Italian restaurant that closed during COVID to reopen in larger space on Hilton Head
Gusto Ristorante, a Hilton Head favorite known for its authentic northern Italian menu, closed last year because of coronavirus but is reopening later this month in a larger location.
Chef Giancarlo Balestra said work is underway to transform the building left vacant after Another Broken Egg abruptly shut its doors at Sea Turtle Marketplace in January 2020.
Balestra, who co-owns Gusto with his wife, Nancy, hopes to reopen their restaurant by mid-April. The couple is decorating the space with a mixture of brickwork, dark wood and beams so it will make customers feel like they are dining in Italy.
“Like where I grew up in Italy,” Giancarlo Balestra explained. “That’s the feeling of it.”
The new space is more than twice the size of the couple’s former restaurant in Fresh Market Shoppes. Lulu Kitchen recently opened in that space.
Nancy Balestra said the new Gusto restaurant will be divided up into “separate ambiances.” There’s the dining room, of course, but there’s also a tavern bar area that can seat 30 and outdoor seating for 50 as well, she said.
Once COVID-19 hit and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster enacted social distancing rules for restaurants last year, the Balestras said they felt they had no choice but to abandon their former location for the new one.
“We went from a busy Saturday night to being closed,” Nancy Balestra said. “The space was too small. We couldn’t make it work.”
Giancarlo Balestra said they would have had to pare down to 15 tables, and that wasn’t economically feasible.
“We went from the culmination of the American dream to jobless,” he said.
The couple met in Rome 30 years ago when Nancy asked Giancarlo for directions to the Sistine Chapel. Their restaurant journey has taken them to Aspen, Colorado; Saratoga Springs, New York; and Winter Park, Florida. They decided to open their original Hilton Head restaurant while visiting the island for a vacation, The Island Packet reported in 2018.
Customers can expect to find all their favorites on the menu, like Pappardelle alla Bolognese and the seafood-packed Risotto ai Frutti di Mare, along with appetizers, salads and desserts.
The new restaurant will have the same name, same cuisine, same phone number and same website, Nancy explained.
It will even have some of the same staff. Master Chef Rosario Limonio and front house manager Antonio Galati have rejoined the Balestras at the new location.
There will be a few new additions, too. The Balestras are planning to add happy hour and early bird specials, an Italian version of the American brunch and their own wine cellar.
“We are ready for the new challenge,” Nancy Balestra said. “We are positive and optimistic.”
Added her husband: “We are going to feed you well, that’s for sure.”
If you go
What: Gusto Ristorante
When: Expected to open in mid-April
Where: 430 William Hilton Parkway, in Sea Turtle Marketplace on Hilton Head (formerly Another Broken Egg)
Phone: (843) 802-2424
Website: gustohiltonhead.com
This story was originally published April 1, 2021 at 1:53 PM.
