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.
7 spots
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.
Tae Woo Lee and Peter Marcus opened Kyn in September 2026 in a brick building on Cannon Street that the Post and Courier says once housed a YMCA established in 1866. The menu is hand rolls, sashimi, crudos and small plates, and Lee's Korean heritage shows in the chojang sauce and in herbs grown outside the restaurant. The owners call it the most untraditional sushi restaurant you are going to find.
Locals is a sushi restaurant that is also a sports pub, with nigiri and rolls beside tacos, hibachi and wings, and a sushi rolling class on the third Thursday of each month. The Post and Courier notes a patio and a second-floor loft at the Folly Road room. City Paper readers made it runner-up for Best Sushi in 2026.
O-Ku is the sushi restaurant from The Indigo Road, the Charleston-born group, and King Street is where it began before spreading to other cities. Happy hour runs Monday to Wednesday from 5pm to 7pm. City Paper readers voted it Best Japanese in 2026.
Shiki is a sushi room on East Bay Street that Charleston City Paper describes as family-owned since 2001, with James Park behind the sushi. City Paper readers voted it Best Sushi in 2026 and the paper keeps it in its Top 50.
A Shem Creek bar and restaurant pairing Lowcountry classics with sushi, with weekly live music on the water. It stands where Ronnie Boals opened R.B.'s Seafood Restaurant in 1985, according to the history page of Saltwater Cowboys next door. The contact address points to Bottlecap Group. Mount Pleasant Magazine still lists it under its earlier name, Sunsets Waterfront Dining.
Live music some nights. Go before the band starts if you want to talk.
Chefs Kazu Murakami and Chris Schoedler run Sushi-Wa as an omakase counter serving Edomae-style sushi. Parties are capped at four guests and a 75 dollar per guest fee applies to cancellations inside 24 hours. Beer and sake are sold, and wine may be brought for a 35 dollar corkage, two bottles at most.
The same over 50 spots, sorted by the reasons people actually pick them.
Recommendations from real Charlestonians, always attributed to whoever wrote them.
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