Deorio's
A Columbus institution, Deorio's has had the same owner and the same Cross Country Plaza Shopping Center address 45 years. The restaurant has a cozy setting, where you walk down a few steps to the front door and enter a charming and homey trattoria, complete with red-checked curtains. The small dining room is regularly filled with families feasting on Italian specialties. Hand-tossed pizza with a thin crust is the most popular dish here, although you can request thick crust. Other Italian specialties include lasagna and spaghetti. Enjoy a glass of red wine or a beer with your meal.
Deorio's
3201 Macon Road, #167
Columbus, GA 31906
(706) 563-5887
Cafe Amici
Cafe Amici is a family-style restaurant located in a strip mall near the Columbus Airport. It's a casual and festive place that offers outdoor dining during warm weather. Pasta is the specialty here, with more than a dozen topping choices, including vegetarian options. Seafood risotto, grilled tuna and daily soup specials are just some of the many other menu selections. Tasty starters include the roasted red pepper soup and the fried mozzarella triangles.
Cafe Amici
2301 Airport Thruway, #E2
Columbus, GA 31908
(706) 653-6361
Peluso's Italian Restaurant
Peluso's Italian Restaurant has been another Columbus favorite for more than 30 years. It has three locations in north Columbus, with the one just across the street from St. Francis Hospital that attracts a huge lunchtime crowd. Fans go to Peluso's for the pizza, but you can also get salads, sandwiches and soups--all of which come in large portions. Try the minestrone soup with a salad and garlic bread.
Peluso's Italian Restaurant
4519 Woodruff Road
Columbus, GA 31904
(706) 324-5888
Carrabba's Italian Grill
Carrabba's Italian Grill is a chain restaurant specializing in Old World Italian recipes. The chicken Marsala is a house favorite--a grilled chicken breast is smothered in a Marsala wine sauce made with sauteed mushrooms and prosciutto. Other specialties include lobster ravioli, grilled salmon, chicken parmesan and veal piccata. For an appetizer, try the cozze in bianco--mussels steamed in basil, lemon butter and white wine. Carrabba's also serves pizzas baked in a brick oven. Share the filling "chocolate dream" dessert, a fudge brownie topped with Kahlua, chocolate mousse, whipped cream and chocolate sauce. If you want your own dessert, turn to Carrabba's "little kisses" choices; they're mini-versions of bigger guilty pleasures. Selections change daily.
Carrabba's Italian Grill
5555 Whittlesey Blvd., Suite H
Columbus, GA 31909
(706) 494-8144
carrabbas.com
