The Resy Hit List: Where In Charleston You’ll Want to Eat in Aug. 2024
There’s no question we hear more often: Where should I go eat? And while we at Resy know it’s an honor to be the friend who everyone asks for restaurant advice, we also know it’s a complicated task. That’s where the Resy Hit List comes in.
We’ve designed it to be your essential resource for dining in and around Charleston: a monthly-updated (and now expanded!) guide to the restaurants that you won’t want to miss — tonight or any night.
Four Things In Charleston Not to Miss This Month
- Red Sauce Week: Huger Street’s Renzo is rolling out the red and white checkerboard carpet for Red Sauce Week, its summer tradition chock full of Italian American classics. Past menus have included lobster cannelloni, spaghetti carbonara (not technically red sauce, but who cares?), mussels, and more. Don’t forget to check the specials, which have included osso buco, cioppino, and tiramisu. Get your Resy now, and check in on Resy’s Events page for plenty more to do.
- Wine + Food, Summer Edition: Charleston Wine + Food Festival has been convening The Sizzle — one-off events featuring a handful of Charleston culinary minds and special guests. This month, New Orleans cocktail bosses from Cure land at Proof on King Street, the culmination of the W+F series celebrating NOLA cuisine. Then, round things out Aug. 23 at Estadio, for a “wine-soaked lunch,” featuring the Spanish flavors that bring crowds to Spring Street. For the full lineup, check out the
- Noodles In the House: The first Wednesday of each month marks the Aswang Noodle Club takeover at Kultura. A new cadre of zany-but-tasty ramen and ramen-adjacent dishes land on a pop-up-style menu that changes each month. July saw two all-American mazamen (broth-less) ramen. What does Aug. 7 hold for the nood club? We’re hearing that some knockout classic ramen is on tap, but you better get your Resy now.
- New on Resy: Two exciting new additions this month, with crowd-favorite omakase experience Raw Lab offering a la carte menu Mon. through Wed. each week with LTLE FISH – the fresh sushi and seafood you know from Raw Lab in a more laid-back environment. And on Johns Island, Linnette’s is prepping to open as the signature restaurant inside The Dunlin, Charleston area’s newest resort at Kiawah River. Tables won’t be seated until September, but you can snag a Resy right now for this all-day, full-service seafood-focused eatery. And check out the latest openings and more in New on Resy.
New to the Hit List (Aug. 2024)
The Select, Sullivan’s Fish Camp, Gaulart & Maliclet Cafe (“Fast and French”).
1. FIG Ansonborough
In a city full of crowd-pleasing tourist fare, FIG remains an oasis. Celebrating 20 years in 2023, chef-owner Mike Lata’s first major restaurant still manages to lure locals downtown, either with a Resy in its modest, comforting dining room or to take a chance at the petite bar that’s always first come, first served. Diners return for seasonal offerings and well-executed specialties like chicken liver pâté and even the fresh catch (grilled triggerfish with mushrooms recently). For Lata, who also opened The Ordinary on King Street some 10 (!!) years ago, rock-solid preparations remain simple, but creative enough to leave an impression.
2. Makan CHS Downtown
Recent Washington, D.C. import Makan serves Malaysian cuisine — rare if not completely absent from Charleston dining rooms, especially downtown. Situated at the corner of Rutledge and Cannon streets, this is the perfect meeting spot for anyone looking for new-to-you, flavor- and spice-packed dishes. Start with sate (chicken or paneer skewers) or char siu wings. But don’t overlook the kerabu mangga (spicy mango salad) or acar nenas (pickled pineapple), both of which bring deep flavors from warming spices; the mango is especially fiery. The sour and spicy fish curry and spicy Hakka noodles also offer big flavors alongside delicate sauces to balance out the mild heat.
3. The Restaurant at Zero George Ansonborough
Accompanying the Zero George boutique hotel, this assemblage of elegant yet unassuming dining rooms turns out some of the most creative and thoughtful fare in Charleston. The six-course tasting menu devised under executive chef Vinson Petrillo sets the tone with playful snacks, including beef tartare rolled into the shape of a crispy cigar and dusted with ash-gray butter — just one of eight bites that land on your table before your first course. Down the menu, Petrillo plays the hits with diverging takes on catfish and tilefish, leaving several opportunities to amp up your meal, like caviar service. The sommelier will assist with the generous wine selection, or choose from cocktails, including zero-proof options.
4. Marbled & Fin Downtown Charleston
The latest venture from the Neighborhood Dining Group (Minero, Husk, Delaney Oyster House), this new downtown haunt promises to push the boundaries of the normal steakhouse. Inside, diners will find a menu that does justice to both luxurious dry- and wet-aged steak — Japanese wagyu even has a spot on the menu — and seafood plates that include fine raw bar selections. Entrees offer even more variety of seafood, steak, and pasta with a slew of sides, including four different potato preparations. Dynamic and seasonal cocktails are described alongside their spirit “inspirations,” ie: the “I’ll Take Five” with guava and verjus is noted as “Pisco sours with Dave Brubeck.” They’re also all available as nonalcoholic.
