Charleston City Paper: Dish Dining Guide, Winter 2026

Better with bite.

It’s winter in Charleston, and while we still might see a 60-degree day here and there, colder temperatures call for soul-warming food. Our new issue of Dish explores chefs’ kitchen tips, classic sweets, the secret to a perfect chicken and foods from the African continent.

In a city filled with exceptional chefs, it sometimes feels like home cooking can never match what you eat at restaurants. Liz Regalia spoke with a handful of pros in town to learn their secrets. Looking to perfect an omelette? Don’t brown your butter. Want to take your fish to another level? Forget trying to crisp the skin and poach it instead.

While many might think of shrimp and grits and Lowcountry boil when it comes to Charleston staples, the list of traditional sweets found here is just as impressive. Stephanie Hunt dives deep on desserts like coconut cake and Huguenot torte. We won’t judge if you start with dessert the next time you dine out!

We also spoke with the husband-wife duo behind Bintü Atelier, the West African restaurant that has added a much needed, community focused spot to the downtown landscape. Chef Bintou N’Daw wanted to open a restaurant that didn’t just serve food, but helped tell the

difficult, yet beautiful story of this city. If you haven’t been yet, run (don’t walk) to experience just that.

Finally while chicken is often an afterthought at restaurants, we might argue it’s actually the perfect food. Charleston has many delicious versions and we explored Peruvian, French and Italian iterations of the humble bird.

Our back-page essay is by Meg Mina, a food executive and certified sommelier. Her honest words on the challenges of the food and beverage profession offer an important insight into the industry we all know and love.

Finally, our Top 50 list of restaurants has a notable newcomer, and the fittingly named Hotlist and a list of Charleston classics include the coolest new plus the most beloved places in town. It’s a new year in Charleston, and we hope it’s one filled with only the best food and drink! —Becky Lacey

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Top tips

Charleston chefs share the best secrets to help at home

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Charleston Classics

Time-tested establishments that are sure to please

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Return to sweet classics

Charleston’s OG desserts still satisfy

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The Dish Top 50

The places you’ve got to taste

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Cluckin’ good

How chicken can be a perfect main course

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The CP Hotlist

Here’s where to go if you’re looking for something new

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Food traditions

Bintü Atelier continues to shine on Line Street

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Finding the way back to myself

Meg Mina speaks about coping with exhuastion and burnout in F&B

Top tips

Charleston chefs share best secrets to help at home

By Liz Regalia

ew year, new goals. If yours has anything to do with cooking, read this.

Some Charleston restaurants have names synonymous with a signature dish.

For example, if you’re craving crispy fried chicken, everyone knows you’re getting in line at Leon’s. Dreaming about filet mignon? You’re headed to Halls. And debates over where to find the “best” seafood in the city aside, the market catch at Michelin-recommended Chubby Fish is as fresh and flavorful as it gets.

It’s safe to say these kinds of signature dishes have surpassed hidden-gem status. What, however, still remains secret in these Instagram times? How these dishes are consistently perfect. Until now.

From Lewis Barbecue’s famously smoky brisket to Poogan Porch’s creamy Southern grits, we asked the chefs responsible for whipping up some of the city’s most beloved fare to share their top tips for fans who want to try cooking them at home.

Before frying chicken, rest it in the fridge for more crunch.

Andrew Hartenstein, head chef at Leon’s Fine Poultry and Oyster Shop

Chef’s signature dish: Fried chicken. “The perfect piece of fried chicken is super crunchy, juicy and has a great balance of spice and salt,” Hartenstein said. “The texture should be firm, yet delicate and cooked well enough for you to be able to separate the meat from the bone.”

The secret: Allow chicken to rest in the refrigerator after you’ve breaded it. “In my experience, a lot of people dredge their chicken and fry it immediately resulting in a lackluster crunch,” Hartenstein said. “Resting lets the humidity of the refrigerator bind to the breader and turn it into a batter. Makes a world of difference.”

Hartenstein recommends breading chicken with a mix of flour with salt, white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, paprika and cayenne. Then refrigerate it for no less than four hours (overnight is best) before frying at 325 degrees to a safe internal temp.

Don’t let your butter brown when making an omelette.

Hunter Conklin, executive chef at Brasserie La Banque

Chef’s signature dish: French omelette with gruyère. “A perfect French omelette should be very tender, delicate and rich,” Conklin said. “I like the inside of the omelette to be like soft scrambled eggs, with a good amount of melty cheese, butter and creme fraiche.”

The secret: When you add butter to a pan before your eggs, it shouldn’t brown at all. “It should just be over a medium heat, getting hot enough to start foaming up a little bit,” Conklin said. “This is so you don’t scorch the exterior of the omelette.”

Conklin also recommends keeping one nonstick pan in your kitchen reserved only for eggs. This will keep the pan pristine and ensure your omelette comes out clean as well.

Slow down: Brisket doesn’t respond well to impatience.

John Lewis, founder and pitmaster of Lewis Barbecue

Chef’s signature dish: Central Texas-style USDA prime beef brisket. “Perfect brisket should taste like beef turned all the way up,” Lewis said. “It should be rich, savory and clean with smoke that enhances the meat rather than covering it up.”

The secret: Steady low-and-slow temps. Lewis keeps his pit around 225 to 250 degrees and every brisket is smoked for about 18 hours. This causes the fat within the brisket to slowly melt, infusing the meat with an incredible flavor and texture.

“My top tip is simple: Slow down and trust the process to ensure a great bark and a perfect smoke ring,” Lewis said. “I’d say the biggest mistake people make is rushing it by either cooking too hot, trimming too aggressively or slicing before it’s had time to rest.”

Steak should always be cooked last.

Matthew Niessner, executive chef at Halls Chophouse

Chef’s signature dish: Filet mignon. “The perfect steak starts with purchasing the right steak,” Niessner said. “If we are seeking tenderness and little fat, the filet mignon fits the bill.” Specifically, he picks a “choice” grade filet mignon, a highquality tenderloin cut.

The secret: Cook your steak last so you can keep tabs on the temperature. “The most common mistake I see is overcooking, and once overcooked, you can’t turn back,” Niessner said. He likes to keep the internal temperature of the steak to 130 degrees or lower.

“This temperature will be appropriate for those who love a pink center without the blood,” he said. “Lastly, ‘rest’ your steak for four minutes after cooking so the muscle has time to relax. This resting period will ensure no bleeding and the maximum tenderness.”

Forget crispy skin if you want a perfect piece of fish.

James London, chef and owner of Chubby Fish

Chef’s signature dish: Market catch, chef’s seasonal preparation. “We do a lot of poaching in the restaurant,” London said. “It is a seafood technique that has been forgotten, but if you really want a showstopper, it is an easy and effective way to add a ton of flavor and

continued on page 8

ensure a succulent piece of fish.”

The secret: Skip searing. “Whenever you do that, you wind up over cooking half of your fillet and it never comes out great,” London said. Instead, he recommends covering a seasoned piece of fish with a flavorful poaching liquid and letting it slowly reduce.

How do you know your fish is cooked? “You are looking for no resistance when a cake tester is inserted,” London said. “This can be topped with a salsa verde, a chimichurri or a beurre blanc once it is plated. It will be a winner every time.”

Never bring grits to a boil to get the best texture.

Jermaine

Use butter to create a crave-worthy sear on scallops.

Monique Mickle, chef at The Darling Oyster Bar

Chef’s signature dish: Seared diver scallops. In general, dry sea scallops are best for searing, according to Mickle. “They have limited moisture coming out of them and you can get your pan really hot with a little oil. When pan searing, I only use salt and pepper because scallops have great flavor on their own.”

The secret: Add a little butter to the pan right before you flip your scallops to get that delicious crisp and rich color. “When golden brown, flip themand cook until they have the feel of a medium rare steak,” Mickle said.

Porch

Brown, chef at Poogan’s

Chef’s signature dish: Shrimp and grits. “At Poogan’s Porch, we use a stone-ground white grit from Marsh Hen Mills,” Brown said. “This gives us the taste, texture and presentation that we are looking for — a creamy al dente bite; soft but not gummy.”

The secret: Keep things to a simmer. “I would say the most common mistake people make when cooking grits is the heat,” Brown said. “The water should be about 200 degrees. If you bring it to a boil, you will scorch the milk and burn the grits.”

As for flavor? “The best tip I can give anyone is more butter,” Browns said. “When you think it’s right, just add a touch more butter.”

Season Brussels sprouts before the oven but after the fryer.

Kelly

Franz, chef and culinary director at Magnolias

Chef’s signature dish: Crispy Brussel sprouts. “We do Brussels here two different ways, but they both achieve perfect caramelization and crispiness which I believe is the only way to eat Brussels sprouts,” Franz said. Her go-to

methods? Roasting and frying.

The secret: Season your Brussels at the point in the cooking process where it will deliver max results. When roasting, add salt, pepper and EVOO right before cooking them in a 400 degree oven for around 20 minutes.

When frying, however, season them right after approximately three to four minutes in a 350 degree fryer. “The pro tip is to season them right when they come out of the fryer so the salt, etc. sticks,” Franz said. “Drain on a paper towel and serve immediately.

Brine grilled chicken to make overcooking (nearly) impossible.

Josh Taylor, owner and chef of Lost Isle

Chef’s signature dish: Charcoalgrilled chicken. “A perfectly grilled chicken needs to be moist and juicy with a nice charred skin,” Taylor said.

“Having a good smoky char on the skin is one of the best parts in my opinion.”

The secret: Start with a brine.

“Brining your chicken before cooking is a huge help in ensuring a delicious and juicy chicken,” Taylor said.

“Using a brine can cover up a lot of mistakes with overcooking.” (He recommends using a meat thermometer as well to ensure the bird doesn’t go over the recommended 165 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Located on Historic Shem Creek in Mt. Pleasant, Red’s is the perfect getaway to enjoy one of the best Lowcountry views in town. Our diverse menu is ideal for fun family dinners and we’re consistently voted the best place to bring out - of - town visitors!

Peninsula Grill’s famous coconut cake, which Southern Living christened “one of the South’s grand desserts”

Andrew Cebulka

Charleston’s OG desserts still satisfy

By Stephanie Hunt

The pace of restaurant openings and culinary happenings in this town can be downright gluttonous and overwhelming. Sometimes, instead of chasing the new and flashy, you simply crave the tried and true. Especially when it comes to desserts. Fortunately, that’s much easier than snagging a reservation at Merci or Sorelle. In a city so deeply rooted in history and heritage, a few standout restaurants — and one bakery — offer what can be considered Lowcountry heritage desserts. These sweet endings are steeped in place as much as butter and sugar. They taste like tradition, celebration, comfort and decadence. There’s a reason these treats have stood the test of time. Here’s why you should order that after dinner aperitif and get that dessert fork ready.

