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Restaurants Overview

Eating is a serious pastime in Charleston. You can dine at nationally renowned restaurants serving the best of Southern nouveau, or if you prefer, a waterfront shack with some of the best fried seafood south of the Mason-Dixon line. Big-name chefs, including Bob Waggoner of the Charleston Grill, Robert Carter of the Peninsula Grill, Ken Vedrinkski of Sienna, Frank Lee of Slightly North of Broad, Mike Lata of FIG, and Craig Deihl of Cypress, have earned reputations for preparing Lowcountry cuisine with a contemporary flair. Incredible young talents, including Tarver King of the Woodlands, Jason Schloz of High Cotton, Ciaran Duffy of Tristan's, and Sean Brock of McCrady's are also putting a new spin on things.

Reservations are a good idea for dinner year-round, especially on weekends, as there is almost no off-season for tourism. Tables are especially hard to come by during the Southeastern Wildlife Expo (President's Day weekend in February) and the Spoleto Festival (late May to mid-June). The overall dress code is relaxed: unless noted below, casual khakis and an oxford or polo shirt for men, casual slacks (or a skirt), top, and sandals for women work for any place you might pull up a chair.

A gastro-tour here can get expensive. You might try several of the small plates that many establishments now serve as an option to keep costs down. In general, prices downtown are higher than those in restaurants over the bridges and on the islands.