Columbia Inn Restaurant

Spectacular time at a private event with friends. All the food was cooked as it was needed, nothing has been prepared in large trays ahead of time and then re heated. The food was great and it kept coming. Definitely will consider returning just for dinner. The thin crust pizza is a must.

I had my wedding rehearsal dinner here on a Friday night. Bottom line: the food was great, but the communication could be improved.
Before:
–After giving my deposit, I didn’t hear back from them with a written confirmation.
–I emailed my menu choices the week before the event, but then had to call several times to get ahold of someone who could confirm receipt of my selections and that everything was in order. I had to read it my email out loud to them over the phone since they hadn’t read it. No written confirmation was given.
During:
–They started out with an antipasto, which I had not ordered. This made me wonder whether something was wrong with my order.
–The staff didn’t inform us of the selections. I had to bring up my email and read the selections to everyone (trusting that my selections were what was actually there). The entrees were correct, but something simple like writing the names of the dishes on an index card and putting it by the dish would go a long way.
End of night:
–It took a long time to get the bill. When it arrived, they had overbilled me by $ 125. Everybody makes mistakes, but this got me a bit nervous, since I had not received any written confirmation and I got an antipasto I did not order. The waiter spoke to the manager, who said that a mistake had been made and would set things right and redo the bill. Cool. After waiting for a long time, no one came back with the new bill. I went downstairs to check up on it. The place was busy — as I said, the food is great — and I was able to pay what I owed. I ended up staying there an extra half hour longer than I wanted, which changed my schedule a bit the night before the big day.

We dine at the Columbia Inn only a few times per year, even though we live nearby. The food is good most of the time. But it is always an odd and uncomfortable experience.
We don’t like is the dining room because the bar is right there and it’s too loud. Dining room is also overcrowded and uncomfortable. and usually feel rushed through our meal.
I think this restaurant is a bit overpriced for the experience and offering. Tonight, we were rushed through dinner. The runners came out with main course just as we were finishing appetizers and it was an awkward exchange of plates. Bad table radar.
The server was nice, but he did something very strange. I have never experienced this before… So strange, that I have to share this… I had about 2 more sips remaining in my glass of Pinot noir ($ 13 per glass), my dining companions ordered more drinks, so I asked for another since he was already going to the bar. I intended to finish the rest of my glass before his return, but didn’t. So when he returned with my new drink, he took my glass with the 2 sips remaining and poured it into my new glass and took off with the glass… As if they really needed that glass. I found this so inappropriate it left me speechless.
What the heck?

Went Wed. 2÷10÷2016
First off the positives: The pizza was as good as I remember — fresh thin crust pizza. Also the bartender was really great and she made a very good and well balanced lemon drop with limoncello in it so it wasn’t straight vodka.
Negatives: We ordered the mozzarella in carrozza appetizer and it was not made fresh. The bread was fried much earlier and kept in a fridge. To «freshen» it up they added more mozzarella cheese on top and threw it under the broiler until it melted. Plate was burning hot and the mozzarella in carrozza was cold. Very very disappointing. Only thing that made the dish edible was drenching it in the sauce that came on the side.
They also advertise a special on Tuesday and Wednesday nights on their website called «Pizza & Paddles» where you get a pizza and a beer flight. When I asked the bartender about it she said she didn’t know why it was up on the website since they have never done it. Note to the owner — if you have no plans on offering the deal then you really should stop advertising it.

Once upon a time the menu at this restaurant was new and the food presentation something different. It’s been probably 15 years since they last updated the interior. They did get new chairs which although comfortable are a bit too modern for the rest of the place. Having to walk through the smell of the bathrooms just to get into the restaurant is just as gross as it was in the 90’s. The food has barely changed since the 90’s and with the exception of the pizza, it’s not even as good as it used to be. The bar gets really crowded and loud, almost obnoxious, while you’re trying to eat dinner. A wall would probably help s lot.
We won’t be back. There are too many other places to go to. Not recommended.

