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    Cuoco Pazzo

    4.3 (269 reviews)
    ModerateItalian
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    CUOCO PAZZO ATMOSPHERE

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    Casual
    Intimate
    Romantic
    Classy

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    Recommended Reviews - Cuoco Pazzo

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    'Stuffed' Chicken Breast ... a fabulous Special!
    Wendy F.

    This gem is conveniently located in the heart of Mount Pleasant in a stand alone building anchoring the Fairmount Shopping Center on Johnnie Dodds Blvd. There's plenty of parking which is always appreciated. The bright, beautiful, upscale dining room was surprisingly busy on this Wednesday evening, early into dinner service. Our server, Jim, approached us right away with menus and to tell us about the specials. My companion went with a garden salad and Pollo alla Griglia. I selected a Caesar with dressing on the side and one of the specials, the "stuffed" chicken breast. Bread was served quickly. Unfortunately, it was disappointedly underwhelming which perhaps was a good thing given what was soon to arrive. The Griglia was a large pounded and grilled chicken breast sautéed with mushrooms in a white wine sauce, which also lightly topped the accompanying generous portion of spaghetti. My tremendous chicken breast was actually pounded thin then prepared, jelly roll style and tucked in, filled with spinach, mozzarella and sliced cherry peppers ... then, baked ... wrapped in crispy prosciutto, topped with blistered cherry tomatoes, accompanied with a lightly pomodoro-sauced, adequate portion of penne. Both dishes were delizioso! We passed on desert but I couldn't leave without ordering a cannoli to go. Our server, Jim, was stellar. In case you were wondering, dinner was pricey, just a tad under $100 before tip, but this was fine dining and we didn't need to pay for parking to get the experience. If you haven't been, go ... if it's been a while, make your reservation! You'll love it.

    The OWNER sharing her appreciation.
    Nina R.

    One of the finest Italian restaurants anywhere. Excellent freshly prepared food , great wines and excellent service. The lemoncello cake is an incredible dessert to finish off a thoroughly enjoyable evening!

    Antipasti
    Zach P.

    We had heard the word that this was an underrated Italian spot in the area. The menu was very reasonable and had everything you could want: pasta, seafood, ravioli, veal, and delicious apps. Our waiter Jimmy really made the whole experience. He was top notch and a seasoned vet! He came across as an owner and was patient and guided us to all the food he knew would bring the table to life. We started with some wine and stuffed mushrooms and antipasti with prosciutto and mozzarella. The mushrooms were unbelievable! We all agreed that we picked the right place from that point on. We decided on lobster ravioli, shrimp and mussel pasta, veal Parmesan and chicken piccata. The entrees were all excellent and another bottle of wine was the perfect complement to round out the experience. They have a small bar as well to relax if you're in solo. This place has some great soul and we heard the chef hails from Sicily. Give them a try!

    Spaghetti con Polpette
    Tatiana D.

    Food was so good and huge portions (we could have honestly shared the meal there was so much!). The complimentary bread and olive oil were delicious. Staff were welcoming and attentive. Large, open area with beautifully decorated tables and there is a screen at the front with a live feed from Venice. Plenty of parking as well! It's a must try!

    Veal parmigiana

    What a great place. I've had good Italian food but this was the next level above. Veal cooked to perfection, service was excellent , and food had so much flavor. This isn't one of those small plate bullshit restaurants that you eat 5 bites and you're still hungry. This place actually gives you what you pay for. I lived up north and had some good Italian but I honestly can say this is even better. I don't need to go downtown or anywhere else in Charleston for Italian food again.

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    8 days ago

    Great food and service. Great Italian food in Mt Pleasant. One of many choices to eat in the area, and never disappointed.

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    7 months ago

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    2 months ago

    Attended a rehearsal dinner here. The food was amazing and they accommodated our large party perfectly. Highly recommend!!

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    11 months ago

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    Photo of April D.
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    2 months ago

    Very authentic Italian food with wonderful service!! We've been eating here for years and each time it's consistently delicious!

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    5 months ago

    Food was excellent, portions were large and ambiance was great. Staff was very attentive(maybe a little too much). Can't wait to go again.

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    11 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    4 months ago

    Everything came out of either a can, a jar or the freezer. The worst Italian food I've ever had.

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    1 year ago

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    6 months ago

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    1 year ago

    The absolute best Italian! Martini was awesome! Bread great, food incredible!Service incredible!!

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Food was delicious, plentiful and reasonable prices - staff is professional and friendly

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    2 years ago

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    9 months ago

    Excellent Italian fare. Good service and a well chosen wine list primarily Italian wines. Salad was fresh and our entrees very tasty

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    8 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    The food is so delicious, I can't recommend them enough. It's one of my pleasant best kept secrets!