Coconut cake at Peninsula Grill

This 12-layer stalwart is more than a cake — it’s an institution. So much so that Peninsula Grill opened its adjacent coffee and dessert bar, Benne’s, to accommodate the growing number of diners making reservations just to score a slice.

As good ol’ Southern coconut cakes go, it’s less white frosting atop fluffy crumb than a rich, dense architecture of excess, in all the best ways. Peninsula Grill’s pastry chef Samantha Ed remembers visiting Charleston before moving here and eating the cake. Now she’s baking 32 each day for the three-day process that results in 16 cakes to meet the restaurant’s daily needs and a robust mail-order demand. The restaurant delivered some 600 12-pound honkers over the recent holidays at a hefty $270 per cake, shipped anywhere in the U.S.

The famed dessert has been a staple at the Relais and Chateaux property since the late Bob Carter, Peninsula Grill’s chef from 1997 to 2011, introduced it during his first

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Valentine’s Day at the restaurant.

“I grew up with this cake,” he said, according to restaurant history. “When I first started cooking professionally, I purposefully kept it out of my repertoire because it was just too familiar… until I realized it was the best darn layer cake I had ever tasted.”

Others agree, including Bobby Flay, Martha Stewart, The New York Times and Southern Living, which christened it “one of the South’s grand desserts.”

Charleston Receipts (1950). But who’s quibbling?

In the 1980s, when the revered Edna Lewis became chef at Middleton’s restaurant, she developed a menu focused on historically accurate fare, i.e. seasonally sourced “plantation cooking” and other Southern foodways. This simple crowdpleaser, with its sugary crunch and pecan explosion, fit the bill.

Huguenot torte warmed and crowned with a dollop of ice cream is basically the perfect food delivery system: fruit, nuts and dairy, as easy and unfussy as it is delicious.

Huguenot torte at Middleton Place Restaurant

The French Huguenots who sought religious freedom in Charlestowne in the 1680s have given this region much flavor, but this eponymous dessert is not part of that legacy. According to food historian John Martin Taylor, the Huguenot torte actually hails from the Ozarks and got its French protestant moniker when Mrs. Cornelius Huguenin submitted the nutty, appley

According to the website TasteAtlas, Middleton Place’s torte takes top world ranking, which would undoubtedly make Lewis proud. The restaurant has evolved since her time there, with the torte not always on the menu, but when it is, it’s worth the drive. Closer to downtown, you can find a more than worthy Huguenot torte at Fleet Landing or at the Grace Church Cathedral tearoom in the spring.

Carolina Gold rice pudding at The Grocery

Can it get more classic in Charleston than Carolina Gold rice? When Chef Kevin Johnson stirs it into a creamy, dreamy rice

is no. For the multiple James Beard nominee and culinary pioneer who opened The Grocery in 2011, Carolina Gold rice pudding is the quintessential Charleston dessert.

“It’s a great canvas for whatever fruit is at its prime — citrus in the winter, berries in the spring, peaches all summer and muscadine grapes in the fall.”

—The Grocery’s Kevin Johnson on Carolina

“I think my first memory of rice pudding was at Hot Shoppes Cafeteria in Virginia when I was a kid,” Johnson said. “I enjoyed the simplicity and the texture. At The Grocery, I revisited it as a way to highlight the wonderful rice of our region. It’s the Carolina Gold middlins that make it so incredibly delicious.” Rice pudding isn’t for everyone, he admits. “It can be polarizing, but there’s a certain percentage of us who love it, me included,” he added. One of the reasons

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he’s such a fan and that it fits The Grocery’s seasonally-based menu so well “is its ability to travel throughout any season,” Johnson said. “It’s a great canvas for whatever fruit is at its prime — citrus in the winter, berries in the spring, peaches all summer and muscadine grapes in the fall.”

Bread pudding at Hannibal’s Kitchen

Pro tip: if you’re a sweet-tooth looking for a deal, look no further than the venerable Hannibal’s Kitchen in Charleston’s East Side. For a mere three bucks (you read that right) you can get a mini-loaf of bread pudding. At Hannibal’s, it is something akin to a hearty apple-raisin cake meets morning glory muffin meets cinnamony chunk of pure joy. It ain’t fancy, but it doesn’t need to be. Pop in and order one to go, or better yet, sit down for a full soul food feast and top it off with this compact concoction that is more fruity than bready, so it seems healthier than it probably is.

Sisters Safiya Grant and Felicity Huger, the third-generation family owners and operators, stay true to the classics, of which bread pudding is a non-negotiable.

“Always a favorite,” says Felicity, not

Daddy’s Girl Bakery’s Charleston chewies are a beautiful example of the traditional Gullah Geechee dessert

told the Southern Foodways Alliance. The classic treat is by far the bakery’s best seller. In today’s lexicon, think of it as a power bar, a shot of sugary energy and delight.

A DESTINATION FOR EVERY OCCASION AND CELEBRATION.

CLUCKIN’ GOOD CLUCKIN’ GOOD

The roasted chicken at Mario’s Peruvian Chicken is herbcrusted and marinated for 24-hours before being cooked over

How chicken can be a perfect main course

By Becky Lacey

Julia Childs once wisely said that “one can judge the quality of a cook by his or her roast chicken.” While chicken is often considered a simple food, it is also one that is very easy to mess up. Overcook it by seconds, and it will be dry. Roast it at the wrong temperature and the skin won’t crisp. Under season it? It’s bland.

But when a chicken is cooked properly, it could be considered the perfect food. It pairs well with just about any starch and vegetable, and it’s a beautiful carrier for sauce. Leftovers can be made into a chicken salad or sliced for a sandwich. Bones can be used for stock, making it both sustainable and a gift that keeps on giving.

Chicken is also a food that has endless interpretations across different cultures. Many Charleston chefs have chicken as a mainstay on their menus, and we spoke with a few who prepare a perfect bird.

Mario’s Peruvian poultry

Brothers Mario Allen and Mario Chris Obregon opened Mario’s Peruvian Chicken in Mount Pleasant in 2018 to bring the taste of their native Peru to the Lowcountry. A North Charleston location opened in 2023, and the two restaurants prepare a chicken inspired by a recipe the Obregons’ grandmother developed.

“My whole idea to bring my food to the Lowcountry was that I wanted to offer something that is healthy and a bargain for a family,” said brother

Mario C.

Authenticity is the name of the game at Mario’s. Traditionally, Peruvian chicken is herb-crusted and marinated for 24-hours before being cooked over charcoal. Mario C. spent a year recipe testing to perfect the menu, and he produces up to 40 gallons of marinade each week.

Capturing authenticity also meant traveling to Peru to source custom brick ovens. The brothers wanted ovens that would stand out and allow customers to see the cooking process.

While the chicken packs a punch and could be binged on its own, the Peruvian sauces take it to another level. Using peppers unfamiliar in the American south, Mario’s sauces include an aji amarillo (with mild yellow peppers) and an aji rocoto (red peppers with a bit more kick). Peppers are imported frozen fresh from Peru.

“I guess the key to my success is consistency since day one. I never changed

The Obregon brothers traveled to Peru to source custom brick ovens

the recipe. I never tried to be cheap and buy lesser quality ingredients,” Mario C. said.

And this commitment to flavor and process can be tasted in every bite.

Giving thanks for the Merci chicken

Merci, a charming bistro on the corner of Pitt and Montagu Streets, has been sharing its European-inspired menu since March 2025. The restaurant comes from Chef Michael Zentner and his wife Courtney. Its chicken is a labor of love.

The Merci bird is slow-cooked and served with braised greens and moutarde violette.

“The chicken is probably my favorite dish in the restaurant,” Zentner said. “I wanted this chicken to be a chicken that others look up to.” And he achieved that goal.

After butchering the birds, the team lays them on wire racks and lets them dry for a minimum of two days. This is the same trick with Peking duck; the drying process makes the skin easier to caramelize. When it comes to cooking, once in the pan, a brick is used which aids even cooking and crisping the skin.

And just as importantly: the sauce. It was inspired by a sauce Zentner prepared

at a previous job that used moutarde violette, a French purple mustard made from the winemaking process. It is a Dijon with tannins, and he uses one part moutarde violette, one part tarragon butter and one part chicken jus for the sauce.

Merci’s chicken is slow-cooked and served with braised greens and a sauce made with tarragon and moutarde violette, a French purple mustard made from the winemaking process

“We work hard to make the chicken,” he said. “Restaurants are all about proper technique and following procedures, and we take them very seriously. The chicken is one that has a lot of procedural drama to it.”

Chicken with an Italian spin

Italian restaurant Indaco almost always has chicken on the menu, and the current iteration is a roasted half chicken with Parmesan grits, a spicy Arrabbiata-style tomato sauce and wood-fired broccolini.

“At Indaco, we have had a half-roasted chicken on the menu basically since we opened our doors,” Executive Chef Tito Marino said. “We bring in all natural chickens from Joyce Farms. Buying a great product really does most of the work for us.

The chicken at Indaco has been on the menu since day one and is roasted in the wood-fired

Chicken from page 19

We butcher the chickens and brine them for a few hours to further bump up the flavor and moisture.”

This thoughtful prep sets the chicken up for dinnertime success.

“During service, we roast [the chickens] in our wood-fired pizza oven, which gives them a crispy skin and light smokiness. We wanted to bring a modern take to old school Italian flavors, while utilizing some of the best products the south has to offer.”

Chicken at Le Cave

Executive Chef Alex Eaton uses a poulet rouge for her chicken dish at Le Cave. French for “red chicken,” poulet rouge is a heritage breed that is known for its dense meat, rich flavor and delicate skin that crisps easily.

Like Indaco, Le Cave sources chicken from Joyce Farms, based in Winston-Salem, N.C. Joyce Farms has transformed chicken in the United States by combining French genetics with a natural, slow growth. This produces chickens that are pasture raised and air chilled, which helps preserve the flavor and texture.

“My favorite thing to do is bring France and the Lowcountry together, and they really shake hands in our Poulet Rouge,” Eaton said.

Le Cave’s Joyce Farms half chicken is served with herbes de Provence, beurre blanc (a classic French sauce made with emulsified butter) and roasted seasonal vegetables. The chicken is finished in the oven over cipollini onions and a pad of butter. This adds richness and juiciness while maintaining the crispiness. The beurre blanc is served on the side so nothing compromises the texture of the skin.

