8 Incredible Restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina

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I usually don’t make DEDICATED food posts unless it’s somewhere I live or visit frequently, and I have more recommendations that can fit in a standard 3-4 day destination guide. But I won’t be writing a travel guide for Charleston, South Carolina. If you’ve read my other posts, like my Gullah Geechee tour review, you might have noticed that me and Ms Charleston didn’t exactly vibe well…BUT THE FOOD WAS FANTASTIC. So in lieu, here are some dope restaurants in Charleston I recommend if you’re in the area.

Cafes & Juice

If you’re new here, hi, I’m Kay. I’m a beverage gal. I have a whole separate stomach for beverage. I can easily visit two to three cafes in a day for a bevv, especially on vacation. So whether you want to start your day off with your caffeinated drink of choice, need a midday pick-me-up, or want a fresh smoothie or juice to refresh you (and get some nutrients), I gotchu!

Shoutout to Nu’Life Nutrition, a smoothie cafe that I loved but has since permanently closed.

The Daily

address: 652 B King St, Charleston, SC 29403

The Daily can double as breakfast, technically, but since their menu is fairly small (think toasts with produce), it’s more of a small/quick bites in my opinion. They are open everyday, starting at 7am, which is great for travelers wanting to hit the road.

They have fantastic drink selection, so perfect for a morning coffee. What surprised me the most were their delicious juices and smoothies for a nice healthy indulgence. There’s also kombucha and soda. Plus, lots of local merch, trinkets, and snacks from local brands and makers to take home.

Huriyali

address: 401 Huger St, Charleston, SC 29403

I’m never too far away from a cafe, which brought me to Huriyali. I classically got their housemade chai latte, but I was surprised to see other tea lattes offered as well like a golden milk latte and their creative London sea latte (lavender, earl grey + pea powder). You can even grab a bottled juice to go. Since they were all sold out when I visited, I’m assuming they’re delicious.

What I didn’t expect was their amazing selection of fruit bowls, sandwiches, and savory bites! Again, not a place to go when you’re absolutely starving, but some fantastic food options. They have a variety of acai and other fruit based bowls with healthy toppings, BLTs, paninis, grain bowls, and colorful salads.

Breakfast

Alright now we’re getting into the actual restaurant restaurants in Charleston, and we’re starting off with the most important meal of the day – breakfast!

Metro Diner

address: 1808 Sam Rittenberg Blvd Suite 1, Charleston, SC 29407

Now I love a good diner, and Metro Diner fulfills all the vibes. They’re known for their waffles, so I had to order the classic chicken and waffles and boy did they not disappoint. The skin on the chicken was so so so well seasoned and the chicken inside was super juicy. I’m no waffle connoisseur, and I don’t actually like maple syrup haha, but it was a great dish. Great proportions, amazing service, and well priced.

My only tip is to not go when you’re absolutely starving because they do get pretty busy and it’s one of the smaller restaurants in Charleston so there could be a wait.

The Harbinger Cafe & Bakery

address: 1107 King St, Charleston, SC 29403

Very unassuming, but one of my favorite breakfast restaurants in Charleston. The Harbinger Cafe is super fresh, super seasonal, and leaves you feeling light and not bogged down. Their menu isn’t very big, only like five or so dishes, but honestly they only need one. Their breakfast sandwich is TO DIE FORRR. Did I mention super fresh and delicious??

Along with their sandwiches, toast, quiche, and granola bowl, they also have a rotating selection of assorted pastries depending on what the baker is in the mood for the day.

Daps Breakfast & Imbibe

address: 280 Ashley Ave, Charleston, SC 29403

If there’s one thing restaurants in Charleston have, it’s CHARM. Daps is a very cute neighborhood spot but with a sizeable menu. I love a good breakfast sandwich (if you haven’t already noticed lol) and they really have the art of toasting some bread down to a T. I ate this sandwich in like four bites, it was that good.

I also want to point out that the French toast looked (and smelled) extremely delicious too. Their drink menu is great and they even have non-caffeinated chai lattes!

Lunch & Dinner

Honestly, there’s not much a difference between lunch and dinner in general, it’s just based on what restaurants in Charleston are open at the time you’re ready to eat. So with that in mind, I’m going to lump these sections together.

Shoutout to a few of the places I tried that have since closed: Dellz and Basil. Also I didn’t get a chance to visit Hannibal’s Kitchen, but after learning more about Gullah Geechee history, it’s FIRST on the list of restaurants in Charleston when I revisit!

Basic Kitchen

address: 82 Wentworth St, Charleston, SC 29401

I absolutely LOVE Basic Kitchen. Maybe it’s because after over a month in the south and I was missing West Coast green crunch, but I was WELL in the mood for a salad or anything fresh. Boom, Basic Kitchen came to the rescue. Now, they technically have brunch, lunch, and dinner menus, but for me they were the perfect lunch spot.

I ordered a grain bowl and my goodness all their bowl options are so flavorful. For lunch, they also have pitas and shawarmas which was also a nice menu change. I also had their corn ribs and they really do them RIGHT. On that note, lots of vegan options too!

Mesu

address: 570 King St, Charleston, SC 29403

Mesu was such a fun surprise, and actually my first intro into restaurants in Charleston as we had gotten into town late and Mesu was the only spot open. If you’re out late, Mesu doesn’t close until 2am. HEYYYOOOO.

But back to the menu.

This Mexican-Japanese fusion menu is right up my alley, since the cuisines represent two of my favorite countries. Fantastic sushi rolls and onigiri, great tacos and shareables. Overall a very fun and filling spot!

Fig

address: 232 Meeting St, Charleston, SC 29401

I of course had to check out at LEAST one fancy restaurant, and that happened to be Fig! They are a strictly dinner and dessert (and drinks!) restaurant, so no lunch options. I highly recommend reservations. We didn’t make any and we were lucky they even had a two-hour waitlist. Though, then we got even luckier because seats at the bar opened up and since they still served the full menu we jumped on it.

Thank goodness we did. We each ordered an appetizer and entree (4 dishes total) and it was all equally fantastic. It was also my first introduction to soft shell crab which…I admit, was a mental barrier. But wow what a gamechanger. 10/10 highly recommend!

Conclusion

Annnnnd hopefully this list helps you get started! While I recognize that I didn’t have the greatest overall impression of Charleston, I will never deny they have a great food scene. If you’d like to get a varied taste of the city, consider taking a Charleston food and walking tour to learn more about the city and also get a good snack!

That said, again, I must recommend you take a Gullah Geechee tour to get the FULL story of Charleston, South Carolina.

Thankfully, I ate really well for all of my southern road-trip (with one unfortunate exception…), but unthankfully for my jeans, I ate a little too well and ended up splitting my pants lol. Alas, life moves on, and it’s always worth it for a good meal. If you’ve been to Charleston, what did you think of the food? Do you have any favorite restaurants in Charleston? Let me know your suggestions in the comments below!

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