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    best italian in charleston!!!! the food is so yummy and authentic and the servers and hosts are so friendly!!

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    Page 1 of 7

    Ask the Community - Cuoco Pazzo

    Do you make any fresh house-made pasta?

    Yes

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    La Pizzeria - Sicilian w/ ricotta and spinach

    La Pizzeria

    (323 reviews)

    $$

    Very overrated and overpriced. The service felt pretentious and unwelcoming, and seeing an…read moreemployee's child stretched across the customer waiting seats playing on a phone was incredibly unprofessional. I paid $41.02 for a large two-topping pizza and one of the driest cheesecakes I've ever had. Then being prompted to tip 20% on a pickup order was the final straw. I'm honestly surprised this place has stayed popular in Mount Pleasant. The food and overall experience didn't come close to justifying the price.

    One of my first ever reviews on Yelp was for La Pizzeria back in 2012... no surprise that it was…read morefive stars. Then in 2016 I wrote an update since I lived around the corner and would go all the time... still five stars. It's now been almost thirteen years since that first review, and even though I don't live around the corner, I still get giddy about the thought of picking up a pizza or stopping in for dinner at La Pizzeria. So of course, all these years later, La Pizzeria continues to get a resounding five stars from me. The staff is great and most of them have been there for many years which speaks to them running a great operation. My guy Eddie has been there as long as I can remember and he always has a kind word or a smiling face when I call or walk in. Every time I get a bite of their pizza I think why haven't I had this in so long and I vow to start going once a week. Going weekly would be detrimental to my waistline and my wallet, but my taste buds would never tire of that delicious first bite of delicious pizza. This is easily one of my most favorite places in town.

    Tavern & Table - Roasted Brussel Sprouts

    Tavern & Table

    (1k reviews)

    $$

    Tavern & Table was such a great experience! The interior decor was really well thought out -- even…read morethe ladies room was beautifully done. We sat inside late afternoon and loved the atmosphere. We started with the Pineapple Martini and the T&T Martini (olive oil washed vodka, vermouth & blue cheese stuffed olives). Both were completely different but equally delicious! For dinner, my sister had the Brisket Mac & Cheese and I ordered the Shrimp & Grits. Both dishes were absolutely awesome. Everything was so flavorful that no extra salt or pepper was needed. The shrimp & grits had the perfect spicy kick -- seriously delicious. We skipped dessert, but the highlight afterward was spotting a dolphin swimming through the channel. Such a perfect ending to a really enjoyable meal. Definitely recommend! Shout out to the ladies at Trader Joe's for the recommendation.

    Was there with 3 girlfriends to share some apps and dinner before a boat ride. Place was beautiful,…read morewe requested to sit over by windows, but was told there were reservations, though we had a reservation as well, it made no difference. The area we requested was empty our entire time there. Hostess tried to seat us outside in a crowded corner, we requested indoors, so we were seated next to the kitchen. Our waitress was friendly, brought our drinks quickly and took our orders. We specifically requested apps and dinner not be on top of each other. As we were finishing our apps a waiter/ busboy came with meals. I asked, "Could you clear these dirty plates?" " Not with my hands full" l was told. So our dirty plates, silverware, left over food and dirty table now also held our meals. Yuck! Food wise there were many nice choices and the restaurant was beautiful. Service wise l can do without a smug kid who doesn't understand how to do his job. The place was not busy and if our experience is typical of their service l can understand why.

    SAVI Cucina + Wine Bar - Lobster Ravioli

    SAVI Cucina + Wine Bar

    (309 reviews)

    Savi has been one of favorites restaurants and we are now proud Wine Club members!!! These are…read morephotos of our dinner this weekend. Full of flavor, all local ingredients and a staff that takes the time to talk about all the things. Plus, the manager Brianna was super helpful and full of Mount Pleasant/Savi Cucina history. If you've never been-you must give it a try. I had the short ribs with garlic mashed (including shredded crispy Brussel sprouts) and mushrooms. Justin had Rigatoni bolognese. He swears it's the best sauce in town! #charlestonfoodandwine #charlestonfoodie #savicucina