“My favorite compliment to hear is, ‘that’s the best chicken I’ve ever had.’ Chicken is something we’ve all had a hundred different ways. When someone says that, it tells me the technique, experience and care behind the dish elevated a humble ingredient into something truly memorable.”

And these are words Julia Child would swear by.

Le Cave uses Joyce Farms’ poulet rouge chicken, a heritage breed known for its dense meat, rich flavor and delicate skin that crisps easily

AERIAL & CIRCUS ARTS CLASSES & PERFORMANCE COACHING + FINAL STUDENT SHOWCASE

AGES 8-12 (JUNIOR) & 13-16 (TEEN) ALL LEVELS & BACKGROUNDS

FEBRUARY 17 – MAY 14 TUES. AND THUR. 4:30-6PM

FOOD TRADITIONS

Bintü Atelier continues to shine on Line Street

By Becky Lacey

When Bintü Atelier opened in the summer of 2023, it marked the start of an important chapter in the downtown Charleston restaurant scene. While the influences of African cuisine are integral to the story of South Carolina and its complicated history, there was not a restaurant specializing in food of the African continent on the peninsula. Bintou N’Daw, a native of Dakar, Senegal, wanted to change that.

And since opening, the accolades for Bintü have piled up. Bon Appetit named it one of the “20 Best New Restaurants of 2024” and it made Esquire’s 2024 list of the nation’s best new restaurants. Most recently, N’Daw was named a 2026 James Beard Award Semifinalist for Best Chef: Southeast. Eating a meal there is soul-affirming. It is a restaurant rooted in history and global influence, paying homage to the Lowcountry and pushing people to learn and understand more about culture through cuisine.

N’Daw’s genesis as a chef

It should come as no surprise that a woman with a dynamic upbringing would create such a dynamic restaurant. Both of N’Daw’s French and Senegalese grandmothers were caterers. They also were her first teachers in the kitchen.

N’Daw started pastry school in France and quickly learned that, while sweets were not her passion, she loved cooking savory food. This took her to professional kitchens in France, Spain, Tanzania and Cameroon. When she was working as a traveling chef for a family, they relocated to New York City, and she went with them.

The next chapter saw N’Daw start a packaged Senegalese sauce brand and work as a private chef for celebrities. She then opened her first restaurant in the Bronx, iNINE Bistro, which thrived — even during the pandemic.

Lovers of travel, N’Daw and co-owner and husband Tracey Young would often travel to the Southeast. When a close friend moved to Charleston, they would visit. During these trips, N’Daw fell in love with the city.

“I felt the influence of the French and an even deeper connection here when I learned of the Gullah Geechee culture,” she told Charleston City Paper in 2023.

She took the leap and moved to Charleston in 2021, joining Chez Nous as sous chef, while also working in her free time with B.J. Dennis and immersing herself in Gullah Geechee food traditions. During this first year in Charleston, she did not encounter any restaurants that served the cuisine of home. It was during this time that she heard about an open space on Line Street and stars aligned.

Tracey Young and Bintou N’Daw are the husband-wife duo behind the restaurant, and Young steers the ice cream program, including this coffee flavor

Opening the atelier

N’Daw was ready to bring the foods of Africa to Charleston. The decision to open downtown was intentional.

“You see tourists and you see a lot of people, but it’s not a multicultural city downtown,” she continued. “I wanted to stay downtown because of that.

“I wanted to have this tiny house where it’s personal, but also open to everybody to sit and join each other and have conversation. I felt like African food, if it works, that will be something that will open the minds of people about who we are and the story of the city. I really wanted to be a part of this city and tell the story that is still difficult, but beautiful.”

When Bintü Atelier opened in 2023, there were three dishes on the menu: an okra stew, red rice with fish and vegetables, and mafé, which is a peanut stew with chicken or mushrooms. Since then, the menu has evolved to one with dishes that represent West Africa, but with flashes of global taste.

“We had the opportunity to highlight food from those different countries,” Young said. “North, east, west, south or even if it’s a hybrid version of something. We go through the diaspora, wherever Africans may have landed and assimilated with that environment, with their spices.”

“All the dishes have the story of what happened in Africa before slavery,” N’Daw continued. “It was trade. We had spices and things coming from all over the world. East Africa is really spice-oriented like India. You have beautiful curries. In the west, you have tomatoes that come from Mexico, so the jollof (a one-pot rice dish) embraced tomato.”

Everything on the Bintü Atelier menu is a highlight. Egusi has red shrimp in a smoked red pepper stew with ground melon seed curd, pumpkin and greens. The dish is served with a choice of broken rice or fufu, a West African staple. It is a soft, doughy disc made from starchy root vegetables like yams or plantains, meant to be eaten with the fingers by using it as a scoop. The shito (a spicy pepper sauce from Ghana) crab rice is a crabmeat and broken rice stir fry with greens, yam and the spicy shito paste.

The beverage program at the restaurant, created by Young, is just as thoughtful as the food. Drinks like a pas-

sionfruit juice, a sorrel tea and a soursop drink, made from the sweet and creamy tropical fruit, all pair beautifully with the cuisine.

To end, Young also steers an ice cream program. Flavors have included hibiscus with blackberry jam as well as a rosemary limoncello, made with herbs grown on-site.

Bintü’s next chapter

When asked about what else is in store on Line Street, N’Daw said, “I want to open this place more as a community center where we can do different things that open discussion.”

There likely will be more cooking classes, more collaborations, pop-ups and maybe a market. And lunch service is expected to return soon.

“Our mission is to link African food and the food of the South,” N’Daw said. “Reconciliation through food. To me, this place and the fact that it was really small and in this kind of neighborhood was important. It was not really targeted to Black people, but to make sure that we have a conversation. That we can still talk to each other.”

Charleston Classics

Time-tested establishments that are sure to please By City Paper staff

With so many great restaurants in Charleston, we thought it would be helpful to create a new list of great longtime, proven restaurants that always offer an outstanding experience to create some space in our Top 50 list for the increasing volume of places where you can get a superb meal. Here are 10 Charleston Classic restaurants that we return to time and time again, knowing we’re going to have an enjoyable evening with food prepared by masters.

Organized in alphabetical order.

82 Queen (1982)

SOUTHERN

Moderate

Downtown. 82 Queen St. (843) 723-7591 82queen.com

Serving Dinner (daily), Lunch (Mon.-Fri.) and Sunday Brunch

The story goes that in 1982, three local restaurateurs decided to open a restaurant that focused on fresh, local cuisine and quintessential Southern hospitality. The result was longstanding French Quarter favorite, 82 Queen, which serves tasty, Southern fare, from fried green tomatoes to shrimp and grits. You’d be remiss, though, to visit the spot without ordering its famous she-crab soup. 82 Queen’s sous chef Lamont Ferrebee said the 43-year-old restaurant’s soup, made with a pound of white crab meat, is a longtime favorite for a reason: “Experience and consistency are the keys to any great product, and our she-crab soup is no different.”

Bertha’s Kitchen (1981)

SOUL FOOD

Inexpensive

Downtown. 2332 Meeting Street Road. (843) 554-6519

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Mon.-Fri.)

Head up Meeting Street until you see a twostory robin’s egg blue building with purple trim and a line stretching out the door. The Southern soul food platters here are so tasty, generous and inexpensive, that the line starts forming well before it’s open for lunch. Businessmen, laborers and far-flung tourists alike shuffle through the quick cafeteria-style service counter loaded with a smorgasbord of meat and threes, such as fried pork chops, fish specials, yams, stewed greens, home-style mac-and-cheese, limas nestled with smoked turkey necks, dark roux okra soup, moist cornbread and fried chicken better than anyone’s Grandma ever made. Bertha’s building was announced for sale earlier this year, but has since been taken off the market.

Bowens Island Restaurant (1946)

SEAFOOD

Moderate

James Island. 1870 Bowens Island Road. (843) 795-2757 bowensisland.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

Don’t expect white tablecloth and maitre d’service at Bowens Island. It’s famously no frills, but it’s worth it. The nightly crowds are a testament to the family fish camp. Since its founding in 1946, it’s grown from a grimy, albeit quaint, cinder block outpost to a pluff-mud pantheon that offers up damn good fried seafood, hushpuppies and cold local beer in its upstairs dining room. Follow your nose downstairs and elbow-

out yourself a space at the all-you-can-eat oyster tables and slurp down tasty local oysters by the shovelful that were likely pulled off the marsh that day. Oyster season or not, we have a hard time passing up the Frogmore Stew, a pot full of potatoes, sausage, corn on the cob and shrimp steamed together as God intended it.

Dave’s Carry-Out (1997)

SOUL FOOD/SEAFOOD

Inexpensive

Downtown. 42-C Morris St. (843) 577-7943

facebook.com/daves-carryout-111720082197029/

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

This soul food joint offers a true taste of Charleston. For under $10 you can get a takeout box filled to the brim with the best of Lowcountry cooking like pork chops, crispy chicken wings and finger-lickin’ ribs. The selection of sides is small but tasty — try the lima beans, thick steak fries, or rice. The lunch specials change daily, but your best bet is to go with a seafood platter, which ranges from $10 for a generous portion of shrimp to $20 for shrimp, fish, scallops and deviled crab. If you want a true local experience, opt for the lima beans and rice. It’s meaty and filling. A few tables allow customers to dine in, but most folks get their Dave’s to-go, whether for lunch or a greasy late-night snack.

FIG (2003)

MODERN AMERICAN

Expensive

Downtown. 232 Meeting St. (843) 805-5900 eatatfig.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

In 2003, chef Mike Lata set out to prove that “food is good.” After blazing a trail for the robust local farm-to-table restaurant scene, FIG still stands out, winning awards and creating devotees year after year. Although snagging a reservation can be a challenge, the seasonally inspired cuisine and impeccable service are worth the effort. Change is a constant, but stalwart menu standbys, like the pillowy ricotta gnocchi alla bolognese, never fail to satisfy. Be sure to check out the wine offerings, as — along with two nods for Best Chef Southeast — FIG is also a national James Beard awardwinner for Outstanding Wine Program.

G&M Fast and French (1984) FRENCH

Moderate Downtown. 98 Broad St. (843)-577-9797 fastandfrenchcharleston.com

Serving Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (daily) Gaulart & Maliclet Café, also known as Fast & French, has graced Charleston for more than four decades. While it certainly doesn’t have trouble keeping seats filled, this luscious little jewel doesn’t get half of the praise it deserves. Any place that can actually survive in a downtown location for

Restaurant are grown by the Charleston Oyster Farm, hand-raised in Green Creek, a tidal creek off the Stono River

40 years is practically a memorial. Fast & French walks the line between relevant and quaint, trendy and authentic, and it keeps things wallet-friendly.

