Caffé DaVinci

I had the sausage penne with spicy sauce and was not very impressed. The pasta and sauce seemed to be the same quality as store packaged pasta and sauce. The sauce was watered down. The sausage was pretty average as well. It did not taste at all homemade or authentic. It would not be too hard to replicate this with a quick trip to the grocery store. There is also cold bread with olive oil sitting out. The nice thing about this place is that it is quick but that is about it.

We get take out a lot and good sandwiches and salads. Fast and ready when pick up. Gelato is fantastic!

The Family Meal’s to-​go are an awesome value! Every time we have folks in from out of town or take a meal to friends, we always order a Lasagna Family Meal, also included Davinci Salad, bread, extra sauce and parmesan cheese. We were told its meal service for 4; however at our house it always serves at least 6.
If you have extra room take some wonderful gelato home, you won’t be sorry!

Great food. Had the sole, lent special, fresh fish, delicious, not drowning in sauce! Very well made. Authentic homemade Italian food, which I do know something about coming from an Italian family. Gelato was very good as well, very friendly service and owner was very nice. Will be back for sure!

Where to begin? Honestly, worst Italian food I’ve had in a while. We started with average salads that were primarily iceberg lettuce. Then our meals came out. I got pizza that tasted no better than frozen and my wife got spaghetti with salsa rosa. Her spaghetti was so over cooked it was spongy and the sauce would have tasted better from a jar at the grocery store. My plate had so much grease that the crust was dripping and soggy. Quality of ingredients was surely cheapest they can find. With ONE beer it was $ 31.00 plus tip. We could have had many more choices for $ 31.00. Apparently putting out mediocre focaccia for free makes people over look how bad the food really is.

My wife and I travel and eat at a lot of restaurants, especially Italian restaurants. This is by far the best tasting fresh food and amazing service that we’ve had at any restaurant. We will be making this a regular restaurant that we eat at.

I got there combo dish. The pasta was cook amazing. And their lasagna was incredible. I had the salsa rosa sauce it is a blend of marinara and Alfredo simply delicious. We ordered the food carry out and even though they were very busy the food came out in a very timely manner

It not easy to find a place that makes two different types of homemade ravioli, homemade gnocchi, homemade spaghetti, and at least a few more homemade pastas. I’ve been spoiled by my Italian family’s cooking. This food hits the spot and reminds me of the food I had in Italy (gelato too — Donatella is too good to try too many other flavors). I’ve had 6 different dishes and all were fantastic (cheese ravioli, ravioli grande, gnocchi, lasagna, eggplant Parmesan, veal Parmesan). The marinara is the best I’ve ever had (my family’s sauce is 5^th generation but it’s meat sauce). It’s not ruined by sweetness like many other marinaras I’ve had.
The food is top notch authentic homemade Italian food.
The atmosphere is great. It’s very casual. I’ve never eaten at an Italian restaurant that pairs very high quality food with a casual atmosphere. The lack of a full wait staff keeps the prices low, too.
My favorite place to eat in Columbus.

There’s nothing more «out of this world good» than this place. The Alfredo sauce is AMAZING. It’s perfect in every way. I have no idea how they make everything so mouthwateringly good.

There lemon basil gelato was so light and refreshing! Exactly what you need on a 90 degree day!

3 ½ stars.
Casual atmosphere. Food that hits the spot. I had chicken parm and tried my daughters pasta w meat sauce and husbands chicken fettuccini Alfredo. All good but mine was my favorite. Would definitely go back. It’s easy and good comforting food. I like the pasta tastes made from scratch. Great family/​UA community atmosphere.
I love sweets but gotta say the gelato was disappointing. There’s an after taste in all three flavors I tried. Would probably guess due to preservative. Won’t get gelato again.

Great prices, delicious food! We went on a busy Friday night. Had a great server help us since it was our first time. Enjoyed it thoroughly!

