This isn't just the worst Italian restaurant I've eaten at (and I've been to Olive Garden) it's the worst restaurant I can remember. First off, it looks like a high school cafeteria, without the charm, and the lighting. The upside is the waiter was friendly. Between us we had the gnocchi bake, dry, nearly inedible gnocchi. Just awful. And then lasagna, equally as awful. The included salad, iceberg lettuce, a piece or two of red onion & a few tiny shreds of carrot, drenched in some food service "Italian" dressing. More up side... the garlic bread was pretty good. Not trying to harm their business, maybe some love it there, not us. read more

I went there under recommendation from the mother of my son and we enjoyed our Italian bounties. It became a tradition really quick! read more

A step back in time!! When the world is simpler and people are more friendly! The Colander Restaurant is indeed Trail's Tradition ... and a good tradition! Family style classic Italian food is served on huge platters, and yes they are huge! Spaghetti sauce is very meaty and full of fresh tomato flavour, oh and their Meatballs are homemade with their own recipe!! Great service as well, all staffs are very young and very polite!! Kudos to Aiden for his professional and friendly service!! Will always be on my list of to go restaurants for this lovely town of Trail! read more

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nice little italian spot for a quick lunch or dinner. the pasta was decent and the service was pretty fast. good option if you are in the area and want something simple read more

Amazing food and excellent service. They very efficiently handled our large group. Would definitely return again.

We were in last night. Party of over 30. Aiden crushed it! He did a fantastic job with our group. Thanks Aiden and the rest of thr Colander crew!!! read more

Great quality, superb service! Family oriented and laid back atmosphere! We always visit to show our out of town friends this wonderfully unique dining experience! read more

Delicious Italian for good price and family friendly. Start with the Colander Special. As much salad w the great vinaigrette as you can eat + chicken and roast potatoes and meatballs and all you can eat spaghetti. Fresh rolls and butter. All for less than $20. ;) read more

Thanks to Yumiko K and a few locals who live in town. The Colander was well worth the experience for an Italian eatery. This place is large like a barn inside. And so are the servings. It was Wednesday night and it was Rib and Pasta special night. Dry roasted rack of ribs served with half a plate of their famous spaghetti. Served with an iceberg lettuce salad and bun. They have Italian Sodas. The service was so prompt that they asked if wanted drinks just after serving them. Staff were all friendly. It's definately the kind of place that my mother and father would love. I certainly enjoyed it. I wasn't expecting the latest in fashionable Italian ingredients shipped fresh from Rome. I knew there wouldn't be truffle oil and rapini. I expected pasta, hopefully al dente, basic sauces and good old fashioned comfort food Italian style. I got more. I got served I got full Veni Vidi Vici!!! If Maria were here with me. I'd give her a big wet spaghetti kiss and say, "Grazie mille! Ti Amo" read more

The Colander Restaurant - a menu for ribs - Italian Near Me - Trail, British Columbia

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History of this restaurant is amazing. Great food People come here every time they visit Trail Now I know why Impressive read more

Huge Portions, Legion Hall Ambiance, Uninspired Had a hockey team dinner here with all players and parents. Restaurant stayed open "late" to accommodate us as they only stay open until 8 pm on saturday nights. What kind of restaurant only stays open until 8 pm on a Saturday night when the town is literally full of out of town hockey players and their families? Had the lasagna. Was good but not the best I've ever had. Not much mozzarella and bland. Huge portion though. Decent wine list. The room is very similar to a Legion Hall or an inner city soup kitchen. Very industrial no frills and rather depressing. Not sure how this place has got such a great reputation. Can only surmise, that the local standards of great dining are considerably lower than most other cities ... On a positive note, the prices were reasonable and quantity huge. This is definitely a quantity over quality operation. read more

Wow! Beautiful clean, relaxing place! The food was fabulous! We had pasta and a burger...soo homemade tasting! Staff are friendly and quick, great stop for us, as we are new to the area. read more

Always delicious! A Trail tradition... spaghetti special and a Shirley temple, since I was a child. The lunch specials are yummy too. Quick friendly service. read more

We came with a hockey team for a dinner and were blown away at how seamless the service was. Our waitress was incredible! There was around 40 of us and no mistakes were made! The food was incredible and so much of it!! The all you can eat spaghetti and meatballs, etc... Is incredible value for money and super tasty. The meatballs are HUGE!! The food didn't seem to end AND they encourage you to take the leftovers! I can't recommend this place enough! read more

The colander is an institution. How many athletes of all sports have crossed that threshold. I have eaten 200$ meals that did not give me as much pleasure as iceberg lettuce meatballs pasta chicken and jojo's. Old style waiters with black slacks and white shirts. Wine if you want to spend the bank. Keeping it real in downtown trail. ENJOY read more

