Where to Eat in Charleston
Looking for the best places to eat in Charleston and the surrounding area during your next weekend getaway? Check out our favorite restaurants and dining spots around town.
Charleston is known as a foodie city for excellent reason, you’ll find dozens of excellent places to eat including highly rated Michelin star restaurants along with local hole-in-the-walls serving comforting southern classics.
During a recent mother-daughter trip to Charleston, my daughter and I chose to keep things mostly casual with a little splurge where it mattered. We love delicious down-to-earth food and picked mostly budget-friendly options with one amazing fancy dinner in the mix.
If this is your first visit to Charleston, you’ll quickly learn how easy it is to get around thanks to the bridges that take you off shore to the local islands. So our recommendations cover not only downtown Charleston hot spots but delicious waterfront restaurants on the beach and the local creek, too.
You’ll find on our list delicious brunch ideas, tons of seafood, and suggestions for something sweet to finish your day. Let’s dig in!
Hank’s Seafood
I made reservations to dine at Hank’s Seafood on the first night of our trip because we wanted to start off with an extra-special meal. This one did not disappoint.
The service was stellar, the ambiance is elegant without being stuffy, and the food was phenomenal. If you’re looking for a place to get a little dressed up, this is the spot for you.
Bonus Points: It was a quick and easy 5 minute walk from our stay at The Ryder Hotel.
What we ordered:
- Hank’s House Salad: You can always tell it’s going to be an amazing salad when the croutons are homemade using the in-house bread.
- Crab Cakes: I ordered the appetizer as my main dish, they’re made with sweet corn, leeks, and basil and then served over a beurre blanc. YUM!
- Fried Shrimp Platter: My daughter ordered the fried shrimp and it came with with coleslaw & fries. The shrimp were perfectly crispy and so delicious.
- Crème Brûlée: I rarely order this because my homemade Grand Marnier crème brûlée is so good, but our server convinced me. He was right, it was phenomenal.
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfait: My daughter with with the chocolate & peanut butter mouse, she shared one bite and I was more than a little jealous.
Millers All Day
We planned our walking tour of Charleston so that we could land in the neighborhood of Millers All Day for an early lunch around 11 am on a Tuesday.
There was already a 25 minute wait so if you attempt it on the weekend, be sure to get there early!
Millers All Day
120 King Street, Charleston
View their menu here.
What we ordered:
- French Toast Sticks: We came for this signature dish but sadly they were sold out! I’d absolutely try it next time.
- Cinnamon Roll: Our waitress suggested this in lieu of the French Toast sticks, the cinnamon roll is GIANT and could easily be shared with four people as a brunch appetizer. It comes with a generous portion of frosting, so yummy.
- Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese: My daughter chose this for her lunch, the sandwich is made from homemade sourdough that had the best crispy texture. The tomato bisque was smooth and seasoned so perfectly.
- BEC Sandwich: I wanted more protein, so I got the bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich on a brioche bun. I loved the herb mayo on it which added more flavor but as I saw other plates coming out from the kitchen I regretted not getting the Signature Fried Chicken which comes on a homemade biscuit.
Little Palm
Our stay at The Ryder Hotel came with a $30 breakfast credit and thanks to my American Express Platinum card, we got an additional $100 resort credit to use in the restaurant on site.
We decided to test out the breakfast options at Little Palm near the pool on our last morning. It was the perfect finish to our getaway and I loved being able to dine in a quiet spot in a lush outdoor setting.
Little Palm | The Ryder Hotel
237 Meeting Street, Charleston
View their menu here.
What we ordered:
- Tres Leches French Toast: My daughter ordered this unique take on French toast. It came with fresh fruit and a tiny milk cup for additional cream. She shared a bite with me and it was quite lovely.
- Chicken & Waffles: I went with the Belgian-style waffle with fried chicken tenders and hot honey butter on top. I’m a big fan of chicken and waffles because I love that sweet and savory combo and appreciate the boost of protein with my breakfast. The honey butter made this one extra special and the waffle and chicken both had a perfect texture.
There are so many wonderful places to eat in Charleston, I’m not sure I’d make a special trip to visit Little Palm if we weren’t already staying at The Ryder but if you’re in the neighborhood and want to give the hotel a peek it is delicious enough to be worth your effort.
Poogan’s Porch
We took a stroll past Poogan’s Porch during our walking tour of historic Charleston but didn’t have the time to dine there this particular visit.
However, I’ve dined there several times during our past trips, including our romantic getaway to Charleston, and it remains one of my favorite Charleston restaurants. The restaurant is in this adorable yellow house and it feels like coming over to a friend’s for dinner.
Poogan’s Porch
72 Queen Street, Charleston
View their menu here.
