Restaurants in Charleston
Charleston’s food scene is as rich and vibrant as its colonial past. The city’s signature dishes like shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, pilau, and fried whiting have evolved over the years but it never lost its Lowcountry flavor.
Today, Charleston is home to hundreds of restaurants offering delectable dishes you can sink your teeth into. The city’s culinary landscape continues to expand and welcomes exciting food creations that balance Charleston’s culinary past and present.
Here are ten of the best restaurants in Charleston and the reasons why they’re the cream of the southern cooking crop.
Husk
Image: Husk Facebook
Husk lives up to the hype with interesting takes on some of the most popular southern eats. Even with the departure of award-winning chef Sean Brock, Husk continues to churn out dishes that elevate Lowcountry cooking.
Husk uses fresh local ingredients and reinterprets heirloom recipes to create a unique taste that is both familiar and strange (in a good way). Since the menu is ingredients-driven, menu changes constantly. So don’t be surprised if what you ate for lunch is no longer available come dinner time.
Even if the dishes may not be familiar to you, rest assured that traditional southern ingredients like country ham, Geechie Boy grits, and Benne seeds are used to create exceptional meals that warm the heart and soul.
Bertha's Kitchen
Image: Bertha's Kitchen Website
When you see the iconic turquoise house in Meeting Street Road, you know you’re in the right place. Prepare to feast on mouth-watering fried chicken, seafood rice, collard greens, cornbread, and lima beans soup cooked to Lowcountry perfection.
With a James Beard Award under its belt, Bertha’s Kitchen is a serious purveyor of soul-satisfying southern comfort food reminiscent of your grandma’s cooking—only better. No meal is complete without Bertha’s refreshing lemonade or sweet tea.
The lunch rush can get really crazy, so you better be there early or risk having them sell out, which is soul-crushing. Wherever you are in Charleston, Bertha’s Kitchen is worth a trip. So do your soul a favor and experience authentic Lowcountry cooking at its finest.
High Cotton
Image: High Cotton Facebook
High Cotton is one of the best fine dining restaurants you’ll find in Charleston. This family-owned restaurant is among the top choices if you want to dress it up for the night. High Cotton serves southern favorites served in an elegant dining room with pine floors and antique bricks filled an atmosphere filled with signature Charleston hospitality.
High Cotton has spectacular appetizers such as the Crab Beignets with saffron aïoli and blackened lemon. They also serve Southern seafood classics like Crab Cakes and Shrimp and Grits. For dessert, we recommend the Lavander Caramel Creme Brulee or a selection from their choice dessert wines — a fine finish to a fine night at High Cotton.
FIG
Image: FIG Website
Only the freshest ingredients go into every dish at FIG. You’ll know the moment you take the first bite that you’re getting high-quality ingredients sourced locally. This is also the reason why the menu changes based on what ingredients are available. What you may have eaten a week ago may not be available the following week. So the mystery adds to your dining pleasure.
But whatever dish Chef Jason Stanhope cooks up, it will be served like a work of art on a plate. If you find it on the menu, don’t miss the dry-aged beef tartare with truffle, crispy buttermilk chicken, ricotta gnocchi Bolognese, and duck rice.
Don’t be intimated by the seemingly snooty menu, the dishes have the signature Lowcountry taste and flavor but with modern-day culinary flare.
Halls Chophouse
Image: Halls Chophouse Facebook
There’s a reason why this classic steakhouse has been around for more than a decade—it’s hard to beat its amazing flavors, huge portions, and impeccable service.
Halls Chophouse is a fine dining establishment with an old-world steakhouse ambience. With live music added to the mix, the dining experience transforms into a lively celebration. If you happen to be there on a Sunday, don’t miss the Sunday Gospel Brunch where staples like shrimp and grits, sweet potato pancakes, crab cake eggs Benedict, and steak omelets are yours for the taking.
So if you want style and elegance to go with your scrumptious jumbo shrimp cocktail, hearty Wagyu steaks, and irresistible seafood dishes, then Halls is just a reservation away.
Edmund's Oast
Image: Edmund's Oast Facebook
Edmund’s Oast is not only a dining dynamo but it’s also a brewing powerhouse. With 48 taps representing each of their home-brewed beers, this brewpub is making some noise in the Charleston food and beverage scene. No wonder it’s always packed with diners and beer connoisseurs.
The charcuterie and cheese plates introduce diners to a myriad of cured meats and funky cheese combos that tickle the palate. But Edmund’s Oast really levels up with the heartier fare. The chicken biscuit with black pepper gravy, buttermilk fried chicken, and the shaved pork sandwich are must-try dishes that are best served with one of their homebrewed beers.
The Ordinary
Image: The Ordinary Website
Well, what do you know? There’s nothing ordinary with The Ordinary. Everything is chic and fancy reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties. The place screams vintage—from the decors to the bistro tables to the plates to the cutlery. Dine at the sparkly mezzanine that overlooks the entire space.
And the food? Simply spectacular. The “Hot” and “Cold” menu makes choosing quite easy. It’s raw bar is one of the best in Charleston, so if you have a hankering for fresh oysters and bivalves, you know where to go. Oyster Happy Hour is highly recommended but if you want a variety of raw and cooked seafood with garnishes, go for the Triple Shellfish Tower. You can thank us later.
The Glass Onion
Image: The Glass Onion Facebook
This roadside restaurant combines all the goodness of Lowcountry cooking with the Creole influences of New Orleans. This winning combo is an assault of great flavors in the mouth but it has a tender and comforting effect on the stomach. You’re getting the best of both worlds in every bite at The Glass Onion.
Sink your teeth into glorious southern comforts like deviled eggs, fried green tomato po boy, fried cornmeal catfish, buttermilk fried chicken, and chicken gumbo. And wash them all down with craft beer or “green” wine.
The Obstinate Daughter
Image: The Obstinate Daughter Website
The nautical-themed dining area is a not-so-subtle hint that the food you’re getting comes from the sea. The Obstinate Daughter delivers fresh seafood in every meal. The dishes are traditional but with a contemporary spin. Simple ingredients transform into creative culinary creations.
Try the Lowcountry Shrimp Roll at all costs! The perfect blend of garlic aioli, herbs, and celery make for a soul-satisfying meal and the Geechie Frites gives French fries a run for its money.
The ricotta gnocchi short rib ragu is a must-try on the menu. Partner it with the signature cocktail and you got yourself an unbeatable meal.
Bowens Island
Image: Bowens Island Facebook
What’s not to like about Bowens Island’s open setting especially when you know that the meal you’re eating has ingredients that have been sourced not too far away?
This 13-acre island located near Folly Beach is where people come to fish. It has a community feel to it and the view is spectacular. But the main attraction is the delicious shrimps, fish, and oysters that are so fresh you can taste the ocean.
This is the kind of place you’d want to bring your family and friends to if you want to have a good time and experience Lowcountry dining at its simplest form.
