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.
13 spots
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.
Acme describes itself as a no-frills beach grill with a full bar and deck serving Southern coastal cooking. City Paper readers voted it Best IOP Restaurant and Best IOP Brunch in 2026. A regular on r/Charleston says they always plug it for dinner and brunch that is not high-end.
A family fish camp at the end of its own island road, founded in 1946. City Paper's Charleston Classics list says it grew from a grimy cinder block outpost into a place serving fried seafood, hushpuppies and cold local beer in an upstairs dining room, and tells readers to follow their nose downstairs to the all-you-can-eat oyster tables, where local oysters come by the shovelful. The paper also singles out the Frogmore stew. The restaurant's own site remembers the old room as an aging pile of cinder blocks and boards held up by layers of graffiti.
CudaCo. is a seafood market with a small kitchen, founded by chef Shaun Brian and seafood distributor Chris John around turning overlooked fish into good eating. The site says they want to 'become a catalyst for change in the seafood industry'. Seating is limited indoors with a picnic area outside. In 2025 the owners added a crudo bar on Folly Road with crudos, ceviches and wine, per the Post and Courier.
Delaney Oyster House is a raw bar and seafood restaurant in what the venue calls a quintessential historic Charleston home on Calhoun Street, with a second-floor porch. Elliot Cusher is executive chef. It belongs to The Neighborhood Dining Group, the owners of Husk.
Ellis Creek Fish Camp is a casual, camp-like seafood spot where you order at a window and sit inside at the bar or outside over the marsh and Ellis Creek. The site says 'Bring your best dog friend with you!' and there is a dog menu.
The Post and Courier calls it 'the mecca of family-friendly restaurants': covered outdoor seating, picnic tables, and beyond them a large area for children with a basketball net and full-size Jenga blocks, on a property that sits along Noisette Creek. The Walrus is the in-house raw bar. The venue lists four event spaces, live music on Fridays 5pm-8pm and team trivia on Wednesdays.
Live music some nights. Go before the band starts if you want to talk.
A marina restaurant on the Intracoastal Waterway. The venue calls itself family-friendly, with direct access by boat, weekly live music and sunsets. Explore Charleston lists yard games, kid-friendly trivia nights and a full kids menu; the Post and Courier mentions corn hole on the spacious patio and says to start with hushpuppies.
Live music some nights. Go before the band starts if you want to talk.
LoLA stands for Low Country Louisiana Seafood Kitchen and says it was established in 2016. It serves Louisiana Cajun and Lowcountry cooking in Park Circle with a colorful patio where pets are welcome. City Paper readers voted it Best Soul Food in 2026, ahead of Bertha's Kitchen and Hannibal's Kitchen.
Justin and Iryna Moore's restaurant sits in an old Navy building beside Riverfront Park on the former base, looking over the Cooper River. The tourism office describes the house as a historic Panama-style home from the naval base years and says the kitchen buys from local fishermen and farmers. The patio has heaters and a fire pit facing the water.
A dockside beer-and-seafood spot on Shem Creek that calls itself 'a friendly spot to enjoy a cold beer & fresh seafood in a laid back setting', with views of the creek's wildlife and the sunset. It lists Best of Charleston wins going back to 2004, including Best Waterfront Bar and Best Outdoor Patio.
Rita's sits at the foot of Center Street, steps from the Folly Beach Pier, and its site calls it a family-owned restaurant of the Hall family. The site lists scratch-made American food, house-smoked barbecue and seafood, a patio, live music, and a separate puppy menu for dogs. Breakfast runs on weekdays and brunch on weekends.
Live music some nights. Go before the band starts if you want to talk.
The Crab Shacks say they have been locally owned and run for more than 30 years. The Folly room has a raw bar that stays open an hour later than the kitchen and a patio with a dog-friendly area. Its West Ashley sister on Ashley River Road closed for good at the end of 2024.
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