Where is the Best Italian Food in Charleston, South Carolina?
The food and the wine selection are excellent. The setting is intimate and, for the most part, the service is very good. Management could be better, which might remove the few rough spots in the service. My wife and I ate here during the Spoleto Festival this year. On arrival, we had to wait to be greeted, as two people who appeared to be the hostess and floor manager were engaged in an obvious argument in the middle of the main dining area. Eventually the manager noticed us and ordered the hostess to greet us. The atmosphere was a bit chilly at that point. We noticed the empty tables in the beautiful courtyard and asked to be seated there. She informed us that those needed to be requested when making reservations. I asked why we weren’t offered that choice when making the reservations, and she shrugged and said that people were expected to know what they wanted. The tables remained empty throughout the evening. Once we were seated, things got much better. In a nutshell, th
Ate here on vacation recently and was very excited to find a nice Italian restaurant downtown (they’re few and far between). The restaurant is small but beautiful – very charming and rustic feel to it (though I agree with a previous review that the wooden chairs are not too comfy). The red wine was very nice and the bread appetizer was delicious. My boyfriend ordered the chicken parmigiana which was excellent ( and an enormous portion) and I had the Bocci’s calzone – not the best I’ve ever had but still tasty. There were a number of much fancier items on the menu but we went the simpler route to be safe. If I offered any advice, it would be to go more in the direction of pasta and meat instead of the calzones, pizza, etc. – I don’t believe their focus is on the latter. Overall, I’d recommend it, the food was good and the atmosphere was great.Pros + Big portions, charming atmosphere, great menu varietyCons – Pizza/calzone not their forte, uncomfortable seating
I moved from NJ two years ago and Gennaro’s is the closest I’ve found to NY/NJ Pizza! It’s delicious! Soft crust and the sauce is nice and sweet! Make sure you stop in to say “hi” to Wheezi and get a drink at the bar while waiting for your pick-up! Also, don’t forget to check out the jazz on Thursday nights too! Great place, highly recommend for Summerville area!Pros + Food, ServiceCons – A touch expensive
A few comments on an internet forum pointed me to this restaurant. It is the only way I would have found it as a tourist, as it has no website, and it’s not facing one of the main roads in downtown. This is a restaurant that is very serious. I think that they want you to dress nice before walking in. Since I love their food so much, I think that I will. We ordered an appetizer(bruschetta with mushrooms). I thought it was “not bad”. The mushrooms were pungent. Some might not like it that way. I didn’t mind it, but I probably wouldn’t ask for them to be so potent, either. A satisfying dish, but I’ll probably try something else.I had a trout, which was executed well, both on the inside and the outside(pan seared on the outside, and lemon and onion heated inside). My girlfriend ordered the ravioli, and she said it was the best ravioli she’s ever had. This one’s vegetarian-friendly. It must have been pretty good, because I’ve never seen a ravioli dish that can get anyone
