Novella Osteria

Great restaurant with amazing food at a great price

Novella was recommended to us by one of the restaurant’s suppliers (a foodie himself) and it most certainly did not disappoint. Ambiance is nice, easy to carry on a conversation even with music playing overhead.

We started with the veal meatballs, 4 large ones, which were very light and almost creamy. Not your typical beef/pork that are filling. There is a reason they are the first thing in the menu.

Next up were the beet salad (in a bowl) and the house salad (rectangular plate). Very fresh, goat cheese was not over powering but flavorful, beets were excellent, portions were very decent, as in not enormous and certainly not on the small side salad portion.

Having had a lot of fish recently I passed on the snapper special and went for the carbonara. Just fabulous. First no peas (no clue why anyone has those, but to each their own), and the in-house made spaghetti was fresh, flavorful and cooked perfectly. The egg and cheese bound together onto the pasta, almost tacky, was not overpowering but very flavorful, and the meat was house made Guanciale and not the bacon or pancetta found in other places. I mention the sauce because I had a pancetta version swimming in a heavy, creamy Parmesan sauce 2 weeks ago in a popular SoCal that was just a bit overwhelming.

The other entree we had was the shrimp scampi. Fantastic! At least half dozen medium sized shrimp perfectly cooked on the same spaghetti but in a very flavorful broth. Light but filling portion covered in spices. Enough to eat if very hungry, plenty to share or have a small leftover.

Baked goods: Bread was very good, slightly oily (not too dry) so most, very fresh. Donuts for dessert were actually, again, lighter but filling. You will not go home hungry from here.

Finally: the staff. Russell our waiter was friendly and attentive without being imposing or pushy. Food runner, hostess, and all staff we spoke to were polite and friendly.

Well worth the trip. Make your reservations early.

Great new spot for creative Italian! Hopefully they will continue to have excellent quality food! Fun night out for a date or meeting friends after work.

The staff amazing, everyone was extremely friendly and inviting. The food and wine were incredible, we started with the Ricotta and Chefs Salumi Board which were delicious. For our main course the Butternut Squash Ravioli and Carbonara, 10/10. Can’t wait to return

It was great! The food was amazing, highly recommend!

The food was good,but like Victoria’s better

The food was amazing. Best Risotto I have ever tasted. We had a glass of Nero D’avola that really blew my hair back. Got to try a Rye Whiskey I had been looking for that was a nice surprise. We will definitely return!

We had a great dinner here. Our server Jenna did a great job helping my wife navigate food allergies. The homemade GF pasta was a hit. I had the meatballs which were uniquely flavorful. The lobster pasta special was spicy but not overpowering. We shared a panna cota dessert with fruit and no topping which made for a nice gluten free dairy free dessert.

Overly fussy Italian food. Simpler would be better.

Food was good, but didn't strike us as true Italian. Menu is seasonal, which is nice, but fairly limited. Ambience was fair- decor has a "cold" feeling to it- the area near the kitchen and bar feel warmer. No delays in service, but our server was not warm- kind of matched the decor! Not a good enough experience for us to return.

Appetizers were exceptionally good. Burrata on the menu states heirloom tomatoes but we’re actually cherry tomatoes (pet peeve of mine when restaurants do that). Very fresh and delicious though. The mussel toast was a hit and the meatballs were soft and tasty. Entrees were hit and miss. The fish special halibut was fantastic but the eggplant special was burnt on the outside and hard on the inside and also lacked taste (skin on eggplant is gross and eggplant is much better when sliced thin). The carbonara was lackluster and the ricotta ravioli was cold and puny ($16 for 6 raviolis??). The service was mediocre and without flare but haven’t we all come to expect that lately. With outrageous restaurant prices, wait staff doesn’t have to try hard to earn a decent tip at 20% but it would be nice to feel good about laying out decent coin for a meal. I wouldn’t say this place wasn’t worth trying, but be selective when making choices.

Our table started with appetizers of veal meatballs and Caprese salad. Both were excellent. The salad tomatoes were deep red and delicious. We all ordered different pastas, and they were all very, very good. We ate outdoors, and it was lovely. The wait staff was friendly and attentive. Highly recommended!

We had an amazing dinner for a friends birthday celebration. Everything from the cocktails, wine, food and service was top notch. Lauren is a wonderful server and we couldn’t have had a better time.

