{"id":201149,"date":"2026-04-17T20:34:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T20:34:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/201149\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T20:34:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T20:34:39","slug":"pelato-brings-brooklyn-italian-tradition-and-high-energy-dining-to-nashville-and-franklin-the-vanderbilt-hustler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/201149\/","title":{"rendered":"Pelato brings Brooklyn-Italian tradition and high-energy dining to Nashville and Franklin \u2013 The Vanderbilt Hustler"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being the foodies that we are, we were excited to hear that Pelato was opening a new location in Franklin. While the Franklin location sits about a 20-minute drive from campus, its Nashville counterpart in Germantown offers a closer option for students looking to experience Brooklyn-Italian cuisine without going far from campus. Whether you make the quick drive or stay nearby, Pelato delivers an experience that feels both elevated and deeply rooted in tradition.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After hearing from co-owner Anthony Scotto Jr., it became clear that Pelato has been shaped by a long-standing connection to food and hospitality.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPelato was a bucket list concept for [the Scotto family] \u2014 something we had always talked about as a family,\u201d Scotto said. \u201cWhen we made the decision to move to Nashville from NYC four years ago to open Luogo in the Gulch, we came across the most perfect space in Germantown. We signed a lease three weeks later, and the rest is history.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

That sense of legacy runs deep throughout the restaurant. Scotto described how his family\u2019s culinary roots trace back to early 1900s Little Italy, where his great-grandfather ran a sandwich shop on Mulberry Street.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMy grandma and her whole family were born and raised in the apartments above the shop,\u201d Scotto said. \u201cPelato pulls heavily from tradition \u2026 Every new item we put on the menu, we always have our past in mind.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Photos adorn the rear wall of Pelato restaurant, as photographed March 24, 2026. (Hustler Multimedia\/Elena Parisi) (Elena Parisi<\/a>)<\/p>\n

As an Italian-American (Jersey, not Brooklyn), I was looking forward to seeing how Pelato\u2019s menu brought this Italian heritage to light through food. The back wall of the restaurant was covered in a collage of black-and-white family photos, immediately reminding me of the photo displays in my Italian grandmother\u2019s house growing up. Many of the restaurant\u2019s dishes, from chicken parmesan to vodka pasta, are staples in my home. Although home cooking will always be the best cooking, Pelato\u2019s takes on these dishes did not disappoint.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This emphasis on family tradition is reflected in the overall dining philosophy. Rather than a typical appetizer-entr\u00e9e structure, Pelato encourages guests to order multiple smaller plates to share, creating a more communal and interactive experience. <\/p>\n

\"\"Patrons dine in Pelato\u2019s Franklin location, as photographed March 24, 2026. (Hustler Staff\/Daniela Aguilar) (Daniela Aguilar<\/a>)<\/p>\n

From the moment we walked in, it was clear that Pelato is a place people come to celebrate. The restaurant was packed with lively energy. Tables were close together, servers moved quickly and multiple birthday celebrations took place \u2014 sparklers and all. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite the crowd, the service never felt overwhelming. Our server took the time to walk us through the menu, explaining the shareable plate concept and recommending that we order about two to three dishes per person. One of the most impressive aspects of the experience, though, was how quickly the food arrived. Each dish came out just as we were finishing the last. We tasted a variety of items from across the menu, leaving us stuffed at the end of our visit. Here are our thoughts. <\/p>\n

\u201cGet Things Goin\u2019\u201d
\nGarlic bread: $7 (+ $2 each for melted parm and red sauce)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elena:\u00a0The garlic bread was\u00a0a great choice\u00a0to open our meal, setting the stage for the rest of the dinner. It was very oily, but with a good garlic flavor and\u00a0crispiness. The sauces only elevated the dish more. The marinara sauce was tomato-forward, with a fresh and bright taste. The melted\u00a0parmesan\u00a0sauce was rich and creamy,\u00a0rather\u00a0Alfredo-like.\u00a0They were the perfect dipping sauces for our appetizer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rating: 8.5\/10
\n\u201cThe Goods\u201d\u00a0
\nPotato croquettes:\u00a0$12\u00a0<\/p>\n

Daniela: These came out freshly fried, hot and crispy, with very pretty plating. They were cheesy and creamy on the inside, while the sauce they came with added a nice, tangy contrast. Having just come back from a spring break trip to Spain, I was surprised by how much I liked these. They were definitely up to par with my Spanish standards.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a07.5\/10
\nBurnt broccolini: $14\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elena: This was the only dish that we had drastically different opinions on. I was not much of a fan. I felt that the sweet sauce lathered on top overpowered the taste of the broccolini. This was our vegetable for the night, but it did not taste fresh to me. Additionally, I did not enjoy the charred taste of the \u201cburnt\u201d broccolini. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rating: 3\/10<\/p>\n