What we’ve ordered before:
- Fried Green Tomatoes
- Mac & Cheese
- Carolina Crab Cake
- Shrimp & Grits
- Country Fried Pork Chop
- Cast-Iron Peach Cobbler
Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit
If we hadn’t stopped for breakfast at Little Palm, the original plan was to walk over to Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit on King Street.
We’ve eaten here before and I still think about that buttery biscuit years later! If you run out of time like we did, you can also buy Callie’s biscuit mix for taking home to bake later.
Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit
476 1/2 King Street, Charleston
Check out their menu here.
What I’ve ordered before:
- Pimento Cheese Biscuit
- Biscuit with Blackberry Jam
- Bacon Egg & Cheese Biscuit
I’ve heard that this location has become quite popular and lines can form quickly in the morning. You can order ahead online for easy pick-up if you prefer.
Pinky’s on the Beach
Driving down from Charlotte for our Charleston getaway, we headed straight for Pinky’s on the Beach as our very first stop. We planned to enjoy lunch here by the water while we waited for our hotel check-in window to arrive. This was perhaps one of our very best decisions!
Pinky’s is inside the Tides hotel on Folly Beach, a quick drive from downtown Charleston, and it is the perfect spot for starting your vacation. Be sure to check out my complete guide to a Folly Beach day trip from Charleston here.
Pinky’s on the Beach
1 Center St., Folly Beach, SC
You can park in the public parking lot at the Folly Beach Pier right next door.
View their menu here.
What we ordered:
- Coconut Shrimp: We were starving from our long drive and I couldn’t resist ordering this appetizer. It was the most delicious thing we had!! It comes with a pineapple aioli that could have been a little more on the fruity side for my taste, but the shrimp were perfection.
- Grilled Shrimp Tacos: My daughter ordered this and they came with onions and peppers, a zesty cilantro aioli, and a generous side of curly fries.
- Blackened Grouper Sandwich: The spicy slaw on this was to-die-for. My sandwich was a bit messy to eat but totally worth it.
Sunsets
We spent an afternoon “island hopping” in the area to check out Sullivan’s Island and Isle of Palms. We landed in Shem Creek for dinner and chose to eat at Sunsets on the creek.
There is waterfront balcony seating available but we chose to sit inside the restaurant to stay in the shade after a long day in the sun. This would be an awesome spot to enjoy sunset over the water.
Be sure to get my complete itinerary tips in my guide to an evening in Shem Creek.
Sunsets
97 Ronnie Boals Blvd. Mt Pleasant, SC
You can view their menu here.
What we ordered:
- Hushpuppies with Honey Butter: Honestly, these weren’t worth it. I suggest skipping them.
- Blackened Shrimp Tacos: I ordered the trio of blackened shrimp tacos that come with a generous portion of perfectly tender and seasoned shrimp. They come topped with a citrus slaw and a cilantro crema.
- Blackened Shrimp Pasta: My daughter ordered the blackened shrimp pasta which comes with a side of garlic bread for dipping. The dish was quite tasty but the sauce was a bit thin.
We were pretty exhausted and wanted a lighter dinner, but I’d consider ordering these next time:
- Grilled Mahi Sandwich
- Lobster Roll
- Po’Boy
- Lo Country Boil
The Co-Op
At the end of our island hopping drive, we landed in a strip mall on Isle of Palms that had one of The Co-Op locations.
This popular local restaurant offers a variety of sandwiches and salads but when we stopped in at 2pm, they were sold out of all food. I’m not sure if this happens regularly or if this was just our luck. Either way, it doesn’t matter because I was specifically their for their famous frose!
They have several seasonal flavors on tap or you can order a tasting flight. So fun on a hot afternoon.
The Co-Op
1515 Palm Blvd, Isle of Palms, SC
You can view their menu here.
What we ordered:
- Frose Flight: I sampled the OG Strawberry, the Prickly Pear, and the Watermelon Cucumber frose flavors which were available during our visit. You’ll have to check their social media for current options. The strawberry was my favorite, followed by the watermelon. So refreshing.
- Soft Serve: My daughter chose the vanilla-chocolate swirl with M&Ms. We saw lots of people stopping in for ice cream in the afternoon.
Honorable Mentions
With just 2 nights in Charleston, there were so many places we wanted to sample but they just didn’t fit our itinerary. I’ve bookmarked the following restaurants for future visits because they came highly recommended:
- Felix Cocktails et Cuisine
- The Darling Oyster Bar
- Church and Union
- The Obstinante Daughter
- Carmella’s Cafe and Dessert Bar: We actually stopped in for a peek and the cakes looked AMAZING.
Did I miss your personal favorite? Leave me a comment below and I’ll add it to our list!