I had the caprese salad and the gluten free linguini Alfredo. Let’s just say I was completely satisfied with my meal. Their mozzarella cheese was full of flavor and texture. I ended up finding out that they make the cheese homemade there! Impressive :) The gluten linguini Alfredo had so much flavor! It’s the best gluten free Alfredo I think I’ve had. I also found out that the noodles and sauce are homemade. Well no wonder it’s so delicious! When I first received the linguini, I did wish the dish was larger. Just because it was so delicious! Afterwards we had some gelato. What can I say? Perfection. Every single flavor is delightful. Also, the atmosphere is adorable. Everything is so clean and its decorated nicely! The service was awesome too! Food in my opinion is slightly overpriced for what you get. Very helpful and nice. The owner even came by our table and talked to us. It was a personal and satisfying experience for us. I’ll definitely be back! Please get gluten-​free crust! You would make us so happy!

One of my favorite restaurants in Columbus. My family eats here at least once a month. Food is always of top quality. I’ve never had a bad meal. Very laid back, casual atmosphere, staff is always very friendly and helpful. Save room for gelato.

It’s a great place when you want to feel like you are eating out at a nice Italian dinner, but don’t want to actually go to all the effort of a nice dinner.
It’s very casual, you order at the counter, and you go find your own seat. However, the atmosphere makes it feel like a nice experience. It’s perfect for us after a long week when we don’t want to be those lame people at home on a Friday night but are too lazy to actually go out and doing anything.
The reason for the three stars is the food is just okay. It’s cheap and portions are general but it’s just average. That being said Italian food by nature is comforting so it’s still good; just nothing special.
Really should be 3.5 stars. Perfect for when you want something just a little nicer than fast casual at the same price point.
Only had the gelato once but it’s pretty good. I mean it IS gelato.

This is by far one of my favorite spots in columbus for Italian food! Here’s why:
Food is amazing! Pizza is good, blackened chicken is the best, and my favorite is the gnocchi with the Rosa sauce (mix of Alfredo and marinara). Soups are also good as are the cannolis. But the best food part… Is they have a room specifically for gelato and espresso!
Besides the food, the owners are great! The wife, Tina is from Ancona Italy. It’s a little port city on the eastern coast of Italy where ironically I studied for a short time in grad school. She is everything that I love about Italians! She always greets her customers, walks the floor to make sure everything is okay, and makes sure that she gets to know everyone that’s there. She’s always the first to give us a hug when we walk in. Her husband is just as nice.
If you’re looking for a good, family owned Italian restaurant, this will be your place!

I was thoroughly impressed with this place. Tonight was my first visit and I ordered the chicken parmigiano. The chicken was perfectly cooked and the side of past was also. The noodles are made in-​house as is the gelato. They have free bread and olive oil/​balsamic venegarette on a small table which is self serve and very good. I can’t think of anything g negative honestly. I spent around 15 dollars on myself and I’m totally full. Cant wait to go back!

Finally tried Café DaVinci and it is pretty much instantly one of my favorite restaurants in Columbus. Delicious food, decent prices, and a casual-​but-​nice atmosphere.
I had the Eggplant Parmigiana, it was well cooked with great spices and delicious breading. For desert I tried the gelato and tiramisu, which were both up there with any of the deserts I had in Italy.

I spent $ 9.50 for linguini in olive oil so I expected a hearty portion, but was VERY disappointed. While the flavor was okay the size of the portion was minuscule. I called the restaurant as soon as I arrived home and was told that was their dinner portion. It was more like a side than a dinner. Way overpriced for what I received.