Halls

Chophouse (2009)

STEAKHOUSE

Expensive

Downtown. 434 King St. (843) 727-0090

hallschophouse.com

Serving Dinner (Mon.-Thurs.), Lunch (Sat.-Sun.)

Sure, there are newer and “hotter” restaurants, but Halls Chophouse is a special occasion classic for a reason. You can’t get better service with your steak, the wine list includes some unexpected offerings and the cocktails are generous. And the steak, of course, is fabulous. Pro tip: order the giant tomahawk cut and split it. One diner told us to order any of the dried aged steaks, especially if you need a reason to cry tears of joy. “While I have only eaten there a few times for dinner,” he said. “I dream of the next opportunity to go back.”

Oak Steakhouse (2005)

STEAKHOUSE

Expensive

Downtown. 17 Broad St. (843) 722-4220

oaksteakhouserestaurant.com

Serving Dinner (daily)

Located in a restored 150-year-old bank building, Oak is a long-running favorite for a big Charleston night out. Hefty prime ribeyes and strips are the main attractions, with luxurious family-style accompaniments like creamy whipped potatoes and lobster mac and cheese. Within the traditional steakhouse format, there is always a twist or two, like a daily local seafood special or beef belly with sorghum barbecue sauce. The deep wine list focuses on California reds, and the service is reliably top-notch, regardless of whether you eat downstairs in the bar area, with its exposed brick walls and clubby red leather booths,

or at the white cloth-draped tables in the second story dining room, its high windows looking out over Broad Street.

Peninsula Grill (1997)

NEW SOUTHERN

Very Expensive

Downtown. 112 N. Market St. (843) 723-0700

peninsulagrill.com

Serving Dinner (daily)

There are milestones in life that require a fancy steak. Or at least the kind of place where one can get a fancy steak. If you’re in the midst of such an occasion, Peninsula Grill has got you covered. Even after more than two decades, Peninsula Grill continues to impress with its luxurious fare. Pro tip: Don’t forget a slice of the spot’s iconic coconut cake.

Slightly North of Broad (1993)

NEW SOUTHERN

Expensive

Downtown. 192 East Bay St. (843) 723-3424

snobcharleston.com

Serving Lunch (Mon.-Fri.), Dinner (daily), Weekend Brunch

Slightly North of Broad is the perfect place to take visiting friends for their first taste of Charleston cuisine, for it embodies so much of what makes the city’s dining scene special. Since taking the reins in 2016, executive chef Russ Moore has deftly balanced the restaurant’s traditional dishes with more forward-looking fare. Pristinely fresh seafood gets an elegant Southern touch on plates like New Bedford scallops with tomato ham hock broth or seared tuna topped with crisp fried oysters and tart yellow “mustard Q” sauce. SNOB was a local charcuterie pioneer, and a platter of hearty country pate, savory pork rillettes and lush chicken liver mousse is the perfect evening starter.

Shrimp Boat Lane (843) 884-4074 waters-edge-restaurant.com

The places you’ve got to taste

The Dish Top 50 is an incredible resource that will keep you focused on some of Charleston’s best places to eat without having to filter through endless online suggestions. Our curated list from a panel of experienced foodies includes places where you can have incredible, internationally inspired dining experiences, such as Bintü Atelier or Kultura. For more casual joints, head to Berkeley’s and Leon’s spots that are special in their unique ways. As you can see from this list, there’s no shortage of fantastic dining experiences in Charleston. What sets these 50 establishments apart isn’t price or location. It’s the dedication each eatery puts into providing dining memories. This is the list to give to family or friends who are visiting. It’s the list to scan through when you’re undecided and looking to remember a place where you had a great meal or find a new one. Enjoy.

Organized in alphabetical order.

167 Raw Oyster Bar SEAFOOD

Expensive

Downtown. 193 King St. (843) 579-4997 167raw.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Mon.-Sat.)

Surrounded by high-end boutiques, swanky inns, antique stores and art galleries, 167 Raw’s King Street home sits along a quiet stretch of storefronts. But fear not, it still boasts the same lineup of New England bivalves and lobster rolls that were muchlauded at its existing original (and teeny) spot at 289 East Bay St., which now operates as 167 Sushi Bar. The first floor of 167 Raw’s ever-so-charming 19th century building is long and narrow, with original brick walls and a walnut bar. Even with four times (at least) as much seating as its original space, 167 Raw gets packed. Arrive early to tuck into your 10-hour carnita taco and tuna burger.

Basic Kitchen

CAFE

Moderate

Downtown. 82 Wentworth St. (843) 789-4568 basickitchen.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Mon.-Sat.), Weekend Brunch

In a city filled with hearty Southern cuisine, sometimes it’s tricky to find a flavorful, light meal. Not the case at Basic Kitchen. According to co-owner Ben Towill, that has been exactly the goal since opening the restaurant with his wife Kate in 2017. “We want to provide massive flavor and a meal that’s hearty but still feels light,” he said. BK’s lunch and menus are divided into small plates, bowls, salads and sandwiches. Start with the ever-popular corn ribs or cauliflower wings then dig into heartier fare like the salmon bowl, served with grilled salmon, Carolina Gold rice, marinated cab-

bage, carrot ginger salad, cucumber, seaweed, furikake and orange miso sauce.

Berkeley’s

SANDWICHES AND SUPPERS

Moderate Downtown, 624½ Rutledge Ave. 9843) 501-7779

eatatberkeleys.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner, Wed.-Mon)

Soak in the North Central neighborhood from the front patio and escape King Street crowds at this spot that feels like going over to a friend’s home for dinner. Berkeley’s keeps its menu relatively simple but packs big flavor into each dish with plenty of options for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. Opt for a traditional or vegetarian cheesesteak (made with mushrooms) or select another savory sandwich. If you’ve craving something heavier, look to chicken or eggplant parmesan, cavatappi or hanger steak. One satisfied diner said, “The spicy shrimp polenta appetizer has been on my mind for weeks since I first tried it. It’s filling, flavorful and definitely more than enough to share. Pair it with the smoked salmon dip if you want to start your meal with a decadent seafood spread.”

Bintü Atelier

AFRICAN

Moderate

Downtown. 8 Line St. (347)249-6594

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Thurs-Sunday)

This small restaurant in Charleston’s Eastside serves delicious African cuisine to excited guests who are eager to dive into familiar favorites like jollof rice, a fluffy rice dish with a connection to Charleston’s own red rice. Diners can also dig into dishes like goat egusi, a ground melon seed stew with pumpkin, spinach and a red pepper

continued on page 28

Top 50

BRUNCH VOTED

JOHNS ISLAND’S

sauce, served with a side of starchy fufu. Chef N’Daw Young has cooked and traveled around the world, from her homelands of Senegal and France to various countries in Africa, Europe and the U.S., landing in New York before moving to Charleston. Vegetarian options offered.

Bistronomy by Nico

FRENCH

Expensive

Downtown. 64 Spring St. (843) 410-6221 bistronomybynico.com

Serving Dinner (daily), Weekend Brunch One month after getting the keys to 64 Spring St., Bistronomy by Nico co-owners Nico Romo and Dominique Chantepie opened the French bistro after revamping the space previously occupied by Josephine Wine Bar. The cuisine mirrors the vibrant atmosphere and draws on celebrated dishes from Romo’s 10 years at Fish, which closed in 2017 after 17 years on King Street. Romo calls Bistronomy’s menu approachable French cuisine with an Asian fusion twist. The menu changes seasonally, but at the time of publishing, it included items like frog legs, 24-hour short ribs, bouillabaisse and escargot rice dumplings. If you want to sample Romo’s fare in Mount Pleasant, his original bistro NICO sits right off of Shem Creek.

Chef Loong Dim Sum

CHINESE

Moderate

1662 Savannah Highway, Suite 105. (843) 225-8225 chefloongdimsum.com

Serving Dinner (Wed.-Mon.), Lunch (Thurs.-Sun. If you haven’t ever tried authentic Chinese soup dumplings, or Xiaolongbao (which means “little basket bun”), you don’t know what you’re missing. But now there’s a shopping center restaurant where you can revel in these delicious bites. These delicate, addictive pouches contain a sweet or savory filling suspended in soup and wrapped in a thin dumpling dough. “We make everything ourselves,” Chef Emely Yan told the City Paper recently. “Like our own chili oil and different kinds of peppers to make our own spices.” Also featured are hand-pulled Xi’an noodles, Peking duck, five-spice chicken and entrees with Sichuan chili heat.

Chez Nous

FRENCH

Expensive

Downtown. 6 Payne Court. (843) 579-3060 cheznouschs.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Tues.-Sun.), Sun. Brunch

Most mornings before lunch, the Chez Nous Instagram feed (@cheznouscharleston)

features a picture of the day’s menu, handwritten in black ink on a small white card in executive chef Jill Mathias’ eccentric and highly stylized script. Next comes a separate picture of each and every dish being served that day, taken from above in flawless light. Admittedly, it’s only seven pictures total, since Chez Nous serves just two starters, two entrees and two desserts, and the selection changes daily. The setting is charmingly old and the cuisine Europeaninspired, but it’s hardly a throwback to an older mode of dining. Chez Nous stands alone just as it is, an eccentric outlier. With such a dynamic menu, any review of Chez Nous is by necessity a fleeting snapshot.

Chubby Fish

SEAFOOD

Expensive

Downtown. 252 Coming St. (843) 222-3949

chubbyfishcharleston.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

Celebrated executive chef James London serves a hyper-local, daily changing menu at this vibrant Coming Street restaurant, which opened in June 2018. And while the fish selection may vary, London is known for a few signature preparations. Expect raw oysters, crudos and likely one small plate that incorporates caviar. We recommend ordering several dishes and sharing with the group before finishing off with sweets from Life Raft Treats’ Cynthia Wong, who supplies Chubby Fish with dessert. Chubby Fish doesn’t take reservations, but it’s well worth the wait for one of 30 or so seats inside a restaurant that prides itself on turning under utilized types of fish into dishes you’ll crave for weeks.

