Charleston Restaurants

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Carolina's

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Carolina's Review

On a quiet side street between East Bay Street and Waterfront Park, this longtime favorite occupies a former wharf building. The smartened-up decor includes romantic banquettes, and an evolving menu under chef Jill Mathias has a strong emphasis on healthful ingredients. (Owner Richard Stoney also owns Kensington Plantation, where most of the produce is grown.) Lowcountry favorites stand next to original dishes like scallops with roasted cauliflower. Local grouper works amazingly well with a port-wine broth. Ask about the special prix-fixe dinners, including ones with beer pairings. On Sunday and Monday bottles of wine are half price. The free valet parking is another nice touch.

    Restaurant Details

  • Reservations essential.
  • Credit cards accepted.
  • No lunch weekends.
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    Carolina's Review

    Outstanding and more of a local than tourist place. Wonderful food, but ask for a table in the back room unless you like the roar of other diners. Quality and innovation of the menu is fresh and wonderful. Don't miss this restaurant, but it can be pricey.

    by chastown, 3/6/10
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    Thank God for change!

    Carolina's has been around forever, but it's just now getting back to the way it used to be. Apparently they have a new chef. He's English and actually came to the table to ask how our meal was. The beef carpaccio was amazing. My friend had the scallop three ways to start. Wow! Then I had the lamb rack, which was probably the least expensive in town, and it was cooked perfectly. My friend had the fried flounder which isn't usually something I like, but it was served with peach jam and this hash with bacon and sweet potatoes. It was really good. We finished the meal by sharing their spiced chocolate trio. The service was perfect and the restaurant itself is really pretty, has a really nice vibe. I was so pleasantly surprised because Carolina's did have such a poor reputation for a while, my friend dragged me assuring me that it had improved. She was right! What a wonderful experience.

    by Chefs_Wife, 12/16/06

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