If all you want is to go out with the kids and have pizza and salad then this place is fine. The rest of the food is just ok. Nothing special. The clam appetizer was ok tasting but the clams were absolutely tiny. Fresh Mozz with peppers appetizer tasted like it came from the supermarket (peppers out of a jar), not restaurant quality. Veal piccata was blech as was the Pollo Milano and the shrimp parm. Tuna appetizer was ok, again not really good. We called and were told no reservations for party of 4 since they had two large tables that night. So we went early and were seated right away. There was a party of 10 – 12 at the back and another table (empty) set for 12 near us. Waitress was not friendly, not quite rude but certainly not nice. While waiting for food three of the servers gathered near our table (and close to two others as well) and had a loud, confusing discussion about the fact that they only had one large party that night and they set the second large table by mistake. Then they moved the tables apart and re-​set them and starting filling them up. The whole time we were there, a large group in the bar was extremely loud and obnoxious. Then they all hugged the owner goodbye toward the end of our meal and the noise level in the place dropped dramatically. No separation between the bar area and the dining area can make the noise level very unpleasant. The décor is old and dirty. Paper table covers, most pizza places with restaurants have nicer. The place smelled a bit like urinal cakes. Do yourself a favor and go anywhere else instead… there are many, much better Italian places nearby.

I have only ever ordered take out from this place when I’m in Jersey visiting family. Honestly THE best thin crust pizza. Like crazy thin and so good. Milano salad is excellent. Great place for pizza in montville!

Thank you but I don’t think I will accept your offer. We ordered a few pizzas as an appetizer and shared a main course. I found it insulting to be charged an additional fee for sharing a meal and a few for a refill on a soda that is of little cost to you. We also ordered some alcoholic beverages. Needless to say the average cost per person for the meal was over $ 28. You lost my business due to your policy.

Been here several times. Each time, the food seems to get worse. My last visit a week ago included six people. Three of the meals were wrong! On another visit, my chicken was totally raw! Flies were constantly hovering around the table. The place typically has a funky smell. When you walk into the restaurant, you’re hit with a bathroom smell, followed by the smell of some kind of cleaner, then the predominant smell of mildew. Time to find a new place to dine.

Pumpkin soup, yellow tail and fresh oysters were terrific.
Service was very good, get there early fill up by 6:30

Went to this place based on reviews. Went on a Saturday night worst mistake ever! We had to wait 2 hours for our food. I want to give this place another chance but I have to go early.

Tired, old, depressing atmosphere! Once a prince, now a frog. The waiter dropped a fork on the old stained carpeting and then handed to me. No attention to detail. The entrees came out cold. What a mess. Sad to say this place passed away and keeps on smelling. I recommend a remodel and new staff. With Rails and Montville Inn in the same area, they need to figure this one out fast!

My girlfriend and I had dinner here last week. It was a wonderful experience. Our waitress was terrific, very friendly and courteous. The décor is warm and inviting and the menu is wide with many great selections. My girlfriend had the penne vodka with shrimp. I has the Amatricana rigatoni. Both were incredible. Prices are reasonable when you consider the full experience for the evening. Perfect for a date night. We look forward to returning to try something else on the menu.

My family loves this restaurant. We are regulars here and the food Is always amazing! The servers are polite and accurate (with the acception of a server pooring water in my seltzer) every time we come they exceed our expectations and never cease to amaze us. (The pizza is the best in jersey)

I’ve tried so hard to like this place because it’s so close to my house and my boyfriend likes it, but every time I’ve eaten here I’ve disliked my meal. Last time I ate here, I ordered a shrimp dish. The shrimp tasted as if it was marinated in chlorine. My boyfriend agreed and I had to send it back. They were extremely nice about it though. They offered to let me order a new dish, which I declined, and they gave us dessert on the house. Very nice people, just wish the food was better.

