DaVinci’s in Williamstown Serves Italian Comfort Food With a German Pizza Twist

Corned beef, sauerkraut and horseradish are not the usual opening act at an Italian restaurant. At DaVinci’s in Williamstown, they arrive on the German Pizza, a house specialty that gives a familiar pizza format the personality of a deli sandwich.

It is a memorable item precisely because it is a little unexpected. The German Pizza can work as an appetizer for a table that wants to sample something unusual, or as an entrée for anyone ready to make it the main event.

That playful specialty sits within a much broader Italian-American menu of pasta, salads, entrées, desserts and drinks. A meal here can be as straightforward as ravioli and garlic bread or as exploratory as a spread that includes the Mona Lisa, a pizza, salad and a final round of dessert.

Spaghetti Mona Lisa is one of the dishes that regularly draws attention. It has become a favorite among regular diners, the sort of named pasta order that gives a large menu a useful starting point when deciding between familiar classics and house specialties.

Ravioli remains a comfortably traditional choice, available with either cheese or meat filling and served with garlic bread. It is the kind of unfussy plate that suits a casual weeknight dinner, especially when the table is also sharing cheese garlic bread or garlic toast.

Chicken Florentine lasagna offers a more substantial direction. Served hot and hearty, it brings the baked-pasta satisfaction many people want from an Italian dinner without simply repeating the standard lasagna order.

Chicken parmigiana is another dependable menu presence. Other choices have included Alfredo with mushrooms, calamari, and filet paired with green beans, giving a mixed group enough range that not everyone has to order from the same corner of the menu.

The salads are not an afterthought. The antipasto salad is notably large, and the house salads also arrive in generous portions. They can make a useful first course for a table, or a satisfying option for someone who wants to keep the rest of the meal simple.

Bread has its own quiet role in the meal. Homemade bread is served with some dishes, while garlic toast and cheese garlic bread recur as welcome accompaniments. On a menu with sauces, baked pasta and hearty entrées, a warm piece of bread has plenty to do.

For dessert, strawberry shortcake has made an impression. It is a pleasant reason not to fill every inch of the table with pasta, although taking a little of dinner home is entirely understandable when the ordering gets ambitious.

DaVinci’s has the relaxed, warm character people want from a long-running neighborhood restaurant. The dining room is comfortable for conversation rather than built around noise or hurry, so a couple can settle into dinner without feeling lost in a crowd.

There are booths, a bar area, counter seating and a private dining room, with an outdoor patio or terrace also listed among the seating options. That variety helps the restaurant shift easily from a simple meal for two to a larger table of relatives and friends.

Anniversary dinners, birthdays and multigenerational family gatherings have all found a home here. Even a 98th-birthday celebration has fit comfortably into the setting, which says something about the room’s ability to handle an occasion without making it feel overly formal.

Service is friendly and attentive, with staff willing to explain menu choices when the selection starts to become a pleasant problem. With so many pasta dishes, pizzas and entrée options in play, that little bit of guidance can be useful.

DaVinci’s is at 215 Highland Ave. in Williamstown, West Virginia. A free parking lot provides ample parking, a welcome convenience when dinner includes a larger family group or a few boxes of leftovers.

Meals commonly fall around the $10 to $30 per-person range, though current pricing can change. Wine and other drinks are available, and the wine list has included reasonably priced selections that suit an easygoing dinner rather than a special-occasion splurge.

Reservations are not generally required, though arrangements for larger groups and preferred tables can vary. Indoor seating includes several styles of tables and seats, while patio or terrace availability may depend on current operation.

One small navigation quirk: parking behind the building can lead to a back entrance, with the main entrance toward the front. Once inside, the broad menu gives the evening its own choice to make: go classic with ravioli and parmigiana, or order the German Pizza and see how corned beef and sauerkraut behave on an Italian table.