From housemade pasta to wood-fired pizza, Charleston's Italian dining scene punches above its weight. These are the best Italian restaurants in Charleston, SC right now.
← Back to all rankingsCoda del Pesce is Ken Vedrinski’s long-running Isle of Palms seafood-driven Italian restaurant overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The concept centers on contemporary Italian cooking with a strong emphasis on fresh pasta and local seafood, and the official site highlights gnocchi and fried calamari among its signatures.
A Southern restaurant on Sullivan's Island influenced by Italian, French, and Spanish cooking, from chef Jacques Larson (2x James Beard nominated). Wood-fired pizza oven, plancha, raw bar, and a focus on pasta and small plates from Lowcountry farms and fishermen. Open daily for lunch (11 AM to 3 PM) and dinner (4 PM to 10 PM, until 11 PM Fri/Sat). Weekend brunch Sat and Sun 10 to 3. Reservations open two weeks out on Resy; patio seating is walk-in only. The pizza-only menu 3 to 4 PM daily is the easiest walk-in window. Michelin Guide Good Cooking in the 2024 American South Guide.
Rustic Italian institution from Indigo Road Hospitality (James Beard SF Steve Palmer) — wood-fired oven for pizzas and seasonal pastas; the beloved tagliatelle with Storey Farms egg is iconic.
These restaurants previously held a podium slot and remain strong picks. Full profiles preserved below.
The benchmark for Lowcountry Italian — 15 years of consistency under Chef Brad Grozis, with handmade pasta as the soul of the menu and local farms and waters as the anchor.
Grand, swanky Southern Italian ristorante opened 2023 by Beemok Hospitality (the Peninsula Grill group) and chef Michael Mina's Mina Group — a tasting menu destination with handmade pastas, wood-fired pizzas, and Lowcountry Italian fusion.