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    Macaluso’s Restaurant

    3.8 (76 reviews)
    Closed Closed

    Macaluso’s Restaurant Photos

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    MACALUSO’S RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Macaluso’s Restaurant

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    Crazy bill for sub-par Italian food
    Parvati F.

    "I think you should leave too..." This is how the post-meal conversation ended with chef/owner of Macaluso's. It has been several years since our last patronage and decided tonight was the night for a nice romantic dinner over a bottle of wine and some pizza and pasta. The evening started out on track with lovely waitstaff who graciously seated us even without a reservation on a rainy Thursday evening. We began our meal with a bottle of Sparkling Water & Sangiovese and the $27 Salad for Two (sans salami). Ok salad...nice portion...could have used some fresh black pepper. Our meal progressed with the Spinach & Mushroom Pizza, but were told they would not add Broccoli Rabe or prove Broccoli Rabe as a side because the chef will not do "substitutions." We also ordered the Penne with Onions & Peas...Not Good. The Penne was swimming in a watery "broth" (if you can call it that) and topped with canned peas. Yup, a $24 dish of boxed pasta & canned peas. We ate our dinner quietly and upon receiving our dessert menu were asked how we enjoyed the dishes. We replied politely and said the pasta was not good. Our server returned to the kitchen and some time later the chef/owner came out with a can of peas to "chef-splain" his dish. Note: if you have to "chef-splain" the dish, it is not good. Apparently he "invented" the dish, which consists of: Boxed penne, canned peas, canned pea "broth", olive oil, and chicken broth. Which is when we interrupted the diatribe to ask why chicken broth was included in a vegetarian dish. This was apparently the type of question to illicit the response of "well, we can't read your mind." Um...if there is a vegetarian dish in the menu (I.e., penne with onions & peas), we vegetarians expect the dish to be vegetarian and get upset when post-meal it is not and then get scolded for "spilling all of the secrets." Long story "short" we ended the discussion by saying..."We'd like to leave." Which prompted the response "I think you should leave too." Needless to say, we won't be back and are frustrated with the ~$160 we spent to be scolded about how we don't understand what turns out is just plain bad food...and neither should you. We

    Exorbitant bill for cheap products
    Kelsey F.

    Decided to give this place another try...Not a good decision. Wait staff was nice enough, but the whole atmosphere felt in fear of the wrath of the chef/owner. We ordered a bottle of wine, shared salad, pizza & vegetarian pasta dish. Wine, salad & pizza were "fine"...nothing special or memorable. The item that was memorable (for the wrong reasons) was the pasta dish and chefs response to the leftovers that came back to the kitchen to be boxed up for the dogs. When the Penne with Onions & Peas arrived, the initial visual was less than appetizing. We opted not to take a photo because the dish looked so bad (soupy "broth" & gray canned peas). It was not until the completely unexpected & unprofessional interaction with the chef/owner that we opted to leave a review. We poured (yes, poured) out a "broth" from our pasta dish. We later learned this mess was comprised of canned pea "juice", oil, and chicken broth. GROSS!!! We anticipated this dish would be light, bright & fresh - NO. The peas were canned (and the owner even brought a can out to tell us how we were wrong for not liking the dish he "invented" - Penne w/ Peas & Onions). The whole experience was surreal. We had planned to just "chalk it up" to a weird experience, but no...the chef came out to berate us in how we were wrong for not liking his dish and that it couldn't possibly be made with fresh ingredients. I do t know about you, but if I'm paying $160 for a nice Italian meal for 2, I expect my ingredients to be fresh, pasta to be homemade, and vegetarian dish to be void of chicken broth. Not the case here. Do yourself a favor & skip this place. Go to Casa Bella or even Olive Garden to get you pasta fix in Aiken.

    Sue S.

    Great Italian food with excellent service. Love the decor and ambiance. It's rather small but a really intimate dining experience. Reservations are a must. We started out with the meatball appetizer which was delicious. We also had a single salad that was large enough to share. Our entrees were chicken parm with ravioli and staton island baked rigatoni with chicken parm. Both were tasty and highly recommended! Great evening for sure!

    Main Course
    B S.

    The overall dining experience was amazing, from the time we entered the restaurant until we departed. The atmosphere, service and food were definitely first class! My Wife and I would recommend to any couple looking to spend quality time together while sharing a great meal!!

    Broccoli rabe.
    Melencia J.