5. The Select Charleston Cannonborough Elliotborough
This new Meeting Street brasserie infuses Lowcountry flavors with the feel of the 1920s-era Paris gathering place of the same name — the kind of place where literary luminaries shared creative energy over a few drinks. Based on its original location in Atlanta, The Select opened on the ground floor of the landmark Greystar headquarters in July. Charcuterie and dips spot the top of the menu, along with lobster arancini and French onion soup, bien sur. Plates range from burgers and short ribs to miso golden tilefish. Aiming for accessibility while remaining fun and interesting, “There’s a little bit of everything,” managing partner Jen Bresnahan told the local paper last month.
6. Palmira Barbecue West Ashley
Those of us who’ve followed Hector Garate’s barbecue pop-ups rejoiced in February when he finally opened the doors to his West Ashley restaurant. Channeling the flavors of his native Puerto Rico, Garate dishes out variations on ubiquitous Southern ‘cue with a little more flair. We’re talking sofrito-infused pintos and all-star smoked beef cheeks so tender that you won’t even realize brisket is nowhere to be seen on the menu. And don’t miss Garate’s housemade sausage, whole-hog pork, and barbecue hash — an uber-savory traditional South Carolina side, made with chopped meat, pan drippings, mustard, apple cider vinegar, and more. Palmira may be a ways off-peninsula, but it’s worth the trip.
No reservations. More info here.
7. Vern’s Elliotborough
The low-key digs of this Cannonborough-Elliottborough spot belie the menu that chef-owner Dano Heinze serves up nightly, stacked with offerings you didn’t even know you needed in your rotation. Dishes include snails, fresh crudo, a simple-but-rewarding steak, and handmade pastas like gnocchetti. This classic but inventive view extends to the wine list, curated by Dano’s wife and business partner, Bethany. The couple spent time in famed Charleston locales like the now-defunct McCrady’s before a California sojourn that wound them back east to Charleston. Their deep experience has earned Vern’s a well-deserved national profile.
8. Lowland Lower King
Jason Stanhope departed FIG last summer after 16 years, during which the restaurant and his menu as executive chef piled up accolades. Now, Stanhope is hoping to recapture some of that magic at not one or two, but three concepts operated by The Pinch boutique hotel at the corner of King and George streets. Expect a comfortable, casual setting with a handful of craveable dishes that both frame Stanhope’s interpretation of New Southern cooking and that will warrant a return trip: lobster bucatini, a burger, grilled triggerfish, crudo, biscuits, deviled eggs, and more.
9. Off Track Ice Cream Harleston Village
Tucked a few worthwhile steps from King Street, if you know, you know, as they say. Flavors are divided evenly between traditional cream-based scoops and vegan concoctions, but don’t let that fool you. One taste of classic flavors like peppermint chip or fluffernutter blondie and 1) you wouldn’t guess both are vegan and 2) you’ll be back for a pint to take home. Perfect summer selections include a dead-simple strawberry and peach praline pecan. Even grab a cold brew to go, if you’ve indulged yourself enough. Keep an eye on the Off Track IG for the newest flavor updates.
10. Bintü Atelier East Side
Chef Bintou N’Daw planned to return to New York City after a year in the kitchen Chez Nous. But finding local menus lacked the flavors of her native Senegal, she decided to stay a while. Traditional Gullah cuisine carries traces of West African influence, but N’Daw’s dishes represent inspired adaptations that make her dishes unique. Yet, Charleston’s African ties proved formative for Bintü Atelier — a common thread. And Bintü found its way on to our top picks of 2023 for a reason, after all. Dishes like pepper soup come served with chicken, yucca, yams and crawfish in a spicy broth. Tucked off a Line Street sidewalk in Charleston’s East Side, which has its own rich cultural history as a historically Black neighborhood, Bintü is open for lunch and dinner Thursday through Sunday.
11. Bodega Downtown
The downtown party brunch vibe has traveled over the bridge into Mount Pleasant, with Bodega’s latest location opening in March off Coleman Boulevard. With a sprawling deck under low-slung shade trees and an indoor-outdoor bar, the space (a former Andolini’s pizza shop, for you locals) now seems like it was destined to host the latest addition to the Uptown Hospitality empire. In addition to the all-day breakfast menu, there are lunch-leaning sandwiches that include The Gropfather (named for chef Alec Gropman), with a chicken cutlet, mozz, provolone, pesto, and nduja. And don’t miss light, bright cocktails like the Central Park (Hendrick’s, St. Germaine, lemon juice, basic green juice, and soda water).
