Back at our crowded table, we start to relax and find our bearings as we cut into one of the bulging creminis, capped in lemony, garlicky, buttery breadcrumbs. We settle into a conversation as we lament the dryness of the layered eggplant bread, which takes on the taste of soggy tomatoes.
The meal might be moving faster than we had hoped, but then again, not everyone enjoys routinely sitting down for three-hour dinners, I tell myself. Some people might commend a restaurant for getting food to guests within minutes of ordering.
And whatever Pelato’s chefs, staff and owners are doing, it seems to be working. The restaurant has captivated much of Charleston’s dining population, becoming one of the hardest reservations to secure in town.
But it has also alienated some guests who have told me they wished it were less bustling and more reminiscent of home.
What to make of these contrasting views? Let’s step further inside to see for ourselves.
Meatballs al forno served over a tomato sughetto and topped with basil at Pelato, Tuesday, November 11, 2025, in Charleston.
Henry Taylor/Staff
A place to see and be seen
Pelato is owned by Anthony Scotto Jr., his wife Theresa and son Anthony Scotto III, who traded a finance career to join the family business. Their first South Carolina venture comes a few years after they relocated from New York City to Nashville, Tenn., to open two restaurants, including the original Pelato, whose menu is nearly identical to the new location in Charleston.
For those who visited Butcher & Bee, a Mediterranean restaurant short-listed for a James Beard Award in 2022, the indoor-outdoor space will feel unrecognizable.
In the evening, a covered pergola fills as the Charleston sky starts to take on a pinkish hue. The enclosed patio flows into the main dining room, where tables are lined in rows and flanked by a bar, set beneath six frosted antiqued globe lights suspended from a wooden beam chained to the ceiling.
Across the restaurant, patrons soak up the sparky setting, fit for a fun couples’ night or boozy brunch with friends. They clink glasses and laugh and ogle the pretty plates primed for posts on social media. They sip espresso martinis and frozen limoncello drops, the frosty liquid’s tart taste masking what seems to be a significant amount of alcohol.
Dining and Cooking