16-05-2025
Pelato Offers Italian Fare for Under $20 in Charleston
Charleston has another option for Italian fare with the recent opening of Pelato at 1085 Morrison Drive. Restaurateurs Theresa and Anthony Scotto Jr., along with their son Anthony Scotto III, describe the food as Brooklyn-style Italian. It's the food their ancestors made when they stepped off the boat from Italy and settled in New York in 1905.
The menu is heavy on red-sauce classics like meatballs al forno, chicken Parmigiana, and garlic bread. There's also burnt brocollini, cacio e pepe, and radiatori vodka. The party crowds will be happy to hear frozen espresso martinis are on tap. The best part of the menu? Nothing is over $21 — which is rare in Charleston these days.
The interiors are completely different than the previous tenant — Butcher & Bee. Now there are black-and-white family photos on the wall, green leather banquettes, wood paneling, and a small bar anchoring the back of the restaurant.
The Scottos opened the first Pelato in Nashville. It's popular for Italian comfort foods in a relaxed setting. They decided to open in Charleston because they have family in the area and always visited the Holy City while living in New York and even more frequently when they moved to Nashville.
Pelato is open Sunday through Thursday, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday through Saturday, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
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