    I heard way too many folks talking about this "new Italian place" that I had to visit! I'm glad I did. This family owned restaurant/kitchen has a homey feel to it as soon as you walk in. The red walls with the black and white family photos bring you right into into the home of Macaluso's. The wonderful smell of marinara and garlic hit me as soon as I walked in. I would have given 5 stars, but with the way things are, the tables were too close for complete comfort. I wish they had more outdoor seating. I hear this may be coming soon. I messaged in advance to see if the menu had any vegetarian options. That made my mouth water in anticipation. They had several appetizers, pizzas and pastas that were vegetarian or could be made that way. We ordered sautéed spinach and broccoli rabe for a starter and pasta for dinner. The starters are definitely sharables... we only ate about half of each to save space for pasta. Oh, and they have a pasta tray where you could choose your pasta by sight. Neat! While we waited we had bread with some delicious peppered olive oil. I had the long fusilli with marinara. Very yum! A perfect helping of sauce with perfect al dente pasta. I added a sprinkle of parmesano and mixed it all together for a fantastic meal. The chef actually sells his marinara...it's that good! I opted out of dessert because I was so full, but they provided a tray to see the offerings for the evening. It all looked pretty good, but I couldn't eat another bite. I will be back soon to try their pizzas and other vegetarian dishes.

    Porch off the bar
    Jeremy H.

    This restaurant is situated in a beautiful old home in downtown Aiken. There is a small parking lot on the property and street parking available. There is limited seating; however, there are some tables on the front porch and it appeared that there are some tables in a garden behind the restaurant. We arrived just before opening and went upstairs to the Rose Bar. This bar is a dimly lit space with candles and exposed wood. It is a wonderful space; however, we decided to enjoy our drinks in the rocking chairs on the upstairs porch. This is a great option! After a cocktail, we went downstairs to the restaurant. This is a fine dinning experience. The service was attentive and the experience was great. We started the meal with Sinatra Spicy Shrimp. I highly recommended this dish, especially if you like spicy foods. The flavor is great and it has the perfect kick of spice. I then enjoyed the chicken parm. My guest had clams with pasta. We finished the meal with mascarpone cheesecake. I would definitely recommend this restaurant for a special occasion or to just enjoy some cocktails of that great upstairs porch.

    Home is where the food is!
    Kendall B.

    The ambiance! The staff! The food! Do not pass go, do not collect your $200 unless you try this place on the boardwalk! It's delicious! The staff is very attentive! The chef knows what he's doing, I mean, I can go on and on and on... but then you won't be able to stuff your face with the meatball appetizer! I ordered the chicken parm and let me tell you, didn't leave my seat until it was clean! If you're in SC, Aiken.... You can not pass this by! Oh, Liza with a Z was our server and she delivered the best of the best! Gosh, just try it!

    Yummy

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    4 years ago

    Phenomenal food and ambiance!. Stellar bar in the second floor with balcony great view of the area

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    3 years ago

    Everything was perfect, from the moment you walk in the door, the service, food, atmosphere, top notch!!!

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    3 years ago

    Great ambiance, service and incredible food! Hard to find good italian in the south but this place made me feel like I was at home.

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    6 years ago

    The service was good and the time was on spot. The salad was ok, had pitted olives which drive me and my wife crazy. The pasta was great

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Excellent food, service and atmosphere, Isabella our server was wonderful, going back again tonight!

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    5 years ago

    The restaurant is beautiful, Food was delish, service was amazing!!! Congratulations Chef Michael!!!!

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    Page 2 of 2

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    3.7(423 reviews)
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    Great pizza. Recommend logging on their website to check out the menu - especially the first page -…read moreso you can be prepared for the authentic Neapolitan traditions. We'll be back!

    This 1-star review is specifically meant to grab the owner's attention. I'll preface though...the…read morechicken parm and marinara were delicious. Yet I digress... The level of disrespect I witnessed towards your staff and patrons Sunday evening was abhorrent. I was embarrassed I had to witness it. Every interaction I had with an employee while I sat waiting for my take-out was quite pleasant and welcoming. You sir, on the other hand chose to speak loudly and belittle your staff...on two different occasions...In plain view, and fully audible. One patron walked by and said 'thank you and bye' to you directly...twice, You couldn't be bothered. I even said thank you as I walked out the door to test the same waters as an experiment. Nope...same treatment from you. Maybe you had a bad day. No excuse if so. I've just never witnessed a display like that, especially at an Italian restaurant. Be better. Not a good look. People are paying attention and will not patronize a local business if the owner and/or management overtly display a temper in front of their guests. Remember what world we're living in. Someone could've easily recorded that display. Don't go viral. Just treat your staff better. Have visited Aiken a lot lately. Everyone is so nice. What's your secret?

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    Macaluso’s Restaurant - italian - Updated September 2026

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