In town for a college visit, tired but in the mood for pizza!! Absolutely delicious! The garlic bread and salads amazing! Then they had this fantastic Italian beer I never had before! Love it! We googled for an hour and so happy we picked this place! read more

Food was great! We grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered a few items. Proportional, filling and fresh. Pricey but worth it. My only complaint is it's an hour+ away from us. Keep up the good work! read more

Il Focolare - Kale Cesar Salad - actual anchovies - Pizza Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Food, Service and Ambiance I'd say were spectacular! We moved from Upstate NY and particular about our pizza so we decided to give SC a chance and see what pizzas they have. Honestly, it was the olive oil cake on the popular items on the menu that drew me to this place. They did not disappoint! We would come back here. Also, the fact that they pay their employees a living wage is really great! read more

Il Focolare - Prosciutto and pineapple pie - Pizza Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Great service. Really good pizza. No gratuity allowed!! We will be back!! Try the Cane Cola. Their wine list is quite good as well read more

Il Focolare - Dining room - Pizza Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Price points were fair, and service was attentive. Convenient location and friendly staff with tasty food

The pizza was very good and ingredients were fresh and well appointed. Unfortunately I did not see the very small print on the bill which said "Il Focolare does not accept gratuity" My waiter took my $8.00 tip and didn't return it or mention it. I tried to catch his eye but he never returned to the table after I saw that. Very disappointed as pizza is quite $$$ (24.00) and a 1/2 glass of wine was $12.00. I doubt I will return due to this. It cost me $44.00 with tip. First time there. Food was good. Waiter should have handed me my cash tip back. Could have gotten 5 stars for food. But not for dishonest waiter. Small place, quaint so if you want to eat there make reservations. read more

This was a great find. The food was delicious, service was excellent, and atmosphere was super casual. I love that this business pays a living wage to its employees. I didn't know this before dining and the "gratuity free" bill was an interesting surprise. I will be back and I look forward to trying the other restaurant in this company's family. read more

Excellent service from the wait staff. The kitchen staff looked a bit upset we came in late after a show at the Koger center. They basically turned off the music in the dining room and blasted it in the back kitchen signaling they wanted us to leave as they cleaned up. My wife loved the Sparkling Rose wine with the garlic bread made with sourdough, roasted garlic and sea salt. I had the Prosciutto & pineapple, it was good but needed more cheese they must have ran out for the night as it barely had any, it could have used a few more seconds or minute in the oven as the Prosciutto was chewy and not crisp for the cost it needed more attention to details. I enjoyed my beer and we left as soon as we could. Definitely felt rushed but guess that's on us for coming in 20-30 minutes before close. Highly recommend going earlier in the evening for the best experience as other guests that were there before us looked to have had a better experience. read more

Il Focolare - Like the way they have an open kitchen and large fired pizza oven. - Pizza Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Pizza is fantastic. The service (to-go) is nothing short of terrible. Extremely rude and incompetent. Had similar situations at least 3 times. Decided they've had enough chances and maybe it's just what happens when service industry people do not work for tips. I've always been a huge proponent of living wage over tips (as a former service industry worker), this staff has made it evident why it doesn't always work. It's unfortunate. Like I said, when you finally get the pizza, after the side of attitude, it's good. read more

So tonight was a complete delight. I visited this establishment with a friend who'd read positive reviews and wanted to give it a try. To start, the service was spectacular. It was really nice to have servers who were kind and worked together to attend to tables as needed. The food was amazing. Very high quality and several cuts above anything you'll find in the area. They only serve pizza, but they do a damn good job of it. If you enjoy a good hole-in-the-wall establishment, this is the place to go. Also, they are a pioneer for the area in the "end tipping" movement. All of the food is slightly more expensive than you might anticipate, but it is WELL worth every penny. Shout out to Bean and Savannah for the EXCELLENT service! read more