12. Gaulart & Maliclet Fast and French Downtown
In the heart of downtown, but off well-trod tourist thoroughfares, this Broad Street institution is celebrating 40 years — just look for the Tricolor. And in a stroke of persistence and/or as a testament to its staying power, the cafe everyone knows just as “Fast and French” has stuck to its formula with sensible offerings, three meals a day, at a good price. Up early for breakfast? It doesn’t need to be complicated: Ham, brie, baguette, and fruit or cold soup. The daily lunch special includes a sandwich, soup, and fruit with tea, coffee, or house wine for — get this — $15. Get a little more adventurous for dinner, with warm fondue, chicken and seafood options, and of course, a bottle of something decent. If you’re in doubt, just follow the lead of a local: Ask what the soup of the day is and include it with your lunch special.
13. Bowen’s Island Restaurant Folly Beach
This might be Charleston’s longest-running restaurant, in operation by the Barber family since 1945. For generations, Bowen’s has lured Charleston-area residents for family dinners, weddings, parties, community and political events, or just to watch some of the best sunsets around. Enter by the stairs and walk past the oyster room, where steamed bivalves are available by the half tray, full tray, and all-you-can-eat. (Oysters, harvested right off the marsh during “R” months, when they’re in season, are the main event here.) Upstairs in the dining room, seafood platters, Frogmore stew, shrimp and grits and more await.
Find more info here.
14. Stella’s Radcliffborough
Somehow both off-the-beaten-path and in the middle of the action, this spot a block from King Street can be a hot ticket on busy weekend nights, so grab a Resy now. Prepare for a barrage of small, sharable mezze-style plates that offer a taste of zhuzhed-up traditional Greek fare like dolmades, calamari, and keftedes. Order up the saganaki for a show-stopper plate of kefalograviera sheep’s milk cheese, landing on the table set afire alongside grilled pita. Pasta dishes along with traditional roast lamb are also at the ready.
15. Halls Chophouse – Charleston Harleston Village
This King Street hotspot is anchored by one of the best rooms on the block: a downstairs bar that does as good of a job of beckoning guests inside as the friendly staff does when you walk in the door. Then there are the steaks (wet-aged, dry-aged, exotic, and classic) and the chops (veal, lamb, and pork), with family-style sides begging for a spot on your table. Halls now has five locations across two states, but this is the original. And the look on our faces we get when we walk in — eyeing that corner bar seat like it has our name on it — is testament to how Halls always makes us feel at home.
16. Taco Boy Downtown North-Central
17. Sullivan’s Fish Camp Sullivan's Island
Step off the beach and into this updated throwback seafood joint, a tribute to “fish camp” eateries common along inland waterways throughout the coastal South. Think: hushpuppies, fried shrimp, fried fish, and more in a casual, family setting. The stained glass lamps and wood motif may signal O.G. fish camp, but this is not your mom and dad’s fish camp. Smoked fish dip, ceviche, and even frozen cocktails make appearances, alongside canonical examples of fried seafood standards.
18. Sissy Bar North Charleston
From the folks who brought you cocktail oasis Dalila’s in Downtown Charleston, this Park Circle spot has reworked its East Montague space (previously Yobo Cantina and Three Sirens) into a jam-packed first come, first-served hot spot inspired by Southern California beachside hangouts. Opened in April, ceviche has proven to be an early crowd favorite, and the chargrilled aromas of the family-style barbacoa “Taco Party” platter has folks saying, “I want that.” As at Dalila’s, cocktails are the name of the game, like the Luscious Lu, a spicy passion fruit margarita or the Ace Ventura, with mezcal, Mexican fernet, and (naturally), banana. A handful of bottled and canned local beers are also available.
Find more info here.
19. King BBQ North Charleston
The food coming out of the Chinese-Southern kitchen from chef-owner Shuai Wang (Jackrabbit Filly) already had a faithful following when the restaurant faced an unexpected closure due to a small fire in late March. But open once again in late April, there may be no better time to stop by this local favorite to see Shuai and co-owner and wife Corrie back together with their A+ team.
Meats smoked on-site anchor the menu, with a mustard-tinged pulled pork paying tribute to a South Carolina standard, and crispy smoked duck providing a little something extra that you won’t find anywhere else in Charleston. Stop by on Saturday and the duck comes served with all steamed bao — “duck service.”
Find more info here.
20. Leon’s Oyster Shop Downtown
For years, the faithful have started queuing outside on King Street well before opening at 11 a.m. Leon’s has carved out a niche among locals and tourists alike, who flock for hot oysters or super solid fried chicken and a vibe so lived-in that you’d never guess it’s just shy of 10 years old. Can’t show up early? Find your five closest friends and grab a Resy. And don’t be fooled by the rustic environs, there’s plenty to enjoy on the drinks list, from “cheapish wine” on draft to local beers and frozen cocktails.