Daniela:\u00a0On the complete\u00a0opposite\u00a0end of the spectrum from Elena, I was a huge fan of the broccolini.\u00a0I absolutely adore sweet and savory\u00a0flavor\u00a0combos, so I loved how the sweetness of the sauce paired with the toasted notes of the broccolini. I would for sure order this again.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rating: 8.5\/10\u00a0
\n\u201cThe Meats and Fishes\u201d\u00a0
\n\"\"Chicken parmigiana sits plated on a table at Pelato, as photographed March 24, 2026. (Hustler Staff\/Elena Parisi) (Elena Parisi<\/a>)
\nChicken parmigiana: $21\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elena: This dish was absolutely enormous. When we saw the giant slice of chicken breast smothered in mozzarella cheese, we were wowed by the portion size. That being said, this dish was pretty standard as far as chicken parm goes. Pelato\u2019s classic version did not wow us, but the crispy chicken bite was satisfying, considering that chicken parm has a tendency to be a bit soggy.<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a06.5\/10\u00a0
\n\u201cSaucy\u201d\u00a0
\n\"\"Pelato\u2019s radiatori vodka pasta sits plated on a table, as photographed March 24, 2026. (Hustler Staff\/Elena Parisi) (Elena Parisi<\/a>)
\nRadiatori\u00a0vodka: $17\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elena: This dish was our winner for the night. It came out piping hot and steaming. Visually, the dish looked stunning: fun-shaped pasta with a bright orange sauce and a dusting of parmesan cheese. It tasted just as good. The pasta was perfectly cooked, but the real star was the vodka sauce. It was creamy and flavorful with just the right amount of spice. Interestingly, it tasted like a highly elevated version of Buldak ramen noodles, in a good way. The dish was very filling and satisfying.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rating: 10\/10\u00a0
\nDrinks\u00a0
\n\"\"A hand holds Pelato\u2019s limoncello margarita, as photographed on March 24, 2026. (Hustler Staff\/Daniela Aguilar) (Daniela Aguilar<\/a>)
\nLimoncello margarita\u00a0(21+):\u00a0$16\u00a0<\/p>\n

Daniela: When I asked our server for a drink recommendation, she immediately suggested the restaurant\u2019s famous frozen espresso martini. As a non-coffee drinker, I asked for another option, and she recommended the limoncello margarita \u2014 and I\u2019m so glad she did. It was Baja Blast-reminiscent in the best way possible. It was extremely refreshing and had just the right amount of tequila. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a09\/10\u00a0
\n\"\"A hand holds Pelato\u2019s Red Hook sangria, as photographed on March 24, 2026. (Hustler Staff\/Daniela Aguilar) (Daniela Aguilar<\/a>)\u00a0
\nRed\u00a0Hook sangria\u00a0(21+): $16\u00a0<\/p>\n

Daniela: As a huge sangria fan, I knew I had to order this. Even though cherry wasn\u2019t listed in the ingredients, it had a strong cherry flavor, which can be a huge hit or miss for me. Luckily, it was a hit!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a07\/10
\nDessert\u00a0
\n\"\"Pelato\u2019s dark chocolate budino and tiramisu sit plated on a table, as photographed March 24, 2026. (Hustler staff\/Elena Parisi) (Elena Parisi<\/a>)
\nDark chocolate\u00a0budino: $12\u00a0<\/p>\n

Daniela: One thing about me is that I will almost always order the chocolate dessert option. While it wasn\u2019t quite as \u201cdark\u201d of a flavor profile as I would have liked, the pudding still did its job. I really enjoyed mixing it with the tiramisu to create a more mocha-like treat. On its own, though, the budino was not anything too crazy. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rating: 6.5\/10
\nTiramisu jar: $12\u00a0<\/p>\n

Elena: Tiramisu is my favorite dessert ever and a classic Italian treat, so I just had to order it when I saw it on the menu. Served in a mason jar, the tiramisu was delicious, but not the best I\u2019ve ever had. The mascarpone cream was light and cool, with the perfect amount of sweetness, and the coffee flavor was rich without being overpowering. However, the ladyfinger cookies were soggier than I would have liked. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Rating: 8\/10\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Being the foodies that we are, we were excited to hear that Pelato was opening a new location…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":201150,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,63],"class_list":{"0":"post-201149","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn","8":"tag-brooklyn","9":"tag-brooklyn-headlines","10":"tag-brooklyn-news","11":"tag-new-york","12":"tag-new-york-city","13":"tag-nyc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201149"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201149\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}