Mt. Pleasant Eatery Serve Up Authentic NY Style Pizza & Italian Entrees
By: Jeff Walker, Restaurant Review
Matt’s Pizza, formerly NYPD Pizza at the corner of 17N and Hwy. 41 faithfully served Mount Pleasant for years, offering up authentic New York style pizza alongside a few signature Italian desserts. While Matt has moved on, the new owners Joanne and Don Migliori (MILL-YOUR-EE, which means ‘the best' in Italian), have taken the East Cooper eatery to the next level, renaming the restaurant after themselves.
The couple who reside in the neighboring Rivertowne community with their five kids, and Don’s sister Jill Marie have a passion for serving up great Italian food and drink. The husband and wife team hail from Rhode Island and Philadelphia respectively. Joanne ran a successful litigation service prior to relocating, while Don a successful attorney with Motley Rice, worked for the law firm up north, before the couple made the move to greater Charleston seven years ago.
Joanne and Don rebranded the popular Mount Pleasant pizzeria founded on three core principles. First of all they wanted to give back to a community they have become to appreciate. Secondly, they wanted to fulfill Don’s life long dream of operating his very own Italian restaurant. Had he not opted for a legal career, Don may have leaned toward becoming a renowned Italian chef.
Thirdly, and perhaps most dear to them, the couple wanted to provide a safe workplace for Jill Marie, who has special needs, but as Joanne is quick to point out is blessed with special abilities. While Don and Joanne may be the seasoning behind Migliori’s, Jill Marie is the sweetness that provides the pizzeria with its overall ambiance.
Migliori’s is a welcoming family style pizzeria, run by a very close knit family. Migliori’s still offers up pizza slices at lunch with a $6 two slice with beverage special. The Chicken Parm and Meatball Parm Sandwiches are TDF (To Die For). Both are teeming with meat and flavor, slathered in Mig’s marinara, a time honored family recipe handed down from Don’s mother, who gleaned her talents by following famed Italian cuisine cookbook author Marcella Hazan.
When it comes to their staple foods, it’s hard to imagine getting any better thin crust pizza in greater Charleston, just the way northerners are accustom to.
Their meatball sub is another TDF Italian sandwich. Three ample well seasoned meatballs blanketed in their marinara, on a slightly toasted bun. Served with Cape Cod Chips for under $10. Awesome and filling. You won’t go ‘fowl’ (pun intended) with their Chicken Parm sub, a moist hand-breaded cutlet layered under mozzarella and Mig’s marinara. Totally satisfying.
When you think of Cheese Steak, it’s hard not to imagine one of Philly’s greatest exports. Since Joanne hails from the city of brotherly love, she knows a thing or two about how important it is to offer up a cheese steak with gravitas!
While there are many pretenders serving cheese steaks in greater Charleston, aside from a fellow Philly native in Oakbrook of Summerville, Migliori’s is one of the best cheese steaks I’ve wrapped my taste buds around in the low country. Slathered in sauteed mushrooms, onions & peppers with your choice of cheese, on a toasted bun. An incredible edible.
New York style thin crust pizza, as well as specialty pizzas, calzones, and subs may be front and center at Migliori’s especially at lunch, but it is their handcrafted Italian appetizers, and exceptional pasta dishes that are really spicing up the place during the dinner hour. Four signature pasta dishes prepared with either spaghetti, fettuccine, or penne as the base, with a gluten free pasta option for just $2 more.
Enjoy their Mig’s Marinara with two garlic knots for $8.49. Add two oversized meatballs for an additional $6. Their Classic Bolognese (traditional Italian meat sauce) is a handed down family recipe, and delights the palate, as does the alfredo, enhanced with parmigiano-reggiano, a granulated Italian hard cheese aged for well over a year, and popular throughout many regions of Italy. Words can not describe how incredible this entree is. Mangia!
Migliori’s might not have an extensive menu, but their daily bill of fare is sumptuous and satisfying. They are a family style pizzeria offering everyday Italian comfort foods focusing on the two P’s (pizza & pasta), and the two S’s (subs & salads).
While House, Greek, and Caesar salads are standard fare at most Italian restaurants, it’s Migliori’s Arugula Salad that will tantalize the taste buds. Crisp and bold leafy greens, under seasoned citrus, shaved parmigiano cheese, and toasted nuts, slathered in Solari Citrus dressing. Let’s just say it’s a sun-kissed delight ideal for vegans and salad lovers alike.
