Kwei Fei is a sichuan restaurant in James Island, Charleston.
Editorially verified May 19, 2026 by Elliot Marsh, TableJourney editor. Source.
Why locals love it: James Island Sichuan-only restaurant next to the Charleston Pour House, the city's longest-running serious Chinese kitchen and far off the King Street circuit.
Day trip · 5.5 hours
Explore the beauty of the rural Charleston Lowcountry on this Wadmalaw Island day trip. Visit the Angel Oak Tree, sip on tea at Charleston Tea Garden, and enjoy a wine...
2 hours
Learn how to make cocktails from a professional bartender in Charleston. Sip on 3 delicious cocktails and munch on some basic bar snacks.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Join us on our 3-hour Food Walking Tour of Charleston. Led by a knowledgeable local guide, you'll explore the bustling streets of the city while satisfying yourself wi...
Address: 1977 Maybank Hwy, Charleston, SC 29412
Wild Common in Charleston runs Orlando Pagan's Tasting Menu No. 715 from a moody Spring Street room. Hamachi crudo, dry-aged strip with polenta.
OrderTasting Menu No. 715 in full; foie gras course is the signature
Why locals goOrlando Pagán's tasting-menu room on a quiet Spring Street block. One Michelin star in 2025, but most visitors still default to FIG or Husk.
TipReservations on Resy weeks ahead, but the bar takes walk-ins for the abbreviated counter menu. Closed Monday and Tuesday.
Vintage Lounge on upper King Street is a Cannonborough Charleston wine bar in a renovated historic building. Local charcuterie, truffled fontina fondue.
OrderTruffled fontina fondue, charcuterie plate, sommelier's seasonal flight
Why locals goAn upper King wine room above a stationery shop that locals book first when they want truffled fontina fondue and Burgundy by the glass past midnight.
TipReserve via OpenTable for booths. The wine-pairing flight is the standing recommendation; ask staff for the off-list bottles.
Sorghum & Salt in Charleston runs farm- and sea-to-fork plates from the St Philip and Cannon corner. Housemade ricotta, gnocchi with local mushrooms.
OrderHousemade ricotta, mushroom gnocchi, daily vegetable plate
Why locals goA vegetable-forward farm-to-table room a mile north of the tourist track, with the city's most considered vegan tasting menu.
TipVegan and vegetarian options are the core, not a side menu. Reservations on Resy; small room, walk-in odds slim.
Bertha's Kitchen on Meeting Street Road in North Charleston runs Albertha Grant's soul food cafeteria from 1979. Fried chicken, okra soup, red rice.
OrderFried chicken, okra soup, red rice, lima beans with smoked turkey neck
Why locals goA North Charleston cafeteria steam table that has run since 1979 and won James Beard's America's Classics in 2017. Tourist guides barely list it.
TipLunch only Mon-Sat, cash and card. Arrive before 13:00 weekdays or the fried chicken is gone.
Dave's Carry-Out on Morris Street in Charleston runs a counter-only seafood and soul food window. Fried fish sandwich, shrimp platters, devil crab.
OrderFish sandwich, fried shrimp platter, devil crab
Why locals goA counter-only soul food and seafood window on a back block of Morris Street most King Street visitors never find.
TipTue-Fri lunch and dinner only, closed Sat-Mon. Phone ahead to skip the 30-minute counter line at 12:30.
James London's Chubby Fish in Charleston runs an ever-changing dock-to-table seafood menu from a small Cannonborough room. Located in Upper King.
OrderSmoked wreckfish curry, chili garlic shrimp, the nightly whole fish
Why locals goA walk-in-only neighborhood seafood room on Coming Street that quietly landed on North America's 50 Best in 2025 without a reservation system.
TipDoors open Tue-Sat at 17:00 and a line forms by 16:30. Arrive early; the whole-fish nightly special goes first.
