Tres Jackson and Brooks Reitz's Sorghum & Salt in Charleston runs vegetable-forward small plates from a renovated St. Philip Street spot since 2017. Local farms, no fixed menu.
Signature dishes: Vegetable plates, Daily small plates
Must order: Whatever the daily vegetable plate is; this kitchen makes plants taste like the centre of the plate.
Tip: Book on Resy. Vegetarians get the deepest menu in the city here.
Address: 186 St Philip St, Charleston, SC 29403
Maison in Charleston runs French bistro plates from a King Street corner since 2023. Steak frites, escargot, French country wines; one of the city's most-watched newer rooms.
Signature: Steak frites, Plateau de fruits de mer
Order: Steak frites and a half-bottle of Cotes du Rhone.
Tip: Book on Resy. Wednesday and Thursday seats are easiest; weekends fill 30 days out.
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.
Signature: Crispy oyster sliders, Seafood tower
Order: The crispy oyster sliders on Hawaiian rolls, plus the seafood tower for the table.
Tip: Book on Resy. Mezzanine bar takes walk-ins and serves the full menu.
Chez Nous in Charleston runs a two-protein, two-pasta, two-starter handwritten menu daily out of a cottage on Payne Court since 2014. Six tables, no menu repeats.
Signature: Daily handwritten menu, Pasta of the day
Order: Whatever pasta is on the day's chalkboard; it's always the strongest plate.
Tip: Book on Resy weeks ahead. The room is tiny and tables turn slowly.
Maison in Charleston runs French bistro plates from a King Street corner since 2023. Steak frites, escargot, French country wines; one of the city's most-watched newer rooms.
Signature: Steak frites, Plateau de fruits de mer
Order: Steak frites and a half-bottle of Cotes du Rhone.
Tip: Book on Resy. Wednesday and Thursday seats are easiest; weekends fill 30 days out.
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: Ashleigh's shrimp and grits, Fried green tomatoes
Order: Ashleigh's shrimp and grits with andouille and tomato gravy.
Tip: No reservations; arrive at 11:00 or wait. Walk-ins only; cash and card.
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.
Signature: Cornbread in a cast-iron skillet, Wood-grilled local fish
Order: The skillet cornbread with bacon-fat butter, plus whatever the wood grill is running tonight.
Tip: Book on huskcharleston.com. The bar serves the full menu walk-up from 17:00 onward, no reservations needed.
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.
Signature: Fish stew, Ricotta gnocchi with pork ragu
Order: The fish stew with house-cut potatoes and aioli; rotates by season.
Tip: Book 30 days ahead on Resy. Bar seats are first-come.
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.
Signature: Crispy oyster sliders, Seafood tower
Order: The crispy oyster sliders on Hawaiian rolls, plus the seafood tower for the table.
Tip: Book on Resy. Mezzanine bar takes walk-ins and serves the full menu.
Chez Nous in Charleston runs a two-protein, two-pasta, two-starter handwritten menu daily out of a cottage on Payne Court since 2014. Six tables, no menu repeats.
Signature: Daily handwritten menu, Pasta of the day
Order: Whatever pasta is on the day's chalkboard; it's always the strongest plate.
Tip: Book on Resy weeks ahead. The room is tiny and tables turn slowly.
