Renzo occupies a historic storefront on Huger Street in Charleston, the first full-service restaurant from Erik and Nayda Hutson, the team behind Faculty Lounge. Erik, an architect and contractor, designed and built out the space himself, spending more than a year on the kitchen, casework, and dining room before opening in March 2018.
The kitchen turns out wood-fired pizza alongside a natural wine program that Nayda has shaped around small, family-run estates and terroir-driven, low-intervention producers. Executive chef Colin Marcelli runs a seasonal, from-scratch kitchen that has grown to include handmade pasta and other Italian-influenced dishes alongside the pizzas. The menu changes frequently, with specials, themed dinners, and visiting winemakers part of the regular rotation.
Reviewers consistently point to the crust, the olives, and the atmosphere, while the natural wine list has become its own draw for regulars. Renzo has been named to the Eater 38 and Charleston City Paper's 2026 best-of list, and Marcelli was named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast in 2026, following an earlier Rising Star Chef semifinalist nod in 2019.
The kitchen turns out wood-fired pizza alongside a natural wine program that Nayda has shaped around small, family-run estates and terroir-driven, low-intervention producers. Executive chef Colin Marcelli runs a seasonal, from-scratch kitchen that has grown to include handmade pasta and other Italian-influenced dishes alongside the pizzas. The menu changes frequently, with specials, themed dinners, and visiting winemakers part of the regular rotation.
Reviewers consistently point to the crust, the olives, and the atmosphere, while the natural wine list has become its own draw for regulars. Renzo has been named to the Eater 38 and Charleston City Paper's 2026 best-of list, and Marcelli was named a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast in 2026, following an earlier Rising Star Chef semifinalist nod in 2019.