Sambino's — Restaurant in South Carolina

A cute little shop with a strip mall storefront. This place had so much potential but missed the mark on almost everything. It was 2:15 on a Monday afternoon; we were on our way back from a day trip meeting. We checked Google maps for restaurants on our way and this one. I was driving and my wife can't read while riding, so we had to skip checking reviews. We were the only customers that were dining in, there were a few customers picking up to-go orders. The server was not rude, but she definitely wasn't friendly; she did her job and that was it No other customers were there, yet they had the old cliché "Italian music" blaring from speakers directly over the tables. We did ask to turn them down, we assumed she was going because she walked away without saying anything, yet the volume never decreased. I would have been much happier if she would have just said "No". We ordered calzones, and since it was a late lunch my wife needed something quick so she ordered a starter shrimp scampi. To me the shrimp was the best I had ever eaten but there was a little too much red pepper in it for my wife. The calzones arrived and they smelled amazing, the crust was a dark golden color which almost looked overdone, but it was not. I broke of a piece of the crust and it turned out to be some of the best dough ever! And, that was it, ran out of good things to say. Look at the pictures! It is my belief that they had the ovens turned up so high to get pizzas out as quickly as possible; but that doesn't do good things for calzones. I realized why the crust was so dark, they tried leaving it in longer to get the inside cooked! Big fail! The cheese wasn't even melted, the green peppers were not even close to being cooked, the moisture from the peppers mixed with the sauce and created an unappetizing, runny mess. Neither of us could even finish eating them. This one is really hard because all of the ingredients were there to create an awesome experience, the only thing missing was the ability to put them together properly. I apologize in advance for the pictures, do not look at them if you are hungry; but this was...

I will be totally honest. Sambinos pizza is great. My family and I love it. Up until January 2019 we ordered pizza from them atleast once a week. About a month ago I called to place a delivery order- on a Sunday. It rang forever so I checked google and apparently now they’re closed two days a week. Ok. We’ll have pizza another night, I thought. So the following Tuesday I called and whoever the man was that answered the phone was RUDE. I’d never experienced such rudeness so I was baffled. I didn’t order pizza then either because sir rudeness said “we’re not delivering today” what? Why? I’ve been eating this pizza for MONTHS and this has never happened. But okay. So needless to say we haven’t eaten Sambinos in quite a while and they’re missing out on a lot of business now that they’re closed two days a week, rarely answer the phone and they’re rude when they do answer. We’ve been going to Marcos for three weeks now. They’re pizza is great, service is great and they’re not lazy enough to ignore the...

This was our third visit within the month—and for good reason. The food is consistently fresh, authentic, and thoughtfully prepared. It’s clear the owners truly care about creating a great dining experience.

On this visit, we ordered a large pizza, mozzarella sticks, and two pasta dishes. The mozzarella sticks were phenomenal—crispy on the outside, perfectly melty on the inside, and full of flavor. The pizza, as always, was generous and delicious.

The baked penne tasted incredibly fresh with a flavorful sauce and a hearty portion size. While one of us would personally prefer it without ricotta, it was still an excellent dish overall. The Lemon Chicken with white wine cream sauce was the highlight—light, delicate, and perfectly balanced. The sauce wasn’t too heavy, and the chicken had fantastic flavor.

This place has easily become a weekly tradition for our family. It’s not just dinner—it’s a consistently great experience that leaves us with wonderful...