Sergio’s Cucina Italiana & Pizza — Restaurant in Charleston

Called yesterday to make a reservation for 6 for 6 people and was told that is was a RESERVATION (meaning they hold a table for you and you get seated regardless of who is already there) I had to include a definition because they obviously don’t understand what that means. We waited for 40 minutes as other tables were sat and only came up one time to the stand to see how long we were looking at. My dad, who is a diabetic, who had already taken his pills and his sugar could bottom out at any time and I understand that is not there problem but we thought we had a reservation. A kind waitress did offer to get us bread but that was not helpful in this situation. We told her we appreciated it as we are good people but they obviously thought we were no better than the dirt on the bottom of their shoes.

Two tables became available and we told them that we did not care if we had to be split up between the 2 booths. We were told we were not allowed to have those tables because it was reserved for a group who had requested that waitress’s section. So they actually know how to reserve a table but only do it for regulars who want a specific server.

Towards the end of our 40 minute wait I went up to the host stand to ask for a manager as at this point it was getting ridiculous. The waitress who was standing there became very hostile and asked me why I needed to talk to a manager. Then another shorter woman came up and told me that the manager was Sergio and why I needed to call him and why I needed a manager with a very rude and snotty attitude. I tried to explain that we had a diabetic in the group and that was the whole point of a reservation and I just wanted to let him know what happened and that we were disappointed.

The waitress I was originally talking to told me that reservations are not a promise of a table and that it was Friday night and that they were busy so we would obviously had to wait. So what is a reservation?

I told her I was done talking with her and she could get out of the conversation I was trying to have with the second woman who came out of nowhere to start an argument. The waitress told me that she was about to be our server, like we should respect her after treating us like garbage, but we were done at this point. At this point the second shorter woman came up to me and said I could not talk to her waitress like that and I was told to leave and she put her hand in my face like I was a dog.

Another man came up and apologized for their actions but at this point the damage was done and I am glad we left before we could give them a single dime and any more of our time. The shorter woman who I am assuming is a manager is a poor excuse for one and treats customers like they are the last priority when they should be the first. Obviously they don’t care about anyone but regulars who want a specific server and need to be read the definition of a reservation.

It looked like a great restaurant and I was excited to try it but I can say I will never be back and never spend any money there to people who look like they are going to the gym in leggings and uggs than work in a restaurant. I am severely disappointed and astonished by what I witnessed and I am writing this to warn any one who try’s to make a “reservation” here.

This all could have been avoided if I could’ve just been brought a manager or talked to one instead of being talked down to my two girls who are half my age but apparently think they are higher and mightier than their...

Has a great vibe!

This review is based on the 2nd dinner service open to the public. I will be coming again to try the pizza and will adjust my rating. This is a great addition to Elk City. The location is easy to find and has off street parking.

The menu: The menu has a nice variety of pastas, entrees, and pizzas. There are several unique items that you will not find of any other menu in town including the Pasta Neapolitan which was meat sauce and Alfredo sauce mixed and served over fettuccine with four different meats.

The food: Complementary breadsticks and marinara sauce is brought to the table with the menus. We ordered the fried mozzarella, vodka penne, fettuccini Alfredo, and Pasta Marinara. Each pasta dish was served with a garden or Caesar salad. All the food was prepared fresh to order and arrived quickly. The vodka penne had the best flavor but could have been kicked up with a like red pepper flake. The pasta marinara was good and I would like to try their meatballs next time. The fettuccine Alfredo was pretty plain but that’s what people who order that dish want…no surprises.

The Service: It is too early to rate. They were doing great for the second night.

The atmosphere: Also too early. Right now it’s pretty plain. I would like to see some art, candles on the tables, and plants to soften the edges a bit.

I’ll be back soon. You should try Sergio’s soon.

Carry Out on 6/1/2024: We ordered two pizza via the Toast app inside the google maps listing. Very easy. It said it would be ready at 8:08pm and it was. The restaurant was full and the kitchen was busy.

We ordered the Pizza Margarita and the Italian Sausage Pizza. The toppings were high quality and tasty. This is a soft dough crust so you won’t...

A co-worker and I ate here for lunch. I would be willing to pay just for the smell when you walk in the door. We both got the lunch combo. Co-worker got a salad and chicken parm. I got tomato bisque and chicken fettuccine rosa. The bisque was really good. I'm not really a soup guy but I'd order this every time. I didn't try it but co-worker said the salad was good but "just a salad". I did try the chicken parm and it was great. My fettuccine was also good but the chicken was tough. I'm used to chicken being overcooked when I eat out so I don't discount too much when that happens. It wasn't dry, however, if the chicken had been cut correctly (it was cut with, rather than against the grain), some of that toughness could have been mitigated. We also got the deep fried Brussels sprouts appetizer. They were very good but they tasted mostly of the batter. There's not much brussel sprout flavor. The garlic parmesan dipping sauce they came with was tasty, though. Service was friendly and the food came out quick. We were only offered dinner menus until we asked if there was a lunch special. Only then did we get the lunch menu. Hopefully, that was just an oversight and not by design. The restaurant is clean, surprisingly inviting, and larger than expected. And the smells!

EDIT: I took my wife and she loved it. I had the Italian Sausage Pomodoro and she had the shrimp fettuccine rosa. Both were good. The sausage was a little mild-flavored for me but that's just my preference. We'll...