Zio Casual Italian — Restaurant in Charlotte

9/10 – Casual Spot, Excellent Food, and Great Service! We visited Zio Casual Italian for the first time the other evening and had a wonderful experience overall. Despite not having reservations and being a party of five, we were seated right away even though the restaurant was fairly busy. The entrance sits a half-level down from the parking area with stairs leading to a cozy, warmly lit dining space. The atmosphere was casual, comfortable, and inviting.

Our server was friendly, attentive, and welcoming throughout. We started with the Naples pizza as an appetizer, which was delicious—crispy and thin with just a touch more oil than I personally prefer, but still packed with flavor. Delicious and highly recommend.

I had done a little pre-visit menu stalking and was excited to try the Arrabbiata, only to find it missing from the printed menu. Fortunately, our server confirmed it was still available—crisis averted! I also ordered a Caesar salad, which was described as made with house dressing. As someone who used to make Caesars tableside at a family-owned Italian restaurant back in the day, I have to say: this one was really good. Crisp, fresh, and the dressing was on point.

When the Arrabbiata arrived, it did not disappoint. Bold, spicy, and full of flavor—it’s not for the faint of heart. My wife, who doesn’t do spicy food, tapped out after one bite. If you’re heat-averse, opt for the Shrimp Florentine instead, which is what she ordered. I tried it too—and wow. Delicious, well-balanced, and absolutely something I’d order next time.

The only real downside was with my daughter’s angel hair and meatballs. While the flavor was fine and the pasta tasted homemade, it came out cut into short lengths—just a couple inches long. Not sure why that was done, but it took away from the experience a bit. Definitely more of a presentation/expectation issue than a taste one.

Despite that small quirk, we’ll definitely be back. Zio delivered great food, a warm atmosphere, and fantastic...

Roketa with Offline - This felt like such a cute and quaint neighborhood gem. It was bustling with people that felt like family with the way everyone smiled and said hello when we entered the building - guests and employees alike. It completely set the tone for the meal, with the food being a wonderful burst of flavor.

The bread they bring out to start the meal off with was soft and warm - served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. We kept it simple with Toasted Ravioli, a Harvest Salad, and the Angel Hair and Meatballs - all of which I’d recommend.

The salad was nice and light and the lemon vinaigrette made me want to come home and experiment on my own to enjoy all the time. The creaminess and twang of the goat cheese was a nice contrast to the sweet crunch of the sugar roasted pecans.

I’ll be honest, I didn’t have the Angel Hair and Meatballs, it was my partners selection. He said the meatballs were seasoned to perfection and the entire dish was very flavorful and delicious.

We got the Toasted Ravioli as an appetizer, with about 3 leftover in order to still have an appetite for our entrees. Let’s just say, I gobbled the remaining ones up for dessert as I couldn’t bare to waste them and didn’t want to take the chance they wouldn’t be as good if I took them to go.

We went on a Wednesday, so we were able to enjoy the bonus of jazz that starts at 7 pm - it’s indoors, near the bar, but you can hear it thorough out the restaurant.

Full disclosure, we went/discovered them on an Offline deal (which we each had giving us $10 off a piece), but I’ll definitely be making return visits, as a regular customer, for the pizza, lasagna,...

It may look like your average neighborhood italian / pizza joint, but Zio Casual Italian is anything but!

My wife and I found this place on the internet, made a reservation, and wandered in on a Friday night, and was immediately greeted by the friendly host.  We were seated at a table across the bar, and just after approached by bartender, and realizing she would be serving us, we decided to sit at the bar. We were Immediately attended to, and as our drinks were being prepared, the bartender recommended various of her favorite dishes.  We began with salads.  I had a Cesar's salad, that was straight forward, but very tasty.  My wife had a the Harvest salad that she really enjoyed, and this is coming from a person who makes a variety of salad herself, so a compliment from her says it all.  While we had our salad, the owner, Jim, just happened to be at the bar, and in our conversation, I mentioned I was craving something not on the menu.  He quickly said he could put it together.  So, Pesto and pasta it was, and it was very enjoyable.  Along with this, we had a plain cheese pizza, that made me home sick for my "go to" Italian restaurant in Los Angeles.  All in all, from beginning to end,  the incredible staff, from host to bartender, to owner, made our dining experience just as warm as the ambience of the restaurant.  If this was a clever solutions for providing hospitality under the unfortunate circumstances during this pandemic crisis, IT WORKED.  But, I say, it was too genuine, and could only be nothing...