Novella Osteria

Great experience at Novella! The atmosphere was beautiful and modern. Despite it being packed on a Saturday night it still was very romantic. The bread to start was delicious. For an appetizer, the meatballs were yummy and a pretty big portion for two. We got the seafood fettuccine and the rigatoni, both were especially great entrees. At the end of the meal, the lemon cookies were delicious! The only small con was that service did take a bit of time between drinks/appetizer/entree so I would recommend ordering app and entree together to take less time. Overall, a very pleasant atmosphere and experience, with some of the best Italian food in Columbus that I’ve had.

Novella Osteria is proof that great restaurants can be found outside of High Street! They have a welcoming atmosphere perfect for date nights or small groups. A great selection of wines and amazing cocktails and mocktails. Let's start with the antipasti.. you need to order their Meatballs and the Hazelnut/Ricotta Crotini. The handmade pastas are definitely the star of the show! The classic Cacio E Pepe was executed perfectly, but if you want something creamier and heavy than go for the carbonara! For the seafood lovers, the squid ink pasta with shrimp and mussels will fill you up. Don't forget to ask about their daily specials

Novella has been on my bucket list for awhile. It was recommended to me by a Columbus local even before I moved here. That should say something right? Anyways this restaurant exceeded expectations. For the appetizer I enjoyed the calamari fritti. It was crispy and well seasoned. Definitely a an appetizer meant for at least two! The main entree was the pork belly rotolo - their weekly special on a Friday. Gosh where do I start? It was incredibly tender and juicy with a crispy skin. The bed of mashed potatoes wasn’t intended as a focal point but I feel the need to acknowledge that it was very tasty. The only change Id make next time is pairing it with an app that isn’t the calamari as it may have been too much fatty goodness. Nevertheless I enjoyed every bit of it. Lastly I’d like to touch on the ambience. It was a busy Friday evening and I felt very lucky to get the patio seating. It had adequate shading with a small enough crowd that you didn’t feel alone or overwhelmed by the noise of the surrounding conversation. I’d definitely like to try the indoor seating next time I return. Staff were attentive, kind, and overall awesome. Thanks for a great experience, Novella.

We enjoyed a night at Novella. The only dish missing a pic is the Caesar salad. The gnocchi was outstanding. The Caesar salad was perfectly made although it arrives with a blanket of Parmesan which seemed a bit much and perhaps should have been offered added to your dish at your table with the server providing it. But the pork belly was disappointing and far too fatty. My husband couldn’t even eat it and they offered a comped free plate of donuts. We used to love the focaccia but they started adding maldon salt to the top, and even after I rub it off, it is so excessively salty. It causes an imbalance in your palate when you eat your appetizer after all of that salt. We’ve had the brussel sprouts in the past as an appetizer and they used to come with a sauce, maple syrup maybe? So this newest version was plainly fried and not a favorite. The chocolate zeppole donuts at the end were good but wish the chocolate sauce was more chocolatey. Spent $95 for 2 without tip and including a beer. Prices are a bit high. Service is excellent. Definitely will return for the pasta again.