Go to →

Area restaurants offer affordable and delicious specials for people on a budget

As we all know, there is no shortage of great food in Charleston. From James Island to North Charleston, and of course downtown, the plethora of choices can seem overwhelming not only to tourists, but also to those of us who stroll these streets day and night. In the first Food Issue, we aimed to point out some of the best food and best deals in the city. In this, our second Food Issue, we continue to explore the vast options and help you decide what to have for dinner. We are lucky to live in a city with a thriving culinary scene and great options for dining on any budget.

North area

Those who live north of the city have a multitude of choices for great food and entertainment.

In Summerville you can stop by either Montreux Bar and Grill or Firewater Grill for fantastic food and drinks. Firewater Grill offers half-price appetizers 4-8 p.m. Monday-Friday, with $2.50 well drinks and $1.75 domestic beers. Sundays feature $10 bottomless mimosas and $3 bloody marys, all day long. Montreux has $2 mimosas and a build-your-own bloody mary brunch. They also feature live music on the weekends.

Another great place for food and entertainment in the north area is EVO. EVO, which stands for Extra Virgin Oven, has constantly changing specials that feature local ingredients such as its Local Watermelon and Feta appetizer with Johns Island Watermelon and Split Creek Farm's Feta. Stop by EVO for live jazz every Thursday night, featuring the Pulse Trio.

If you're in the mood for a burger, stop by Sesame Burgers & Beer. These hand-made gourmet burgers made with beef, black beans or chicken can be made to order with your choice of ingredients or you can choose from the selections on the menu like the Down South Burger, which has caramelized onions and bacon with American cheese. It's a lot of burger and the beef version is only $6.70.

For an Italian meal in North Charleston, check out Gennaro's. Open for 25 years, Gennaro's has a variety of Italian dishes on the menu and now offers NY style pizza for take out. Gennaro's has live jazz 8:30-11 p.m. Thursdays.

Downtown dining

When you want to sample fare from some of Charleston's fine dining on a budget, small plates and bar menus are the way to go. Carolina's, Oak Steakhouse, Magnolias, Pane e Vino and Fish are offering delicious deals that will allow you to try great food and still pay your mortgage.

Carolina's likes to think of its bar menu as one of the biggest surprises in town. General Manager Jamie Waby came up with the concept of a lower-priced bar menu over a year ago when he saw the economy heading south.

Convinced that people needed entertainment and fine dining, this menu was created to keep regulars in the restaurant and also to draw a new crowd. Manager Ben Davidson said, "The menu has been extremely successful. The people who know about it rave about it. We rely on word-of-mouth advertising. It's grown each month that we've offered it and we have no plans to stop."

Not only is the bar menu remarkably priced, from 5-7 p.m. Monday-Friday you get 50 percent off the already low prices for wines by the glass and bar food selections. Considering that the bar menu is priced from $6 for the insanely good Truffled Parmesan Fries to $16 for the Grilled Flat Iron Steak, this is a deal that can't be beaten.

Chef Brett McKee of Oak Steakhouse came up with his "smaller portions for smaller prices" menu when a regular customer suggested that sometimes he just wanted to come in for a meal without ordering such a large portion, and to pay accordingly. Chef McKee's light summer fare is available 5-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and features selections such as a Petite Filet with two sides for $16 and Chicken Parmesan with a side of Spaghetti and Marinara for $15.

Magnolias has smaller entrees for the more budget-conscious consumer as well. Executive Chef Donald Drake created these seasonal dishes in order to feature the wares of local farmers and purveyors. The smaller plates menu has been offered for three months now and it has been very successful. One of the most popular items on the menu is the Pan Fried Chicken Livers with caramelized onions, country ham and a Madeira sauce. Though named as a "Small Plate" on the menu, it is a hearty portion for a great price at $10.

Pane e Vino keeps the regulars coming in with the lovely ambience, intimate patio, extensive wine list and well-priced food. Owner Massimiliano Sarrocchi changes the specials on a daily basis and tries to use local, seasonal ingredients in his dishes. Happy hours at Pane e Vino feature $5 wines by the glass and $5 appetizer specials. Friday nights the restaurant features music on the outdoor patio.

Last but not least on your culinary tour through downtown features Fish on Upper King Street. On Tuesdays you can head to Fish for "Mercy of the Chef." Chef Nico Romo's three course, $25 meal offers the customer a taste of the freshest ingredients available to the kitchen. Wine pairings are available for $5 per course. Don't forget to check out Fish for one of the best lunch deals in town — for $10 you get an all-inclusive lunch with one Moo Shu choice, one side dish and one drink.

