82 Queen in Charleston has poured she-crab soup for 40 years from three historic buildings on Queen Street with a courtyard garden under a magnolia tree. Lowcountry institution.
Signature dishes: She-crab soup, Shrimp and grits
Must order: The 18-time-award-winning she-crab soup, table-side sherry pour optional.
Tip: Book on OpenTable. Courtyard seats are the best in the house.
Address: 82 Queen St, Charleston, SC 29401
Poogan's Porch in Charleston has run since 1976 from a restored Victorian on Queen Street. Lowcountry brunch institution with shrimp and grits and house buttermilk biscuits.
Signature: Shrimp and grits, Buttermilk biscuits
Order: Shrimp and grits at brunch, biscuits to start.
Tip: Book on OpenTable. Brunch on weekends draws a queue from 10:00.
Poogan's Porch in Charleston has run since 1976 from a restored Victorian on Queen Street. Lowcountry brunch institution with shrimp and grits and house buttermilk biscuits.
Signature: Shrimp and grits, Buttermilk biscuits
Order: Shrimp and grits at brunch, biscuits to start.
Tip: Book on OpenTable. Brunch on weekends draws a queue from 10:00.
Estadio in Charleston runs Spanish tapas, vermouth on tap and a sherry programme out of a Spring Street corner spot since 2023. Daytime pintxos and natural-wine evenings.
Signature: Tortilla espanola, Pintxos and tapas
Order: The tortilla, jamon plate, and a vermouth on the rocks at 17:00.
Tip: Book on Resy. Bar seats walk-in. The sherry list is the deepest in the city.
Xiao Bao Biscuit in Charleston's Cannonborough runs pan-Asian cooking out of a converted gas station on Rutledge Avenue since 2011. Daily-changing menu of dumplings, rice bowls, noodles.
Signature: Okonomiyaki, Daily Asian specials
Order: The okonomiyaki cabbage pancake and whatever daily noodle is up.
Tip: Lunch only Mon-Fri 11:30-15:00, plus weekday dinner. Cash and card; no reservations.
Leon's Fine Poultry and Oysters in Charleston runs fried chicken and oyster plates from a converted body shop on King Street since 2014. Buttermilk-brined chicken, char-grilled oysters.
Signature: Fried chicken sandwich, Char-grilled oysters
Order: The fried chicken sandwich and a half-dozen char-grilled oysters.
Tip: Walk-in counter seating. Lines at lunch are real; weeknight dinner is easier.
Little Jack's Tavern in Charleston opened on King Street in 2015 with classic-American tavern food and the city's most-discussed burger. Tin-ceiling room, deep cocktail list.
Signature: Tavern Burger, Wedge salad
Order: The Tavern Burger with American cheese and a glass of the daily red.
Tip: Reservations on Resy. Walk-in bar seats serve the full menu till midnight.
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-style 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.
