Villa Tronco Italian Restaurant

Villa Tronco Italian Restaurant is an Italian restaurant in Columbia, SC, located at 1213 Blanding Street. It serves traditional Italian cuisine using recipes introduced to the city by Mama Tronco. The establishment has been family owned and operated for five generations and has been serving the area since 1940. It holds a 4.40 rating based on 869 reviews.

Located in a historic 19th-century firehouse, Villa Tronco is recognized by Southern Living magazine as the oldest restaurant in SC. The menu features handmade items such as Mama Tronco's homemade pizza, which is rolled by hand and cut into squares. Antipasti options include fried mozzarella, Italian eggrolls, calamari, steamed mussels, and Maryland crabcakes. Pesci selections feature Maryland-style crab cakes, creamy seafood pesto, seafood alfredo, linguine with clam sauce, and scallop piccata. Pollo e vitello offerings include 100% group-raised veal and chicken in Parmigiana, Piccata, and Marsala preparations. Pasta dishes include Fettuccine Alla Tronco, lasagna, linguine and meatballs, and pasta primavera. The restaurant also offers Carmella's Famous Cheesecake and Villa Tronco Salad Dressing.

The family history began with Sadie Tronco, who started cooking for Italian soldiers at Fort Jackson during World War II. The business evolved from the Iodine Fruit Store into Villa Tronco. Carmella and Henry Martin ran the business for 41 years before turning it over to Joe Roche and Carmella in 1972. Joe and Carmella have two children, Bonner and Carmelina, and five grandchildren. The restaurant hosts Broadway and Opera Nights, where guests listen to local singers perform. The building is a historic landmark restored to preserve its original character.

Villa Tronco has an established track record built on a large base of customer reviews and maintains a solid reputation among the customers it has served. This long-standing Italian restaurant continues to provide authentic recipes and hospitality to the Columbia community.

The restaurant sits on Blanding Street near Tapp's Building and Main Street, with the Bouchier Building and Waterlines public artwork located about a tenth of a mile away.

BizScoreAI gives Villa Tronco a Schema & Structure score of 100 out of 100, which ensures AI assistants and search engines clearly understand the business and its offerings. The business also earns a Technical score of 83 out of 100, confirming the website is secure and readable for search engines without errors.