    We went to SAVI Cucina + Wine bar to enjoy their Feast of the Seven Fishes, which I always wanted…read moreto experience but never had an opportunity before now. There were a few amazing dishes, some good dishes, 1 miss, and 1 that was just awful. The service was super friendly, but the timing was off a tad. We waited a good bit of time between the 1st and 2nd course, but then the 3rd course came out before we had 2 bites of the 2nd. After that the timing was much better. The restaurant itself is large and nice, but does not give off a cozy vibe, and we felt too close to our neighbors. I wasn't sure if I should do the meal review from good to bad dish, or by course, but decided it makes sense to the latter Starting with the Aperitivo course, we both got the Scallop crudo. The wife and I disagreed on this dish, as I enjoyed the aroma of and taste of the fried capers, and thought lemon added a nice touch of acid. However, I thought the dish needed either more capers or salt as the sauce was bland and there were not enough capers to make up for it. For the Antipasti I had the Seafood Arancini which was a crispy, golden Italian rice balls consisting of a mix of lump crab meat, Miss Paula shrimp (which upon looking up is from the seafood market at Tarvin Seafood), along with scallops, mascarpone, and creme fraiche aioli. This was an OK dish The wife ordered the Sicilian Octopus, with summer squash, zucchini, smoked pecan romesco. Here is another dish we disagreed on, but only because my wife has decided she does not like Octopus. I on the other hand loved it and thought the dish was great. The meat was tender and had a great char flavor. There were two sauces, one was a romesco and the was green (I think pesto) that the wife and I both really enjoyed. For the Zuppa y insalata course I had the Lobster bisque with sherry cream, crispy focaccia crouton. I took the 1st bite and immediately knew it was good; however, I had to send it back because it was served room temperature at best. Upon having it reheated, I thought this was easily one of the best Lobster bisques ever. The flavors were bold and spicy, but not so bold that I could not taste the lobster. The wife ordered the Seafood salad. Another dish with Miss Paula shrimp, bay scallops and pieces of calamari, supposedly topped with lemon herb vinaigrette. We both agreed this dish was bland, bland, followed by more blandness. There was no salt, no acid from the Lemon Vinaigrette and not a whiff of spice or taste from the herbs. It was just Scallops, a few pieces of calamari and some thinly sliced shrimp with zero flavor. For the Secondo course I had the Scallop risotto, with fire roasted peppers, sweet corn, crispy pancetta, and parmigiano. Here we go another amazing dish. The Scallops were cooked perfectly, and the risotto was loaded with flavor. The fire roasted peppers with sweet corn just added extra pop. The dish was made more pleasing to the eye with a ring of green sauce halfway around the risotto and the other half with a red sauce. There was so much flavor in the risotto, I could not tell if it added flavor or not, but it was clearly added to the visual aspect. Here is where the meal really took a hit as the wife ordered the Grilled branzino mediterranean sea bass, with charred broccolini, potatoes, artichokes, fresh herb oil, yellow tomato vinaigrette. When I took a small bite my first reaction was OH NO, I don't think she is going to like this. When I took a second bite, I realized it was uneatable. The skin on the fish was a bit tough and Slimy making it hard to cut. The fish was covered in a sauce that was just gross and not eatable. The only good thing about this dish was the charred broccolini which we both agreed was good. After that Sea Bass we were both done and decided to get the Dolce course to go. I ordered the Tiramisu cheesecake which we both enjoyed when we got home. The wife's Limoncello cake which was an olive oil cake soaked in limoncello, sweet cranberries with orange marmalade, was OK but neither of us would order again. So here we are with a tale of two dinners experience. Except for the 1st dish, we both thought everything I ordered was really good, but on the other hand, the wife didn't like anything she ordered, while I really loved the octopus, thought her Antipasti And Dolce dishes were just OK, the Seafood salad was tasteless, and the Sea Bass was just awful.

    Graze - Roasted Garlic-Tomato Soup

    Graze

    (811 reviews)

    $$

    nice quiet dinner with my daughter. i was so looking…read moreforward to the calamari fries!!! never more....but by special request ... bring them back!! pretty please!! at least i can have the wonderful fried oysters, which were awesome!!i also ordered green apple cauliflower soup & an arugula salad. kristen had the swordfish. chocolate covered-chocolate & vanilla gelato with almonds & a cherry for dessert. all very good.

    Had a quick lunch there. The restaurant was half-full when I arrived, at about 1:45pm. There was a…read moresmall shaded patio. For food, I tried the fried catfish entree and Green apple-cauliflower soup. Both dishes were good. The fish was very tender and juicy. The butter bean succutash, which I never had before, contained butter beans, black eyed peas, corns, green and red peppers and red onions. It was delicious but since beans are of high FODMAP, I only had a little. The fish was topped with tomato jam made with crushed tomatoes, onions and sugar. It was served chilled. Paired well with the fish and succutash. The soup was creamy, silky, and full of flavor from cauliflower. The pistachio added some crunchiness to it. The taste of "green apple" was not obvious; in fact I was expecting there to be some apple slices, which could add extra texture and sourness to this rich soup. I also asked for a side of sourdough. A bit too salty for me. The service was kinda slow, except that food came out in reasonable amoutn of time **after I placed the order**, that is, I waited quite a while to order my food. The same for doing the check. I guess it was because there were not many staff at lunchtime, and most of them were senior thus could move as fast as young ppl.

    Cuoco Pazzo - italian - Updated May 2026

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