Page's Okra Grill in Mount Pleasant has run family-owned Southern cooking on Coleman Boulevard since 2008. Ashleigh's shrimp and grits is the Travel Channel feature plate.
Signature dishes: Ashleigh's shrimp and grits, Fried green tomatoes
Must order: Ashleigh's shrimp and grits with andouille and tomato gravy.
Tip: No reservations. Walk-ins only; cash and card both accepted.
Address: 302 Coleman Blvd, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464, Charleston
Renzo in Charleston runs wood-fired pizzas and a natural-wine list from an industrial Huger Street storefront since 2018. The Faculty Lounge team's first full-service room.
Signature: Wood-fired pizza, Burrata and chicories
Order: Whatever chalkboard pizza is on, plus burrata with seasonal vegetables.
Tip: Book on Resy. Small room, books out by midweek for the weekend.
Home Team BBQ in Charleston runs pulled pork, wings and brisket from a Williman Street smokehouse since 2006. Casual sit-down room with cocktails and a heavy frozen-drink menu.
Signature: Pulled pork, Smoked wings with Alabama white sauce
Order: The pulled pork plate with two sides, plus a half-pound of smoked wings.
Tip: Open until midnight; full menu late. Live music nights draw a crowd.
John Lewis's Lewis Barbecue in Charleston runs central-Texas-style brisket and hot-guts sausage from a Nassau Street smokehouse since 2016. The pitmaster previously ran Franklin's smoker.
Signature: Brisket by the pound, Hot guts sausage
Order: A quarter-pound of fatty brisket and a hot-guts link, plus the green chile corn pudding side.
Tip: Order at the counter. Brisket runs out by 19:00 most nights; arrive earlier for the full menu.
Rodney Scott's BBQ in Charleston runs whole-hog pit barbecue from a King Street smokehouse since 2017. Scott won the 2018 James Beard Best Chef Southeast for his Hemingway pit work.
Signature: Whole-hog sandwich, Pit-cooked ribs
Order: The whole-hog pork sandwich with red sauce and a side of collards.
Tip: Walk-up counter. Plates run out by 19:00; arrive earlier on weekends.
Melfi's in Charleston runs upper-King-Street red-sauce Italian and Roman-thin-crust pizza out of a clubby tin-ceiling room since 2018. The Indaco team's casual sibling.
Signature: Roman thin-crust pizza, House-made pasta
Order: The Cacio e Pepe pizza and a glass of Chianti Classico.
Tip: Book on Resy. Walk-up bar seats serve the full menu.
Bowens Island Restaurant near Folly Beach has shovel-fed steamed Lowcountry oysters since 1946. James Beard America's Classics winner in 2006; rebuilt after a 2010 fire.
Signature: Steamed oysters by the bushel, Frogmore stew
Order: A bushel of steamed oysters opened table-side and a bowl of Frogmore stew.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Cash and card; no reservations. Tide-line tables fill at sunset.
