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.
14 spots
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.
Chef Frank Kline owns and runs Grace & Grit, which he opened in August 2017. The kitchen works from local seafood and produce, and its calling card is the Grit Flight, a sampler of the house grits. Tables sit inside or under the oaks on a dog-friendly patio.
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 family owned and run Southern restaurant on Coleman Boulevard serving breakfast, lunch, supper and weekend brunch, walk-ins only. Its signature is Ashleigh's Shrimp & Grits, which the restaurant says has been voted Best Shrimp & Grits ten years running. The family has since opened a second restaurant in Summerville's Nexton and runs a food truck in Moncks Corner.
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.
A Front Beach restaurant and rum bar on Ocean Boulevard that pitches itself as a family friendly spot with patio views, craft cocktails and local beers. Moultrie News named Benj Farmery as owner or co-owner of Smugglers, IOPizza and Papi's Taqueria in March 2026, when he told the island's chamber that winter cash calls were heavy and argued against restaurants shutting for the season.
The room traces back to a casual neighborhood restaurant that first opened on this spot in 1988. It now runs as a modern fish camp led by chef and partner Jason Stanhope, whom the site calls a James Beard award-winning chef. He buys from Abundant Seafood, Kindlewood Farms, Tarvin Seafood and Lowcountry Shellfish. A side patio can be bought out for up to 24.
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.
The Harlow calls its cooking Island-Americana ... Southern seafood traditions next to classic American dishes, led by Chef Brett Riley. There is a covered patio the site describes as kid-and-dog-friendly and an open-air bar that seats walk-ins first come, first served.
The Obstinate Daughter opened in 2014 on the second story of a building on Middle Street, behind a live oak, per The Post and Courier. The venue says the name honors 'the spirit, sass and determination of Miss Carolina Sullivan'. Chef Jacques Larson, a two-time James Beard nominee, cooks Lowcountry seafood through Italian, French and Spanish habits, with a wood-fired oven, a plancha and house pasta. The restaurant holds Green Restaurant Certification and buys from local farmers and fishermen. Beardcat's Sweet Shop is downstairs. It is the only Michelin-designated restaurant in the Charleston area off the peninsula: Recommended in the inaugural American South guide.
An oyster-led neighborhood restaurant inside I'On Village, with indoor and outdoor tables. The daily menu is posted on Instagram rather than printed on the site. The homepage carries a line of praise from the food writer Michael Ruhlman.
Charleston Magazine's dining guide tells readers to find this out-of-the-way dive behind the Shem Creek docks, and says it is named for a ship stranded on the same spot during Hurricane Hugo. The seafood is sourced fresh and the locals' orders are the deviled crab and the fried seafood platter. The restaurant has no private dining room; its outside patio rents to groups of 35 or fewer, and events and buyouts are only booked October through February.
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