Great variety on the menu. Service was wonderful . We’ll be back !

Average food for the price. The Caesar salad was disappointing. 5 leafs of romaine and dressing a a few croutons. The “main” dishes were nothing special.

The food and service at this restaurant were excellent--truly authentic, fresh pasta! For guests who prefer to sit outside (for health reasons), the restaurant could create a much classier, attractive, and secluded (from the main street running directly in front) patio ambiance. I've eaten recently at several places that do that.
Also, if the restaurant is not going to follow the Covid protocol for masking that is stated on the website, it should be changed or removed. It was disappointing to arrive and discover that what we expected in terms of masking (especially by employees) was not at all what we encountered. Customers could make better informed choices with accurate information.

Everything was wonderful and looking forward to another visit. However, just a bit of construction criticism , our waitress did not crack a smile the whole time she served us.

Our server was under par for our expectations for a restaurant like this. It was our first time and there was no help on the menu. We weren’t given bread, which all the other tables had. Ordered a bottle of wine to come out with dinner and never received it. When I asked about it the waitress said she would go get it and after 10 mins returned and said they don’t have any clean glasses. Tried to bring it out after we were done with dinner and I cancelled it. She then said we should just take it home. The food was good, but the dinner portions were pretty small. This would have been okay, but the server never mentioned ordering an appetizer, or adding a salad or a side. It seemed like she wanted to rush us in and out and really didn’t have time for us at all.

Too loud!!

We enjoyed Novella a great deal and will return. Service was great and we were seated promptly. These things are definitely not a given these days. Loved the meatballs and the Caprese to start. Pasta was cooked perfectly and both were excellent. Olive oil cake was delicious. I appreciated the substantial glassware. Made me feel my drink was extra special.

Another wonderful evening for dinner at Novella! The chefs create fine italian and seafood to perfection. The short ribs and rigatoni were fabulous, bread amazing, and olive oil cake scrumptious! Salads are wonderful also.

great food and great service. Also the drinks are always so good. Fun night

Solid food and great service. I've had better Italian but this was a nice little meal in a cool spot

This place is amazing! We went for the first time last night and it did not disappoint. Ricotta appetizer is a must and meatballs were delish. I had the spaghetti carbonara which was so good I will definitely get it again. Peach dessert finished it off perfectly. Staff was incredible from our server to the Manager...made us feel so special. Atmosphere and vibe was awesome too. I loved the music they were playing. Everyone needs to try Novella. We will definitely be back!!

Service and food were amazing!

Loved the home made breads with the meal and the seafood dishes we had were great! The homemade lemoncello and doughnuts were delicious!

Authentic Italian food. Service very good. Wooden seats uncomfortable after awhile. Noise level extremely loud. Couldn't carry on conversation with others.

Celebrating our 26th anniversary and had a wonderful dinner!

Great spot! We were seated almost immediately at our reservation time. Server made great wine recommendations and the food was outstanding. Try the Short Rib Ragu or the Squid Ink pasta with crab, both delicious!

Julia was a wonderful server. Food and wine were amazing

It was an enjoyable experience that was made memorable by Danielle. She was just a perfect example of what customer service should be.

This was excellent all around! Can’t wait to go back!

Very nice ambiance! Our server did a good job with allowing us to linger, pace of meal was good. Meatballs and ricotta appetizers were delicious, bread and olive oil were outstanding! The cacio e pepe was delicious; tasted like Rome! Too stuffed for dessert!

Great food
Great service
Is now my new favorite restaurant in the Columbus area

Amazing!!!!!

Food and service continue to excel! Chef Matt and his team are rock stars

As always food was very good and server very attentive.
This was our first time seated in the dining at a table. My wife and I prefer the bar setting as we enjoy talking to people.
We now know the dining room seating is very good so we can entertain friends and family.
We really come back because the food is fantastic and seems very Italian.

Wonderful dining experience and very quaint restaurant, with excellent service. Salads were fresh and delicious, and rigatoni short ribs, ravioli and the chicken picc were all so nicely prepared and presented. Flavors were fabulous and fresh without being heavy. Thank you Novella!

Wonderful attentive service Nd a delicious meal. Only negative is the noise level and poor choice of music.

Backroom is very loud you need to put some fabric filters up to absorb some of the sound ,