West Ashley, James Island and Mount Pleasant

Outside of the downtown area, the choices are just as tasty. If you are looking for pizza, one of the coolest new spots is Normandy Farms in South Windermere. Utilizing its bread ovens to make deliciously crispy, New York-style crusts, this may be the best new pizza joint in town.

For $16 you can get a large pizza with 3 toppings and for $8 you get a 12-inch pizza with two toppings. According to Mike Ray, owner of Normandy Farms, they aren't trying to be gourmet with their pizzas but rather provide delicious, simple food at a great price for people in the South Windermere neighborhood. Local delivery is available.

While you're in the South Windermere area, stop by Med Bistro for half-priced bottles of wine on Thursday and Saturday.

Med Bistro features live music and is decorated with very cool art that is available for purchase.

Great Sushi can be found at James Island's Savory Sushi. Savory offers the classic rolls such as Spicy Tuna and California, but also really interesting combos like the Sexy Melon Roll, which has tuna tataki, cilantro, cucumber and avocado topped with a jalapeno watermelon salsa.

If you are in the mood for Thai while in James Island, check out Jasmine Thai on Folly Road. They are currently offering buy one, get one free lunch specials.

In West Ashley, Triangle Char and Bar is always a great spot. Triangle is currently offering $3 tacos, mojitos, margaritas, and Coronas on Tuesday. On Wednesday, they feature a Prime Rib Meal for $11.99. The food here is very tasty and equally affordable.

Middleton Place offers some of the most amazing scenery in the Lowcountry. Every Wednesday 5:30-7:30 p.m., head out to the grounds of Middleton for the wine stroll. For only $10 you get eight wines and assorted cheeses.

Guests with a reservation for dinner the same evening get an even sweeter deal at $5.

In Mount Pleasant, check out four-diamond award winner Langdon's Restaurant and Wine Bar, where chef Patrick Owen offers an eclectic menu and a host of wine specials. Also east of the Cooper is Crave Kitchen & Cocktails, which offers a Saturday and Sunday brunch menu where all brunch items are $11 and a happy hour menu to die for.

Carolina's Restaurant LLC

10 Exchange St.

Charleston, SC 29401-2554

724-3800

www.carolinasrestaurant.com

Crave Kitchen & Cocktails

1968 Riviera Drive

Mount Pleasant, SC

884-1177

www.cravemtp.com

EVO

1075 E Montague Ave.

North Charleston, SC

225-1796

evopizza.com

Firewater Grille

109 Holiday Drive

Summerville, SC 29483-7305

261-2121

thefirewatergrille.com

Fish

442 King St.

Charleston, SC 29403-6230

722-3474

www.patpropllc.com

Gennaro's Italian Ristorante

8500 Dorchester Road

North Charleston, SC 29420

760-9875

gennarositalian.com

Jasmine Thai

807 Folly Road

Charleston, SC 29412-3434

406-2978

Langdon's Restaurant and Wine Bar

778 S. Shellmore Blvd.

Mount Pleasant, SC

388-9200

langdonsrestaurant.com

Magnolia's

171 E Bay St.

Charleston, SC 29401-2126

722-9200

www.magnolias-blossom-cypress.com

Med Bistro

90 Folly Road Blvd.

Charleston, SC 29407

766-0323

medbistro.com

Middleton Place

4300 Ashley River Road

Charleston, SC 29414-7206

556-6020

www.middletonplace.org

Montreux Bar and Grill

127 West Richardson Ave. Summerville

www.montreuxbarandgrill.com

261-1200

Normandy Farm Artisan Bakery

32 Windermere Blvd.

Charleston, SC 29407

West Ashley

769-6400

Oak Steakhouse

17 Broad St.

Charleston, SC 29401-3001

722-4220

www.oaksteakhouserestaurant.com

Pane E Vino

17 Warren St.

Charleston, SC 29403-6157

853-5955

Savory Sushi & Catering

1956-B Maybank Hwy.

Charleston, SC 29412

762-3338

www.savorysushiandcatering.com

Sesame Burgers & Beer

4726 Spruill Ave.

North Charleston, SC 29405

554-4903

Triangle Char & Bar

828 Savannah Hwy.

Charleston, SC 29407-7270

377-1300

www.trianglecharandbar.com

  RSS