We were in town for The Masters and needed a quick dinner for the family after an exhausting day of watching golf. Found this place on Yelp and it was the perfect fit. We got a white pizza, a cheese and a pepperoni - all were delicious and nicely portioned. The employees (owners?) were super friendly and thanked us for visiting them. Definitely recommend read more

My girlfriend and I got two pizzas and they were amazing. Our waitress (Hailey) I believe her name was really attentive and knowledgeable and the manager Greg was also very helpful and kind. We got a white pizza with mushrooms and the basil pepperoni pizza too. By far the best pizza we've had here in Columbia. Highly recommended. They have a wood fire oven and we absolutely loved it! 10/10 read more

I met up with a friend for an impromptu dinner and I loved it here. It's a small place though has great pizza and great service. The vibe was just what we needed for a Friday night. Our server, Savannah, took really good care of us. She was knowledgeable about the wine and suggested a Pinot Grigio that was perfect for my pizza. I had the marinated olives to start and let the Chef, Gus, freestyle a vegetarian pizza. It had eggplant, goat cheese, pickled onions and other lovely items topped with a signature balsamic glaze. It was phenomenal. I can't wait to come back read more

Il Focolare - Freestyled vegetarian pizza - Pizza Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Fantastic Italian food and a great atmosphere! The service is always top notch and timely!

This is the place to go if you are craving a quality pizza with fresh ingredients. This is a small establishment, hole in the wall type place, but each time I have dined here I have needed a reservation to eat inside. Otherwise you can take your food to go! I always get the potato rosemary, and pepperoni pizza. Chefs kiss! So good! Cost is high because the tip is included, but at least you can skip the awkward moment when you calculate the tip, that blank space won't even show up on your final receipt, which is nice. read more

Il Focolare is one of my new favorite spots in Colombia! I am very selective with my pizza but this was absolutely incredible. Each pie comes in one size, 13 inches, which is essentially a personal pie. The crust was perfect and the sauce was also excellent. It's definitely a more causal place, very small dining room so I would recommend a reservation just in case. For drinks, they have a selection of beer and wine as well as some spritzes. For the non alcoholic drinks, they have Wild Bill's soda which I didn't expect to be as good as it was. I got the diet cola flavor and I totally loved it. Another thing that is interesting is this restaurant doesn't require gratuity at all, the prices reflect gratuity already included. I will absolutely be back to Il Focolare!!! read more

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Adorable place and delicious pizzas! Easily some of my favorite pies in Columbia. I get it to go often! read more

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I ordered online here, in part because when I pulled it up, the website gave an hour and a half later as the soonest pickup time, which I took to mean they were packed. In fact, the order was ready in more like an hour, and fortunately I was already headed over, and it wasn't that crowded there. Still, I didn't quite get the peak freshness I'd hoped for. They were out of the salad I wanted; I ordered a garlic bread (with a smallSUGAR loaf since I didn't have time to stop there during this trip). It wasn't quite as delicious as it looked, but fit the need. A side of ranch for the bread and the pizza crust was dynamic in flavor. The pizza was of a thinner, more basic crust than I like. The hot peppers I got were fantastic and overall the ingredient quality was good and the salt was not wildly excessive as it is in many places. However, for thirty bucks plus for a smallish pizza and garlic bread, I just wasn't as impressed as I was hoping to be. Eating in probably garners a better experience, but I don't know that I'll get around to it. read more

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Not worth the price and the wait. Host made us feel like we were crazy cause we wanted to sit at a table with our baby. Acting like the high chair wouldn't fit? But it would have. Then made us feel weird like she thought we weren't gonna pay for our food and forced us to pay before we sat outside. I felt so uncomfortable there. Pizza was okay, not worth price. If you have kids I don't recommend going in there to eat, they will make you feel so uncomfortable and probably will tell you they can't fit you at a table. Not accommodating for family's. read more

How lucky are we that this is our neighborhood pizza spot! Everything is fresh and creative, and the staff is always so welcoming and lovely. Will be back many times to come. read more

