What locals are saying
Pelato has landed as one of Charleston's most buzzed-about openings since May 2025, earning strong approval from both local press and diners for its genuinely executed Brooklyn-Italian red-sauce cooking — the Sunday Sauce in particular is singled out as a revelation, and the vodka radiatori and frozen espresso martini keep people coming back. The room is loud, warm, and deliberately nostalgic, and the tapas-style small plates format means checks can climb faster than expected. Reservations are legitimately difficult to secure, reinforcing an 'it spot' reputation that lives somewhere between real quality and social-media hype.











