DeSano Pizza

DeSano is totally solid, delicious pizza. Their specialty pies are so good — I like the Diavolo and anything with peppadews — but they’ll make you a tasty pie with anything you want on it too.
The dough is really nice, it’s flavorful and doughy with a nice char and not too thick. Good pizza sauce too. All the ingredients are really fresh. I’ve never had bad food there.
I was a little put off the first time I went there — we ordered 3 large (speciality) pies and one Mexican coke, and the bill was $ 77. Yes. SEVENTY SEVEN DOLLARS for 3 pizzas. We must’ve gotten crazy with the toppings or something… it was on the company card so we didn’t complain. And, it hasn’t been that bad again. Although I am hyper aware of what I order now.
The space is a little unexpected, but not bad. It’s super casual, so for me, it is more of a weekday than weekend-​night sort of place. I love the BYOW (can’t bring beer) with no corkage fee. I think it’s a great place to bring kids. Oh! Speaking of, I did go there with a small child once, and they brought him a little chunk of dough to play with which he absolutely LOVED.
Errr, I have heard of them running out of dough, so be warned. You may want to call ahead lest you find yourself in a Pizzamergency. Perhaps too many kids are using it as their playthings?

Great spot for quick, cheap, delicious pizza.
We came here for dinner with a couple of locals who had recommended it to us. We wanted a quick and cheap dinner before we went out for the night and this place fit the bill perfectly.
Me and my two friends split the large Diavola pizza and it was just the right amount of food for each of us. This pizza had San Marzano tomato sauce, soppressata, pepperoni, calabrian peppers, scamorza, mozzarella di bufala, and pecorino Romano cheese. I added some
Red pepper flakes and went to town. The other people we were with ordered the Lasagna pizza (pretty much all of the ingredients in lasagna without pasta on a pizza) and we tried that too and it was awesome.
The atmosphere is very casual and fun. You can BYOB/​Wine to drink while you eat, which would’ve been fun to do. The tables are in a warehouse-​type room where you can watch the guys making the pizza in wood-​fire ovens.
Good stuff

I love DeSano. Love.
I discovered DeSano on my first visit to Los Angeles, and I always try to go whenever I visit. When I learned there was one in Charleston, I couldn’t wait to drop in.
My fiancée and I were staying near King & Woolfe, so we followed Google Maps’ walking directions, which led us past the boarded-​up buildings on Meeting Street before taking us through the extremely rough Nassau St. Given its location, you should NOT walk there, especially not at night.
DeSano has a large parking lot, so take your car or an Über or something.
Anyway, when you arrive, you step to the counter, place your order and then walk around to the dining room to await your pizza. This stuff is legit. Chewy crust, great toppings, enough cheese to qualify as pizza, but not so much you’ll entirely destroy your arteries. I can kill a large pizza by myself since the slices are so light-​tasting.
You’ll sit at longer, cafeteria-​style benches. Step up near the ovens if you want garlic or olive oil or water. (There’s also a drinking fountain if you need it.)
I have previously had the DeSano (tomato sauce, sausage, pepperoni, garlic, cheese) and LOVED it. I blanked on my usual order, so this time I went with the Diavola (tomato sauce, soppressata, pepperoni, calabrian peppers, cheese). Especially with the peppers, this thing was a fireball. I really enjoy spicy food, but this was pretty intense.
I should also mention the gentleman who brought us our food and bussed our trays was SUPER friendly. He asked where we were from and if we were enjoying our food. He had an awesome attitude and made us feel right at home.
DeSano is the real deal and some of the best pizza in the United States. If you can brave the rough neighborhood, you will find a pot of gold.

LOVE the authentic italian pizza! just recently visited Italy and was happy to find such a close replica HERE in Charleston:) nice open kitchen theme too

I ordered pizza over the phone and was told 10 – 15 minutes. It actually took 45! Really unhappy about that. The pizza had hardly any cheese on it too, crust was awesome though.

My BF and I were craving some pizza so we turned to Unilocal for the highest rated pizza joint — DeSano with their 900 degree wood burning ovens, in Charleston, caught our attention.
We were hoping to get a slice each but DeSano only sells whole pies — comes in 2 sizes. So we ordered the smaller Margherita to share. We weren’t all that hungry but because the pizza was so good, we ended up finishing the whole thing! We even shared a cannoli!
What I loved the most about this specific DeSano was the warm service! Big thank you to Montez, the Assistant Manger, for the warm welcome, tips on how to make the perfect dipping sauce for the pizza crust and the wonderful first impression of DeSano!
They have a large parking lot.

