Thanks.
We are there now, so I will give my input. Last night we had dinner at The Ordinary and it was fabulous, my wife had been there before but I had not. We had just rolled into town and did not have reservations anywhere since we did not know when we would arrive. We sat at the the cocktail bar with full food service. Small plates that are ideal for sharing, but we did not share this time. Great wine list for by the glass. I highly recommend it.
Breakfast today was in the farmers market, just a bagel but it was great.
Lunch was at Obstinate Daughter on Sullivan’s Island. We have been there a few times and it is always great. Great wine list for by the glass and per bottle. We went with a few glasses. They were able to take us about 45 minutes before our reservation which was handy.
Dinner was at Sorghum & Salt. Small plates that we shared. It is a small restaurant with great service, I highly recommend it. The wine list is not great but they offer corkage for $25 per bottle, but they did not charge it.
James Beard-ish–Fig, The Ordinary, The Grocery, McCrady’s, The Macintosh
Great vibe/food–Cru Cafe
Afternoon cocktails–The Belmont
Other popular–Edmund’s Oast,Hall’s Chophouse, Oak Steakhouse,
View–Fleet Landing (seafood–food usually ok)
More seafood–Hank’s
Beach–Coda del Pesce (IOP), Poe’s Tavern for lunch (Sullivan’s Is)
Italian–Trattoria Lucca, Fulton Five
Lunch–Husk
BBQ–Lewis, Rodney Scott’s
Brasserie-ish–39 Rue de Jean
Trending–https://charleston.eater.com/maps/best-new-charleston-restaurants-heatmap
Husk is fantastic. If you want Southern cooking with a twist, give it a try. Make reservations now, it’s hard to get in.
got a lunch at Husk.
Most top Chas restaurants are tough without proper advance notice.
Scott has nailed many of my favorites. Fig and Edmunds Oast are a must for me when I’m in town.
Lewis BBQ was next-level good on my recent visit in June. Franklin-esque (no surprise)
If you are cool with hipster-casual, and want some fun Asian food: Xia Bao Biscuit…Probably my favorite place in town.
Oh, And echoing what Paul said…I love Obstinate Daughter if you head out to the beach.
Hope you like it. Let me know what you think.
I was in Charleston earlier this year and managed to hit a number of the spots that have been mentioned already. I’ll also throw in some lower-end lunch and drink options…
Fig - My favorite meal of the trip. Absolutely lived up to the hype. Had a bottle of Dirty & Rowdy mourvedre, which oddly enough, I also saw on several other lists around town.
Husk - Went for brunch and was a little let down. Everything was solid, but I probably wouldn’t put it head and shoulders above other quality Southern options. Still worth trying.
The Ordinary - Just had cocktails and apps, but loved everything we tried and really enjoyed the atmosphere. Would certainly go back for lunch or dinner.
Raw - Good lunch spot with fish tacos, outdoor seating, and some fairly interesting beers.
Kudu Coffee & Craft Beer - I went for coffee, but the beer options looked solid as well. Nice little cafe.
The Gin Joint - Great spot to sit outside and enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail.
The Tattooed Moose - Assuming you’re not watching your weight or your heart health, the duck club with a side of duck fat fries is a delicious lunch option.
Lots of great recs above, but I have to give another plug for FIG. Nothing groundbreaking in terms of creativity, but it does basically everything right and couldn’t be more enjoyable.
Thank you! Fig is amazing. Though a small town, Charleston is one of our largest markets- there is so much good food / drink there.
Great meal at Fig tonight!
Husk was a solid lunch but Fig was outstanding.
Just spent the past few days eating my way through Charleston. If I had to rank the experiences in order, I would go:
Fig
The Ordinary
Chez Nous
Xia Bao Biscuit
Lewis BBQ
The Macintosh
Poogans Porch - brunch
The top 4 were all really good in their own way. Brisket at Lewis was super tender but honestly not very flavorful. Makes me wonder if they use a rub at all or just go naked into the smoker.
Macintosh was also good but I was feeling a little off so maybe that was part of it. Xia Bao was a great recommendation to help break up all the southern food. The green papaya salad was spicy AF but I couldn’t stop eating it.
Great food city to be sure.