20-year-old Italian restaurant in Columbia’s Vista reopens with new name and location

Di Vino Rosso, formerly Ristorante Divino, in the Vista reopens Friday after closing for seven months and rebranding.

The restaurant has been a staple in the Vista for 20 years, offering traditional Italian food and one of the longest wine lists in Columbia. Along with changing the name of the restaurant, owners Mike Deevey and Brad Spehl moved the restaurant next door to 807 Gervais St.

“We went a little bit more authentic Italian and really changed the environment to be a lot more open and be a little bit more unique, and we expanded the wine list by about 40 wines,” said Spehl.

Deevey and Spehl restored the historic DuPre Building, formerly home to the Casual Pint brewery that closed in November 2019, for the new restaurant. The space includes an event area in the back of the restaurant available for rentals, dubbed “The Office.”

In 2014, Fulvio Valsecchi sold Di Vino Rosso to a group including Deevey, the Free Times reported. Deevey is also the co-owner of The Kingsman restaurant in Cayce.

Di Vino Rosso has an enhanced menu along with the traditional favorites from the old restaurant and a more upscale-casual feel than before, according to Spehl. The decor and vibe of the building is reminiscent of the 1920s, as the DuPre Building was built in 1919.

A baby grand piano can be heard playing throughout the restaurant on weekends.

While two restaurants in the Vista closed in the past month, Abby Naas, executive director of the Congaree Vista Guild, said new openings in the area are promising.

“Reopening under a different name and in a new location will be really good for the area because that’s a very popular spot,” said Naas about Di Vino Rosso.

Deevey is also one of the executive chefs, along with Nick Rodriguez, who has worked as executive chef at Di Vino Rosso for three years.

The restaurant is one Columbia’s most reviewed restaurants for several years, earning four out of five stars on TripAdvisor and Yelp, and 4.6 star rating on OpenTable.

Di Vino Rosso’s hours expanded to open earlier at 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 12:52 PM.