Wild Olive on Johns Island has run handmade pasta and Italian-Lowcountry plates from a converted barn on Maybank Highway since 2009. Chef Jacques Larson's first restaurant.
Signature dishes: House-made pasta, Wood-fired meats
Must order: Whatever house pasta the kitchen is running tonight; rotates with the season.
Tip: Reservations required almost every night. Book at wildolive.com.
Address: 2867 Maybank Hwy, Johns Island, SC 29455, Charleston
Brannon Florie's The Royal Tern on Johns Island opened in 2019 as a fancy neighbourhood eatery on Maybank Highway. Local seafood, raw bar and a wood grill anchor the menu.
Signature: Whole fish, Local raw bar
Order: Whatever whole fish is on the wood grill, plus oysters from the daily list.
Tip: Book on the website. Dinner only, closed Sundays.
Brannon Florie's The Royal Tern on Johns Island opened in 2019 as a fancy neighbourhood eatery on Maybank Highway. Local seafood, raw bar and a wood grill anchor the menu.
Signature: Whole fish, Local raw bar
Order: Whatever whole fish is on the wood grill, plus oysters from the daily list.
Tip: Book on the website. Dinner only, closed Sundays.
Hyman's Seafood in Charleston has fed the city from a Meeting Street row of historic buildings since 1890. Five generations of family ownership and a queue that wraps the block.
Signature: She-crab soup, Fried local seafood
Order: She-crab soup and a fried-fish plate with hushpuppies.
Tip: No reservations; arrive before 17:30 or expect a 45-minute wait. Hush puppies are free.
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: She-crab soup, Shrimp and grits
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.
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.
