Italian Restaurant Laura Opens in Summerville Tonight

Chef Nico Romo is well known in Charleston for his French fare at Nico in Mount Pleasant and Bistronomy in downtown Charleston, but now he’s bringing Italian to Summerville with the opening of Laura on Wednesday, June 1. The 101 Main Street restaurant is an ode to Romo’s Italian grandmother Laura, who grew up in Arpino in Central Italy. Her cooking was influenced by the styles of Northern and Southern Italy.

Romo’s menu at Laura contains classic Italian dishes ranging from Neapolitan pizzas to cacio e pepe to veal saltimbocca. The one dish that Romo knew had to be on the menu was his grandmother’s recipe for bolognese. He says he has fond memories of eating the dish when he would visit — “If I only ate one bowl, I would be in trouble,” he says, like many grandmothers, Laura always wanted to make sure the family was well fed.

Romo said he choose the Summerville location because many of his loyal customers at his other restaurants drive in to dine with him, and he thought it was about time to open an establishment there for his fans.

The interiors at Laura are sophisticated, but not stuffy, with black-and-white family photos on the walls and pink-hued vintage glassware on the tables. Romo jokes that the portrait of his grandparents hanging on the wall is “the world’s first selfie.”

Laura opens for dinner service this evening at 4 p.m.