Historic and impossibly charming, Charleston is having a moment. Much of the buzz, rightly so, is about the city’s dynamic food and drink scene. From croque monsieurs and corn ribs to mushroom campanelle and Filipino pancit noodles with kalamansi sauce, there’s much to sample and savour. The diversity that found its way onto plates reflects the city’s own history, from indigenous peoples who grew corn, beans, and squash to influences from West Africa, the Caribbean and Europe (given Charleston’s position as a port and its complicity in the dark chapter of slavery). More recently, Asian immigrants are also sharing their food traditions.
As for what to wash it all down with, there’s beer and wine, but really, this is a cocktail-drinking town with bars specialising in strong and stronger. Choose your poison, but enjoy it, too. Here’s where to eat and drink in Charleston right now.
Just months old, pint-sized Kultura introduces the tangy flavors of Filipino cooking to the Holy City. Start with ube-filled croissants and coffee and follow with an eggplant omelette with banana ketchup aioli and sticky rice. The pancit noodles with vegetables and bright kalamansi, a hybrid between a kumquat and a mandarin, are a must, too.
Dig into delicious salads, burgers, and tacos at Basic Kitchen, just off lively King Street. The mostly vegetarian spot does brisk business come lunch hour, so be sure to arrive early. Don’t miss the terrific corn ribs and sweet potatoes fries with beet ketchup.
Unlike any other dining experience in Charleston, newcomer Honeysuckle Rose is an intimate supper club-style restaurant from husband-and-wife duo Ryan and Kelleanne Jones. In a candle lit dining room, a dozen or so guests are presented eight courses such as popovers with tallow butter, asparagus and morels, Atlantic halibut, and Black Forest cake. Each dish is perfectly paired with wines from around the globe including Paso Robles, California; Mendoza, Argentina; and Rhône, France.
Feel transported to Paris at Felix, a darling cocktail bar and bistro complete with subway tiles and framed French posters. Order the deviled eggs with chives and Dijon mustard, or the Tartine Basque, with warm chèvre and fig reduction. And to drink? A Kir Royale perhaps, or a house cocktail such as the Soleil de Provence, made with vodka, lemon juice, honey and lavender bitters.
More than 10 years on, The Grocery remains among one of Charleston’s top tables. In an airy, loft-like space off upper King Street, locals and travellers nosh on market-driven dishes including maitake mushrooms with sunflower purée and crispy onion; charred broccoli with pickled raisins; BBQ-glazed squash topped with pepitas and buttermilk crumble; and snapper with potatoes and salsa verde. The signature Dirty Green Tomato martini rounds out the gorgeous spread.
A yellow door at the back of Last Saint leads to the Annex, a secret speakeasy-like bar with only a few banquettes and tables. With no menu, a bartender jots down a handful of notes (liquor choice and floral, herbaceous and earthy note preferences) and concocts a libation unique to each patron. Sit on a stool at the pint-sized bar and watch attentively as the magic happens.
Take in spectacular views of Charleston, with church steeples in every direction, and the water from the Citrus Club, a rooftop bar-cum-lounge on the eighth floor of The Dewberry. Matching the carefree ambiance, cocktails here skew toward fruity and fun. Among the choices: a Pineapple Old Fashioned, Spicy Coconut Margarita, and Tropical Itch, made with bourbon, rum and passion fruit. Nibbles such as edamame hummus and loaded fries are perfect accompaniments.
A recent arrival, Sorelle, from famed Michael Mina and chefs Adam Sobel and Nick Dugan, marries southern Italian food with southern hospitality. In an elegant space outfitted with dark wood tables and pine green velvet chairs, diners tuck into warm Sicilian olives with orange, fennel and Calabrian chili; cacio e pepe arancini balls; ricotta tortellini; and chicken Milanese with citrus and arugula. Reservations do book out two months in advance, but specialty spritzes or Negronis can still be enjoyed at the first come, first serve bar.
Where to stay
Wentworth Mansion... A pink Second Empire-style exterior with mansard roof gives way to hand-carved marble fireplaces, crystal chandeliers and plenty of Tiffany glass at Wentworth Mansion, dating back to 1886. Originally the home of a wealthy cotton merchant and his family, the beautifully proportioned property now operates as a 21-room hotel with no two rooms alike. Along with the main building, there’s also a spa (converted from the former horse stables) and AAA Four Diamond-awarded restaurant, Circa, in the original carriage house. Be sure to head up to the rooftop cupola, too, for sweeping views of the city.
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