Abbracci Italian Cuisine & Cocktails — Restaurant in Mount Pleasant

I had the occasion to dine at Abbracci this weekend. Admittedly there was a degree of trepidation due to it being only their second night open to the public but the service and execution of the meal were flawless.

The restaurant itself has a pleasant coastal Italian decor with a modern feel. More at home in downtown Charleston than a shopping plaza in Mount Pleasant. It made for a nice backdrop that we don't often get to enjoy in this part of town. There is a large bar as well that had TVs but I never felt that it intruded on the dining experience in a negative manner. In fact I look forward to coming back for cocktails at the bar.

Our server was attentive and while the restaurant was not full there were a good number of tables and we never felt neglected. The pace of service from the time we sat to the check was typical in a good way. There were none of the long lags or miscues you'd expect from a new restaurant. The owner, Joanne, stopped by our table to chat which was appreciated.

We ordered the following:

Insalate Limone (if you're from a predominately Italian-American area of the country originally you'll recognize this as a tri-colore salad with arugula, radicchio, and endive). The lemon dressing was light and bright.

Burrata w/ pork belly. A little different than most burrata plates but really well done. The pork belly was perfect and I enjoyed the combination of it with the burrata and roasted tomatoes.

Arancini was also done well. I am a sucker for any fried rice ball so I enjoyed these. There are four balls served on top of a romesco sauce.

For dinner we ordered:

Butternut Squash Raviolis. House made raviolis. I was expecting a heavier sauce but to our delight it wasn't. We found the plate to be well balanced and the pine nuts were a nice addition. Definitely recommend this one during the fall/early winter season. It really captures the flavors of the season without weighing the dish down. The raviolis were cooked well.

Spag'Nero (squid ink pasta). Pasta was made in house and it comes with crab meat and mussels (out of the shell). Pasta was al dente and the lemon juice opened the flavors of the dish. Very much like a dish you'd get along the Amalfi Coast. A good amount of crab and mussels as well which is always a big question mark at a lot of places but they did it right here. I was really impressed by this dish from the first bite to the last.

The wines by the glass were also quite good. The lambrusco and Nero d'Avola were priced fair for the quality.

When we spoke with the owner I asked her where she found a chef who could put out such well designed coastal Italian food and come to learn the chef has worked at both FIG and Coda del Pesce and it showed in the conception and execution of the dishes.

If you stayed with me this long into the review you have a pretty good idea that I am going to end this by recommending a visit to Abbracci. In my humble opinion, this is the type of restaurant residents of Mount Pleasant (especially us in Upper/North Mount Pleasant) have been desiring. It is a sophisticated dining experience that I hope you'll get the chance to enjoy....

After receiving a gift card, my wife and I had the pleasure of dining at Abbracci’s last night. We were impressed from start to finish and believe this restaurant is going to be a very welcome addition to the growing Mt Pleasant food scene.

The dining room has an upscale yet comfortable feel. The place was packed but the noise level wasn’t overwhelming and the tables weren’t on top of each other. From my seat I could see high end decor, a hopping bar scene, and an open kitchen where they are making fresh pasta. I don’t know many local restaurants making fresh pasta in house much less doing it in an open kitchen. Seeing that immediately convinced me this place must be legit.

Our server, Hannah, was most welcoming and professional. She gave us time to settle in and consider our options without rushing us. Once we were ready she was right there to answer all questions and take our order. The service we received was smooth and seamless.

We shared the burrata and calamari appetizers. The burrata was incredible. Soft texture and very flavorful. Hannah added a nice touch by slicing it table side. The burrata was paired with tender pork belly and grilled bread. The calamari was crispy but not over done and paired with a delicious tangy sauce. Both appetizers were really nice sized portions and served very hot.

For the entree course, we chose the Veal Picatta and Gnocchi. The Veal was tender and, like the previous dishes, served piping hot. The picatta sauce was freshly made and the capers were nice and acidic. Great contrast to the veal. Hannah recommended the gnocchi and it was excellent advice. The gnocchi were paired with a fantastic brown butter sauce and the dish packed incredible flavor.

We didn’t have room for dessert but the options looked excellent. At the end of our meal we had the opportunity to meet and chat with the management team Dominick and Jina. They are very welcoming and sincere people. You can definitely tell they care about this project.

All in all we had an incredible experience and we certainly recommend supporting Abbracci’s. We’ll...

We recently celebrated my birthday at Abbracci Italian Cuisine & Cocktails after quite a bit of searching for the right place. The ambiance was nice, and we were seated in a separate room with a large table, which felt private at first—even giving the impression we had our own restroom. However, we later realized it was shared with the rest of the restaurant, so we had occasional foot traffic from other guests.

There was a slight delay in getting seated due to the party before us, which wasn’t a big deal. Our waitress introduced herself, and we started browsing the menu. It was a Friday evening—the start of the weekend—but unfortunately, we were told that seafood dishes weren’t available, which cut out nearly half of the menu options.

Service was slow. It took a long time for food to arrive, and even more time between courses. Some guests didn’t order appetizers, so the wait felt even longer for them. One dish arrived with a hair in it, which the kitchen re-cooked, but it still left a bad impression.

Service overall felt below expectations for a restaurant in this price range. Our drinks were often empty and we had to ask for refills or wine to be poured—no one was checking in. When our meals finally came out, servers didn’t know who ordered what, so we had to go back to the menu to sort things out ourselves.

We were a group of 10, and the final bill came out to over $900—even though only 3 of us were drinking alcohol. While the food itself was enjoyable and well-prepared, the experience didn’t quite justify the cost.

I’d say the food is solid, but the service needs to match the pricing. I’d be open to giving it another try and will update this review if my next...