Restaurant Guide
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People's Choice Winners
Steak: 1. Oak Steakhouse 2. Grill 2253. Turtle Point Sports Bar & Grille Italian 1. Al di La 2. Amuse 3. Mercato
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Lunch Counter of the Year
This designation is awarded to a restaurant known for its consistency, affordability and versatility, and how well it appeals to a variety of diners and appetites. The menu rocks, the service is cool, it's got a good vibe. You'll want to come back time and time again. Plus, i...
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Lowcountry/Soul
Fried chicken. Fried fish. Pork chops. All the fixin's. It's simple, streaked with grease, Southern in tradition and down-home delicious. ...
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Romantic Spots
It's hard to say exactly what makes a restaurant romantic. It's almost easier to work backward. For instance, a good question to ask is: "What doesn't make a restaurant romantic?" That's easy. Loud music, lots of people crammed together in a small space, bright lights, your date's husband showin...
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Waterfront View
When you live in a coastal city, finding a restaurant with a nice view of the water is easy. It's picking from all the choices that's the hard part. The Lowcountry is no different with hundreds of places that can boast a view of the water. Our criteria for selection in this category were s...
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Tapas/Small Plates
Petite portions are all the rage. We're watching our waistlines and wallets after a historic period of growth (economic and otherwise). We're ever-hungry, but worried about the way we consume. Conveniently, both for us and for restaurateurs, the "small plate" has been offered up as a solution. Go...
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Thai
The foods of Thailand are seductive. They begin the attraction by their visual appeal — they get you at the "look" — then they burst forth in your mouth, a melange of salty, sour, sweet and crunchy. They combine peanuts and coconut, ground beef with mint, bright lemongrass with...
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Sushi
Some report that the sushi boom is over because the oceans are being over-fished, the fish being served is mediocre and rice — the foundation of all sushi — is clumpy, hard or even soggy. This delicate, ordered experience has come a long way from its Japanese roots. But ...
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Vietnamese
The foods of Vietnam bear the culinary imprint of France and other cultures. Sandwiches are served on baguettes, condensed milk is added to coffee, and pates are lunch fare. The spice trade with India can be seen in the curry dishes of South Vietnam, and the Chinese influence is found in s...
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Indian
The foods of India are the most complex in the world. Defined by religious beliefs, historical developments, cultural practices and geography, the cuisine has been adulterated, embellished and modified. In a land of sacred cows, it is curious to see the Coburg cow at the intersection of Ni...
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French
French restaurants, once the highly sauced culinary playpens for expense-account diners, trace their Charleston roots to the more casual bistro models. Rue de Jean continues as a perennial favorite, and our appetite for its plats du jour, offered seven days a week, runs strong. ...
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Italian
'Italian" restaurant has morphed to ristorante, osteria and trattoria. It has taken our tastebuds on a tour of Italy, exploring through food its regions and recipes. Roman bruschetta, Tuscan crostini, Genoese pesto, Parm ham, Neapolitan pizza, tiramisu from Florence via Siena, Sicilian can...
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Mediterranean
Three continents, 20 countries and some of the finest food you will ever taste. Luckily for us, the Lowcountry provides opportunity to enjoy the flavors of France, Greece, Italy, Spain and just this year, Morocco. ...
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Greek
Few countries are referred to as ancient; Greece is one of them. Yet, as we think of her historical age as one of the past, her culinary age is one of the present. Rich in grains and vegetables, flush with seafood, sweet with honey, seasoned with capers, lemons and yogurt, and gleaming in the green-gold of olive oil, the foods of Greece rise up like a phoenix with vitality and passion.
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Good Value
It's not $6 meat-and-three. And it's not $6 sides. It's not a burrito and chips. And it's not flanked by foie gras or drizzled with truffle oil. The good-value category is about proletariat provisions. Restaurants where your dollar stretches so far and the food is so good, that you feel li...
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Mexican
Rick Bayless, chef-owner of the Frontera Grill and Topolobampo (Chicago), cookbook author and James Beard Award winner, commented, "Mexican cooking in the United States is still in its spaghetti and meatball stage." It is interesting to note that we know so little about the cuisine of our ...
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Vegetarian/Vegan
For diners who care not to eat meat, dairy and eggs, the choices are limited. However, one can always find a meat-free option on almost all restaurant menus. Two restaurants committed to a mission of creating healthy foods using organic, local and sustainable resources are The Sprout and D...
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Live Music with Dinner
Many of the great American food cities also are fabulous music towns. Charleston is right up there with the best of them despite the fact that we don't have many music clubs, especially jazz. Places such as New York, New Orleans and Chicago have clubs aplenty with some live music in restau...
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Wining
In 2008, there is no shortage of exceptional restaurants in the Charleston area with significant wine lists. Over the past 10 years, we have seen these lists improve exponentially. There is a hardworking and educated group of wine professionals that simply did not exist when I landed here in 1997...
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Restaurant of the Year
In a city blessed with many remarkable restaurants, talented chefs, the bounty of the sea, access to the farm and a state committed to the "locavore" mentality, how do you choose the restaurant of the year?
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