Coda del Pesce

ITALIAN/SEAFOOD

Expensive

Isle of Palms. 1130 Ocean Blvd. (843) 242-8570

codadelpesce.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

With Coda del Pesce, longtime area chef/ owner Ken Vedrinski created a comfortable beachside Italian seafood restaurant that offers great tastes with an ocean view thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s an ideal setting for Vedrinski’s signature high-end Italian fare, which offers plenty of bright flavors and unexpected twists. Masterful fresh pasta anchors the primi selection, which may include ricotta gnudi tossed with mushrooms, guanciale and vacche rosse parmesan cheese. The menu’s secondi include fresh fish ranging from a “Torcino style” swordfish or stirfried triggerfish. Pair any of these with an Italian wine from the impressive list, and you’ll have one splendid fish tale to share with friends.

Costa

COASTAL ITALIAN

Very expensive

Downtown. 320 Broad St. (843) 969-2555. costacharleston.com

Serving dinner, (Mon.-Sat.)

Costa is a celebration of coastal Italian cuisine, drawing inspiration from Liguria to Amalfi and down to Sicily. The menu encourages sharing and savoring handmade pastas, pristine seafood, classic beef preparations and other culinary odes to the Mediterranean. Reflecting the convivial spirit of Italy, Costa is a welcoming space where culinary artistry converges with the joy of companionship. Guided by technical expertise and a sense of playful nostalgia, the kitchen delivers dishes that feel both refined and familiar. The fresh, bold fare is complemented by a thoughtfully curated beverage program featuring craft cocktails, bubbling aperitivi and globally sourced wines designed to enhance every meal. For more intimate gatherings, The Loft offers a private dining space ideal for celebrations, private events and seasonal wine dinners, extending Costa’s warm hospitality beyond the main dining room.

Edison James Island

INTERNATIONAL

Moderate

James Island. 1014 Fort Johnson Road. (843) 872-5500

edisonjamesisland.com

Serving Dinner (Wed.-Sun.)

Be prepared for a loud experience at this place where you can taste the world with Lowcountry ingredients. Co-owner and chef Joel Lucas puts his culinary skills to work in the kitchen with creative takes on international cuisine by using a rotating seasonal menu that highlights local produce and seafood available in the area. Start dinner off with the Vietnamese pho taco made with hoisin pork, glass noodles, cilantro, sprouts, ginger aioli and sriracha or the chef’s selection of charcuterie and cheeses, full-bodied sandwiches, soups and salads. Examples: the poached salmon burger, Thai chicken noodle soup and bistro steak salad. There also are hearty entrees like green curry meatballs, blackstrap braised beef short ribs with smoked gouda grits, pan-seared local swordfish with chimichurri, green peppercorns, asparagus and purple sweet potatoes.

Estadio

TAPAS

Moderate

Downtown. 122 Spring St. estadio-chs.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sat.) and Lunch (Fri.-Sat.)

Estadio, which opened on Spring Street in October 2019, is technically the second outpost of a successful Washington, D.C.,

Spanish-style bar and tapas restaurant. The decor and the deep sherry and gin selection echo the D.C. original, but executive chef Alex Eaton’s impressive menu is unique to Charleston. The pintxos and tapas — grilled shrimp on skewers, deviled eggs and caviar and matriano hash browns with black and white anchovies — offer beguiling little bites. Fresh local crudo and flat iron steak cooked with a poblano romesco and served with caramelized leek mashed potatoes are offered on the heavier side. With a slate of sherry cocktails, “gin tonics” made with rare Spanish brands and porróns of wine, Estadio brings a brilliant taste of Spain to the heart of downtown Charleston.

Gabrielle

MODERN AMERICAN

Very expensive

Downtown. 404 King St. (843) 203-0922

hotelbennett.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner

If you’re looking for the perfect internationally inspired dinner, this is the place for you. It’s lush, quiet and feels serious without being stuffy. An attentive bar staff pours cocktails as inventors must have imagined. Chef Edgar Kano’s menu choices, influenced by Japanese and Latin flavors, makes dining fun, as we wrote in 2023: “Kano’s cooking philosophy is to keep it simple — he said he can’t live without salt and butter — and let the ingredients of each dish shine. He said overwhelming flavors can lead to ‘confusion, not fusion’ and that ‘less is always more.’ ” Ask about specials and enjoy fresh seafood, flavorful steaks and outstanding produce intentionally sourced from local purveyors.

Hannibal’s Kitchen

SOUL FOOD

Inexpensive

Downtown. 16 Blake St. (843) 722-2256 hannibalkitchen.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Sun.-Sat.)

Hannibal’s Kitchen is a no-frills soul joint on the East Side of downtown Charleston that, according to owner L.J. Huger, has “been feeding the soul of the city” for more than 40 years. After serving the community for so many years, Hannibal’s has become an institution in the Charleston food scene. It was even listed on The New York Times 2021 top 50 restaurants in the country. Try the signature dish “crab and shrimp rice.” Salmon, shrimp and shark steak are three other hot items at lunch time. And don’t skip out on the traditional Southern sides including lima beans, okra soup, fried chicken, pork chops and collard greens.

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50 from page 29

Husk Restaurant

NEW SOUTHERN

Expensive

Downtown. 76 Queen St. (843) 577-2500

huskrestaurant.com

Serving Dinner (daily), Sat.-Sun. Brunch

Husk has outposts in Nashville and Savannah, but this location — housed in a white mansion on Queen Street — is the original. Here, the kitchen creates must-try marvels from executive chef Ray England, who focuses on bright but simple flavors that utilize Southern ingredients. Diners can enjoy dishes like cornmeal fried flounder with dirty rice and collard greens, green garlic mafalda with rabbit confit and seasonal veggies and a country fried pork chop served during brunch. There’s a welcoming, rustic atmosphere indoors, but if weather permits, sit out on the upstairs porch and enjoy what is, without hesitation, Southern food at its best. Pro tip: head to the recently revamped Bar & Patio where you don’t need a reservation to sip on inventive cocktails and small plates like snapper ceviche and country ham and cheese beignets.

Jack of Cups Saloon

INTERNATIONAL

Inexpensive

Folly Beach. 34 Center St. (843) 633-0042

jackofcupssaloon.net

Serving lunch, dinner (Wed.-Mon.)

Jack of Cups Saloon describes its cuisine as “globally inspired comfort food made with love,” and anyone who has dined here understands why. Jack of Cups co-owner and chef Lesley Carroll puts creativity and care into every dish she develops. Menu offerings rotate with the seasons and incorporate unique, unexpected flavor combinations like the ever-popular red curry mac and cheese. Other unusual and delicious offerings that have popped up on the menu include Tom Kha Gai gnocchi, a traditional Vietnamese coconut broth-turned-sauce blended with a classic Italian dumpling, and Cap’N Crunch deviled eggs. Check the menu ahead of time to discover the latest Jack of Cups creations. One diner said this of the restaurant’s Cashew Korma: “I felt like I died and went to curry heaven.”

Jackrabbit Filly

CHINESE Moderate

North Charleston. 1083 East Montague Ave. (843) 460-0037

jackrabbitfilly.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (Wed.-Sat.)

The menu at Jackrabbit Filly — Shuai and Corrie Wang’s brick-and-mortar jump from their popular Short Grain food

truck — takes quintessential Asian fare, and adds some vamp. The pork and cabbage dumplings are where Yangtze meets Ganges, with a rich mix of pork, cabbage, ginger and coriander encased inside the perfectly cooked pasta wrapper. Topped with a pungent chinkiang vinegar and Lao Gan Ma chili crisp sauce, the first bite is like suddenly finding something in life you hadn’t even realized was missing. Short Grain’s beloved karaage endures — the meat is juicy, the coating crunchy and the drizzle of lemon mayo and ponzu, along with some togarashi-induced heat, should be presented with the following disclaimer: “The karaage is a small structure made of chicken. It is delicious, and you are not ready for it.”

Kultura

FILIPINO

Moderate

Downtown. 267 Rutledge Ave. kulturacharleston.com

Serving Dinner (Thurs.-Mon)

Kultura recently moved to a new location, but the food still knocks it out of the park. An homage to a Filipino grandmother’s home cooking, Kultura ties the fresh tastes of the Lowcountry to the Philippines with a focus on using as many local ingredients as possible. A must-try dish is the restaurant’s pancit made with rice noodles, local blue crab and vegetables in a calamansi sauce. Make sure you try the Halo Halo cocktail — an enticing blend of purple yam (ube), pineapple, sake and oat milk. Also of note: You know you’ll get good food because Kultura’s chef, Nikko Cagalanan, was one of five 2024 nominees for Best Emerging Chef by the James Beard Foundation.

Kwei Fei

CHINESE

Moderate

James Island. 1977 Maybank Highway. kweifei.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

Set next door to Charleston Pour House, Kwei Fei is not subtle, from its chef to its food and its Its menu offers a wild ride, offering an array of appetizers, entrees and veggie-based sides sorted into blocks labeled “Loud,” “Hot” and “Vibes.” The crescent dumplings are an outstanding way to give your tastebuds a crash course in the events to come. Made with ground pork and redolent Sichuan pepper, the five plump dumplings are served in a soybased, vinegary sauce and topped with fresh cilantro and chives. Hot, sour, salty, sweet: everyone’s here. On the “vibes” side of things, vegetarians are well-taken care of with the dry-fried green beans. Having rice makes sense and adds bulk to the dry, fried shiitakes and peppers, which are coated in sichuan peppercorn and fermented bean

Chez Nous’ menu changes daily, highlighting seasonal ingredients and attention to detail

paste, served with mushrooms and of course, peppers.

Laura

Moderate

Summerville. 101 N. Main St. (843) 738-6988 laurasummerville.com

Serving Dinner (daily), Lunch (Fri.-Sat.), Sunday Brunch Nico Romo’s Summerville Italian restaurant, Laura (named after his grandmother), has something for the whole family. Plus, it fills a need for more fine-dining options in the ‘burbs around Charleston. Start with appetizers for the table, like focaccia or arancini, and then choose from Neapolitan pizzas such as the Blanca or the Pistachio. There are additional entrees, too, including

veal Saltimbocca and scallops with corn risotto. Bonus: The covered outdoor patio is prepared for all weather conditions with fans and heaters.

Leon’s Fine Poultry & Oysters

SEAFOOD

Moderate

Downtown. 698 King St. (843) 531-6500 leonsoystershop.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (daily) The chargrilled oysters at Leon’s embody the restaurant’s approach to food: unfussy and delicious. The “Fry-Up” platter is an awesome choice of battered oysters, shrimp, catfish or clams that are delicately fried and served with a tartar sauce so good we sometimes just dip a fork in it in between bites. If we know anything about restaurateurs

Brooks Reitz and Tim Mink, it’s that they know how to design a restaurant that both looks and feels good. Comfortable, delicious and reliable — perfect for your regular rotation of food joints.

