Rocco Smith
Established in 1670, Charleston, South Carolina, is one of the nation’s oldest port towns and a crucial destination to explore U.S. history.
The historic French Quarter preserves Charleston’s 18th-century appearance with vibrantly colored antebellum houses lining cobblestone streets. You can even wander through the streets of Rainbow Row on a horse-drawn carriage to fully transport back in time.
Whether you’re a history buff or a nature lover, you will enjoy touring the many plantations that surround Charleston, as well as strolling along the beautiful Battery Promenade in Waterfront Park, with stunning views of the Charleston Harbor and Fort Sumter across the water.
Charleston’s charm isn’t just limited to history but also manifests in the classic Southern charm and hospitality you’d expect in the deep south. Unlike its beautifully preserved architecture, Charleston’s restaurant scene is not stuck in the past. You can find every cuisine and dining experience imaginable in Charleston.
Instead of searching for Southern cuisine, I thought I’d sample Charleston’s pizza offerings. I found pizza in Charleston as delicious and varied as any modern city and have compiled a list of my favorite pizza restaurants for you to explore in the following section.
Best Pizza Charleston
- D’Allesandro’s Pizza
- Crust Wood Fired Pizza
- Paisano’s Pizza Grill
- La Pizzeria
- Slice Co.
- Indaco
- Famulari’s Pizzeria
- Pizzeria Di Giovanni
- Renzo
- Toni’s Pizza
- The Obstinate Daughter
D’Allesandro’s Pizza
229 St Philip St, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: 843-853-6337
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Located in Harleston Village, D’Allesandro’s Pizza is a family-friendly pizzeria and beer pub serving gourmet pizzas at an accessible price.
Owners and brothers Nick and Ben D’Allesandro hail from Pennsylvania and use their northeastern and Italian roots to bring Charlestonians a unique taste of family tradition in a friendly, casual atmosphere characteristic of the South.
The dough is fresh, scratch-made, and tossed by hand to order at D’Allesandro’s, and their extensive menu features plenty of specialty pies, salads, calzones, and freshly baked bread. They also have vegan and vegetarian options.
You’ll love the Red-Headed Salami pie with sun-dried tomatoes, mozzarella, genoa salami, and ricotta. You should also try the Beetnick with an olive oil and garlic base, mozzarella, goat cheese, bacon, golden beets, and rosemary for more sophisticated palates.
Crust Wood Fired Pizza
1956 Maybank Hwy #B, Charleston, SC 29412
Phone: 843-762-5500
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Crust Wood Fired Pizza is a trendy authentic Italian kitchen and Neapolitan pizzeria located in the James Island and Summerville neighborhoods. You’ll love the interior dining room that feels like you’re walking into the cabin of an old ship, with all wood walls, booths, and bar illuminated by antique chipped-paint rot-iron light fixtures.
All cooking revolves around their wood-fired hearth, and the menu has a wide variety of antipasti, house-made pasta, sandwiches, and of course, their famous wood-fired pizza. Crust’s pizzas execute Neapolitan pizza’s perfectly bubbly and charred crust.
Try the Crustacean pizza with spicy shrimp, prosciutto, arugula pesto, feta, mozzarella, arugula, and Calabrian chili oil.
Paisano’s Pizza Grill
Multiple locations
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While Paisano may mean “countryman,” the owners at Paisano’s Pizza Grill use it more as a friendly, fellow-man term with the motto of this welcoming pizzeria being “Made by friends, for friends.”
Paisano’s Pizza Grill is a beautiful hangout spot for friends and family to enjoy a creative pizza while playing board games and arcade games. With three locations James Island, Mt. Pleasant, and West Ashley, Paisano’s friendly and fun atmosphere has won over Charlestonians young and old.
Along with delicious pizza, Paisano’s has some delicious chicken wings, sliders, sandwiches, and salads. There are also daily specials that include half-priced specialty pies and discounts on wings.
You should try their Wiggly Piggly Pizza with a hot honey mustard base topped with pulled pork, red onions, pickle chips, cheddar cheese, and a barbeque sauce drizzle.
Slice Co
1662 Savannah Hwy #202, Charleston, SC 29407
Phone: 843-343-5827
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Located in the West Ashley neighborhood, Slice CO is a family-owned and operated New York-style pizzeria, selling pizzas by the slice or whole from a small locale. Slice Co is primarily a pick-up and delivery business, but their slices are fresh, and their whole pies are made to order using high-quality ingredients.
At New York-style pizzerias, you can usually get two kinds of pies: a round, crispy thing crust pie and a thick, dense, square Sicilian pie. Both pies are available whole and by the slice at Slice Co, and they’re both delicious.
Pizzas are fully customizable with options for a red or white base, crust type, and choice of toppings. You must try the square Sicilian pizza with house-made fresh mozzarella, San Marzano tomato, anchovy garlic, olive oil, fresh basil, oregano, and parsley.
