Day-by-day eating plans for Charleston. weekend classics, family routes, vegan plans, on-a-budget editions.
Day-by-day plans
Charleston weekend: Lowcountry classics, done right ★ 4.7
First-time visitor, two days2 days
A peninsula weekend built around the dishes Charleston invented, the rooms that wrote the modern Lowcountry rulebook, and one Sullivan's Island seafood dinner.
Day 1: Saturday: biscuits, oysters, Lewis Barbecue, Husk
Morning
Open at Callie's Hot Little Biscuit on King Street at 09:00, cheese-and-bacon biscuit, latte from across the street. Walk over to Charleston Farmers Market on Marion Square for the Sea Island pea and produce stalls.
Afternoon
Lunch at Lewis Barbecue on Nassau Street, brisket sandwich and a sausage plate with two sides. Coffee back at Babas on Cannon and an hour wandering Cannonborough.
Evening
Dinner at Husk on Queen Street, 18:30. The skillet cornbread baked with Anson Mills cornmeal and Benton's bacon, whatever the wood grill is running, a pour from Husk's deep Southern bourbon list to start.
Day 2: Sunday: brunch, the City Market, raw bar, Sullivan's dinner
Morning
Brunch at Poogan's Porch on Queen Street, 09:30. Buttermilk biscuits with sausage gravy, the canonical she-crab soup, sweet tea.
Afternoon
Walk the Charleston City Market on Meeting Street for sweetgrass baskets and benne wafers. Walk the market stalls then stop at Fleet Landing on Cumberland Street for oysters on the waterfront deck (open Sunday).
Evening
Drive across the Ravenel Bridge for dinner at The Obstinate Daughter on Sullivan's Island, 19:30. A wood-fired pizza, ricotta gnocchi with short-rib ragu, oysters from the raw bar.
Charleston on a budget: three days under $40 a meal ★ 4.4
Budget traveler, three days3 days
Soul food counters, walk-up biscuits, food trucks and happy-hour oysters. Three full days of Charleston eating with no dinner over $40 a head.
Day 1: Day one: counters, biscuits, BBQ lunch, late-night tots
Morning
Biscuit and coffee at Callie's Hot Little Biscuit on King Street, under $9 for a full breakfast.
Afternoon
Cross over to Hannibal's Kitchen on Blake Street for the Eastside soul food lunch: crab rice, smothered pork chop, lima beans, under $16 with iced tea.
Evening
Lewis Barbecue lunch-counter format for an early sausage plate, then Tater Tachos and a PBR at Recovery Room Tavern on upper King past midnight.
Day 2: Day two: food trucks, soul food, $1 oysters
Morning
Find Roti Rolls' green truck on streetfoodfinder.com, a Thurman Merman wrap and a drink off the truck's $2 menu, under $13.
Afternoon
Lunch at Bertha's Kitchen in North Charleston, fried chicken, okra soup and red rice from the steam table, under $16. Cash and card both fine.
Evening
Happy hour at Pearlz Oyster Bar on East Bay, 16:00-19:00: $1.25 oysters, peel-and-eat shrimp, crab dip. Dinner stays under $20 a head if you stick to the bar menu.
Day 3: Day three: Folly Beach day trip and a King Street dive
Morning
Drive to Folly Beach, beach time before lunch.
Afternoon
Lunch at Jack of Cups Saloon on Center Street, cheap Asian and Indian inspired plates off the seasonally evolving chalkboard menu.
Evening
Back on the peninsula, Smash City Burgers on Cooper Street for a Classic Single and crinkle fries, then a Death Burger at A.C.'s Bar & Grill on King past midnight.
Charleston tasting-menu weekend: Michelin and beyond ★ 4.8
Serious-eater weekend, two days2 days
A peninsula weekend built around Charleston's three 2025 Michelin stars (Wild Common, Malagón, Vern's) plus a walk-in raw bar and a Gullah cooking class.
Day 1: Saturday: Gullah cooking, Spanish lunch, FIG dinner
Morning
Hands-on Classic Gullah Cooking class with Chef Rashaunda Grant at Carolina Cookery on Folly Road, 10:00. Two hours of Lowcountry technique, then lunch from what you cooked.
Afternoon
Snack and tapas at Malagón Mercado y Tapería on Spring Street, the new Michelin one-star from Chez Nous's team. Tortilla, anchovies, Iberico ham, a glass of Spanish vermouth.
Evening
Dinner at FIG on Meeting Street, 19:30 (book 30 days ahead). Mike Lata's fish stew, ricotta gnocchi with lamb Bolognese, half a bottle of Loire white.
Day 2: Sunday: brunch, Chubby Fish queue, Wild Common tasting
Morning
Brunch at Miller's All Day on Lower King, the daily grit bowl, sorghum waffle, espresso. Walk it off through Marion Square.
Afternoon
Wine and cheese at Vintage Lounge on upper King, then queue for the Chubby Fish 17:00 opening on Coming Street, walk-in only. Smoked wreckfish curry, the nightly whole fish.
Evening
Wild Common on Spring Street, 20:00. Tasting Menu No. 715: hamachi crudo, dry-aged strip, foie gras course; a Michelin star in 2025.
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