Service is excellent, our waiter was super sweet and patient with us. I love the place, it is small but if you pick a good day, it's really cute in there. The pizza is pretty good, flavor is good but I wish the pizza came out a bit hotter. The ranch is excellent I really recommend getting it if you like pizza with ranch read more

While driving back to Maryland from FL we were spending the night in Columbia. With pups in tow we needed to grab something for our place instead of eating out. I found them on Yelp and ordered in our way to there, told them what time we would arrive and it was ready! The girl taking the order was super nice! The place is small but cool and the pizza amazing! read more

Il Focolare - Pizza Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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This place doesn't describe their pizza as authentic, so I'll just call it kick-ass! I judge pizzas based on their crust: thickness, crispness and char. The wood-fired oven here is amazing and worth a visit to watch it in action. Our server was excellent and made great suggestions. I'm glad the restaurant pays it staff a fair wage. We started with garlic bread, a rustic sourdough with roasted garlic. It was delish. Next, the chopped salad was extremely tasty and photogenic! I love to order a Margherita at a new place because of its simplicity. You really get to enjoy the sauce and cheese. My wife orders the Pepperoni with sausage and fresh basil, as suggested by our server. Both were perfect! The Olive Oil Cake was an awesome end to our meal! Pricing, service, pacing and food quality/quantity were exceptional. I will say when you drive up for the first time, you may think you have the wrong address. Once inside, you know you've found the right place! read more

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Boy...I've lived in Columbia for a decade and I'm kicking myself for not trying this place out sooner. I've meant to go since the pandemic, but I really don't know why I never stopped in. Anyway, I'm in that group that thinks all pizza is good pizza. Frozen pizza has its place in life, heck - so do Lunchables if the calling comes. I've ate pizza all along the East Coast and in Chicago. I will say, this is fantastic pizza. Absolutely hands down in my top three. I ordered for pick up and when I arrived the inside is small. I brought this back to my house, so next time I would love to eat inside to have it fresh ( I live 30 minutes away). When I got to my car and took a peek it was gorgeous. I'm talking should be in a monthly pizza magazine gorgeous. I got pepperoni and chopped basil. Also, I got a side of ranch (very herby ranch which is my favorite). I got home and just ate this whole thing without saying a word. It was delicious...and I really can't think of anything else. It was phenomenal, great, fantastic, insane, ridiculous, etc. If you're like me and you haven't gone yet you need to immediately. You don't have to travel for fantastic pizza and that makes me prouder of living in Columbia. read more

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The best pizza in Columbia! I love everything about this place- the food, the staff, the cozy interior. You can easily get takeout, have a friends dinner, or make it a date night here. Truly one of the best gems in the city! read more

I don't normally leave reviews, but I was visiting Columbia and wanted something new. This place completely exceeded my expectations. Ranch 10/10 literally the best I've ever had! Pizza 9/10 and garlic bread was a 7/10 and most importantly the service was absolutely immaculate! Savanna so knowledgeable and amazing! The only thing is that the pizza was a little smaller than I thought (13"). read more

Il Focolare - Pepperoni and pineapple pizza - Pizza Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

My wife and I went here last night. Her first time. We split the chopped salad and had a13" pizza with pepperoni, muchrooms and onions. She ordered a white wine and I had a Perone beer. The salad was great. Pizza was excellent...great cheese and crust was very good. I think this in the top three that we've had in Columbia/Lexington area. Service was great. Definitely a go to place, just wish they were open for lunches! read more

Stumbled upon this newish pizzeria started by the smallSugar owner (which I also highly recommend), located on the edge of Cottontown, just a block from Elmwood. Fresh, seasonal ingredients (e.g. corn in the summer; brussel sprouts in the fall) with a wood-burning stove and a solid wine & beer list all hit the spot. Customer service was friendly and fast. It's a small, cozy place that has to be a neighborhood favorite. I'll definitely be back! read more

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Honestly the best pizza in town ! The service is great, pizza is delicious and fresh every time. The garlic bread is great and their artesanal sodas are delicious. read more

