Chianti South is located at 2109 U.S. 17 in Little River. It is set to open under a new owner who runs several restaurants in eastern North Carolina.
Emily Smith
For The Sun News
A longtime Italian restaurant in Little River is set to reopen under the new ownership of a North Carolina restaurateur.
Chianti South, located at 2109 U.S. 17, first opened in 1997 and became a local favorite over its nearly three decades of operation.
The restaurant closed in 2024 after a development company bought the land it sits on for $1.5 million. Initially, the company had no plans to keep a restaurant on the land, but now a new owner plans to revitalize the restaurant while maintaining similarities to the original beloved menu and atmosphere.
James Lane, a restaurateur with several Italian dining concepts in eastern North Carolina, is taking over Chianti South. Lane’s other restaurants include Lucca Italian Chophouse, Maria’s Pizzeria and Sorella — all just across the Carolinas border in Brunswick County.
Lane has experience in buying and transforming local restaurants in Brunswick County. Sorella, for example, is Lane’s Italian-focused reimagining of a Southern restaurant he took over.
Prior to its closing, Chianti South had become known for its house-made pasta and carefully curated wine list — both of which Lane has earned acclaim for at his other restaurants.
Under Lane’s ownership, Chianti South will feature an updated menu that still has similarities to the original restaurant’s offerings.
Renovations are currently underway at the Chianti South location, but a timeline and opening date has not yet been publicly announced.
