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    Macaluso’s Restaurant

    3.7 (71 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Macaluso’s Restaurant Photos

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    MACALUSO’S RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Macaluso’s Restaurant

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    Crazy bill for sub-par Italian food
    Parvati F.

    "I think you should leave too..." This is how the post-meal conversation ended with chef/owner of Macaluso's. It has been several years since our last patronage and decided tonight was the night for a nice romantic dinner over a bottle of wine and some pizza and pasta. The evening started out on track with lovely waitstaff who graciously seated us even without a reservation on a rainy Thursday evening. We began our meal with a bottle of Sparkling Water & Sangiovese and the $27 Salad for Two (sans salami). Ok salad...nice portion...could have used some fresh black pepper. Our meal progressed with the Spinach & Mushroom Pizza, but were told they would not add Broccoli Rabe or prove Broccoli Rabe as a side because the chef will not do "substitutions." We also ordered the Penne with Onions & Peas...Not Good. The Penne was swimming in a watery "broth" (if you can call it that) and topped with canned peas. Yup, a $24 dish of boxed pasta & canned peas. We ate our dinner quietly and upon receiving our dessert menu were asked how we enjoyed the dishes. We replied politely and said the pasta was not good. Our server returned to the kitchen and some time later the chef/owner came out with a can of peas to "chef-splain" his dish. Note: if you have to "chef-splain" the dish, it is not good. Apparently he "invented" the dish, which consists of: Boxed penne, canned peas, canned pea "broth", olive oil, and chicken broth. Which is when we interrupted the diatribe to ask why chicken broth was included in a vegetarian dish. This was apparently the type of question to illicit the response of "well, we can't read your mind." Um...if there is a vegetarian dish in the menu (I.e., penne with onions & peas), we vegetarians expect the dish to be vegetarian and get upset when post-meal it is not and then get scolded for "spilling all of the secrets." Long story "short" we ended the discussion by saying..."We'd like to leave." Which prompted the response "I think you should leave too." Needless to say, we won't be back and are frustrated with the ~$160 we spent to be scolded about how we don't understand what turns out is just plain bad food...and neither should you. We

    Sue S.

    Great Italian food with excellent service. Love the decor and ambiance. It's rather small but a really intimate dining experience. Reservations are a must. We started out with the meatball appetizer which was delicious. We also had a single salad that was large enough to share. Our entrees were chicken parm with ravioli and staton island baked rigatoni with chicken parm. Both were tasty and highly recommended! Great evening for sure!

    Exorbitant bill for cheap products
    Kelsey F.

    Decided to give this place another try...Not a good decision. Wait staff was nice enough, but the whole atmosphere felt in fear of the wrath of the chef/owner. We ordered a bottle of wine, shared salad, pizza & vegetarian pasta dish. Wine, salad & pizza were "fine"...nothing special or memorable. The item that was memorable (for the wrong reasons) was the pasta dish and chefs response to the leftovers that came back to the kitchen to be boxed up for the dogs. When the Penne with Onions & Peas arrived, the initial visual was less than appetizing. We opted not to take a photo because the dish looked so bad (soupy "broth" & gray canned peas). It was not until the completely unexpected & unprofessional interaction with the chef/owner that we opted to leave a review. We poured (yes, poured) out a "broth" from our pasta dish. We later learned this mess was comprised of canned pea "juice", oil, and chicken broth. GROSS!!! We anticipated this dish would be light, bright & fresh - NO. The peas were canned (and the owner even brought a can out to tell us how we were wrong for not liking the dish he "invented" - Penne w/ Peas & Onions). The whole experience was surreal. We had planned to just "chalk it up" to a weird experience, but no...the chef came out to berate us in how we were wrong for not liking his dish and that it couldn't possibly be made with fresh ingredients. I do t know about you, but if I'm paying $160 for a nice Italian meal for 2, I expect my ingredients to be fresh, pasta to be homemade, and vegetarian dish to be void of chicken broth. Not the case here. Do yourself a favor & skip this place. Go to Casa Bella or even Olive Garden to get you pasta fix in Aiken.

    Main Course
    B S.

    The overall dining experience was amazing, from the time we entered the restaurant until we departed. The atmosphere, service and food were definitely first class! My Wife and I would recommend to any couple looking to spend quality time together while sharing a great meal!!

    Broccoli rabe.
    Melencia J.

