My husband and I decided to have dinner at Melfi's restaurant and ordered an osso buco for me and a mafalde pasta for my husband. What a deception. Both plates taste awful. It was clearly frozen food, which they warmed in a microwave before they served it. The osso buco was warm outside but cold inside, a clear sign that it was not cooked that day, but it was frozen. My husband experiences the same awful taste with the Mafalde pasta. Conclusion: Do yourself a favor and save the $200+ and look for a better place, at least one that cooks daily the expensive food they offer.
Parking: There is no free parking around.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Osso Bucco with Parmesan Risotto
Ashley Bertling
Came for cocktails and they were unique, well crafted and nicely presented. Came on a Monday to sit at the bar but they had no reservations available. Must be great food if there's no reservations available on a Monday night.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Priscilla “Cilla” Crowell
Wasn't cooked properly tasted like box pasta Service was not bad but will not attend again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
Chantelle
My biggest regret about eating at Melfi’s was that I didn’t come in sooner. My husband and I were blown away by the food. The atmosphere was vibrant and upscale…Perfect for a date night or special occasion. The spicy ceasar was hands down the best ceasar salad we’ve had. The arancini was delicious, dirty martini well balanced, but the pasta was the star of the show. We got the bolognese and bucatini and couldn’t pick a favorite. My husband was ready to come back the next day. Thank you, Melfi’s!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Siggy T
The hostess and the doorman were very nice, the bar tender was also nice and accommodating. The food (the most important part) was delish! I’m from NY, and I have both relatives AND friends that attended the best culinary schools out there (one of which is from Rome). This friend of mine taught me how to make authentic Italian sauce). This was so authentic! I ordered the calamari and the Stretch Pizza—fantastic; hit the spot, and the toppings—-what a nice touch! If you’ve had trouble finding authentic Charleston pizza you’ve come to the right place. Enjoy!
Vegetarian options: NA
Parking: Accommodating
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Stretch Armstrong Pizza
heather polke
Oh my! If you are looking for the coldest Martini’s Melfi’s if your place. From dirty to Espresso you will not be disappointed. The Olives are huge in the Dirty and the chocolate bitters they use along with the shaking machine for the Espresso Martini A-Mazing ! The food along with customer service top notch
Staff was polite and attentive Atmosphere was immaculate Food was amazing tastes like you were transported to Italy 10/10 recommend Best place in Charleston
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jillian Hickey
Fabulous food, excellent service, intimate atmosphere with great energy. Very attentive and helpful staff. This is a must try in Charleston!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sergio Radovcic
It's good. Not quite Italian but mostly palatable. Anywhere else it would fail, in Charleston it serves a purpose. Price wise below Sorrelle with a similar quasi Italian menu.
Fantastic environment Great service Wonderful staff!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sonny Dugal
These people are so absurdly greedy. On the middle of Charleston’s record low temperatures they are hustling you to sit out on their “patio” - which is a desperate little place freezing cold ! They have crammed this squalid section of their overhyped restaurant with a bunch of pathetic little heaters and horse blankets just to seat more people stupid enough ( like me and my wife ) to go there. The temperature was in the 30s last evening Feb 21 2025 at 8 pm, and even though there were several empty tables in the main heated restaurant they forced us to sit out there - shivering our butts off !!! The food was mediocre and the ambience was pathetic and desperately cold. They should NEVER be seating unsuspecting suckers out there !!! The young waiter we had did his best, but all he could do was constantly apologize for his employer’s GREED.
What an AWFUL experience to waste money at this overpriced overhyped dump !!!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 3
Kevin Young
Full send this one. Just stop reading and go.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Brittney Young
I’m highly disappointed with Melfis after naming it my favorite restaurant in Charleston for years. A friend and I went in for dinner last night before work and was told it would be a hour wait for bar seats, cool. So we walk across the street to Leon’s for a drink and appetizer while we wait. We sit at the bar, go to order drinks and to our surprise my friend’s ID had just expired so the bartender told us he couldn’t serve us with that being that case which was perfectly fine because we weren’t really looking for drinks anyways we were just trying to pass time until our reservation opened up at Melfis so proceed to order a appetizer and wait an hour until our spot was available. As soon as we walk back over the Melfis the man rudely says they called from across the street to inform them about the ID situation so not to bother trying to order drinks & that we wouldn’t be allowed to be served food at the bar after waiting a hour for a spot with no knowledge that her ID was expired and we are both of age 24 & 26 years old. So I then ask for a table because we had already waited an hour , plus paid for parking , wasted money on appetizers at Leon’s that we didn’t enjoy just to pass the time & are now late for work and he rudely tells us it will be an extra hour wait for a table smh.
Mandy Henderson
Absolutely perfect date night. Cozy vibe, great drinks, amazing food. The prosciutto and burrata was incredible. We will definitely be back. Loved sitting at the bar and watching the bartenders do their thing.
