Vespa - Daniel Island

Oh my how have I ever not been to Vespa Pizza on Daniel Island?! It's a fabulous spot, with outdoor indoor casual dining. The restaurant is beautiful with amazing cheerful helpful staff. They have a daily Special's menu along with the regular menu. The pizza, salads and appetizers that we had were delicious. All the pizzas are made in house and that includes the beautiful crispy crust baked, in a wood fired oven. Delicious. All the dishes were oozing with flavor freshness. I absolutely loved it here, so relaxing to sit outside in the shade enjoy great food. We will definitely return.

I never done a review in my life. Ever. Because I usually never order from places without a well known reputation. I messed up today. Big time. This is the worst pizza I've ever had in my life. Like DO BETTER. Hasn't the owner or chef ever seen a decent Grilled Chicken Caesar pizza pie before? I'm new to this area, but I already know for sure that it has great food. No restaurant should ever be that bad at making food. This restaurant has to be a social experiment to see how bad you can possibly make food without your customers getting upset.

I decided to eat at this place after reading reviews of other pizza joints, and this was in walking distance. The reviews had me worried, but again it was the closest walking distance. We ordered the Caprese salad, black and blue salad and that's night special pizza. The caprice he salad came out first and it was just OK. The tomatoes were not fresh and bland, and the mozzarella cheese was kinda stiff. It was definitely bulk bought cheese out of a package. Like many previous reviews, the black and blue salad looked good, but was warm. I don't know what it is with this place serving warm salads. The pizza was good. I definitely ate half of it and took the other half home for lunch the next day. Only downside to the pizza was the center was kinda soggy. It took the staff a little bit to take our drink orders, but she made up with it with her attitude. Very happy and spirited. The outside patio area where we sat, could use a little bit of re-decorating. They have some bar trailer out there that needs to be put up when not in use. I'm sure they use it during large events, but looks trashy when just sitting there, not in use .

As I calculated the exorbitant amount of money being drained from our retirement savings to support our home 's insatiable appetite for air conditioning thanks to living in a swamp (the Low Country , my wife suddenly exclaimed, You know what? I 'm craving salad and pizza today! Thank goodness I don 't have to brave the sweltering heat outside to grill, I thought to myself, as I set my trusty solar-powered calculator aside. Sounds like a fantastic idea, dear. The next twenty minutes were spent engaging in a riveting debate about the pizza options in the Charleston area (which, sadly, seemed to have more cons than pros . But after much deliberation, we settled on Vespa, primarily because it 's conveniently located nearby. As we drove along Seven Farms Drive, we passed an enormous Charleston Police Command Center motorhome shamelessly parked in a no parking zone, right across from Credit One Stadium. Seems they 're preparing for the Paris Riots to spill over onto Daniel Island. I guess they really mean business! As we approached Vespa, it became increasingly clear that it lacked curb appeal. There was a mammoth generator-looking wagon that looked like it could power a small town, but presumably used for dispensing frozen drinks. And scattered around the courtyard were random carts, probably employed for moving stacks of wood to fuel the pizza oven. To our surprise, there were actually people dining outside enduring the suffocating heat and humidity while dining. They must be Swedish tourists seeking a taste of authentic Southern discomfort. Once we stepped inside the refreshingly cool interior, a delightful hostess greeted us and led us to our table. Strangely enough, there was a sign taped to the wall of stacked wood that read, DON 'T WRITE ON WALL. I suppose they must have had their fair share of patrons from the Tattooed Moose at Park Circle, where customers are encouraged to express their artistic talents using Sharpies all over the establishment. The place was bustling with impeccably dressed Southern families sporting gingham dresses and bow ties. It made me feel like an absolute slob in comparison. (At least I wasn 't wearing flip flops or a backward facing baseball cap . For some inexplicable reason, I decided to inquire about the soup of the day from our equally pleasant server. To my surprise, she replied, Miso. MISO ? Whatever happened to good old Minestrone Soup in Italian restaurants? (If anyone knows of a place in the Low Country that still offers it, please, do share. While we waited for our salad and pizza, I couldn 't help but notice the lack of storage space. Random boxes were haphazardly piled everywhere. Actually, come to think of it, the entire place had a rather tacky vibe. Outside, the courtyard was a messy sight. Inside, cardboard boxes strewn about. The silverware, wrapped in napkins, had a distinct cheapness to it. No tablecloths, disposable plastic cups and cheap plastic plates. Definitely not the kind of joint we 'd bring out-of-town guests to, but the FOOD IS REALLY GOOD and THE PRICES ARE DECENT and even better, THE TIPS ARE CALCULATED PRE-TAX. We were seriously impressed and will definitely be back. P.S. The Garlic Knots are to die for!

If I could leave a negative review, I would. I ordered a gluten free pizza and a couple apps. When my gluten free friend mentioned that the pizza was not gluten free, I called the restaurant. Laura answered the phone and said she must have missed typed the order. So her fix was to drive back, drop off the incorrect pizza, and pick up a correctly, on Vespas end, ordered pizza. I will never order from this restaurant. if you have food allergies stay away!!!