Migliori’s is far from a bar or late night watering hole, but they do carry a few select wines and beers that go great with Italian food. Enjoy a pinot noir (red), pino grigio (white), and the ever popular Lovo Prosecco, a delightfully full bodied sparking white wine. They offer up five beers on tap including Italy’s namesake Peroni, alongside local favorite Cooper River IPA. Since Joanne’s bloodline traces back to Ireland, Migliori’s carries Guiness Draught to honor her family heritage.
If you live in nearby Rivertowne, Dunes West, Park West, Carolina Park, Charleston National, Snee Farms, or north of the Isle of Palms connector, I offer up this tidbit. Migliori’s host a happy hour from 4-7pm Monday – Thursday. While most food & drink locales might do two hours at best, Migliori’s raises the bar with three hours to unwind from the busy work day, or just sit around with friends, and enjoy signature appetizers with select wines and beers on tap.
The Mini Cheese Calzones and Fried Ravioli are $7 and $6 respectively. Both come with Mig’s Marinara, so they are extra awesome. The Meatball Sliders are a nice break from the norm. Think of them as akin to smaller burgers, only disguised as spicy Italian meatballs, slathered in mozzarella or provolone and Mig’s sauce. Yummy to the max!
Not surprisingly the overall favorite appetizer at Migliori’s is their Whipped Ricotta served with Crostini Wedges (small slices of grilled or toasted bread similar to baguettes). Light and fluffy, easily spreadable ricotta cheese, perfectly blended with lemon zest, and drizzled with honey. Imagine it as heavenly hors d’oeuvres, ideal for bringing home or for adorning the table at a social gathering. It’s so popular Migliori’s often has to make more, with people dropping by on their way home to grab and order or two.
I would be derelict in my food and drink review if I didn’t mention how incredible the pepperoni roll and the stromboli are. Both are Italian pizzeria staples, yet Migliori’s has heightened their appeal and flavor. Italian turnover delights, stuffed with oozing cheeses and cured meats. If you flip a coin to choose you’ll come out a winner either way.
That leaves me to tout their desserts. Matt’s carried a must have NY Style Cheesecake, and Migliori’s was smart to keep it on the menu. But the two desserts that have become all the rage are their slightly larger cannolis, overflowing with homemade ricotta, and their Zeppole, golden bites of fried dough, swept in a blend of cinnamon and powdered sugar. Davvero eccellente, or Italian for extremely excellent.
Authenticity is the key to Migliori’s menu items. You could take a trip to Italy and feast on the country’s cuisine, or you could save a lot of dough (pizza pun) and drop into Migliori’s Pizzeria. Their prices are surprisingly affordable given the they use the highest quality meats and cheeses. Aside from a few specialty pizzas, most entrees under $15, with several subs, salads, calzones, and the pepperoni roll under $10. Affordable always tastes good.
The Migliori family emigrated from their native Italy over a century ago, bringing a long standing tradition of great pizza, pasta, and vino with them. Generations of the family obtained the American dream, becoming restaurateurs, physicians, and in Don’s case an accomplished lawyer. He and Joanne come from long family trees that embrace great food and drink.
Matt’s Pizza was a fixture in north Mount Pleasant for years. With Joanne and Don Migliori taking over the reins of the Italian eatery, Migliori’s has become a full blown neighborhood pizzeria, serving up awesome pizza and old school pasta alongside appropriate wines and cold brews.
Perhaps still cutting their teeth, Joanne & Don have plans to make Migliori’s even more appetizing, with daily specials such as lasagna, and charcuterie plates soon on the menu. They wouldn’t want their fancy new meat slicer to go to waste. Pop in for lunch, happy hour, or for dinner. Open daily 11am-10pm. If you work in Mount Pleasant or reside east of the Cooper River, you might want to put Migliori’s on your ‘dining to-do list’.
Whether you bring the kids, or meet up with friends you’ll be treated like family at Migliori’s (mill-your-ee), the ‘g’ is silent, unless you’re announcing to the group ‘Meet me at Mig’s’. They offer dine in, take-out, and delivery. The original aroma and the welcoming decor will set the tone for your dining experience. For more visit their site at https://migspizzeria.com/