My husband and I decided to have dinner at Melfi's restaurant and ordered an osso buco for me and a mafalde pasta for my husband. What a deception. Both plates taste awful. It was clearly frozen food, which they warmed in a microwave before they served it. The osso buco was warm outside but cold inside, a clear sign that it was not cooked that day, but it was frozen. My husband experiences the same awful taste with the Mafalde pasta. Conclusion: Do yourself a favor and save the $200+ and look for a better place, at least one that cooks daily the expensive food they offer.
Parking: There is no free parking around.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Osso Bucco with Parmesan Risotto
Came for cocktails and they were unique, well crafted and nicely presented. Came on a Monday to sit at the bar but they had no reservations available. Must be great food if there's no reservations available on a Monday night.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Wasn't cooked properly tasted like box pasta Service was not bad but will not attend again
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
My biggest regret about eating at Melfi’s was that I didn’t come in sooner. My husband and I were blown away by the food. The atmosphere was vibrant and upscale…Perfect for a date night or special occasion. The spicy ceasar was hands down the best ceasar salad we’ve had. The arancini was delicious, dirty martini well balanced, but the pasta was the star of the show. We got the bolognese and bucatini and couldn’t pick a favorite. My husband was ready to come back the next day. Thank you, Melfi’s!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The hostess and the doorman were very nice, the bar tender was also nice and accommodating. The food (the most important part) was delish! I’m from NY, and I have both relatives AND friends that attended the best culinary schools out there (one of which is from Rome). This friend of mine taught me how to make authentic Italian sauce). This was so authentic! I ordered the calamari and the Stretch Pizza—fantastic; hit the spot, and the toppings—-what a nice touch! If you’ve had trouble finding authentic Charleston pizza you’ve come to the right place. Enjoy!
Vegetarian options: NA
Parking: Accommodating
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Stretch Armstrong Pizza
Oh my! If you are looking for the coldest Martini’s Melfi’s if your place. From dirty to Espresso you will not be disappointed. The Olives are huge in the Dirty and the chocolate bitters they use along with the shaking machine for the Espresso Martini A-Mazing ! The food along with customer service top notch
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Crispy Calamari, Stretch Armstrong Pizza, Grilled Peppers, Sort of Spicy Ceaser Salad, Mr Wally Pizza
You guys crush it day after day.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Staff was polite and attentive
Atmosphere was immaculate
Food was amazing tastes like you were transported to Italy
10/10 recommend
Best place in Charleston
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fabulous food, excellent service, intimate atmosphere with great energy. Very attentive and helpful staff. This is a must try in Charleston!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It's good. Not quite Italian but mostly palatable. Anywhere else it would fail, in Charleston it serves a purpose. Price wise below Sorrelle with a similar quasi Italian menu.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Restaurantji Recommends
Fantastic environment
Great service
Wonderful staff!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
These people are so absurdly greedy. On the middle of Charleston’s record low temperatures they are hustling you to sit out on their “patio” - which is a desperate little place freezing cold ! They have crammed this squalid section of their overhyped restaurant with a bunch of pathetic little heaters and horse blankets just to seat more people stupid enough ( like me and my wife ) to go there. The temperature was in the 30s last evening Feb 21 2025 at 8 pm, and even though there were several empty tables in the main heated restaurant they forced us to sit out there - shivering our butts off !!!
The food was mediocre and the ambience was pathetic and desperately cold. They should NEVER be seating unsuspecting suckers out there !!!
The young waiter we had did his best, but all he could do was constantly apologize for his employer’s GREED.
What an AWFUL experience to waste money at this overpriced overhyped dump !!!
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 3
Full send this one. Just stop reading and go.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I’m highly disappointed with Melfis after naming it my favorite restaurant in Charleston for years. A friend and I went in for dinner last night before work and was told it would be a hour wait for bar seats, cool. So we walk across the street to Leon’s for a drink and appetizer while we wait. We sit at the bar, go to order drinks and to our surprise my friend’s ID had just expired so the bartender told us he couldn’t serve us with that being that case which was perfectly fine because we weren’t really looking for drinks anyways we were just trying to pass time until our reservation opened up at Melfis so proceed to order a appetizer and wait an hour until our spot was available. As soon as we walk back over the Melfis the man rudely says they called from across the street to inform them about the ID situation so not to bother trying to order drinks & that we wouldn’t be allowed to be served food at the bar after waiting a hour for a spot with no knowledge that her ID was expired and we are both of age 24 & 26 years old. So I then ask for a table because we had already waited an hour , plus paid for parking , wasted money on appetizers at Leon’s that we didn’t enjoy just to pass the time & are now late for work and he rudely tells us it will be an extra hour wait for a table smh.
Absolutely perfect date night. Cozy vibe, great drinks, amazing food. The prosciutto and burrata was incredible. We will definitely be back. Loved sitting at the bar and watching the bartenders do their thing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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