What I liked about DaVinci: The atmosphere is both classy and comfy at the same time, which is an accomplishment. It felt a little on the fancy side when we stepped in, but the counter service setup balanced that by offering a sense of ease. The young lady who took our order at the counter was cheery and seemed not just happy to help but thrilled. You fill your own drinks, grab your own bread, and find your own seat. Food came quickly after we sat down. Staff was attentive, making sure we had all our extras: butter for the bread, ice for the drinks, etc. My friend had pasta faggioli («hearty ham and navy bean soup with ditalini pasta» … handy copy/​paste from the online menu for the ingredients), and she loved it.
What I wasn’t so crazy about: I had the linguini supremo («spinach, onions, mushrooms, peppers and fresh garlic tossed in olive oil with linguini»), and I found it kind of average. The pasta was nice and perfectly cooked, but the overall dish didn’t have a lot of flavor. I ended up using quite a bit of salt and pepper. I think it could use some more herbs or something. There’s a bread station where you can grab yourself a slice, but you have to wait for a server to bring you butter. I guess that’s a refrigeration issue, but it seemed odd. Although the counter staffperson was lovely, the woman who checked in on us at the table had a habit of using words that kept making my dining companion grit her teeth: «girls,» «honey,» etc…
…tangential comments because I know not everyone would see that as an issue: I’ve heard or been involved in I don’t know how many arguments about the use of terms of endearment with strangers, and I know the lines of defense (e.g., «It’s normal where I come from.»). But I have never heard anyone say, «I wish that waitress called me ‘honey.’ There’s just something lacking in my dining experience as a grown woman if I leave without someone calling me a ‘girl.’» Given the choice between saying something that irritates a few people **whether you feel they’re justified in their irritation or not** versus something that irritates no one, why choose the former? It’s debatable in a social setting, but in the context of working with customers at most places of business, it doesn’t make sense.
Anyway… back to revieweyness. I liked the café’s layout. The fact that the counter is set back, with the space for the line in a narrow, confined corridor, feels a little odd at first, but it means that once you’re sitting down, you don’t feel like you’re at an overpriced fast food-​ish restaurant. There’s outdoor seating in nice weather. I love eating outside, but my dining companion preferred a booth. I would come back, but I’d order something different.

For dinner last night, we decided upon Italian and looked on Unilocal for places in the area with great reviews. We found Caffe DaVinci and decided to give it a shot.
We walked into the restaurant and were a little surprised by the setup. It wasn’t obvious whether we seated ourselves, how to order, etc. A waitress asked us if it was our first time and explained to us that it’s cafeteria-​style ordering, but they bring the food to you. The bread and soft drinks are self-​serve.
We ordered eggplant parmesan and chicken parmesan, two glasses of moscato, and a cannoli. The first half of the dining room was pretty full, so we headed to the small back room that was completely empty. The ambiance was really nice, and pretty romantic, despite the cafeteria-​style ordering.
In what we thought was a very short amount of time, we had our food in front of us. They brought us the main dishes and told us that we could request the cannoli whenever we were ready for it.
I thought the eggplant parmesan was some of the best I’ve ever had. It was 3 stacked pieces with cheese in between the layers. It was perfectly breaded, with just the right amount of sauce. It didn’t come with pasta or any sides but it was a hearty portion, making it totally fine by me. The bread that was self-​serve was garlicky and soft, which was a nice complement. My boyfriend thought the chicken parmesan was great. It reminded him of the very authentic chicken parm he used to have when he lived in New Jersey. Most places bread chicken parm, but don’t fry it. Here, they did both, which is more of what he is accustomed to. Nostalgia aside, it was delicious and totally stands on its own. The chicken parm did come with pasta, and the chicken portion was a good side. With the pasta, it was definitely filling. The cannoli was good, with the chocolate chips on the edges being a nice touch. It was a lot softer than cannoli we’re used to eating.
Someone who we assumed to be the owner or manager was extremely friendly, coming out of the kitchen to take away our plates, ask us how everything was, thanking us when we noted how great everything was. He checked on us several times, and even personally thanked us for coming. The service was good, even though we were in the back room. I never felt like they forgot about us. Even though it was cafeteria style, the waitress still knew what we ordered and to ask us whether we were ready for our cannoli, which was impressive.
Overall, really impressed! We had a really nice time and can’t wait to return. We will definitely be trying the gelato next!

I’m a salad eater and proud of it. I’m not talking about being a vegetarian, I’m far from that. I’m saying, when I want a good salad — I’m looking for a lot more than iceberg, croutons and ranch in a bowl.
I was so excited to find out take the salads at Caffe Davinci get as much priority and attention as their house specialties, pizza and pasta. I ordered the Mediterranean salad, which you would think would be something traditional… but no. The description below pretty much explains why this Mediterranean salad is above average. I added salmon and it was cooked perfectly.
Check them out!
MEDITERRANEAN SALAD/​$ 9.50
Red peppers, grape tomatoes, green beans, red onions, cannellini beans, ceci beans, fennel, rapini, and fresh mozzarella with a red wine vinaigrette dressing.