I still have dirty dreams about the polenta....

Posted by Frances516 from New York, NY on 7/28/08

I lived in Charleston for a few years, and Sermet's Corner was one of my favorite places to eat. I loved the food, especially the portobella panini and, of course, the polenta. It is a very cute restaurant and I found the service to be great every time I went. The only time my experience was less than great was when they messed up part of my order, but they gave it to me for free! I have always found the staff to be very friendly, and also noticed that many customers are "regulars" that come in multiple times a week. Also the owner, Sermet, is very nice and will often check by the tables to make sure everything is good. I would definitely recomend it!

I thought Sticky Fingers was down the street?

Posted by KathleenMD from Atlanta on 12/12/06

I was in Charleston for the weekend and stopped at Sermets Corner for a late lunch. It was a Friday around 2:30 so it wasnt very busy. However, our sever was- chatting with all the other employees. After finally taking our order and bringing our food we were somewhat disappointed with our crab burgers. They were fine, just nothing I would order again. The food was forgettable but the restaurant was charming. However on Saturday I realized I could not find my sunglasses so I called Sermets Corner to see if I had left them there. After a description of the sunglasses it was confirmed they were there and I told them I would get them on Sunday on my way out of town. When I got to the restaurant on Sunday my glasses were no where to be found. All of the servers had remembered seeing them but somehow they had disappeared. Very put out, I gave them my number should they turn up. After no call Sunday or Monday I tried them to see if they had been found. Whoever I talked to was very rude and not helpful. I just dont understand how the sunglasses were there Saturday but not Sunday, I guess one of the employees liked them as much as I did. Lunch at Sermets Corner was definitely not worth the loss of my favorite sunglasses!

Service was a disappointment this time...

Posted by Lesa from Charleston, SC USA on 2/1/06

I've eaten here several times & generally have a pleasant experience. My visit yesterday (1/31/06) was truly a disappointment in service! While the food was very tasty (crab cake salad), the service was horrible. My server came to my table about 5 minutes after I was seated & took my drink order. When he returned another 10 minutes, he asked if I'd like something to eat (pretty odd question). He took my order & never once mentioned any specials. The food did arrive pretty quick but that was the last time I saw my server at my table until the bill arrived. While I was flagging down someone to bring me water, I watched my server sit at the bar eating. When the manager brought my water, I made the comment "looks like my server is enjoying his lunch at the bar", the manager simply said "enjoy your salad". My favorite part of the experience was when a very well-known business man arrived with his party of 3 guests. My server sprang into action & was practically falling over himself to serve the table. He went on about all the wonderful specials and took their drink order. Their table was directly next time mine & at no point did the server check on me. After I was finished my meal, I waited 10 minutes before the hostess figured out I was ready to go & got my server. Having been in the F&B industry for 10+ years, I'm a very good tipper & it is rare for me to not leave a tip but this time, I couldn't leave a tip on principle alone. I'm sure he figured my little $10 salad & water order would only generate at most a $2 tip & that the other mentioned party would generate a very large tip but that is no excuse for such poor service. I even went so far as to write a comment on the check with my phone number if the manager wanted to call and discuss my experience. Given his response to my statement about my server eating at the bar, I am not surprised I have not heard from him.