentation that facilitated some crispy and chewy leaves. The right amount of butter was used along with fresh lemon, garlic and parmesan cheese. This dish did not last long as we all forked our portions on to our share plate.We moved-on to the Eggplant Parmesan. Simply delightful! Think eggplant filets that were perfectly fried in seasoned Italian bread crumbs, about 4 nice-sized pieces. Eggplant filets were served over house made linguini with marinara sauce and toped with some fresh mozzarella. Wonderful!Next dish was the chicken alfredo. The chicken was done perfectly! Seasoned well, fully cooked, yet moist and served over a bed of linguini and a nice alfredo sauce that wasn't too heavy, too peppery or too watery. Nicely done.Part of the mix was the baked pesto and cheese flatbread. Again, fresh mozzarella and Marinara sauce served on homemade flatbread dough. Rib-sticking delicious.Of course, no Italian experience would be complete without sampling the Bolognese which is a ground meat marinara sauce. Just like homemade with a little elegant touch.We left no room for dessert, which was a bummer!Should our business travel bring us back in the area, Barino Italian Southern Eatery will be a, "Must Visit!"
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Brussels Sprouts, Caesar Salad
Had an issue with one entrée and they quickly fixed the issue!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pomodoro Lasagna
This place was such a treat! My husband and I went for dinner and enjoyed the twist they take on Italian cuisine.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Brussels Sprouts, Pollo Parmigiana, Caesar Salad
Really wanted to love this place. The appetizers were good and the atmosphere was excellent. Lots of space between tables and a great vibe. 2 of us got a dish with the vodka sauce and it just wasn’t good unfortunately. However, 1 person got the lasagna with bolognese and that was great. Lots of the other dishes looked great. I will give this another try because it has everything to be a hidden gem, but it just wasn’t on this day for us.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
My husband and I made reservations for two a month in advance to spend Valentine’s Day here. This was our first visit. We were sat at a 6 top which was uncomfortable as we started the dinner already feeling odd about being two people taking up that much space for a night we knew would be completely booked. I have worked as a hostess before, and it makes no sense logistically to have two people on a date night sit at a large table meant for a family. I asked, “is this going to be used as seating for anyone else who may come in?” Just to make sure we hadn’t walked into an awkward family style situation. Hostess said “no” and walked away. Already uncomfortable start. Our waitress was kind and helpful, but we sensed she was stressed and in a hurry to get us out of there due to turnover. It seemed we were checked on every 5 minutes and staff was just waiting for us to leave. The entire dinner lasted maybe 30 min because we felt so rushed by the staff. The floor layout had our table right next to the host stand so we could hear how stressed staff was about turnover on a busy holiday night. Not great for what is supposed to be a chill, romantic dinner. The food itself was good, but not amazing for the price. The Ricca pizza was mostly jam and the sweet overpowered the savory. I would give it another shot on a weeknight when tensions weren’t high about serving all their reservations on a Holiday. I literally left stressed out because I could feel the stress from staff. It’s probably a great spot in normal circumstances, but we were disappointed with the experience. Would have much rather stuck with our go-to River Terrace for a nice, unrushed, romantic Italian dinner. Maybe just growing pains?
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 3
Excellent decor very comfy. Staff was friendly food was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Most authentic Italian food in Columbia!!! We just returned from a trip to Italy and got hooked on their fine cuisine. We were so delighted to discover this cozy little place with great service and delicious Italian menu. It is one of our favorite restaurants here in Columbia!!
Good food, good atmosphere, good people, good company.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We have been here several times. Love this Italian restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
It is a nice place - we just weren't really that excited about the fusion of Italian and Southern food. We started with the Pommodoro Verde with Mozzarella ( fried green tomatoes) but probably would have liked it better as a salad. For entrees tried the Manzo Al Marsala brisket and pasta- it was closer to a cream sauce than Marsala. So it came across more like max n cheese than Marsala. The Eggplant Parmesan was nice but breaded a bit heavy. Our friends went with the more conventional lasagna and chicken Parmesan dishes which were more traditional and well liked. Still like the location/staff and bold menu choices. Nice place and good execution. We'd go back.... But probably choose the more traditional items for our taste.
Excellent food and service! Warm and cozy environment with soft music. The brisket is absolutely delicious!
We celebrated our anniversary with dinner at Barino's. What an awesome experience. Great food,service and atmosphere.We will be back,again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Absolutely delish!!
Highly recommend! The food and setting is stunning!