Charleston SC Restaurants Any Recommendations ?

Hello all,
Going to Charleston SC in August, love BBQ but I need recommendations on top New Southern cuisine restaurants.
Cheers [cheers.gif]

So many, but this is a good start.

FIG
McCrady’s (Tasting Menu or Tavern)
The Ordinary
Edmunds Oast
Husk

Hardy’s list is a great starting point.
Where are you staying?
We’re local and can give detailed guidance.

The Grocery
Trattoria Lucca
Circa 1886 is great when Marc is “on”
The Macintosh
Chez Nous

Before dinner beverage at The Belmont

Charleston Grill is still good; wine list is very good.

We had a very nice meal at CRU Cafe

The orange sherbet cake is my auntie’s recipe. She made all their desserts for years.

Now I may need to go back to try that!

I gotta admit, I was not a huge fan of the McCrady’s tasting menu. And this is coming from someone who lists the old McCrady’s tasting menu (pre-tavern) as one of my top 3 ever dining experiences. I think it just gets TOO far from the roots McCrady’s/Brock is so well respected for. the tavern is still great though, and FIG is one of my favorite restaurants anywhere.

NOTE TO ANYONE TRYING TO BOOK FIG: they open reservations four weeks in advance at 10am and they are not kidding around. Those reservations go fast. like within minutes for Friday/Saturday nights for decent times fast.

Thank you all,
Was at Husk last year, loved the bar room attached to the restaurant, GREAT cocktails. Dinner was hit and miss, had the pig ears for app, AWESOME. Grouper was stone cold (left on the pickup window, service was very slow, and please ice the whites, bucket full of ice and water especially that we were seated on the porch) Pork chop was very good. I was told that Husk is on the decline since Chef Sean Brock left.
Also like Swig & Swine, and Smoke BBQ
Will try to make it to Fig

Last night Mason told me that he and his wife called exactly 4 weeks in advance, exactly at 10; by the time they got through, the earliest available rez for 10:00 p.m.

[head-bang.gif] Reservations for the second week of August are not open yet, nearly impossible to get a 8pm table…

Id definitely advise setting an alarm for it. it worked for us and I think we got an 8pm. of course, we were shooting for 7… lol

but Ive had good luck with that method twice so far. if it helps, its absolutely worth the hassle.

Thanks for that, will try hard. Enrolling the wife

You can also sit at the bar without a rez but you might have to wait a bit. That’s what Mason H (Berserker) and his wife had to do.

We’re going to Fig tonight and will report back.

I would add Leon’s to the list above. Oysters and spicy fried chicken with a very good grower champagne list in a funky setting.

Thank you all - this has been very helpful. We’ll be in Charleston in late August for a family wedding. Saturday night is taken but we’ve been looking for places for Friday dinner and a few lunches.

Fig was great. Impeccably fresh, local food perfectly prepared. We had tuna crudo, heirloom tomatoes with a smoked mackerel puree, grilled King Mackerel and the gnocchi. Savart champagne to drink. They have a nice selection of Madeira by the glass, also. I would try to eat there on any trip.

Husk can be skipped at this point. We went because it was our friends’ favorite. Not bad. But I wouldn’t go back.

167Raw is Nantucket inspired, but it was really terrific.

Chez Nous was closed, but a lot of locals were recommending it.

Lots of good eating in Charleston.

I concur with the recommendations of Hardy W. and Scott B.

We visit Charleston once or twice a year and our typical lineup includes FIG, Husk, McCrady’s, Chez Nous, and the Darling Oyster Bar. During our last visit Easter weekend, we enjoyed lunches at Leon’s and Little Jack’s Tavern. As mentioned the champagne list at Leon’s is good and Little Jack’s should be a good lunch spot for the OP’s request.

I’ve dined at FIG on 4-5 occasions. It’s good, but perhaps my expectations are too high. My best meals at Chez Nous have been better than FIG. Chez Nous has a very limited daily menu, but posts the menu with pictures on the gram every day. It doesn’t meet the OP’s southern fare suggestion, but I would check their daily menu during your visit.

It was just announced that McCrady’s Tavern will be closing on July 31, but the McCrady’s Tasting Room will remain open. I have enjoyed my meals at the Tasting Room. I’ve noticed a number of familiar faces during my visits that have remained on staff after Brock’s departure. If I’m not mistaken the same head chef from my original visit during Brock’s tenure is still there on a nightly basis. It can get expensive with all of the supplements and drink pairings.

The OP loves BBQ, so a visit to Charleston wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Lewis Barbecue or Rodney Scott’s BBQ now open in the same proximity. We always stop by Lewis on the way out of town and grab a few things to go for the work week ahead.

And to bring my post back to the BYO Forum, FIG was $30 per bottle corkage during our visit Easter weekend. I brought a red wine for dinner and purchased a white wine from the wine list.

Enjoy your visit to Charleston. There are a plethora of wonderful dining options in Charleston.

James