The corner of Rutledge Avenue and Spring Street hums a little differently these days. There’s laughter in the air, Aperol in hand, and the scent of lemon, olive oil, and something beautifully charred wafting up from the kitchen below.
Welcome to Allora, Charleston’s newest Italian restaurant — and the latest passion project from hospitality duo Ryan and Kelleanne Jones, the team behind Southbound, Community Table, and Honeysuckle Rose.
A Rooftop With Soul
Perched above the Cannonborough-Elliotborough neighborhood, Allora’s multi-tiered rooftop has quickly become the place to be — a 20-seat escape where the sky glows gold at sunset and plates arrive when they’re ready.
“We wanted a space that felt alive — where you could share a little of everything,” Ryan told the Post & Courier. “The price point’s designed for that.”
And “a little of everything” might be an understatement. The menu reads like a love letter to Southern Italy: seven handmade pastas, four crudos, daily specials, and a lineup of seafood, pork, and steak that’s both generous and refined. The style is shareable, the flavors bright — each bite a conversation between the South and the Amalfi Coast.
A Space That Feels Hand-Touched
Inside, it’s all warmth and texture. Kelleanne hand-painted and distressed the pink and green walls herself, channeling the old-world charm the couple admired during a July trip to Southern Italy. That trip didn’t invent Allora — it confirmed it.
Even the walk-up gelato bar on Spring Street carries that spirit. Locals can swing by for nine flavors of gelato and espresso in ceramic demitasse cups, just like in Sorrento. It’s casual, classic, and distinctly Charleston in how it invites community right up to the window.
Drink Like You’re on Holiday
Behind the bar, things stay light and lively: 11 cocktails, six spritzes, and approachable Italian whites, reds, and rosés. There’s even a tableside dirty martini service, a playful nod to the Joneses’ Italian travels.
The Allora State of Mind
Allora isn’t just another restaurant opening — it’s a feeling. A place that makes Charleston’s dining scene feel more Mediterranean, more communal, more spontaneous.
And maybe that’s the real draw: a rooftop where Southern sun meets Italian soul, and every plate, every sip, feels a little like vacation.
Allora
195 Spring St., Charleston
Open daily, 11 a.m.–10 p.m.
allorachs.com