Have you ever opened a gift presented in pretty standard– looking paper and then you were blown away by what was inside? This kind of sums up Columbia Inn for me from a food perspective. The building is well-​maintained and looks traditional on the outside. The interior mirrors this. Nothing too fancy, but welcoming, comfortable and somewhat casual, although you won’t be out of place if you’re wearing a smart outfit. It’s a place you can take the family, bring a date, enjoy dinner on your own, or sit at the bar with a local crowd of regulars. (We always sit at the bar unless we bring family with us.) You figure they will have the standard fare and do decent job of it, then pow! What a surprise! The standard menu offers classic Italian dishes, including some interesting ones such as stuffed seafood polenta, but it’s the specials menu that will «Wow!» you. Their chef is inventive and talented. Everything we’ve tried there has been good to awesome. Even their pizza is amazing! If you love thin crust pizza, this is the place to go. I especially love the Amatriciana. In fact, writing about it right now, I’m craving their pizza.
Usually, I stay away from whole wheat spaghetti, but one evening I must have been wanting something more healthful and ordered the whole wheat pasta special. Immediately after I placed the order I was cringing with regret, yet I knew, based on my previous experiences at Columbia Inn, that it had to be good. As usual, the Columbia Inn did not disappoint. The dish, which combines broccoli rabe, grilled chicken, fresh tomato, tossed in garlic and oil topped with shaved Manchego cheese, was superb. The taste profile was somewhat bold with the garlic and brocolli rabe, yet perfectly balanced. It totally surprised me and I loved it.
My husband, the consummate carnivore, usually orders their perfectly prepared sea scallops crusted with sesame seeds served with a soy ginger cream sauce as an appetizer. He raves about the short ribs slow cooked in a tomato ragu served over polenta. Even the mussels appetizer is flavorful and has a twist — sautéed with, garlic, basil, fresh tomato, canellini beans and sausages.
The specials menu includes a variety of fish dishes – skate, salmon, yellowfin tuna, flounder. The fish is always fresh-​tasting and perfectly prepared. The entrees are always served with Columbia Inn’s signature mashed carrots and potatoes, piped onto the plate and topped with a crispy «sail.»
The prices are pretty reasonable considering the quality of the food. I cannot really comment on the wait staff because we sit at the bar. The few times we’ve dined at a dinner table, the service was average.
I’m giving Columbia Inn Restaurant 5 stars because the food quality is good, surprisingly good. You enter your first time expecting a decent but average dining experience, and leave raving about the food.

Geez. I had pizza last night and, here I am with friends at the Columbia Inn, where they’re known for their pizza. Who am I kidding — I could eat pizza everyday. But, if I did that, after a while you’d need to remove me from my house by crane! All things in moderation is how we should live — like the Europeans. Anyway, Wow! The thin crust pizza is the thinest crust I’ve ever experienced! And, they don’t do it using cracker meal in their crust like some thin crust joints. They use regular good ol’ pizza dough to achieve this feat! Fantastic! We had the roasted garlic pie — excellent. I heard the BBQ chicken is their signature pie so we’ll try that next time.
This week was Lobsterfest and my wife and friends had the lobster meat with capellini in a pink sauce. They said it was great. The restaurant had an assortment of dishes around a lobster theme that looked interesting. I had the yellowfin tuna steak, quickly seared, basically raw, with a nice soy with balsamic reduction. Truly delicious and the tuna was sushi-​quality deep red inside — a perfect size portion for under $ 30.00. The sesame encrusting was nicely done as well — not overdone. Fried calamari appetizer melted in our mouths — not the least bit chewy. No kids menu but they made ½ plates of pasta dishes for our kids.
Nice, reasonably-​priced wine selection, mostly California and Italy, and decent selection of beer.
Nice menu, overall, and service was excellent! I would definitely recommend the Columbia Inn.

I would give this place 4 ½ stars. There seems to be a new chef /​approach to the menu and food presentations are great. Love their twist on chicken parmigiana classic. And their pizzas are to die for.
Also after all these years only recently discovered they are open for weekday lunch (Tues — Fri) and have a great and very reasonable prix fixe lunch at 9.95/ person. Highly recommend going there for lunch.

Great Pizza!
That’s all you need to come here for and the drive from points East and North are awesome. Perfectly thin crust, nice sauce, just surprisingly good.
The service isn’t too bad either.

On our first visit on a Friday night, we decided to try it based on reviews here. Well, it’s a mixed review. It was busy and the bartenders moved at a glacial pace to keep patrons happy while they waited for tables… both in getting drinks & settling tabs.
Next came dinner. I can only imagine that the food is good enough to offset the poor service. In 25 years, I have never been asked «is this the one you picked?» by the server for the bottle of wine we selected. There was a straw wrapper in the bread basket.
Overall, it took 2.5 hours to have dinner on a Friday night. Not the worst, but not great. Our appetizers were very good (octopus and grilled asparagus & shrimp with bacon) as were the entrees (duck breast and mixed mushroom risotto).
Would I go back? Only very early or late in the evening. Everyone on their staff needs training, that’s without a doubt. There were plenty of people there, just not enough that knew what they were doing…