167 Raw moved from a tiny room at 289 East Bay Street, now 167 Sushi Bar, to a long narrow 19th century building on King Street with original brick walls and a walnut bar. It takes no reservations. City Paper readers voted it Best Oysters and Best Raw Bar in 2026, and on r/Charleston the tuna burger is the dish people name.
167 Sushi Bar is the sushi and yakitori room from the 167 Raw group, in the East Bay Street storefront where 167 Raw itself began before moving to King Street.
39 Rue de Jean is a French cafe, brasserie and bar on John Street just off Upper King, with exposed brick, a patio and a private room upstairs. Explore Charleston reported in spring 2026 that it was marking its 25th anniversary with themed wine dinners and expanded lunch. It belongs to Holy City Hospitality, a Charleston group, and City Paper readers voted it Best French in 2026.
82 Queen is the Lowcountry restaurant on Queen Street that City Paper readers voted Best She-Crab Soup in 2026. The top answer in a r/Charleston she-crab soup thread agrees. Opinion on the rest is split: it is offered as the most Charleston restaurant in one thread, and in the same thread a commenter says it is not as good as its reputation.
BellyUp! Charleston / Over 50
Good places to eat and drink in Charleston, minus the nightclubs. When a spot gets loud later or draws a lot of kids, the card tells you.
4 spots
Courtney Colangelo started Cakette in her home kitchen during maternity leave, baking birthday cakes for friends, then ran pop-ups ... including a Friday tent outside Prophet Coffee ... before opening the bakeshop at Durant Avenue and Simms Street. She writes that Cakette exists in part to make maternal leadership visible in the independent restaurant business. The Post and Courier notes its vegan and gluten-free pastries. It is open four mornings a week.
Nathan and Chasity Brown opened the Reynolds Avenue shop on 1 January 2021, and Charleston City Paper included them that spring in a piece on Black restaurant owners, where Chasity said a lot of people in the community had stopped by. The bakery makes cakes, cupcakes, cake pops and cookies from scratch. It is a graduate of Lowcountry Local First's Community Business Academy and is listed in that directory as women-owned and minority-owned.
Allison Anspach opened Grit Bakery in May 2025 on the ground floor of the Meeting Street Lofts. Her sourdough uses a six-year-old starter, small-batch flour milled near Asheville and a 36 to 48 hour ferment. She also bakes for The Archer next door, Sightsee Shop and City Lights Eastside, and her pastries are sold at Luther's Market.
Harken is a cafe and bakery on Queen Street run by owners the site names as Greer and Cameron. The bakery case is built around a biscuit collection, including a ricotta biscuit, plus cookies and bars.
The same over 50 spots, sorted by the reasons people actually pick them.
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