I was in Charleston, SC for a quick 3-day trip to speak at SMAD-CON so I ate my way through the city. Charleston is unbearably humid during the summer so I recommend a fall or spring visit if you’re planning a trip.
SEE ALSO: Savannah Travel Guide: Where To Eat, Stay & Shop
Photographs by Linda Eats World
We walked down Rainbow Row to look at all the pretty, colorful homes. I definitely want to make another trip! The soul food and barbecue in Charleston didn’t disappoint either! Here my Charleston restaurant recommendations on where to eat in Charleston.
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BEST CHARLESTON RESTAURANT FOR BREAKFAST: CALLIE’S HOT LITTLE BISCUIT
Grab a quick breakfast from Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit before spending the day exploring King St. I got the sausage, scrambled egg, and fiery pimento cheese biscuit sandwich and it was so good. I also got three biscuits (tempted to get the baker’s dozen) for the flight home!
What To Order: Sausage, egg, and pimento cheese (fiery) biscuit sandwich
476 1/2 King St, Charleston, SC, calliesbiscuits.com
FOR LUNCH: LEWIS BARBECUE
Lewis Barbecue is opened by a fellow Austinite, John Lewis, who was previously at Franklin Barbecue (he helped Aaron Franklin open!) and La Barbecue, who then moved to Charleston to open up his own barbecue join. So we had to try it out. The brisket is oh-so-good, dare I say it? Even better than Franklin and La Barbecue. The green chile corn pudding was the perfect dessert. Skip the ribs, they were dry.
What To Order: brisket and green chile corn pudding
464 N Nassau St, Charleston, SC, lewisbarbecue.com
FOR LUNCH: HOMINY GRILL
Quintessential Charleston restaurant? Hominy Grill but prepare to stand in line. The lunch line was an hour so we explored the local shops and got cupcakes for appetizers at Sugar Bakeshop. To be honest, I wasn’t impressed with the Charleston Nasty Biscuit (pictured above) but the fried chicken with orka and rice was incredible.
What To Order: Fried chicken with orka and rice
207 Rutledge Ave, Charleston, SC, hominygrill.com
FOR HAPPY HOUR: THE DARLING OYSTER BAR
Happy hour is every day from 4 – 7pm with $1 select oysters and $1 off draft cocktails and draft beers in the prettiest space!
What To Order: raw oysters & bubbles
513 King St, Charleston, SC, thedarling.com
FOR DINNER: LEON’S
Leon’s is another iconic Charleston restaurant that was highly recommended by the locals and it didn’t disappoint. Also be prepared to stand in line. I got the Leon’s fish fry with fried catfish, shrimp, oysters, and hushpuppies with the 2-piece fried chicken, and it was well worth the one-hour wait.
What To Order: Leon’s fish fry and 2-piece fried chicken.
698 King St, Charleston, SC, leonsoystershop.com
FOR DESSERT: JENI’S SPLENDID ICE CREAMS
I love Jeni’s so I was so excited when I walked right by it and went twice during my 3-day Charleston trip. Above is the frosé with dark chocolate in the freshly made waffle cone.
What To Order: all the flavors (okay, fine but at least try to sample all the flavors)
501-A King St, Charleston, SC, jenis.com
FOR DESSERT: SUGAR BAKESHOP
We needed to pass the time while waiting in line at Hominy Grill so we walked down to Sugar Bake and I got the honey cupcake, which was so good. The chocolate chip cookie was the perfect treat for the flight home too!
What To Order: cupcakes and cookies
59 1/2 Cannon St, Charleston, SC, sugarbake.com
** We also ate at Xiao Bao Biscuit but I thought it was just okay. The omiyaki pancake was really good but if you’re visiting Charleston, you should eat the soul food and skip Asian!
