Carmella's Cafe and Dessert Bar

Carmella's is widely regarded as one of downtown Charleston's best late-night dessert stops, with house-made cakes (especially the cannoli cake and tiramisu), gelato, and Italian-American bites drawing repeat visitors and locals-in-the-know alike. The standout staff and open-until-midnight hours are consistent praise points, though a minority of reviewers flag it as touristy and overpriced, and at least one Foursquare user raised a billing dispute concern. Cleanliness under tables has occasionally been noted as an issue, but it ranks #12 of 724 Charleston restaurants on TripAdvisor and draws enough local word-of-mouth that residents actively recommend it to strangers.