When dining out, it’s crucial to have good Italian options to choose from. The South offers many cuisines, including restaurants scattered throughout that give you the feel of Italy without traveling so far. From the Carolinas to the Deep South, these eight restaurants offer quality, authentic Italian dining south of the Mason-Dixon.
Füm
Inspired by Italian piazzas and marketplaces, Füm is a lively, open-concept restaurant where each pasta is shaped by hand and meat is aged in its own dry chamber. The food is plated artfully and intentionally, implementing traditional Italian flavors mixed with the chef’s creativity and seasonal ingredients. With delicious food, an open kitchen, a welcoming dining room, and vinyl spinning, Füm is not only good for a meal, but an experience.
Osteria Georgi
Driven by hospitality and dishes made with fresh Italian ingredients, Osteria Georgi in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is an absolute can’t-miss. Pair their handmade pastas, seafood specials, braised meats, and seasoned vegetables from surrounding farms with any wine you can name, or enjoy creative, Italian-inspired cocktails. Make sure to save room for a classic Italian dessert, as there is no shortage.
Costa
Costa in Charleston, South Carolina, is an ode to coastal Italy, embracing traditional Italian cuisine while bringing in new flavors and staying true to Mediterranean tastes. Enjoy fresh cocktails, aperitivi, and wines from around the world while taking in the elegant, welcoming dining room environment.
Ravello Ristorante
The ultimate fusion of Southern dining and Italian recipes, Ravello Ristorante in Montgomery, Alabama, provides a new flavor experience around every corner. Ravello takes inspiration from the flavors of the Amalfi Coast, creating everything from seafood to steak, ravioli to farfalle, with reds, whites, and rosés galore to pair with. Take advantage of the wide selection of appetizers and sides, and don’t leave without satisfying that sweet tooth with a traditional Italian delicacy.
Frankie’s Nashville
Originating in Brooklyn, New York, this Italian restaurant branched out to the South, offering guests the restaurant itself, a craft slice shop, a specialty market, and a world-class catering and events program. The food blends Italian and American flavors, with the menu changing regularly. The simple, seasonal menu offers classic Italian-American dishes, including antipasti, salads, soups, pastas, and meats— and be sure to pair your meal with a refreshing spritz or a house-made cocktail.
Luminosa
At the bottom of the Flat Iron Hotel in Asheville is Luminosa, an Italian restaurant run by chef Graham House, that aims to combine modern Appalachian flavors with traditional Italian. All pastas, proteins, pizzas, and vegetables are made in the wood-fired oven, adding a unique and homey taste to the already comforting food. From lemon pizza to blackberry ravioli, House’s creativity shines through. Each dish is intentionally made with balanced ingredients that reflect each season.
Cane Pazzo
Hanahan, South Carolina
Just outside of Charleston, Cane Pazzo offers an authentic Southern Italian menu in an up-and-coming area. Chef Mark Bolchoz blends low-country ingredients with traditional dishes from all over Italy and stays true to his hometown’s brewing roots through the extensive local drink menu. Take a seat in the cozy dining room with a locally crafted drink and watch the team prepare house-made sourdough, their signature pork meatballs, and more in their wood-fired oven.
Saint Leo
Get drawn in by the smell of delicious ingredients and stay for the relaxed, modern environment that shows the culmination of Mississippi and Italian tradition. Oxford is a town that values its local farmers, and it’s apparent in the freshness of each dish. Whether it’s the handmade pastas, wood-fired pizzas, or fish of the day, Saint Leo is the place to go for bona fide Southern Italian.
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Mandy Milder
Mandy Milder is an upcoming senior at the College of Charleston majoring in English concentrating in Writing, Rhetoric, and Publication, with minors in Literature and History. She spends most of her time reading, listening to music, traveling, baking, and going to the beach.
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