Lewis Barbecue

BARBECUE

Moderate to expensive Downtown. 464 N. Nassau St. (843) 805-9500

lewisbarbecue.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (daily)

Lewis’ building houses four custom-built smokers and a sausage smoker that can cook 1,600 links at a time, all hand-built by Lewis and his father. Once inside, you’ll queue up to have meat hand-sliced by one of two meat-cutters stationed behind a long counter directing you to opposite ends. Lewis’ “life changing’’ beef brisket is definitely the star. The infinitely tender meat has a salty, peppery crust and shines with melted fat. But there’s also juicy smoked turkey, pulled pork, pork ribs and Texas sausage called “hot guts” available and priced by the pound (or hot guts by the link). After your tray is filled with your order of meats, choose your sides from mustardy potato salad, lemon slaw, cowboy beans and rich green chile corn pudding.

Lillian’s Petite Market & Eatery

AMERICAN

Moderate

Upper Charleston. 247 Congress St. (843) 203-6698

lillianschs.com

Serving breakfast, lunch, dinner (daily)

Owner Heather Greene, working with chef Todd Garrigan, pastry chef Allison Brown and mixologist Ruth Wentenhall, has created a comfortable follower for the space formerly occupied by much-loved Harold’s Cabin. The restaurant, which is open from 7:15 a.m. every day until 10 p.m., showcases locally-sourced dishes and craft cocktails designed around a seasonal menu. The allday menu features breakfast favorites and a great burger. Dinner is satisfying with everything from fried oyster stew to barbecue shrimp. An all-around winner.

Lost Isle

AMERICAN

Moderate

Johns Island. 3338 Maybank Highway. lostislechs.com

Serving Dinner. Daily.

Walking into this open-air concept feels a little like walking onto, well, a lost island. Quirky without trying too hard, this spot features chandeliers floating among the Spanish moss of live oak trees. Chef Josh Taylor, formerly of Root Note Food, has crafted a seasonally focused menu with frequently changing specials and dishes, such

as whipped ricotta with smoked tomato, wood-fired oysters with chili butter and a smoked tomahawk pork chop. Yum.

Ma’am Saab

PAKISTANI

Moderate

Charleston. 251 Meeting St. (843) 259-2660

MaamSaab.com

Lunch, Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

If you’re looking for “flavorland,” you should check out this elegant but nonwhite-tablecloth Pakistani restaurant that offers modern takes on time-tested dishes.

Owners Maryam Ghaznavi and Raheel Gauba took Charleston by storm with their authentic Pakistani comfort food, first as a pop-up in 2019. The couple introduced a new cuisine to the market, bringing to the table dishes like lamb biryani or aloo gobi. You’ll also enjoy the rich, savory and spicy flavors of chicken tikka and butter chicken. And the fresh naan? It’s to die for. Don’t forget the restaurant’s Mount Pleasant roadhouse called Malika Pakistani Chai Canteen in Towne Center where you can get Pakistani street food such as samosa chaats, aloo tikki, dhamaka burger and more.

Maya del Sol Kitchen

MEXICAN

Moderate

North Charleston. 3225 Rivers Ave. (843) 202-0792

raulsmayadelsol.com

Serving Lunch and Dinner (Wed.-Sat.), Sunday brunch.

Maya del Sol Kitchen is a passion project for Chef and Owner Raul Sanchez and it clearly shows. When the kitchen first opened in 2021, Sanchez started offering his popular five-course chef’s table. Now, after a brief hiatus and venue change, Sanchez reopens his kitchen in early February next to the Starlight Motor Inn. The new location will offer lunch and brunch — where you can find Mexican standards like pozole, tamales and tacos al pastor — plus a reservation-only, fivecourse chef’s table dinner. Pro-tip: Check social media for menu updates and more.

Marbled & Fin

STEAKHOUSE

Very expensive

Downtown. 480 East Bay St. (843) 278-5488 marbledandfin.com

Dinner nightly, Weekend brunch

If you’ve been in the market for a new modern steakhouse — one that serves delicate, flavorful hamachi crudo alongside a big, bold bone-in tomahawk, look no further. The attention to detail at Neighborhood Dining Group’s latest begins the moment you step into Marbled & Fin

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MONDAY: Fried Pork Chop

TUESDAY: Fried Chicken

WEDNESDAY: Pot Roast

THURSDAY: Country Fried Steak

FRIDAY: Fried Flounder

iced

us for a communal dinner dining experience where you’ll have the best seats in the house. Chef Raul Sanchez’s five -course chef’s table experience is a traditional Mexican menu which changes weekly to reflect seasonal ingredients.

— the vaulted ceilings and chic interior belie the building’s history as a dry cleaners. Reservations are recommended for the dining room at this buzzy new spot, but guests are always welcome to belly up to the 25-seat bar, first-come, first-served. The details continue to impress throughout the meal, from welcome cocktails to an evening-ending sweet bite. Be sure to try the broiled oysters and bone marrow appetizer. Made with herb bread crumbs, charred lemon and chimichurri, it’s the perfect mix of land and sea.

The Obstinate Daughter

SEAFOOD/SOUTHERN

Moderate

Sullivan’s Island. 2063 Middle St. (843) 416-5020

theobstinatedaughter.com

Serving Lunch (Mon.-Fri.), Dinner (daily), Weekend Brunch

At The Obstinate Daughter, executive chef Jacques Larson’s big, open kitchen has a plancha and a wood-fired oven, and he uses it to create a beguiling array of pizzas, pastas and small plates. The pizzas bear tempting toppings, like guanciale, white anchovy or pancetta. The dishes on the rotating “plates” menu range in size from

enjoying Larson’s impressive parade of delicate but flavorful dishes.

The Ordinary

SEAFOOD

Expensive

Downtown. 544 King St. (843) 414-7060 eattheordinary.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sun.)

griddled octopus with crispy potatoes and black olive tapenade to swordfish siciliana with green olives, capers, tomatoes, raisins and currant. Fluffy ricotta gnocchi are

topped with an intensely flavorful short rib ragu with tender strands of beef in a pool of reddish orange tomato-tinged jus. OD boasts a cheery, casual environment for

In December 2012, a historic King Street bank building found new life as an upscale oyster hall. The Ordinary — second child of Adam Nemirow and chef Mike Lata — opened with soaring 22-foot ceilings, the promise of locally sourced seafood and lots of buzz.The Ordinary was the first of its kind. While regularly packed and filled with an upbeat ambiance, The Ordinary’s high ceilings diffuse the jovial noise to a pleasant buzz. Along with six daily varieties of raw oysters on the half shell, the house-smoked oysters are not to be missed. Presented in an oil and vinegar-filled preserve jar and spiked with slices of crisp pickled celery, the six oysters are so gently smoked that they are still raw. As a result, each is tender and juicy, the delicate hint of ocean flavor touched with woodsy smoke. Served with fanciedup saltines (brushed with butter and Old Bay), rich, cold creme fraiche and vibrant hot sauce, the combination is outstanding: cool, crisp and smoky all at once.

Philosophia

GREEK

Moderate to expensive

Mount Pleasant. 909 Houston Northcutt Blvd. (854) 227-5738

philosophiamountpleasant.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

This East Cooper restaurant blends the joy of dining with friendship and a menu that rocks Greek cuisine. “Amazingly good Greek food,” one satisfied gourmand said. Favorites include starters of pesto hummus and Greek pimento cheese and main dishes of pastitsio, whole branzino and stuffed leg of lamb. A delightful experience.

Pink Bellies

VIETNAMESE

Moderate to Expensive

Downtown. 595 King St., Suite 1. (843) 6403132

eatpinkbellies.com

Serving lunch, dinner, (Thurs.-Sun.)

From humble beginnings as a food truck serving hungry College of Charleston students to a stall in former food hall Workshop, Pink Bellies has morphed into a bustling hot Vietnamese spot in midtown. Cult-followers enjoy Thai Phi’s spicy, decadent garlic noodles and other Vietnamese fare in a moody, yet vibrant dining room that brings a modern vibe to King Street. Other fan favorites include the spicy lamb dumplings and pho mai burger. Sample the cocktail menu’s Tres Coop Riff, a tequila-based cocktail with an orange creamsicle flavor that is smoked and topped with cinnamon chips for a s’mores flavor.

Post House Restaurant

MODERN AMERICAN

Expensive

Mount Pleasant. 101 Pitt St. (843) 203-7678

theposthouseinn.com

Serving Dinner (daily); Weekend Brunch

Post House Restaurant opened in Mount Pleasant in August 2020 after undergoing significant renovations led by Kate and Ben Towill of design and hospitality firm Basic Projects (the restaurant was purchased by Indigo Road Hospitality Group in March 2025). You’ll find seasonal snacks, raw bar options, fresh pastas, local seafood and an assortment of vegetarian dishes at Post House. Local seafood massaman curry, Carolina heritage farm pork with creamy kimchi collard greens and a “backbar” cheeseburger are some of the main dishes that pair with starters like lamb wraps or Anson Mills cornbread. Post House also features an expansive wine list, and those looking for a staycation can grab a room in the quaint inn connected to the restaurant.

R Kitchen

CHEF’S TABLE

Expensive

Downtown, 212 Rutledge Ave.

West Ashley, 1337 Ashley River Road. (843) 789-0725

rutledgekitchen.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sun.)

R Kitchen brings diners an exciting new experience every night. At both locations, enjoy intimate dining settings while getting up-close and personal with a rotating line up of chefs creating that night’s fivecourse meal. R Kitchen is quick to remind guests that it’s a kitchen, not a restaurant. The menu is always a surprise — to both diners and chefs, who create the dishes each morning based on what ingredients the kitchen received that day. On a recent trip to the West Ashley location, a loaded potato soup, short rib dish and French toast with bacon made an appearance on the menu. Be sure to make a reservation in advance as these kitchens fill quickly.

Rancho Lewis

TEX-MEX

Moderate Charleston Neck, 1503 King St. (843) 996-4500

Rancholewischs.com

Serving Lunch and Dinner (Mon.-Sun.)

Barbecue chef extraordinaire John Lewis adds Tex-Mex to his culinary mix with Rancho Lewis, where he uses his favorite Hatch chiles in many dishes. The tortillas are made fresh onsite, and, if you can stray from the tempting tacos, the burger — made with brisket — is terrific. Don’t forget in-house classics like the Christmas burrito or fabulous enchiladas. If you’re looking for Mexican fresh, this is the place to visit. One diner raved: “Don’t leave without eating the steak fajitas. Period.”

