The heirloom long-grain rice that built the Lowcountry's plantation economy. Nutty, floral, with a defined grain that holds its shape under sauce.
Carolina Gold rice arrived in Charleston harbour in 1685 on a ship from Madagascar, then took root as the cash crop of the Lowcountry plantation system. The variety nearly disappeared after the Civil War as plantation labour collapsed. Glenn Roberts founded Anson Mills in Columbia in 1998 and rebuilt the rice from a handful of saved seeds. Today it grows again on small Lowcountry farms and anchors the rice course at Husk, FIG, and Sean Brock's other projects. The grain is sweeter and more aromatic than commodity rice and forms the base of authentic Hoppin' John and red rice.
4 editor picks for Carolina Gold rice in Charleston, ranked by editorial score. All Charleston signature dishes · Carolina Gold rice across every city.
Husk ★ 4.9
downtown · 76 Queen St, Charleston, SC 29401
Sean Brock's Husk in Charleston opened on Queen Street in 2010 and rebuilt Southern fine dining around heritage Anson Mills grains, Sea Island peas, hyper-local produce.
FIG ★ 4.9
downtown · 232 Meeting St, Charleston, SC 29401
Mike Lata and Jason Stanhope's FIG in Charleston has been the neighbourhood-scaled dining benchmark since 2003. James Beard Best Chef Southeast for Lata in 2009, Stanhope in 2015.
The Ordinary ★ 4.7
upper-king · 544 King St, Charleston, SC 29403
Mike Lata's The Ordinary in Charleston turned a 1927 bank building on King Street into the city's most ambitious raw bar in 2013. Marble counters, tile floors, mezzanine bar.
Slightly North of Broad ★ 4.6
downtown · 192 E Bay St, Charleston, SC 29401
Slightly North of Broad in Charleston has run on East Bay Street since 1993. Frank Lee's reworked shrimp and grits became the canonical restaurant version of the Lowcountry plate.