This place is huge!
The young lady that greeted us was very nice and friendly. Since this was our first time she described everything to us. We did have the deer in the headlight look as we stared at the menu. Luckily there wasn’t a line.
We ordered the Napoli Diavola which is spicy but not uncomfortable to eat especially for me. I thought we ordered the Caprese salad since I remember the young lady stating that since w are sharing the pizza she would have the salad served in two bowls for us to share. Great. We pay and sit down. Lots of room.
They make he pizzas in these 3 ovens in the back along with fresh dough.
We get our pizza pretty quickly since there was no line but no salad. We eat the pizza and wait then I wanted to mention it to the lady in front but realized we weren’t charged for it. We were full in the pizza so I’m glad we didn’t get additional food. Just want to mention the pizza is RUNNY. It’s still delicious but it will be soggy from the first bite to the last.
Weird fact. I only drink water when I eat. I love ice. They only had tap water with no ice?! So luckily I carry a Yeti cup that had water and ice in it. It was difficult to know if we clean up after ourselves or if we leave the mess at the table. Once we got to the back it seemed like we were on our own.
This isn’t a bad place I just prefer to go somewhere else. Did I mention the have good beer though!!?

This review is based on CANNOLIS only.
After eating diner at Taco Boy right around the corner, I wanted something for dessert. DeSano’s was right there with cannoli options, so we stopped in.
There were ⁵⁄₆ different types of cannolis to choose from and they were NOT premade, which is key to a delicious cannoli. We sat in the dining area while we wanted on the cannolis to be made and decided to definitely go back one day to have the pizzas from the stone ovens. Despite having just eaten dinner, I totally could have scarfed down a slice of pizza because it smelled so delicious.
The only downside I saw to going back for pizza is that they do not allow substitutions and I’m kinda picky about my toppings.

Upon arrival into Charleston, we were completely knackered from the long flight. It was pretty much all we could handle to get our luggage, pick-​up our rental car and get to the flat we rented on Airbnb. Once we did that, we pretty much crashed out. We were starving, so we googled options for delivery. We found that quick
offered just what we needed… a highly rated pizza, delivered to our door. We were a bit out of sorts, as we didn’t have a phone number to provide, so I just gave them my mom’s number. She’d be able to help from Missouri, I’m sure. :)
About the time we expected it to arrive, I went downstairs, since there wasn’t a way to call up to the flat we were in on the intercom. I met a nice woman who lived in the building, and we were chatting when the guy delivering our delicious cheesy pizza arrived. She’d heard DeSano was good, but had never been or ordered. The pizza was really good, and I’d definitely order again if we lived a bit closer.

I was surprised when I walked into the place. I didn’t expect it to look the way it did. But it was a pretty neat atmosphere. I am from New York so I know what great Pizza taste like. DeSano’s pizza wasn’t anything like NY but it was good pizza for Charleston. It was fairly priced as well. And the best part about it, they have Ice Cream!

Great, casual place with an amazing calzone. I honestly felt I’d walked into someone’s home as their guest, they were so kind. Big props to Tyeshia and John S. for their hospitality.

I’m an outlier with the general population, in that I don’t care for pizza all that much. But, man, this pizza is GOOD. Even my snobby NY BF approved of this pizza.
There’s a certain charm and industrial feel to this place. Walk right in, order at the front. Take a seat in the back and watch your pizza being made/​baked in the brick ovens. You can also see the dough room and stacks of San Marzano tomato cans among other pizza ingredients.
We were first (and only) in the restaurant and being new, had the menu explained to us. We ultimately decided on the 11′ Capricciosa. Perfect for 2!
The first bite is a joy. Delicious layers of cheese on a great tomato sauce. Ah and they have the little sauce dipping bar, where I eagerly whipped up some concoctions to dip my crust in. Can’t go wrong with an olive oil/​garlic pairing in case you’re feeling a bit lost.
The worst part about this place is that it’s in Charleston and I live in NC!

In the strangest place off the beaten highway. The interior needs help, but still really funky. The Pizza, to die for. Had the Margareta, wow, thin crust, fresh ingredients, tasty. Size is also better than most places around. No windows, low lights. Kids get real Dough to play with while waiting for order. Great idea. Oh, you order, pay, they make it, bring it to you, you eat. Nothing fancy. You take care of our place. Everything is plastic, pizza served on a large tray. When you bite into the first slice, you forget about where you are. Go for it.
Frank G

Easy one of the best pizza places in charleston due to the great pizza and atmosphere. They have unique pizza varieties as well as the trusted traditional ones, with beer and wine to accompany.
The service was excellent and the staff checked in on us regularly. The cashier was very helpful in picking out a pizza and offered samples of the toppings to help us decide.
The back room is neat because you can sit and watch your pizza being crafted. There’s also a diy dipping sauce stand with cheese, olive oil, vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and spices that add a nice end to a delicious piece of pizza.