Renzo

PIZZA

Moderate

Downtown. 384 Huger St. (843) 952-7864

renzochs.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sat.)

This former storefront-turned-hip neighborhood trattoria has a wood-fired oven and knows how to use it. Along with tempting starters like ricotta gnudi, charred broccolini or cavatelli, the menu features a trio of pastas, plus an array of creative Neapolitan-style pizzas. Feeling adventurous? The Cheli offers a tomato base with lamb sausage, tangy pickled peppers, honey and za’atar. There’s a bagel brunch on Sundays, plus Renzo offers one of the area’s largest selections of natural wine. continued on page 34

Tuesday: $3 Tacos (chicken, beef, pork) $5 Margaritas* Wednesday: $15 Dip Trio Thursday: $25 Margarita pitchers* Friday: Happy Hour 3 to 6 * upcharges for flavor or liquor change

JOIN AS AT ONE OF OUR THREE LOCATIONS! West Ashley 1660 Savannah Hwy | Downtown 1302 Meeting St. Mt. Pleasant 1471 Ben Sawyer Blvd.

Top 50

Rodney Scott’s BBQ

BARBECUE

Inexpensive

Downtown. 1011 King St. (843) 990-9535

rodneyscottsbbq.com

Serving Lunch, Dinner (daily)

Rodney Scott made waves in 2017 when, after two decades of cooking hogs at his family’s acclaimed operation in Hemingway, he brought his traditional burn barrel style of barbecue down to Charleston. That splendid whole hog — basted in a pepper-laced sauce and pulled into long, succulent strands — remains the foundation of Scott’s offering on King Street, but he’s added a few new options for the city crowd, like meaty spareribs, crisp fried catfish and craft beer on tap. The flawless collards and the ribeye sandwiches, made from pit-smoked steak sliced thin and piled high on soft rolls, are musttry sleepers.

Royal Tern

SEAFOOD

Expensive

Johns Island. 3005 Maybank Highway. (843) 718-3434

theroyaltern.com

Serving Dinner (Mon.-Sat.)

Set on Johns Island, The Royal Tern is a welcome and well-positioned addition to that existing pair of successful Maybank Highway restaurants. With a focus on fish, the menu offers an aquarium-full of options. Along with a raw bar, there are a handful of sandwiches, a half-dozen seafood entrees and a hat trick of woodfired steaks. The building is also glorious. Outside, it’s effortlessly stylish and would look just as appropriate nestled amongst a row of upscale beachfront estates. Inside, the chic, airy space boasts wood floors and high ceilings adorned with dramatic lights that resemble giant clusters of white grapes. The interior incorporates a number of current trends, including an open kitchen, marble-topped bar and miles of banquette seating. One of the best-looking joints in the area, The Royal Tern offers a hip place to scratch a variety of seafood itches on Johns Island.

SHIKI

SEAFOOD

Moderate

Downtown. 334 East Bay St. (843) 720-8568

shikicharleston.com

Serving Dinner (Mon.-Sat.)

One of downtown’s longest standing restaurants, SHIKI delivers fresh sushi rolls, nigiri and more. Opened in 2001 by New York sushi chef Gon “David” Park, his son, James Park, has taken over the

restaurant, prized for its highest-quality fish and sushi technique for making rolls, sashimi and nigiri. Patrons who want to go big can order the chef’s choice “omakase,” which translates to “I’ll leave it up to you” in Japanese. For less devout sushi enthusiasts, there are approachable options like tempura shrimp and avocado rolls, teriyaki beef, pork katsu and more. Shiki’s menu hasn’t changed much over the years, but why would it, as the restaurant helps fill a void in a city that has very few sushifocused restaurants. Next time you’re in the mood for high-quality sushi, give this family-owned and operated restaurant a try.

Sorelle

ITALIAN

Expensive

Downtown, 88 Broad St. (843) 974-1575

sorellecharleston.com

Serving dinner (Mon.-Sun.)

If you consider yourself a foodie, then chances are you’ve heard of Sorelle, one of the hottest and most talked about restaurants of the year so far. It’s a partnership between chefs Adam Sobel and Nick Dugan, bringing their take on classic southern Italian cuisine to the South. Everything on the menu is “a banger,” said one diner who managed to get in. A great combo, he salivated, would be to order the pane (bread) with fougasse, roasted garlic and olive oil, the cavatelli al tartufo (a mushroom pasta) with ricotta dumplings and truffle parmesan, and the pasta-baked branzino for a dinner to die for. Note: While it’s hard to get a dinner reservation here, its attached store (mercado) is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a quick bite.

Southbound

Expensive

Downtown, 72 Cannon St. (843) 823-0212 southboundchs.com

Serving Dinner, (Mon.-Sun)

Live-fire cooking takes center stage at this new Cannon Street restaurant from the same folks behind Mount Pleasant’s Community Table and BarPizza, formerly Kiki & Rye. The elegant two-story dining room is located inside a historic home, which features a large wood-fire grill on the first floor. The menu, which changes daily and is posted to Facebook and Instagram each day by 3 p.m., makes great use of the grill with items such as dry-aged steak tartare with smoked egg, grilled toast and miso butter, coal-roasted Spanish octopus and grilled bone marrow with fried oysters. Examples of heartier entrees include an Australian lamb chop, crispy Orvia duck and housemade cavatelli with braised rabbit sugo.

Stella’s GREEK

Moderate

Downtown. 114 St. Philip St. (843) 400-0026 stellascharleston.com

Serving Dinner (Mon.-Sat.)

It’s hard to say what’s most striking about Stella’s on St. Philip Street. Is it the hip, yet boisterous vibe? The large portions at an incredibly reasonable price point? Or the vast, authentic and consistently delicious menu? Regardless of your ultimate conclusion, this is a trifecta worth a visit… or five. The grilled octopus and spanakopita are simple perfection, while the saganaki is a visual showstopper and an excuse to pig out on cheese. Stella’s own recipes — namely her calamari and braised lamb shank with No. 5 noodles and brown butter shank sauce, are at once comforting and elevated, testimony to the woman who inspired it all.

Sullivan’s Fish Camp

SEAFOOD

Moderate to expensive Sullivan’s Island. 2019 Middle St. (843) 883-2100

Serving lunch and dinner daily Sullivan’s Fish Camp opened in May 2022,

an homage to the original Sullivan’s Seafood Restaurant that stood in the same spot from 1988 to 2020. FIG alum and James Beard award-winner Jason Stanhope joined the team as chef and partner in March 2025, bringing his own spin to the classic fish camp vibes with his modern seafood mastery. The restaurant is open daily for lunch and dinner with brunch service on the weekend. Look for classics like peel-and-eat shrimp, smoked fish dip, hush puppy tots, lobster roll, crispy fish sandwich and Lowcountry boil. If you’re not feeling seafood, fear not. Stanhope serves several salads, including his trademark celery salad with walnuts, cheddar and dates as well as dishes like steak frites and an outstanding double cheeseburger.

Sushi-Wa

SUSHI

Expensive

Downtown. 1503 King St. Extension. (843) 735-8633

sushiwacharleston.com

Serving dinner (Wed.-Sun.)

If you’re looking for an intimate date night with your significant other and a rare experience in the Southeast, head to Sushi Wa. This restaurant brings the traditional Japanese omakase dining experience to the Lowcountry, with chefs and owners Kazu Murakami and Chris Schoedler taking

your taste buds on a culinary journey. The chefs curate what you eat during a special multi-course meal with decisions based on something pre-determined by the chef. Book a night out on Resy, or if you’re lucky by following on Instagram, you might be able to snag a last-minute spot.

The James American Grill

Moderate to expensive

James Island. 1939A Maybank Highway. (843) 278-1066 thejameschs.com

Serving Lunch (Wed.-Sun.) and Dinner (all week) A relatively new location for fine dining on James Island, The James American Grill blends the feel of a neighborhood joint with comfortable elegance. It offers lots of nice

RESTAURANT OWNERS &

Top 50 from page 37

neighborhood dining spot. And boy, is it popular. This New American restaurant offers family-style meals, which allow everyone at a table to enjoy dishes like gnochetti sardi, a rich and creamy gnocchi dish with arugula and walnut pesto, or the bavette steak with a sweet-tart balsamic glaze. If you get the chance to stop by for weekend brunch, don’t miss the sesame seed pancakes that embrace slices of local fruit and whipped ricotta for a delicate balance of sweet, creamy and nutty flavors. This, however, is a dish you might not want to share.

Wild Common

MODERN AMERICAN

Expensive

Downtown. 103 Spring St.

wildcommoncharleston.com

Serving dinner (Wed.-Sun.)

Wild Common is a modern tasting-menu restaurant celebrated for its elevated multi-course dining experience. Under Executive Chef Orlando Pagán, the kitchen presents globally inspired cuisine rooted in Lowcountry ingredients and traditions. Its intimate setting, technique-driven approach and dedication to exceptional hospitality have earned national acclaim, including a Michelin Star. The restaurant’s ever-evolving tasting menu highlights regional sourcing, supported by a close partnership with Dogpatch Farmstead. Guests can dine in the main dining room, reserve the Overlook for private gatherings and special celebrations or experience the chef’s counter for an interactive, behindthe-scenes look at the kitchen. In addition to its culinary offerings, Wild Common maintains a collaboration with the Charleston Artist Collective, presenting a rotating selection of Lowcountry artists’ works throughout the dining room and on its menus.

Wild Olive

ITALIAN

Expensive

Johns Island. 2867 Maybank Highway. (843) 737-4177

wildoliverestaurant.com

Serving Dinner (daily)

Right off Maybank Highway sits Wild Olive, chef Jacques Larson’s haven for exquisite Italian fare. Since 2009, it has served as the go-to place for anniversary dinners and reunions with old friends. A comfortable bar greets those looking for a casual bite, but don’t let that relaxed atmosphere deceive you. Larson’s food is anything but. Incredible (and decadent) risotto fritters stuffed with sausage, spinach, Parmesan and mozzarella are a great way to start. And always ask about

the specials, of which there are plenty. A past highlight was a pappardelle with prosciutto, pork and escarole. Larson is a firm believer in local and his conviction permeates everything on the plate.

XO Brasserie

CHINESE

Expensive

Downtown. 1090 Morrison Drive. (843) 969-1896

xobchs.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sun.)

