Legami, a new, contemporary Italian restaurant, is now open at 492 King St. Legami is part of Washington Street Hospitality, the group behind Newport, Rhode Island-based restaurants Pasta Beach and Mr. R Fusion.
The space at 492, which once housed a restaurant of the same name (and had a long, structurally unsound history of abandonment prior to that occupation) has been vacant since 2018.
Former City Paper cuisine editor Mary Scott Hardaway asked in 2019: “How does one become a successful restaurant in this [King Street] corridor? If it takes just one minute to walk from 492 to Vintage Lounge, why is one empty and one being praised in a glossy magazine?”
Apparently the space just needed some fresh eyes — in this case, in the form of owner Tyler Ropolo, who designed the two-story, 180-seat restaurant.
Blend of Italy and Lowcountry
Inspired by Italian culture and historic Charleston, Legami’s first floor features “a mix of rustic, rattan chairs, Charleston-inspired pastel green banquettes and white speckled Carrara marble tables, with walls adorned with antique mirrors and Indonesian wood carvings,” according to a press release.
The second floor is a more intimate dining area — velvet seating and marble tables — and complements an upstairs terrace. The ground floor also features an outdoor patio.
Executive chef Andrea Congiusta (the group chef of Washington Street Hospitality) is cooking up shareable dishes and homemade pastas inspired by the team’s collective upbringings in Torino and Rome. Legami features a “playful” cocktail menu, developed by James Ruggiero, and an Italian leaning wine program.
Diners can look forward to dishes like tomato glazed fish skewers, filet mignon tartare, daily fish carpaccio, King Crab tagliolini, roasted lamb chops and more. Pair your meal with the Legami Martini, with calabrian chili olive oil washed vodka, Castelvetrano olive brine, microplaned parmesan and burrata-stuffed olives or a Genepy In a Bottle, with butterfly pea blossom gin, strawberry-infused Genepy liqueur and Antica Rosso.
The restaurant is open for dinner starting at 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The upstairs lounge is also open for late nights on Fridays and Saturdays. Learn more at legamichs.com.
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