The 10 Restaurants That Defined Charleston Dining This Year

Chef Bintou N’Daw showcases the flavors of her native Senegal, with inspired adaptations that make her dishes unique. Importantly, Charleston’s African ties proved formative for Bintü Atelier. “I felt like this city was to me the connection that we were looking for to Africa,” N’Daw told The Post and Courier’s Parker Milner, who reported that his thiéboudieun (fish and rice) was part of the best meal he’d had in months.

Whole snapper is placed over jollof rice, a popular traditional West African red rice. Pepper soup is served with chicken, yucca, yams, and crawfish in a spicy broth. Tucked off a Line Street sidewalk in the East Side neighborhood, which has its own rich cultural history as a historically Black neighborhood, Bintü is capturing a new and remarkable take on what Lowcountry food means.

Open for lunch and dinner Thursday through Sunday.

The couple behind James Island’s Kwei Fei launched their downtown tribute to Chinese takeout in 2023. With dark wood and bare cement offset by modern touches and aqua tones throughout, co-owner Tina Heath-Schuttenberg transformed the space, setting a decidedly more big-city vibe.

In the kitchen, chef-owner David Schuttenberg has dialed in takeout classics like sweet and sour pork, General Tso’s chicken, and beef and broccoli alongside traditional Chinese street food dishes, like the Teochow-style oyster omelet. Dark liquors highlight the tropical-tinged cocktail list, with twists like Paradise Lost, a fall-feeling concoction with rum, Cognac, cacao, and Amaro Montenegro. It’s a distinct tribute to a very beloved cuisine.

Chef-owner Nikko Cagalanan has said one of most validating moments is when someone who grew up eating Filipino food takes a bite of his pancit noodle dish, and is instantly transported by the memory of familiar, if cheffed-up, vibrant flavors of their past.

At Kultura, those memories of his upbringing in the Philippines serve as the foundation for the permanent location of his itinerant pop-up, which gained a following as Mansueta’s. The pancit is a must, alongside braised meats like duck, addictive pork ribs (tocino), and any number of sturdy tropical cocktails, like the halo halo, made with sake, ube, pineapple, and coconut milk.

Somehow, the crew at Weltons manages to keep their displays stacked with a spread that stays diverse and indulgent (think pasteis de nata and BEC sammies). Outside, the crowd is about as plentiful, and they start queuing outside every weekend morning minutes before the opening bell.

Pro tip: check the ‘gram to get the heads up for the next pizza party: Think knockout pies cooked out in the driveway in the wood-fired oven. Got your fill of baked goods? Check the shelves for a selection of housemade and curated seasonings, snacks, beer and wine, and other kitchen treats.

Jason Stanhope departed FIG in August after 16 years, during which the restaurant and his menu as executive chef piled up accolades. Now, Stanhope is hoping to recapture some of that magic at not one or two, but three concepts operated by The Pinch boutique hotel at the corner of King and George streets.

The newest, Lowland Tavern, offers a comfortable opening menu featuring a handful of craveable dishes that both frame Stanhope’s interpretation of New Southern cooking and that will warrant a return trip: lobster bucatini, a burger, grilled triggerfish, crudo, biscuits, deviled eggs, you get the idea. Also opening under The Pinch banner is the Quinte cocktail and raw bar, along with the Lowland dining room, a soon-to-come tasting menu space upstairs from the tavern in the updated 1834-era house just steps outside the hotel lobby.

Approachability is the name of the game at The James, located on Maybank Highway on James Island. And there’s something to be said for what Charleston’s Neighborhood Dining Group is attempting here: walking the fine line of trying not to do too much, but doing it well. One look at the menu and you’ll see what we mean — Parker House rolls, French onion soup, crabcakes, some burgers and steaks, and even prime rib. In addition, the bar menu features a half-dozen martinis, some classic and some appletini-adjacent (including an actual appletini).

Bursting on the scene in 2023, this immediately became (and remains) one of the hardest-to-get tables in Charleston. Can’t score a reservation? Peep the bar, where the full menu is also available.

Charleston-based Beemok Hospitality Collection partnered with The Mina Group to develop the concept and menus, with dishes ranging from housemade focaccia to hand-cut pasta and fresh snapper served with preserved lemon gremolata. Just need a quick bite? Sorelle’s Mercato offers a full coffee bar along with sandwiches, salads, and other Italian grab-and-go items.

Call 843-974-1575 for more info.

Speaking of FIG … In a city absolutely beset with crowd-pleasing tourist fare, it remains an oasis. Celebrating 20 years in 2023, chef-owner Mike Lata’s key restaurant still manages to lure locals downtown, either with a Resy in its modest, comforting dining room or to take a chance at the petite bar that’s always first come, first served. From the chicken liver pâté to the fresh catch (grilled triggerfish with mushrooms recently), Lata’s rock-solid preparations remain simple, but creative enough to leave an impression.

This alluring new space, the long-awaited culmination of chef-owner Miryam Ghaznavi’s whirlwind Pakistani pop-up and food hall booth, opened this year on Meeting Street. The faithful have been able to sustain themselves with Ghaznavi’s Malika outposts in Mount Pleasant and on James Island, but the downtown spot is wholly unique. Aubergine pakora, samosa, and kebab await to start, laying the groundwork for lights-out biryani, butter chicken, and more.

Find more info here.

A couple miles south of Corrie and Shuai Wang’s Jackrabbit Filly in Park Circle, King BBQ is chef Shuai’s tribute to Chinatown barbecue, fine-tuned with a series of pop-ups over the past two years. Smoky cha shao ribs are lacquered to a deep red color, pulled from the case alongside smoked duck, chicken, and pork. Hushpuppy-like fritters are plated as a deconstructed crab rangoon.

Turn up the smoke with BBQ noodle soup served with King’s proteins, or atop a rice bowl to test how the ‘cue matches up. Behind the bar, Amy Kalligracas’ batched cocktails land on your table in a jif, or try Dancing in the Moonlight, a milk tea concoction served with chocolate boba and bourbon or rum. Non-alcoholic versions also are available.

Find more info here.