Italian sisters in the Lowcountry

GETAWAYS • Charleston Report

Charleston, SC, is not where I expected to eat my best slice of pizza in 2023, but there I was last week, standing at a high-top at the back of Sorelle Mercato on Broad Street, doing exactly that. 

We had ordered a slice of the pomodoro pie, served Sicilian-style in the fashion of the house, when the server suggested a Calabrian slice. Made with fresh mozzarella and covered in small, crispy pepperoni, the slice also features honey — not a lot of honey, not hot honey, just a tiny touch that brought the whole thing over the top.

After an experience like that, what’s one to do but book for dinner? Sorelle, up a lavish staircase from its sister, the all-day Mercato, opened last February, boasting a big name executive chef in Michael Mina. But it’s the two chefs in the kitchen, Adam Sobel and Nick Dugan, turning out dishes like monkfish marsala (creamy!) and bistecca wagyu (dreamy!), that are making it happen. As good as both of those were, it was the starters that moved our table the most, including black truffle arancini and a caviar zeppole that would be right at home at Torrisi.

Following New Year’s Eve, Sorelle closed for two weeks to refine the acoustics in the plush upstairs dining room (which sounded no louder than your average New York City restaurant the night we dined), as well as to make some equipment upgrades. When it returns, so will we. –Lockhart Steele

→ Sorelle (King St. Historic District), 88 Broad St., Reserve. 
→ Sorelle Mercato (King St. Historic District), 88 Broad St., no reservations.