Indaco
526 King St, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: 843-727-1228
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Indaco is an elegant and refined Italian eatery and wine bar serving rustic-Italian food made from scratch in a charming rustic-chic dining space a few blocks from Marion Square. Indaco’s open kitchen and large butcher block tables create an intimate atmosphere to enjoy a family-style Italian meal.
The wine list at Indaco has an impressive selection of Italian wines, while the cocktail bar has negronis on tap and makes their own Italian sodas for the kids.
Chefs make fresh pasta daily along with scratch-made salami and cured sausage. Their wood-fired pizzas can be main courses or appetizers if you want to sample one of their outstanding pasta dishes.
Famulari’s Pizzeria
Multiple locations
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Famulari’s Pizzeria is the undisputed Charleston favorite for pizza lovers, specializing in both New York and Chicago-style pizza with seven locations in and around Charleston.
Named for the owners and brothers Jason and Justin Famulari, Famulari’s Pizzeria opened in 2008 and has been an annual winner for Charleston’s Best Pizza award ever since.
The brothers have perfected both styles of pizza and offer an extensive menu of other comfort food favorites like wings, burgers, sandwiches, calzones, and Stromboli.
You don’t want to miss out on the super-decadent deep-dish Chicago-style pizza, namely the Chi-Town Classic, with mozzarella, double pepperoni, double sausage, and a chunky flavorful red sauce that goes on last.
Pizzeria Di Giovanni
40 N Market St, Charleston, SC 29401
Phone: 843-727-6767
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Located just north of the French Quarter, Pizzeria Di Giovanni is an authentic Italian pizzeria owned and run by proud Italian Chef Giovanni. Chef Giovanni uses an old family recipe passed down from generations to craft authentic and gourmet thin-crust Neapolitan pizzas for dine-in or take-out.
Pizzas at Giovanni’s are 100% customizable and sold whole or by the slice, along with stromboli, calzones, and a modest selection of fresh salads, so you can get everything to your prefernce.
Giovanni’s shapes the dough into hearts for special occasions, which I thought was a sweet and skillful touch.
Renzo
384 Huger St #4126, Charleston, SC 29403
Phone: 843-259-2760
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Renzo is a refined Italian eatery and natural in a beautifully preserved yet renovated old historical Charleston storefront that architect and owner Eric Hutson designed himself.
Hutson’s wife Nayda is the unofficial sommelier, choosing a rotating selection of natural wines for customers to enjoy with their delectable meals from executive chef Colin Marcelli.
The dishes at Renzo are stunning in presentation and taste as good as they look. Chef Marcelli creates a fusion of flavors in his pre-pizza small plates like shrimp etouffee gnocchi that you need to try.
The specialty pies had my favorite combination of flavors: the Wrath of Kahan with piquillo pepper sauce, mozzarella, chorizo, shallots, and Medjool dates.
Toni’s Pizza
1795 N Hwy 17 #1, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
Phone: 843-416-8232
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Toni’s Pizza is a Detroit-style pizzeria owned and operated by three Detroit natives, Toni and Pete Sahutske and their uncle, Steve Hopkins who have been in the pizza business for over 40 years in Detroit’s most famous pizzerias.
Located in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood, Toni’s Pizza is the most authentic Detroit-style pizza you can find outside of Detroit.
If you’ve never had Detroit-style pizza, it’s a square-shaped deep-dish pan pizza with extra crispy edges served in steel pans with the toppings and cheese spanning the entire surface, including the crust. I recommend you try the meatball pizza, using Toni’s spectacular homemade meatball over mozzarella and red sauce.
The Obstinate Daughter
2063 Middle St, Sullivan’s Island, SC 29482
Phone: 843-416-5020
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Located inside a pastel-colored antebellum plantation house on the historic St. Sullivan’s Island, The Obstinate Daughter is a fine dining Southern fusion restaurant, combining local Carolina ingredients with Spanish, French, and Italian cooking traditions.
They source all ingredients and craft beverages from local farms and vendors to create a varied menu of small plates, pasta, pizza, and desserts.
The wood-fired pizza at The Obstinate Daughter has the classic Neapolitan crust but deviates from strict Neapolitan tradition by offering innovative topping combinations.
Try the Funky Baller with meatball, kimchi, scallion, mozzarella, and parmesan. Or, if you’re looking for something a little more unique, try the Old Danger with pancetta, a fried egg, scallion, black pepper, white sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan.
Final Thoughts
Charleston’s historic and charming appeal bleeds into its fantastic and diverse pizza restaurant selection, with everything from fine-dining Italian eateries in historic plantation homes to family-friendly beloved neighborhood pizza joints.
You’ll get the best pizza in Charleston from the above pizzerias at whichever restaurant you choose. If you’re looking to take a South Carolina culinary tour, accompany me to Myrtle Beach for an exploration of my favorite brunch spots.
Did we leave a spot out of this list? Mention it below in the comments, and we’ll check it out!