    I heard way too many folks talking about this "new Italian place" that I had to visit! I'm glad I did. This family owned restaurant/kitchen has a homey feel to it as soon as you walk in. The red walls with the black and white family photos bring you right into into the home of Macaluso's. The wonderful smell of marinara and garlic hit me as soon as I walked in. I would have given 5 stars, but with the way things are, the tables were too close for complete comfort. I wish they had more outdoor seating. I hear this may be coming soon. I messaged in advance to see if the menu had any vegetarian options. That made my mouth water in anticipation. They had several appetizers, pizzas and pastas that were vegetarian or could be made that way. We ordered sautéed spinach and broccoli rabe for a starter and pasta for dinner. The starters are definitely sharables... we only ate about half of each to save space for pasta. Oh, and they have a pasta tray where you could choose your pasta by sight. Neat! While we waited we had bread with some delicious peppered olive oil. I had the long fusilli with marinara. Very yum! A perfect helping of sauce with perfect al dente pasta. I added a sprinkle of parmesano and mixed it all together for a fantastic meal. The chef actually sells his marinara...it's that good! I opted out of dessert because I was so full, but they provided a tray to see the offerings for the evening. It all looked pretty good, but I couldn't eat another bite. I will be back soon to try their pizzas and other vegetarian dishes.

    Porch off the bar
    Jeremy H.

    This restaurant is situated in a beautiful old home in downtown Aiken. There is a small parking lot on the property and street parking available. There is limited seating; however, there are some tables on the front porch and it appeared that there are some tables in a garden behind the restaurant. We arrived just before opening and went upstairs to the Rose Bar. This bar is a dimly lit space with candles and exposed wood. It is a wonderful space; however, we decided to enjoy our drinks in the rocking chairs on the upstairs porch. This is a great option! After a cocktail, we went downstairs to the restaurant. This is a fine dinning experience. The service was attentive and the experience was great. We started the meal with Sinatra Spicy Shrimp. I highly recommended this dish, especially if you like spicy foods. The flavor is great and it has the perfect kick of spice. I then enjoyed the chicken parm. My guest had clams with pasta. We finished the meal with mascarpone cheesecake. I would definitely recommend this restaurant for a special occasion or to just enjoy some cocktails of that great upstairs porch.

    Yummy
    Amber L.

    So amazing !!! Best Italian restaurant Augusta/Aiken!!!!! Can't wait to return! Date night favorite!

    Home is where the food is!
    Kendall B.

    The ambiance! The staff! The food! Do not pass go, do not collect your $200 unless you try this place on the boardwalk! It's delicious! The staff is very attentive! The chef knows what he's doing, I mean, I can go on and on and on... but then you won't be able to stuff your face with the meatball appetizer! I ordered the chicken parm and let me tell you, didn't leave my seat until it was clean! If you're in SC, Aiken.... You can not pass this by! Oh, Liza with a Z was our server and she delivered the best of the best! Gosh, just try it!

    Meatballs on ravioli
    Jayson L.

    The food is delicious! We sat at the bar upstairs while we waited on our table. Courtney makes very good cocktails. Very nice atmosphere and friendly staff. The food...wow!

    Vito salad for 2

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    2 years ago

    Great food. Great service. Great wine couldn't be better. I have a restaurant in Chicago I was very very impressed

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    3 years ago

    They have a lot of rules! No kids under 12...forget this place. Not a family friendly place.

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    Apizza Di Napoli - Pizza Done Right!!

    Apizza Di Napoli

    3.7(420 reviews)
    3.3 mi
    $$

    Listen up, everyone! As a 100% Italian, I'm one of the few people here qualified to give this place…read morea proper review . People complain about it being too soggy, undercooked, or lacking toppings--absolute nonsense. This is a perfectly authentic Italian pizza. If you know good food, you know this is the kind of quality you usually only find in top-tier restaurants in major cities like LA or NY, or back in Italy itself. It is absolutely worth every penny. Sure, you can go to a chain and pay half the price, but you're just paying for unrisen dough, low-quality ingredients, and zero wood-fired aroma. To top it all off, our waitress was great and the pizzas came out incredibly fast, even with the place being packed. This is the real deal. And no, they didn't pay me for this review LOL

    Jersey Italian by background. Family is from the Napolitano area (San Fele, small county town)…read more Food: I had the antipasto, which was tasty. Husband had a pizza which he said was good just slightly soggy. Overall, pretty decent. Ambiance: Low key. A few too many rules and upcharges ($6 for any substitutions etc) on the menu for my taste. However, I respect any small business's decision to run their establishment the way they see best and fit for them. They are, at least, up front about it. Service: Hard to assess because it isn't traditional service style. You are given a table then handed plates and silverware. You go up front to order etc. Suggestions: I know I read somewhere that they haven't found a gluten free dough that's up to their standards ... but if they do I'd love to give it a go. Please let us know!

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    Apizza Di Napoli - This place had the rudest behind the counter service I've had since I came to Carolina .

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    This place had the rudest behind the counter service I've had since I came to Carolina .

    Macaluso’s Restaurant - italian - Updated May 2026

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