Need Charleston SC restaurant ideas

My wife and are heading to Charleston on Thursday for a four day stay and need lunch an dinner restaurant recommendations. We appreciate fine dining (Michelin star quality) for dinner, but also enjoy local quirky color.

What’s the best restaurant in Charleston these days?

Thank you in advance.

the best restaurant in Charleston is FIG, IMO. getting a reservation has been hard every time ive gone, involving waiting for when reservations open several weeks ahead of time, but sometimes as the date gets closer that means that some spots open up, so its worth a check.

Husk is also always worth a visit if you dont have one near you. The Ordinary, Malagon, Butcher and Bee, and Chubby Fish are worth checking out as well.

If you are a BBQ fan and/or dont come from a place with good BBQ, Rodney Scott or Lewis BBQ are the places to go.

If a beer fan, Edmond’s Oast is also top of the list.


For wine shops, you have two really good choices: Graft and Monarch Wine Merchants.

should add: none of these are likely Michelin style choices, much more local-flair, as thats typically the kind of thing i want to eat in CHAS and I think that’s what it does best. I have heard good things about Zero though

second Lewis. Get the fatty brisket.
Circa 1886. Amazing.
Zero George. Amazing. We stayed there also.
FIG good, not great, this time.
Corkage allowed most places.
We were there Dec 2021.

I will second Alan on Circa 1886 being amazing and FIG is good not great.

interesting! I have never had anything but a great experience at FIG. Its very possible its more recent than I have been… which makes me a little concerned for future trips!

only been twice. First time awesome. This time it seemed a bit stale. And tables too close! Look at Circa 1886. Great concept and execution—modern Charleston, traditional, and food with an African slant to pay homage to the past influences. It was really exceptional.

There’s a somewhat recent thread regarding Charleston with lots of great information. We just returned from a short visit two (2) weekends ago. After a short stop in Columbia for UTK at USC, we arrived in Charleston on Saturday evening around 5PM and stayed through Monday afternoon. First stop was Leon’s for oysters and champagne. Saturday night dinner was at Circa 1886 and it was fantastic as always. Sunday lunch was at Chez Nous. Check instagram in the morning for the limited daily menu. If you see anything that tempts you, go. They are closed on Mondays. Sunday night dinner was at Zero George. Probably the most innovative meal/experience in Charleston these days? Monday lunch at 167 Raw which is a definite go. They are closed on most Sundays. We grabbed to go from Lewis on Monday afternoon for dinner throughout the week.

FIG and the Ordinary were both closed for renovations/maintenance during our stay. I thought that FIG was excellent during our previous visit Christmas week a few months ago. At times, our visits to FIG have been underwhelming, but the service has always been top notch.

Evidently, Lewis’ Friday special is a take on the Arby’s Beef n Cheddar and the bartender at 167 said it was the best sandwich in town.

That would be correct.

Fig (if open)
Ordinary
Don’t overlook Grocery.
Chas Grill too

When Marc is on his game, Circa 1886 is quite good (and he’s a great wine guy).

Is the Pennisula Grill still open?

Not sure.
We’ve been out of the loop because of the ‘Rona.

I’ll add my name to the list that enjoyed Circa 1886. We also went to the Charlestown Grill, food was good, atmosphere a bit pretentious. While not fancy, we enjoyed a meal at Pearlz. We did hit Magnolias for fried chicken but I don’t think I’d go back.

I’ll add Chubby Fish and Chez Nous to the usual suspects (Charleston Grill, FIG, Ordinary, etc.) Chubby Fish may be the best food in town right now…

Chubby Fish is fantastic but doesn’t take reservations. Luckily a great new wine bar called Tippling House opened around the corner so you could enjoy a glass or two while you wait.

Lost of good restaurant selections listed here but for wine bars two other great options are Wine & Company on Meeting Street and Bin 152 on King Street.

Add me to the Circa 1886 bandwagon. We had a great experience in March 2021. The place we kept hearing about but never got to was 167 Raw Oyster Bar. Always a line out the door. Coming from New England, oysters weren’t at the top of my culinary priority list when visiting Charleston. No idea if it’s any good. But certainly seemed to be buzzy.

Reservations were a bugger to get on such short notice, so we ended up eating at 8:30pm and 9pm every night. The Peninsula Grill was the standout. That’s the second time we’ve been there and both were excellent. Somm was knowledgeable and engaging… service was outstanding as well. Nice to have a waiter who cares about their craft. Food outstanding.

82 Queen has gone down hill from the last time we were there.

SNOB was cool. Liked the atmosphere, Somm was a great guy and our waiter was excellent. Food was very good. I ordered the Ribeye, which in retrospect was a mistake… I can go to Costco and cook one 3 times as thick and cooked over wood. Oh well, that’s on me. My wife had the Scallops and they were large and perfectly cooked.

Sorry to hijack, but would appreciate any hotel recommendations as well. Looking for nice, centrally located, hopefully moderately priced. Don’t need any bells and whistles, just a good safe, clean, comfortable place to stay. Thanks.

We usually stay at the Fulton Lane Inn which is at King and Market and within walking distance to most of DTC. FLI was closed for maintenance during our recent visit, so we stayed at the sister property next door, King’s Courtyard Inn. Both properties are nice and next door to 167Raw.

Chubby Fish and Tippling House make for a great combo. Throwing in Leon’s Oyster if you’re open to a more casual, high energy evening. Great food and the sparkling list is actually really great for what seems like a beer and cocktail joint.

Same ownership as Rutledge House Inn, Wentworth Mansion (and Circa)
Richard and Linn are great people btw.