Il Focolare - Pizza Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Soooooo... First of all, the prices are WAY too much for what you get. It's bonkers how much they charge for quality and quantity. The pepperoni pizza was meh, and small for what you get, not worth it. The mushroom and potato pizza was good - not incredible but pretty good. Mostly that topping combo is hard to find, so that's why they get stars for that alone. The garlic bread was good. Again not incredible but pretty good. I got the order to go. The interior seemed trendy but fun. With the price I will just not go here again. It was disappointing. But if you want to try it, it's not bad if you don't mind throwing $$ around. read more

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I picked up a friend at the airport visiting from the West Coast and we went to Il Focolare for dinner afterward. This was my first time and I've been looking for an opportunity to try them out. The restaurant itself is in a nicely kept building on Sumter north of downtown, but the neighborhood is a bit barren at that area is undergoing some revitalization. For dinner, we split a mixed greens salad, an eggplant pizza and a mushroom pizza. It was a nice combination of the eggplant pizza with a tomato sauce while the mushroom pizza was a white pizza. My friend commented that the meal was perfect as he said the meal offered on his flight was not good. Both pizzas were baked to perfection with the crusts of both pizzas combining a light exterior crunch with an interior soft and slightly chewy texture--just how I prefer my crusts. The toppings were excellent and rightly done. The service was great and I very much appreciate the fact that Il Focolare's employees are amply compensated where no tipping is necessary. I split my time between South Carolina and Minnesota where I have an opportunity to dine at Pizzeria Lola and Young Joni's operated by celebrated James Beard award winning chef Ann Kim, who makes some excellent pizza up north. I have to say that Il Focolare offers pizza that can stand up to those pizzas--they are that good. Thank you Il Focolare for being in Columbia! read more

Top of the line service Top of the line pizza Don't let the facade of the storefront fool you... go in and check it out! Got two pizzas: Prosciutto and Pepperoni Sauce was very good- we got extra on the prosciutto We walked in at 7pm. Our made fresh to our order pizzas were ready in about 20 minutes. Every seat (minus three at the counter) was filled, and it was still served within a more than acceptable amount of time. Again, the service was great. We had a nice chat with our server after we finished. We wish you luck social media for the semi- pro soccer team server. read more

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The staff are so nice , the pizza was delicious, very airy where it wasn't too much but overall best pizza I've had while visiting.

The nicest people own this scrappy establishment, and their mushroom pizza is so good!

pizza is very good, the crust and sauce are fantastic. they do have a vegan option (red sauce base) with the option to add veggies and greens, but it does get very expensive (the starting base price is high) which is my only qualm. the quality is great! cute ambiance but it is very hit or miss whether they are only taking reservations or taking no reservations and i swear it changes by the night read more

This place has very good pizza. I give it four stars very clean. The weight. Staff is very helpful and kind.

We didn't take a photo because we were starving but none needed! Imagine the best and freshest, most authentic wood fired pizza you've had and that's it. I loved that it's totally a hidden gem, I never would have known it was there had friends not taken us. Worth the trip. read more

Such a cute hidden away little pizza spot. The food was great! The service was kind but a bit inattentive at times. However everything was delicious and we will definitely be back! read more

Food, service, vibe is always so good! Great little neighborhood spot and take out is just as good as eating in. We love the kale Caesar and Olivia is the sweetest waitress! read more

We came the Wednesday after Christmas. Sat right down around 5:20p. No wait. We waited maybe 20ish minutes for the pies. The times we came before it was carryout only due to the pandemic. The first thing I noticed on the menu was "We do not accept gratuity. Our prices reflect that decision. 50% of our revenue is used for employee wages." I love that. I ordered the Paw Paw IPA with a cold glass. It was very light for an IPA. I am enjoying it. She had the Sant' Evasio Correse. I'm no wine connoisseur but it was crisp and tasty. The pizza was amazing. The mozzarella and the sauce tastes so fresh. The crust has the slight char I love. Her pizza: "They did not disappoint with the spice level." We will make plans to be here anytime we are in Cola. read more

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