The South's answer to the Northeast's bagels. At the tiny local grab-and-go spot, choose from seven flavors of buttery, flaky biscuits. Top with cinammon whipped butter or add a side of grits, and you're ready to walk it off all the way down King Street. The best news? They now ship nationwide.
Come for chef Jeremiah Bacon's famous bone marrow bread pudding. Splurge on the decadent deckle, or time it right and get $5 plates at bacon happy hour.
Hailing from Nantucket Island, Jesse Sandole brings New England flavor to the South. Come early to nab a coveted spot at the bar or in the garden for lobster rolls, fish tacos, and the freshest oysters.
In a town not lacking for good ice-cream (shout-outs to Jeni's and Cirsea), Parlor Deluxe takes it up a notch with a modern take on old-fashioned counter classics (think hot dogs with names like Sylvester Shalom and The "Gee" Thang). Sidle up to the picture-perfect marble countertop for milkshakes and tater tots.
Slightly North of Broad (lovingly known as SNOB) has been dishing out delicious Lowcountry fare in an airy 18th-century warehouse building for more than 20 years. Chefs Frank Lee and Russ Moore keep the menu fresh, and the loyal lunch crowd keeps the energy buzzing.
At first glance, this hulk of an old filling station looks like anything but the scene of your next lemongrass ginger beer cocktail. But experimental Asian soul food and a serious playlist have turned the scruffy parking lot into a hotspot hangout. The only thing it's fueling these days is a citywide obsession with okonomiyaki (Japanese cabbage and scallion pancakes).
A meal here can just as easily skew decadent — if you spring for the "big chicken dinner" and pair it with bubbles — or down-home (hush puppies, six-packs, and soft-serve with jimmies). With a daily catch and no fewer than ten seasonal side salads, the menu is accommodating, even of calorie-counters. The cannily redesigned space, formerly Leon's Paint & Body Shop and now a study in ramshackle chic, will speak to coolhunters and Brooklynites, but the vibe here is refreshingly come-one-come-all.
Operating out of a restored 19th-century house, Brown's Court supplies industry neighbors like The Ordinary and Two Boroughs Larder with top-notch brioche. Walk-in regulars come for the pour-over coffee, sriracha croissants, and nightly happy hour discounts. Half-priced pecan sorghum pie and a spot on the second story side porch are the makings a fine afternoon.
Open for over fifteen years, it's a sophisticated Charleston classic. Nibble on tuna tartare and sip bubbles at the champagne bar. The intimate courtyard is a perfect al fresco spot.
Don't let the name fool you, as this airy neighborhood joint is open and pouring over forty suds on tap. They're also dishing out serious comfort eats like a pork slap sandwich, beer mussels, and duck pot pie.
James Beard-winner and locavore Chef Brock's spot is tucked away down a narrow alley. Inside, it's all exposed brick and reinterpreted Southern classic using heirloom grains and greens. Sample the four-course menu.
This laid-back artisanal grocery and gastro-eatery doles out a global mash-up of Mexican, Korean, and Taiwanese influences. Happy hour is a relaxed, canned beer-style affair with a bowl of brothy ramen.
An industrial-chic taqueria with canary yellow walls, charming outdoor picnic tables, and local ingredients tucked into hand-pressed tortillas.
The thin, artisanal, wood-fired Neapolitan pizza goes hand-in-hand with local toppings like South Carolina bacon, Ashley Farms chicken, and local craft beers in an open, casual brick storefront.
Get your fill of crabs, local Carolina oysters, and the three-tiered shellfish plateaux at the lovely, white-tiled oyster bar and seafood hall in a restored bank with massive windows and high ceilings. The raw bar fashioned out of reclaimed wood is the best place from which to appreciate the nautical bounty.
A classic country kitchen where low country comfort food is served with high ideals. Four-cheese macaroni elicits squeals from the cozy dining room; save room for smoked pork belly, shrimp BLT's, and fried oyster salad.
It's not a trip to the South until you've been fed the classics: shrimp and grits, fried green tomatoes, collard greens, homemade biscuits, and sweet tea. But to have all that goodness servedup by a James Beard Award-winning chef? Truly a Charleston treat.
Savor hearty Chinese pork-belly sandwiches and Korean BLT's made with local ingredients at communal tables in an airy industrial space. The changing menu is scrawled along chalkboard-painted walls, which you can peruse while sipping your favorite wine — it's B.Y.O. Daytime hours are famously limited, but early birds can pick up fried egg sandwiches with harissa ketchup and fontina next door at younger sibling takeaway spot, The Daily.