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.
9 spots
Berkeley's is a sandwiches-and-suppers spot at Rutledge and Huger from Marc and Liz Hudacsko, who later opened The Archer on Meeting Street. City Paper says it feels like going over to a friend's home for dinner. Readers voted its cheesesteak the best in Charleston in 2026.
Burwell's is a steakhouse at the East Bay end of the Market, named for the stone fire grills it cooks on. Dinner only, Wednesday through Sunday.
Grill 225 is the steakhouse of the Market Pavilion Hotel at East Bay and Market streets. The venue calls itself Charleston's first and only 100% USDA Prime steak house and says its beef is wet-aged 42 to 50 days. Gerry Elliot is executive chef. The hotel's rooftop Pavilion Bar is upstairs.
The Hall family opened Halls Chophouse on King Street in 2009. It took eight wins in the 2026 City Paper readers' poll, including Best Restaurant, Best Steak, Best Wait Staff and Best Downtown Brunch. On r/Charleston it is the answer for an over the top Southern steakhouse, known more for service than anything, with some saying a newer rival now cooks a better steak.
Live music some nights. Go before the band starts if you want to talk.
High Cotton is a Lowcountry dining room on East Bay Street with live music in the bar, weekend brunch and private dining rooms. The bar opens at 4pm every day.
Live music some nights. Go before the band starts if you want to talk.
Oak Steakhouse fills three floors of an 1848 bank building on Broad Street. The venue lists arched windows, 20-foot ceilings, original ironwork, working fireplaces and 150-year-old heart pine floors. This is the original Oak, from Charleston-born group The Indigo Road, which has since opened Oak rooms in other cities.
A butcher shop that turns into a dining room once a week. On Friday evenings Ted's serves a featured menu or custom steak house dinners and gives 10 percent of the Friday dinner proceeds to a quarterly local charity partner, with reservations recommended for dine-in and take-out. The shop says Ted was among the Charleston Wine + Food Festival's 2026 Community Impact Award honorees, recognized at a luncheon on 27 January 2026, and that Real Simple consulted him for its July 2026 steak grilling article.
The Lick opened in March 2026 in the South Windermere shopping center. It pairs a steakhouse with a raw bar ... wagyu and USDA Prime beef, East Coast oysters, crab cakes, and a house bread with honey butter. The kitchen is open to the room and there is weekend brunch. The Post and Courier called it a swanky American restaurant.
The Royal Tern describes itself as 'a fancy neighborhood eatery' serving freshly prepared seafood and steaks with a curated wine list. Chef Kyle Kryske leads the kitchen. City Paper's Spring 2026 Top 50 says the menu keeps its focus on fish.
The same over 50 spots, sorted by the reasons people actually pick them.
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