One could argue the most exciting things happening in the Charleston cuisine scene are happening off the downtown peninsula. Riva Mare, the latest opening from culinary behemoth Indigo Road Hospitality Group, supports this theory.
The restaurant opened Aug. 21 at 2154 Noisette Blvd. in the burgeoning Charleston Design District within the greater Navy Yard Charleston. On the top floor of Storehouse 9, Riva Mare offers a seafood-driven menu showcasing the tastes and vibes of coastal Italy. The restaurant also has one of the best rooftops in town with 165 seats, including cabanas. The outdoor space somehow catches a breeze on even the hottest Lowcountry night.
Coastal Italian in the Lowcountry
The kitchen is under the leadership of Executive Chef Sean McMullen, most recently chef de cuisine at Luminosa in Asheville, N.C. The restaurant was a Michelin Green Star recipient — a distinction highlighting places that excel at sustainable practices — and showcased Italian food with Appalachian techniques.
A North Carolina native, McMullen spent a month in coastal South Carolina each summer as a boy. It made an impression — the first fish he learned how to butcher was a South Carolina flounder when he was 10.
“The Appalachian mindset that I bring with me with food in general is trying to work with as many purveyors as possible and trying to support the community,” McMullen said. This means getting fish from places like CudaCo. and Crosby’s and produce from GrowFood Carolina.
McMullen said the menu will change based on seasonality and there will be a mindfulness of shoulder seasons. He also noted Indigo Road has a massive network when it comes to sourcing, and he plans to lean into that.
“We’re doing Italian, but with coastal Italian, it’s a different fare,” he said. “It’s lighter and a lot more seafood-focused. It’s a completely different dining experience.”
The food and drink
What sets Riva Mare apart from the overabundance of recent Italian openings in Charleston?
“Just leaning into a specific expression of coastal Italian,” the chef said. “The idea behind this is based on Liguria, which is the Italian Riviera. It also borders the Alps, so you see some French influence in there.”
A raw bar offers tuna carpaccio, snapper tartare, Hamachi crudo and oysters. Antipasti range from grilled octopus with crispy potatoes, celery, olives, lemon and olive oil to sardine toast served on grilled focaccia with whipped ricotta and pickled Serrano pepper. There is a whole lobster spaghetti and a classic linguine vongole, a dish with littleneck clams, olive oil, white wine, garlic, Calabrian chili and parsley. Pansotti nero, a stuffed traditional pasta that showcases local shrimp, gets its black color from the squid ink. There’s even a seafood pizza! This one comes with tuna, San Marzano tomato, olives, pickled chili and parsley.
Don’t fear if you’re not craving seafood when you visit. There’s a half chicken al mattone (“under a brick”) served with roasted peppers and salsa verde. A flatiron steak comes with blistered tomatoes, arugula and Parmesan.
Then there’s the showstopping corn agnolotti with ricotta, corn brodo, chives and breadcrumbs. For this dish, McMullen uses a traditional pudding stick (for those of us from outside Appalachia, we might call this a corn cutter). The tool removes the corn kernels and presses all the juice off the cob. McMullen cooks the corn and juices down in the pizza oven and then whips it with ricotta. This becomes the filling. “It’s light, sweet corn. Everything you want when it’s hot outside,” he said.
Dessert is not an afterthought at Riva Mare. There’s sacripantina, a traditional, dome-shaped cake from Genoa. This iteration is a marsala-soaked sponge cake with vanilla crema, toasted cake crumbs and blood orange zabaglione (a sweet sauce made with egg yolks, sugar and a sweet fortified wine like Marsala). There’s an array of cannoli, a frozen tiramisu and soft serve ice cream.
The beverage program offers frozen drinks, limoncellos and a curated Italian wine list. Signature cocktails range from the “open sails” — limoncello, basil, lemon, honey, prosecco and soda — to the “sun seeker” — tequila and mezcal with chili pepper, lime, agave and cocoa bitters.
“I’m just excited,” McMullen said. “This is a really cool spot and a really exciting time for this area. I want this to be a spot where people can come regularly to pop in, but also a place where people can come for a special occasion dining experience.
“I like the ability to cater to peoples’ needs, whether it is just something casual and fun and last minute, or something they’ve been looking forward to for months. It’s just all about making that guest experience what everybody hopes for, and I’m excited to have the opportunity to execute that in this space.”
Riva Mare is open for dinner service from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Lunch service will start later. Complimentary parking is available.
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