Was dragged there with my boyfriend once. Food is tasteless and seems to be extremely stale. Awful environment, I felt as if I was eating at one of those Soup Kitchens in Vancouver. Do not understand why the locals love this run-down place so much, easier and cheaper AND tastier to even go to McDonalds for crying out loud. read more

Best spaghetti in the world (and I'm not exaggerating). The Colander is known worldwide for it's unique spaghetti and meatballs. Any Trail native will tell you it's the best! If you're visiting Trail, don't miss out on this epic Italian food. My highest recommendation! read more

The Colander Restaurant - Italian food doesn't get any better than this - Italian Near Me - Trail, British Columbia

This restaurant reminded me of The Old Spaghetti Factory/Olive Garden. An entrée comes with a huge roll and (pretty boring) salad. The main draw of this restaurant is its unlimited offering of food. Their baked ravioli dish was actually pretty tasty, and I enjoyed their mountain of spaghetti and tomato sauce. The tomato sauce (vegetarian) was surprisingly tasty, but the pasta was a bit overcooked. If you've been skiing/snowboarding all day and are starving for carbs, this place will be perfect for you. read more

Nothing fancy about it. Just Big portions that taste good and arrive quickly. Great for large groups.

I've been going to the Colander since I was a baby and I've always loved this place. It's not a pretty place. The building used to be a warehouse in a city that runs because of a smelting plant. You're not going there for the décor. You're going because for great Italian food. And when I say Italian food, I mean you're going there to get the special which is; a salad, jojos (potatoes), baked chicken, and a mountain of spaghetti and sauce with meatballs. In all my life I've never ordered anything else (and neither has anyone I've been with). Other than this last time, I've never even looked at the menu. Maybe this place is full of memories of my childhood, but I love it and I'll go back as long as they're open. read more

This place is a trail classic. I now live in Vancouver and whenever I bring someone home with me they all remember the colander. Only ever order the special and it's only disappointed once in all my years (possible a owner change) I came here again in June to give it another try after the last wasn't good, things seems to be back to normal and the food was amazing. The place is loud so don't expect a quiet dinner, very family friendly. Service is fast and the servers are always friendly. read more

If you come to Trail, you have to have dinner at The Colander. We literally make a detour through the interior just for this place. "The Special" is delicious, Spaghetti and meatballs, salad, Potatoes and chicken. All the food that you get is such a great deal, the spaghetti is also AYCE and it's so good you'll def eat more than 1 plate. It's definitely Home style cooking, you can't leave Trail without coming here. read more

Used to live in trail bc like 15 years ago. This place used to be my favourite place. If i ever go back for a visit i shall eat there everyday. I always have so much respect for family business. Keep up the good work read more

Everyone we met recommended The Colander and they were right! This is a big noisy room, but the service was decent, even though they were understaffed. The food was very good! Family style salad with huge dinner rolls. I had the lasagna with meat sauce. My dad had the spaghetti and my sister had the gnocchi. Good, simple food at great prices. We would go back for sure if we were going to be in town longer. read more

We had a group of about 30 people...we emailed our food choices a few days before...service and food were both very good. The dinner special is served family style and spaghetti is endless. Will be back! read more

What to say about the legendary Colander? This humble locally-owned restaurant is a tried and true "Trail Tradition." People from all over know of this famous place: you say "Trail BC," someone says "mmmm The Colander." The Italian community has created some delicious roots in this little town. The Colander is a family restaurant that has been owned by the LeRose family since it opened in 1972, serving the same dishes in the same way since the beginning. In fact I don't think the decor of the place has changed much at all either! It's a small town experience. Order "The Colander Special" and enjoy a family-style spread of salad, bread, chicken, jojo potatoes, meatballs, and all-you-can eat spaghetti (a staple comfort meal served in boarding houses when working Italian immigrants first moved to Canada and settled in Trail). They will make any pasta vegetarian upon request (the marinara is especially delicious and so flavourful!!). Their family recipes have stood the test of time. I attended a Kootenay wedding and it was catered by The Colander and everyone was happy and contento! The family is an important charitable fixture in the community, and source and purchase ingredients from local suppliers too. Some of my fondest childhood memories are visits to The Colander seated at a long table amongst family enjoying a feast of a meal. I always look forward to going back to Trail just to re-live this experience. Buon appetito!! read more

A Trail institution of mediocrity, if you like industrial eating go to the Colander. Best suited for hoards of tournament hockey players. Nothing authentic Italian about it. read more

