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.
11 spots
Bar Mash is a bar and kitchen at 701 East Bay Street, open from 4pm Monday to Saturday with a daily happy hour and the kitchen going until 10pm.
The Cantonese sister of Kwei Fei, from Tina and David Schuttenberg. Explore Charleston says more than half the dishes are vegetarian or vegan-friendly: scallion oil noodles and Shanghai-style shumai among the dim sum, and family-style General Tso's, sweet and sour and black pepper dishes all available with tofu.
Chef Bintou N'Daw cooks Senegalese and wider West African food on Line Street on the Eastside, and Resy's write-up ties the cooking to its Gullah connections. Dinner runs as a 50 dollar prix fixe of a small plate, a main and a drink or dessert, booked only through Resy. Guests may bring their own wine or beer and the venue waives the corkage fee.
The newest bar in a building with a long local memory. The Post and Courier reported in August 2026 that Dive In opened in June 2026 at 525 Meeting Street, a single-story building that was once home to the Black-owned Thunderguards Motorcycle Club and then to Palace Hotel, which closed in 2025 after less than two years at the address. Owners Fitz Gaines, Lamar Bonaparte and Tyler Wicker have been involved in Republic Garden & Lounge, Red Palm Tavern and Bourbon N' Bubbles downtown. Picnic tables sit on the patio in front.
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.
Hannibal's Kitchen is a no-frills soul food room on the East Side. The Post and Courier dates it to 1985, and City Paper quotes owner L.J. Huger saying it has been feeding the soul of the city for more than 40 years. The signature plate is crab and shrimp rice; the Post and Courier also names fried whiting, okra soup and shrimp and grits. TV weatherman Al Roker ate there in September 2026 and posted about it.
Last Saint calls itself an eastside cocktail bar, on Meeting Street. City Paper readers named it Best Cocktails for 2026.
Smash City runs a dine-in shop on Cooper Street on the Eastside and still sends out the food truck it started with, posting the truck's schedule on its site. In City Paper's 2026 Burger Throwdown it won five of eight categories, including Best Place to Get a Burger and Best Smash Burger. Readers also voted it Best Savory Food Truck and Best Takeout in 2026.
A bar inside a bar. The Post and Courier (27 June 2025) reported that a yellow door at the back of the cocktail lounge Last Saint leads to a tucked-away speakeasy with six barstools and three booths, run by bartenders Bri and Andrew Travis. There are no menus ... guests name a base spirit and a few adjectives and the bartender builds the drink, at $16 each when the paper visited. Last Saint itself comes from the group behind Bar George on James Island and Ok Donna downtown.
Marc and Liz Hudacsko opened The Archer in August 2024 as what City Paper calls the more grown-up sister to their Rutledge Avenue spot Berkeley's. It is a restaurant and cocktail bar with free parking on site and a daily happy hour. The kitchen serves until 11pm and the bar until midnight.
The Commodore is a live music and dance room on Meeting Street. Its site says the club started in the early 80s as A Touch of Class before it was revived under the current name, and that entry is ages 23 and up. City Paper readers named it Best Jazz & Blues Club for 2026.
This is a music venue. It is loud when a show is on.
The same over 50 spots, sorted by the reasons people actually pick them.
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