La Fontana Authentic Italian Restaurant
| Address: | 1759 Savannah Hwy, Charleston, SC 29407, USA |
| Phone: | +1 843-556-1111 |
| Site: | lafontanacharleston.com |
| Rating: | 4.1 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
AM
Amanda Snyder
So we have been driving by this place for awhile and since we couldnt get reservations at Wild Olive, we decided to stop in here. Our food was great, a little disappointed by the Zuppa de pesa that came with clams, mussels and shrimp ( it was $25 and was just sad looking) BUT everything else was yummy and looked amazing. Our service was on point too. So we had 2 issues that really made our party of 7 skins crawl. The manager stayed posted up behind us almost the entire time...I mean I could have reached my hands and scratched my head and would have came dangerously close to hitting her. It was so annoying, everyone at our table just kept staring at her while she lingered directly behind my head, she would walk away for a moment and a few seconds later she would return..we couldnt seem to shake her. I finally asked in a very friendly way if I could help her and she didnt respond but never returned. Thank god. The last thing that drove us for a loop, most likely causing all of our party to never return, despite the great food was a lady came in with her pet dog and sat at the bar. Now I know dogs are allowed in restaurants as long as they are service dogs and are clearly displaying paperwork stating they are a dog. This dog had none visable. No big deal at first, until the lady put the dog on the bar and would tear up the free bread they give out and put it on the bar for the dog to eat off the bar. All 7 of us were disgusted. Clearly the dog shouldnt be aloud on the bar or even to eat off the bar service dog or not (which it clearly wasnt). We asked our server what the deal was he said it wasnt a service dog and it was a issue that he didnt want to get into, bc she was a regular. Insane!!! I hope the owner or management realizes how disgusting this is and how many people see this and never return. I hope DHEC walks in one night to dine and catches them restaurant allowing this. Totally disgusting and never returning! Too bad for them because despite the annoyance, the food was rather tasty.
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Amanda J
It has been a few months since my boyfriend and I have been to this place so we decided wed go for a quick dinner. The overall look of the staff was a little different than what we had seen before during our previous dining experiences. Not professional looking. Second we ordered our usual which is to split a salad and pizza and a few glasses of wine. Both of our wines came in glasses that were absolutely filthy! I couldnt believe that a bartender would pour not one but two dirty glasses. presentation of our salad was silly. small split portions on a plate that was large enough to fit the whole pizza. Then to top it all off the pizzas came out looking worse than what comes out of the frozen section of a grocery store and not to mention tasting terrible. We began to eat the pizza to find it additionally topped with a nice brown hair baked halfway in the crust. Lovely. our server was not so attentive. didnt even refill waters once nor ask if we wanted another wine. appalled we paid the bill and dashed. need I say we will not be returning?!?
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xxglowbugxx
So, sad to say it was bad, bad, and more bad when we visited. The food tasted burnt, every course. I am Sicilian. Raised in New York, summers with family in Sicily. I have been culinary school. From the stock of chefs. Even married one. This is not like any Italian food Ive ever had. The sauce tasted like it came from the can. The prosciutto was nothing more than deli ham. The meat was overcooked, rubbery. The ambience left a bit to be desired. It was so dark we could barely see. It also smells like grease in the entire place, restrooms included. We brought to attention to things that werent that great to the waitress, but she didnt seem too concerned. She was actually pretty crass about it. This isnt the worst place Ive ever had a talion, but it certainly isnt the best. Im guessing its some southern take on Italian? No matter what it is, it certainly wasnt that good. Sad, I had hoped we would have an enjoyable evening.
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Valentino Fazi
Im Italian, 100%! An Italian doesnt expect to actually find decent Italian food in Charleston, SC.........but when Im wrong, Im the first to admit it! My wife and I found the LaFontana restaurant quite by accident since we were renting an Airbnb house right off Savannah highway, just down the road from the restaurant so we stopped on our way back to our apartment just for some quick take out. Ladies and gentleman, it was some of the very best Italian food Ive ever eaten in my life.....and trust me, I eat lots of Italian food.......I was so surprised, I had to go back 4 more tines just to see if it was a fluke.........well, NO FLUKE, ........ The meatballs, red sauce, pasta was some of the best Italian food Ive ever eaten......... I will be vacationing back in Charleston just so I can go back the the LaFontana restaurant........ Folks, I promise you it is great, great, great.........give it a try! You wont regret it!
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laura davis
I ordered an Alfredo dish that used sherry in the description, so I was a little concerned. Im a bit of a foodie, and if sherry is not cooked off proper it will ruin the dish. If done right it adds a wonderful, romantic flavor. I decided to give it a go and was pleasantly surprised. Kudos to the chef! The staff was really friendly. They claim authentic Italian and I will have to agree, I have spent a great deal of time in Italy, and its pretty authentic. I am generally weary of trying Gnocchi outside of Italy (Im usually disappointed) but I think next time I will give theirs a try. I would have given them 5 stars, but I hate paying that much for food ( it was about $20.00 for a first course, including chicken) I would say it was worth it though, the portions were good.
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A Private User
First of all, I think itis very unfair to leave a one star review based on an experience in the parking lot, that said...I love La Fontana, I am so happy they are back in West Ashley, The ambiance in this new location is cozy. They even have an outside patio. The service, provided by Giovanni, a native Italian, was impeccable. He was very attentive and personable. Being a Pescatarian he helped me navigate through the menu and even offered to have the chef customize any menu item for me. The food didnt disappoint! My date and I shared the calamari appetizer, which was more than enough for two. The entrees were more than generous in portion size, and very authentic! We even ordered a large pizza "to go" for the next days lunch. We will definitely be back!
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Rebecca Staats
Well for starters, we waited 20 minutes before anyone waited on us. The bread plates were dirty and I had to send them back. If it was not for my son really wanting to eat there, at that point my husband and I would have walked out. The bread was good and my dish was ok. At least the pasta was cook properly. We paid 100.00 for a table of four. To make matters worse about two hours after the meal my husband began having severe diarrhea which turned into the most violet vomiting I have ever seen or heard. ( sorry about the grossness) . As I am writing this, we are in the ER with my 70 year old husband with shellfish poisoning. I hope he is going to be ok. I hope they shut the place down. They will be hearing from me on Monday.
