Downtown Gainesville’s historic square keeps raising its food game, and Cotto Modern Italian might be its strongest argument yet. This week we pulled up a chair while Executive Chef Scott Kinsey sent out course after course — wood-fired pizza, handrolled pasta, and desserts that closed the deal.
Starters
The bruschetta arrives on grilled bread with stracciatella, sun-dried tomato, and a basil balsamic glaze — a rich, creamy upgrade on the classic. The fritto misto brings lightly fried calamari, zucchini, and red peppers with a pistachio pesto aioli that we could not stop dipping into.
The Mains
The Margherita pizza is done Napoletana style with San Marzano tomato, fresh mozzarella, and basil out of the wood-fired oven. The lasagna Bolognese layers fresh pasta sheets with besciamella and a rich bolognese. The veal piccata comes in a lemon butter caper sauce over spaghetti, and the gnocchi con gamberi — handrolled potato dumplings with shrimp in a parmigiano cream sauce — was a table favorite.
Dessert
Two closers: a chocolate torte and a proper tiramisu with espresso-dipped lady fingers, mascarpone, and cocoa. Every bite was a 10/10.
Plan Your Visit
Cotto Modern Italian sits right on the historic square in downtown Gainesville, GA. If you’re anywhere near Hall County and craving real-deal modern Italian, put this one at the top of your list — and watch the full video above for the complete tasting.