Stopped here for what is so far the best pizza in SC!
Fresh, perfectly balanced, and great price…
No fountain drinks, but that’s ok.
Very chill, great place for big groups too!

I haven’t had all the pizza Charleston has to offer (yet), but I think DeSano might be the best. The service was very friendly and they checked multiple times to make sure we were enjoying the meal. One cool thing they offer is a place to make a dipping sauce. One of the guys working there gave us some ideas and it made the pizza (already very delicious) even better.
As far as the environment goes, it was not very crowded at all and the BYOB aspect makes it a very customizable and pleasant experience. I left DeSano with my love for pizza even stronger than before and I expect to be back very soon.

Having just been there for the first time yesterday, I was really impressed with my experience all around. Located near the Crosstown in an area transitioning to something better, DeSano Pizza Bakery has been open since about February ’14. Unlike many other restaurants downtown, they have an extensive gravel parking lot which is awesome for people like me getting there by car.
Upon walking in, I was immediately greeted by the cashier who then proceeded to make menu suggestions based on what I told him I was interested in. I ended up ordering the San Gennaro. While waiting for my pizza, I walked around the dining room to take in the interesting setup they had there. For instance, there are three wood fired oven furnaces each with their own Italian name. There was a room where a woman was kneading dough behind a glass wall. The cooks were preparing my pizza on a counter just beyond where my table was (the seating area is actually in a giant open space that is shared with the kitchen and prep spaces). One of the cooks actually came over and offered me a tour of the kitchen including an up close look at the ovens (even offering to take a picture of me putting a pizza tray into the oven which I took him up on).
It turns out that all of their ingredients are shipped over from Italy save for some special peppers imported from South Africa called peppadews. DeSano’s is actually a member of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (an association pledging to uphold pizza making traditions from Naples Italy). They also have locations at Charleston International Airport, in Nashville, and in Los Angeles (go figure).
My pizza (the San Gennaro) was delicious and unique. It consisted of San Marzano tomato sauce, sausage, peppadews (South African sweet peppers), garlic, caramelized onions, scamorza, mozzarella di bufala, and pecorino romano. While I don’t know what all those ingredients really mean, I really liked them all on my pizza. My dad (with whom I later shared some of it) likewise felt the pizza was really good.
The only drawback for me is that the dining room didn’t really have any windows (save for one small window in the corner) causing the large open kitchen /​dining room to feel cavernous and fairly dismal. It would be great if they had a few skylights (and/​or windows along the wall) to make the space brighter and more inviting.
Overall I definitely recommend that you check them out. I feel like they’re doing everything they can to provide the most authentic Neopolitan pizza around.

I am enjoying a wonderful dine in experience and just finished my meal and I have to say. I LOVE THIS PLACE. The staff is wonderful, and the pizza is awesome. Love love love.
We had the DeSano this time– I highly recommend. Sausage, pepperoni, tomato sauce and cheese. Heaven on a slice.

HUGE fan of DeSano’s. Probably in my top three pizza joints in Charleston. I love the open area seating, smells of the ovens, and super tasty creations.
The pizza reminds me so much of what I had while traveling through Italy. Super thin crust, fresh tomato base, awesome toppings.
Do yourself a favor and get over here to try it! Great for groups. They also have tvs if you’re into watching sports. And you can BYOB.
And, don’t forget to grab a cannoli before you go (totally worth the calories)!

I found a place similar to this when I was visiting Atlanta so I had to search my own neighborhood of charleston!
First off, it’s BYOW– bring your own wine! Don’t have to purchase a $ 8 glass of wine like most restaurants. Make sure you only bring wine, I had heard it was Byob and brought some visitors and we had beer and learned the unfortunate news it was only wine.
Second, the pizza is delightful! Get a large pizza because that’s the bang for your buck. The price is more than a Pizza Hut or dominos but the fresh taste and ingredients are worth that price. There’s also gelato and cannolis if you saved some room!
Third, the service is great. They are attentive, interactive, and a pleasure to order from.
This has become my go to pizza place when I get my craving! So far, I’ve tried the diavola and margherita and can’t wait to try more.