Tavolo Pronto in Myrtle Beach offers signature Italian dishes fast.
Joe Rayola
A new restaurant in Myrtle Beach offers chef-made Italian meals and pastries on the fly.
With hot, ready-to-go lunches and gourmet meals that can be finished in a home oven in 15 minutes, Tavolo Pronto reflects the meaning of its name in English: table ready.
The new Italian spot, located at 2304 N. Kings Highway, aims to eliminate the inconveniences of dining out, like tipping and long waits.
“Convenience meals are not really a thing around here,” said owner and chef Joe Rayola. “I really wanted to hit the convenience for everybody that they’re missing in restaurants. Sometimes, you go in there and you sit there for hours, and I’m just trying to get everybody a good meal and do it quick and efficient.”
Rayola, who runs Tavolo Pronto with his wife, Shannon, has been an executive chef for 30 years at restaurants like Carmine’s in New York City, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Sea Trail Golf Resort and Pawleys Plantation Golf and Country Club.
Although he’s originally from New York, Rayola has called the Grand Strand home for a decade, and says he’s ready to put down roots near family with a Myrtle Beach restaurant.
Rayola is bringing his culinary experience to the Tavolo Pronto menu with “high-end and quick” dishes, like baked ziti, chicken cacciatore, chicken scarpiello and his signature white truffle lasagna, which frequently sells out.
“I think what makes us special is the chef-prepared [food],” Rayola said. “It’s not prepared by a line cook in a restaurant that has little-to-no experience. It’s all thoughtful, planned out and executed by a chef, which you don’t really get anymore in a restaurant [where] the chef is more oversight.”
The restaurant currently offers two options, ready-to-eat lunches and take-away dishes. All Tavolo Pronto’s Italian meals are made by Rayola, but the restaurant also features desserts prepared by a pastry chef.
Hot lunches are made to fit in during a lunch break, so diners can be in and out of Tavolo Pronto in a couple of minutes. The meals are generally available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and run from $10 to $13.
“That’s more focused with the local workers, so they don’t have to stop at McDonald’s or something,” said Rayola. “I know lunch breaks are really quick, so I’m trying to provide chef meals in a quick time so they can get back to work and have a good meal.”
The take-and-bake meals come in individual and family portions, which feed three to four people. The single meals start around $12 and the group options go up to $30.
After launching with a soft opening on Jan. 19, Tavolo Pronto is on-track for a grand opening the second week of February.
Dining and Cooking