Everyone says you must go here. I mustered the courage on my second visit to Trail. The food is okay and it is silly cheap. For what it is, it is actually quite good. It's not my thing, and I would never return. Primarily because the environment is extremely depressing. Dimly-lit, cafeteria that was empty other than one other table. It used to be a supermarket, and now feels like a depressing supermarket; not exactly the type of place you would enjoy a meal. The food itself was decent, not great, not bad at all. read more

I have visited this place about 3 times now. I love going to Trail for the purpose of seeing friends and getting to eat at this great place. This is the best Italian cuisine I've ever eaten in my life. If you haven't eaten here, I suggest you do. Most amazing meatballs and sauce!!! read more

Mediocre. I was headed there with family when I had an asthma attack that landed me in Trail Hospital (which is terribly incompetent but that's a whole other conversation). My family went and got take out to bring in. It was slightly better than the hospital food. The spaghetti tasted like noodles and sauce out of a jar. The chicken was darker than it should have been and soggy. The salad was cafeteria grade. The saving grace is how cheap it is because you would never pay good money for that fare. read more

Will not return! Took forever to be asked what we wanted to drink! Never got asked if we wanted refills! Waitresses were rude and never around. The place is so dark and depressing, and really loud you have to yell at each other. And the most important part is they make the food ahead of time so it's gross, and you can't ask for anything slightly different, because you have an allergy, if you do they treat you like crap! read more

Quite possibly, no, unequivocally the worst dining experience I've ever encountered. We had a reservation for 6pm and we're not served until 7:42. When it arrived it was cold and tasteless. In that time, we were never asked for a drink refill. We are a hockey team of 5-6 year olds, we reserved 3 weeks in advance. The staff was unprepared and incapable. Absolutely embarrassing. When we confronted the cashier and suggested we would likely not return, her (Cindy) response was "good." Need I say more. Good luck if you are stuck eating here. read more

All you can eat pasta is generally the whole point of going here. With that you get great meatballs and chicken. The sauce tastes good but is on the oily side. I like the atmosphere and it's especially good for large groups or a family of 4 or more. It's been around forever and they know what they are doing. read more

The Colander is a Trail institution. Me and my family have been coming here for as long as I can remember. Last time I was there, I finally tried the lasagna instead of the spaghetti and chicken. Fantastic! The best thing about this place is its consistency. Hasn't changed a bit. They still have Tim Burton Batman and Robin instead of Christopher Nolan Batman and Robin. I was a bit disapointed that they changed one thing which was the tall green barriers; they got shorter black ones. Whatever. Also, I don't anyone else calls roasted potatoes "Jojos" read more

Are we being serious? This is the place everyone on town rant and raves about? While the place has a bit of that nostalgic feel, it is basically a huge cafeteria/eatery. Terrible service. Very little ambiance. Our group of 4 ordered the special. Unbelievable that people actually come in from home with their own pots for this garbage. Greasy and very poor spaghetti. Is it that hard to make this at home that you come in with your own pot? Let's not even get to the grease sopped roast chicken you get after the pasta. Walk away when you get near the front doors. An embarrassment to the Italian community. A anti culinary experience. read more

Huge portions of food. Was in Trail for work and went here for dinner. Enjoyed the experience and was not disappointed with the recommendation that I got to go here read more

My grandparents live in Trail so I have been going to The Colander for as long as I can remember. I gave four out of five stars because it's really all about the food at The Colander, not the environment. It's not at all fancy, it's a bit like a banquette. But the service is excellent and the food will change you. Their spaghetti sauce is a closely guarded secret apparently, and I can see why. And the meatballs are outstanding. Noodles are noodles pretty much. Whenever I get to Trail I look forward to this food. read more

Great place to eat, their Traditional Italian Special is excellent, all you can eat, love their salad dressing & fresh buns, reasonable prices, friendly staff and atmosphere, great location in downtown Trail! read more

My family has been going here for years. My grand parents live in Rossland and every time we go to see them we end up here. Best spaghetti and meat balls in the world! read more

Ok first of all this is no fine dining establishment. It's clearly been around for decades so the ambience is lacking and the tables and chairs are getting towards the end of their lives. I went there recently for a family reunion kind of dinner and they served at least 10 plates of meat and pasta for everyone to share. Seems quaint and inviting at first but I'm honestly just concerned about the waste produced from all this food being served. They just kept bringing more of it and I was just bewildered at the sight of the leftovers. As a vegetarian, they accommodated me with spaghetti and tomato sauce which wasn't exciting, but there was nothing wrong with it at all. After looking at a few friends' plates, concern grew on me regarding the neon orange residue that caked to the bottom of the plates. I give it 3 stars for the kind service, and decently well-managed local business but leave a 2-star deficit for the waste and ambience. There's room for improvement but I wouldn't yet consider this place to be a dive. read more