Xo Brasserie serves updated Cantonese and Sichuan-influenced cuisine at 1090 Morrison Drive. Owner Herman Ng partnered with executive chef Michael Chanthavong to create a modern Chinese American menu, with dishes like vegetarian Ma Po Tofu, salt and pepper shrimp and crab rangoon. In addition to curating the menu’s flavors, Ng and his team carefully created a buzzy space inside the new, multi-use building on Morrison Drive. Brasserie’s interior features clean lines, moody lighting, leafy plants and special touches, like a large custom wine rack. Some of the larger tables feature big lazy-Susans that play into Ng’s goal of family-style dining. “It’s how I grew up,” he said. “You order a bunch of different dishes, and you all get to try a bunch of stuff.”

The Restaurant at Zero George

MODERN AMERICAN

Very expensive

Downtown. 0 George St. (843) 817-7900

zerogeorge.com

Serving Dinner (Tues.-Sun.)

The Restaurant at Zero George is an intimate, Michelin Recommended fine-dining restaurant offering contemporary cuisine in an elegant, residential setting inside Zero George hotel. Led by Executive Chef Vinson Petrillo, the restaurant offers a refined, multi-course tasting menu that showcases seasonal ingredients through innovative techniques and thoughtful composition. Complementing the dining room is the Caviar Bar, a sophisticated yet welcoming space dedicated to premium caviar and thoughtful accompaniments. The bar welcomes walk-ins, offering a light snack menu alongside a rotating selection of seasonal cocktails and zero-proof options, creating a polished prelude or relaxed counterpart to the tasting menu experience.

INTRODUCING THE

CP Hotlist

Here’s where to go if you’re looking for something new By City Paper staff

This issue’s CP Hotlist shines a spotlight on notable, relatively new hot restaurants that impress our cuisine team. We encourage you to check them out and let us know whether you think they should be added to our Top 50 list. Now on the CP Hotlist (in alphabetical order):

The Archer (2024), Downtown. Marc and Liz Hudacsko, the couple behind popular downtown spot Berkeley’s, opened a buzzier, “more grown up” sister restaurant, The Archer, to feature what’s described as “elevated fare” (think oven-roasted wreckfish, duck confit salad), The bar program at The Archer, located near the base of the Ravenel Bridge, is curated by Jimmy Chmielewski, previously of Proof and Estadio. Drinks include cocktails like the Ambiguous Bird, made with rum, coconut oolong Campari, pineapple and lime, and a nitro espresso martini on draft. Moderate. thearchercharleston.com. Dinner, Wednesday through Monday.

Courtesy The Archer

Cane Pazzo (2025), Hanahan. Chef-owner and Charleston native Mark Bolchoz,an alumnus of Peninsula Grill, The Grocery, Indaco and a former culinary director of Italian concepts for the Indigo Road Hospitality Group, opened Cane Pazzo in June along with his wife Ariana. The Hanahan restaurant’s name translates to “Mad Dog,” Bolchoz’s childhood nickname. It was given by his grandfather, a Hanahan entrepreneur for decades. Handmade pastas, wood-fired proteins and shareable plates highlight Lowountry seasonality; dishes like heirloom tomato toast with burrata, pickled sweet peppers, arugula and sherry vinaigrette shine alongside risotto with corn, confit peppers, red onion, Serrano and pancetta. A thoughtful cocktail list accompanies an exclusively Italian wine list, followed by desserts like tiramisu and affogato. Moderate. canepazzorestaurant.com. Dinner, Tuesday through Saturday.

Merci (2025), Downtown.

Neighborhood bistro, Merci, from chef Michael Zentner and his wife Courtney, opened at 28 Pitt Street this March. The European-inspired restaurant features a small but mighty menu in a cozy, 1820’s Federal-style building, with a dining room that seats just under 30 diners. Merci’s current, carefully honed list of offerings features dishes like focaccia stracciatella with Benton’s ham and pistachio; spring pea salad with boucheron and green goddess dressing and striped bass with white bean fondue, fennel and olives. Expensive. merchichs.com. Dinner, Wednesday through Saturday.

Pelato (2025), Downtown.

This Brooklyn-inspired, garlic heavy, red sauce Italian restaurant opened in May in the former Butcher & Bee space at 1085 Morrison Drive. A seasonally changing, casual, sharable menu is available nightly in the main dining space, the bar and al fresco. Potato croquettes with mozzarella,

Shokudô’s Nagoya Mazesoba is a rich tonkotsudare (broth) with wild boar, crispy chili, pork butt, shrimp miso and Tokyo negi (onion) in a hot pot

garlic aioli and Parmigiano Reggiano and crispy cauliflower piccata with lemoncaper butter are starter choices along with mains like campanelle with shrimp limone and creamy lemon as well as a classic chicken parmigiana with tomato, basil, Parmigiano Reggiano and mozzarella. Sundays host a traditional Italian Sunday sauce, also known as Sunday gravy, dinner serving fusilli with tomato, ribs, braciola, sausage and meatballs. Moderate. pelatorestaurant.com. Dinner daily.

Shokudô (2025), Downtown.

This modern Japanese izakaya (tavern) is the latest restaurant on the peninsula from prolific Indigo Road Hospitality Group. Tokyo native Chef Masatomo “Masa” Hamaya has created a menu meant to be shared. The robata grill is the centerpiece of the kitchen, and grilled items join dishes like ramen, tempura, dumplings and handrolls. The karaage chicken namban is a signature dish of fried chicken thighs with egg salad and masaracha, chef’s housemade hot sauce. The whole tempura fish is served with orange ponzu. Desserts are a must. Hamaya’s Golden Arches hand pie is an unmissable homage to

McDonald’s with roasted South Carolina apple, butterscotch, butter crust and miso caramel. The Japanese beer garden out back is energized by neon signage and a drink menu of lagers from Japan and an impressive sake list. Moderate. shokudochs.com. Open at 4p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Tutti (2025), downtown Femi Oyediran and Miles White, coowners of Charleston’s Graft Wine Shop, have brought the same expert touch to pizza that they brought to wine. Tutti opened next door to Graft earlier this year and offers thin crust pizza (aka “round”) and thick, focaccia-like pizza (aka “square”). You can pick a red or white sauce for the foundation and then sky’s the limit with toppings. Tutti’s wine program features by-the-glass and bottle offerings and highlights the same types of organic, biodynamic, low-intervention or sustainably farmed wines on its menu. And for those that prefer to eat their pizza in pajamas on the couch, Tutti offers a handy to-go window. Pro tip: add sesame seeds to your square pizza for an umami flavor bomb. Moderate. tuttipizzachs.com. Dinner Wednesday through Sunday. Lunch Friday through Sunday.

ESSAY

FINDING THE WAY BACK TO MYSELF

Coping with exhaustion and burnout in F&B

By Meg Mina

There was a time when I could read a dining room the way some people read a clock — tracking its rhythms instinctively, staying in motion long after my body was asking me to stop.

I came up in restaurants the way so many of us do: in intensity, in constant movement and with the belief that if I just worked harder, stayed sharper and cared more deeply, I could outrun exhaustion. Some of my happiest memories live in New York City dining rooms.

I was part of the opening team at L’Artusi in the West Village. It was here that I first believed I could do this work professionally and still feel joy. I moved on to Blue Hill and then to Blue Hill at Stone Barns. From the warmth of neighborhood Italian to world-class fine dining, where beauty lived in restraint and discipline. The shift was profound. You had to be fully present — attuned to nuance and intention. It taught me humility, endurance, and an unwavering attention to detail. Stone Barns became my first full-time wine role. The education was immense — a list that demanded curiosity and care.

Not long after, I found myself curating my own wine lists and serving one of the most coveted clienteles in the city — first at Carbone, then in other high-profile rooms where power, access and discretion shaped the rhythm of the work. I learned how to move with confidence without drawing attention and how to hold intensity without absorbing it.

From the outside, it looked like success. But that period also marked my first real exposure to the industry’s darker undercurrents — ego, hierarchy and the quiet normalization of intensity at any cost. Something in me began to tighten.

A few years later, that shift fully collapsed on itself. I entered a leadership role that, on paper, looked like growth, but in practice became psychologically and emotionally destabilizing. I started waking up already exhausted and bracing for conversations before they happened. What had once felt like ambition slowly turned into survival. I was operating far beyond my limits during a time when I was already unraveling personally. At the time, I didn’t have language for what was happening. Now I do: high-achieving burnout.

I was working at a pace that was completely unsustainable, caught in conflict between how I saw myself — capable, intuitive, trustworthy — and how my nervous system was actually functioning. That kind of conflict breeds self-doubt. And when self-doubt goes unnamed, it turns inward.

I also came to understand something fundamental about myself. I live with ADHD — something that brings real gifts like intuition, pattern recognition, creativity and the ability to perform under pressure. These qualities are often celebrated in hospitality, especially in women who are expected to hold many things at once and make it look effortless.

They also come with real challenges. Suggestibility. Over-functioning. Burning out quietly while still producing. These traits made me successful and invisible to my own limits.

Being a woman in food and beverage layered another truth on top of that. I’ve been mistaken for the hostess when I was the boss. I’ve carried enormous emotional labor. In hospitality, women are often rewarded for endurance rather than sustainability and for holding everything together at the expense of themselves. I believed that if I could just be more resilient, more available and more composed, I would earn safety, as if exhaustion were a kind of merit badge.

This past year dismantled that belief entirely. I lost my father and didn’t give myself time to grieve. I stayed in survival mode, trying to be a steady presence in a turbulent environment, believing that transparency, instinct, vulnerability and care would be enough. When it wasn’t, something cracked open in me — not in failure, but in truth.

I am a good person. I am trustworthy. I am intuitive. I am deeply relational. And still, that was not enough to sustain me in a system that doesn’t yet know how to care for the people inside it.

What cracked me open most wasn’t work. It was love.

Stress eroded my capacity for connection and my relationship became a mirror reflecting where I was abandoning myself, where fear was driving my choices and where exhaustion had replaced joy. I realized something both simple and radical: I want to be happy. I want energy. Presence. An environment where care flows both ways. Output without input is not leadership, it’s depletion.

My nervous system needed a reset. I am redesigning from the inside out, learning how to step out of constant overdrive and into something steadier. More honest. More whole. I’m learning to trust timing. To release fear around money. To sit with the discomfort of not knowing what’s next and to discover that there is freedom there.

Hospitality has always been about people. About relationships. About attunement. I’m still very good at those things. And now, finally, I’m learning how to include myself in the care I’ve so freely offered to others.

Meg Mina is a hospitality professional and certified sommelier.

S tart your culinary or hospitality education right here in the Lowcountry at the Culinary Institute of Charleston at Trident Technical College. Choose from an array of in-person and online programs designed to meet the needs of the hospitality and culinary industries. Noncredit courses, community interest sessions and specific industry training workshops are also offered.