Zio Casual Italian

“Overall: Great food, nice and cozy atmosphere, with helpful and friendly staff! Would like to come back when the band and owner(!) are playing some jazz. Bolognese: Nice flavor with a good amount of meat. The bolognese sauce was great, with lots of fresh flavor. Didn’t thicken as much as I’d like it to, but I know that’s different batch to batch. Naples Pizza: The star of the show! Amazing crust, nice and crisp while still being amazingly soft and fluffy. Fresh mozzarella was great. Sauce was amazing, rich tomato flavor with just enough seasoning (wish there was slightly more of it per slice!).”

“We were headed to a show and needed a convenient spot for dinner beforehand. Italian restaurants aren’t usually my first pick, but I gave my friend three options and she chose Zio Italian Restaurant. And honestly? I’m really glad she did! Parking was fairly easy. There’s a small private lot that fills up quickly when they’re busy, but there’s also an overflow lot across the way, which makes things simple enough. When we walked in, I was immediately charmed. This place is super cute! To the left is a cozy bar, to the right is table seating, and both the front and back patios offer outdoor dining during nice weather. There was even an authentic Italian band setup in the bar area, adding such a fun, lively touch to the atmosphere. My friend ordered a beef and mushroom dish, and the few bites I stole were absolutely delicious. But let me get to my meal… I don’t normally choose lasagna, as I can be pretty finicky with red sauce. Still, I was in the mood for it and took a chance. And let me tell you: IT. WAS. DELICIOUS! I don’t know what kind of heavenly lasagna creation they’ve perfected here, but everything about it was YUM - the sauce, the noodles, the meat, the cheese. Truly every layer and every bite was excellent. It’s been a few months, and I’ve thought about that lasagna more than once! I’ll be back for that lasagna again or to try another dish.”

“A friend recommended Zio Casual Italian in Charlotte, North Carolina so finally went to try it. My family is Italian so I rarely have Italian when I go out but Zio was a nice surprise. The shining star of everything was our server Brianna. She has had an infectious smile and was super accommodating and friendly. She gave us great suggestions and knew the menu and restaurant very well! The service was top-notch! The food was good. The Caesar salad was crunchy and not soggy and the dressing was very tasty and delicious. Love to the penne vodka. The sauce had tons of flavor and the pasta was cooked perfectly. We wanted to try the pizza. We had the New York style crust with pepperoni. It was very good for Charlotte. My least favorite thing was the chicken Parmesan. It was a little dry and I didn’t like the red sauce that was on it. The bread they gave you at the table with the olive oil side was also very good. Had a really good texture and was very flavorful and the olive oil was delicious. They had a very good selection of wine and beer and on Wednesdays, the bottles are half price. That’s a really good deal! The ambience was nice. Not sure if I would bring a first date there. Reminded me of my grandmother‘s kitchen, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing! Will definitely go back and try other things!!”

“Amazing food and friendly service! This is honestly the best Italian food I’ve had in Charlotte! We had the fried ravioli which came out incredibly fast and was delicious. I had the stuffed eggplant Parmesan and my wife got the penne a la vodka with meatballs. We both were obsessed with our dishes! We are our leftovers for lunch the next day and they were just as good! Our server was incredibly friendly and helpful when we couldn’t decided what to order. Overall 10/10 and will be returning!”

“Not a typical run of the mill Italian place, its below another Italian place. The offer a small selection of dishes, American-Italian style. Nothing super out there, but really good classic Italian-American fare set in a converted home Service was great, and price point is on par with Charlotte.”