I love visiting the southern states and Charleston is one of my favourite cities in the South. It’s relaxed, clean, safe, the people are friendly and there are loads of great places to eat and drink.
📝 I love a dive bar and Charleston has some great ones. For drinking checkout The Griffon, Recovery Room Tavern, Salty Mike’s, The Royal American, Burns Alley Tavern, Moe’s Crosstown Tavern.
📝 For a day trip head down to Sullivan’s Island and hit the beach. A couple of good spots to eat down there are Poe’s Tavern and Home Team BBQ.
📝 Waffle House is probably my favourite US chain that we don’t have in the UK. The prices are great, service is friendly and the breakfasts hit the spot any time of day. The one in Charleston was famously visited by Anthony Bourdain. I always hit it a couple of times when i’m out here.
1. Lewis Barbecue
I’ve been to thirty-six states and can still say Lewis Barbecue is some of the top bbq you’ll find in the country. Pitmaster John Lewis used to work at Austin’s iconic Franklin Barbecue before moving to Charleston. For the meat you want to go for brisket, turkey, pork ribs, green chile cheddar sausage and the hot guts sausage. For the sides get the green chile corn pudding (the best corn bread you’ll find anywhere), collard greens, mac & cheese, cowboy pinto beans, potato salad. On weekends the chicken fried steak looks incredible too. My recommendation is to get there just before 12:00 to avoid queueing too long.
2. Leon’s
Leon’s is a beautiful ex-car garage turned restaurant known for their fried chicken and oysters. The super crispy fried chicken is some of the best you’ll find in town. The raw oysters are popular but by favourite are chargrilled one with Parmesan, garlic and hot sauce. On top that you’re also going to want to get some hush puppies, sprouts, and crab tostadas. In terms of drinks you can’t go wrong with a bucket of six Miller Highlife for only $15.
3. King BBQ
King BBQ is an American-Chinese barbecue spot. They cook Chinese food with low country bbq techniques. I went for the Chinese bbq ribs, bbq noodle soup with duck, dan dan noodles, shrimp toast sliders. The char siu style bbq ribs were incredible – sweet char siu flavours with an added smokiness and falling off the bone. They take reservations but you should be fine getting a walk-in.
4. Early Bird Diner
Early Bird Diner serves what I would call elevated diner food. One of my favourite dishes here is the chicken and waffles smothered in syrup and honey mustard. The shrimp and grits are delicious too. So are the pancakes. You can’t really go wrong with anything. My only gripe with this is place is it’s not actually open that early (they don’t open till 08:00).
5. Bertha’s
Bertha’s has been a city in institution for soul food since 1979. In 2017 they won a James Beard Award for America’s Classic. The food is simple but well priced and tasty. My go-to order here is the fried chicken. You can then add your sides of seafood rice, mac & cheese, green beans, corn, etc. Corn bread comes free.
6. The Darling Oyster Bar
Charleston has a lot of good spots to go for oysters but this is probably my favourite. You’ll see a queue forming outside just before they open. My advice is to get there ten minutes early and grab a seat by the raw bar so you can watch the oysters being shucked in front of you.
7. The Ordinary
The Ordinary is another popular destination for oysters and other seafood. Houses in an ex-1920s bank with dated wooden booths and a long marble bar it’s one of the best looking restaurants in town. As well as raw oysters the fried oyster slides are very popular too. It’s not cheap but it’s definitely one to tick off.
8. Rodney Scott’s BBQ
Before coming to Charleston Rodney Scott was already famous for his whole-hog bbq in Hemingway, South Carolina. The most popular items here are the pork ribs and the pulled pork. In my opinion it’s a solid barbecue spot but not on the same level as Lewis in my opinion. You won’t have to queue like you do at Lewis though.
9. Husk Restaurant
Husk is a semi-fine dining restaurant from Sean Brock that celebrates Southern cuisine. It’s inside a beautiful colonial looking building with a big porch. They now have locations in Nashville (which I have also visited) and Savannah too. It has got quite pricy in recent years. I recommend going for brunch (weekends only) instead of dinner.
10. Little Jack’s Diner
Little Jack’s Diner, from the same guys behind Leon’s describes itself as an old fashioned American tavern. The cocktails here are very good. They’re also known for their burger.
11. Vicious Biscuit
A great spot to go for chicken biscuit sandwiches.
12. The Griffon
As soon as you walk in you’ll notice that every inch of the bar is covered with signed notes of money. It’s a great spot to come for a day-time day-time drink and the bar food isn’t pretty solid too.
13. 167 Raw Oyster Bar
Yes, I’ve already listed three spots to go for raw oysters but it is what Charleston is known for so here’s a fourth. This place is always busy and they don’t take reservations, but you can sign up for the queue and go for a drink nearby. The fish tacos here are also highly recommended.
14. Dave’s Carry Out
The pork chop sandwich at Dave’s Carry-Out. Deep-fried, bone-in, deconstructed, served with a slice of tomato, lettuce, hot sauce and a sachet of mayo. I have a lot of doubts about this being the best sandwich in the state but it hit the spot. I also got a fried shrimp meal and devilled crab.
15. Ye Ole Fashioned Ice Cream
An old school drive-thru ice cream shop. As well as ice cream they also serve burgers and hot dogs. It’s beautiful spot but the food is just ok.
16. Bowens Island Restaurant
This place is quite far out of central Charleston but it’s a good spot to come for seafood on the water. The food is solid, although maybe a little on the expensive side but you’ll want to sink a few beers once you’re here.
James Dimitri 