The Resy Hit List: Where In Charleston You’ll Want to Eat Right Now

There’s no place quite like this in Charleston. Chef-owner Thai Phi has captured a big-city feel — bright pink and blue lights accent the dark, moody dining room — with sophisticated cocktails to match, like the Yuzu Disco with dark rum, calamansi, lemongrass syrup, and tonic. Phi pulls from his Vietnamese heritage and Bay Area upbringing in dishes like his signature garlic noodles topped with pork, pickled red onions, sriracha, parmesan, and oyster mushrooms, and steaming hot bowls of pho during his Wednesday night Pho King pop-ups. Phi’s creations have evolved significantly from humble beginnings as a food trailer at the nearby College of Charleston, into the city’s “ultimate fun restaurant,” per Resy writer Stephanie Burt.

There’s not a much better place to take advantage of milder temps than this spot, tucked into a historic building on the former Navy base in North Charleston’s Riverfront Park. Breezes off the Cooper River, just steps away, make for a good accompaniment to raw oysters, espresso martinis, and steak frites. Need a little more? Splurge on a seafood tower inside or on the patio. Bunch makes Riverfront Park an ideal meeting place to start a Sunday Funday, with plenty else to do in the nearby Park Circle neighborhood.

Slightly North of Broad (or S.N.O.B. for the cheeky ones) has been a Charleston mainstay for more than 30 years. With industry pro favorite chef Frank Lee in the kitchen until 2016, it became known for bulletproof reliability for cherished traditional Lowcountry fare like shrimp and grits and barbecued tuna. Lee was a farm-to-table champion long before it became a trend; it was just the right way to cook. Now owned by the Hall family, executive chef Russ Moore is carrying the torch, and the standards remain high. Charlestonians know S.N.O.B. is also a go-to during the day, where a three-course lunch lets diners a chance to experience Moore’s stewardship of this Southern kitchen, where delicate preparations of proteins and vegetables compete for top billing.

Chef Sean Brock makes his return to Charleston with his upstart fast-casual burger joint that’s garnered a following in Nashville and Birmingham, Ala. Most remember Brock’s laser focus on gastronomical precision at now-shuttered McCrady’s and cultural authenticity that brought legions to Husk Charleston. But Brock’s less-studious indulgences in simpler standbys always equally dazzled diners, and that’s what you get at Joyland. Burgers come in the Joyburger and Crustburger varieties. And Brock’s ode to Japanese deep-fried chicken skewers arrives with the Joystick, amped up, if you choose, with sorghum barbecue sauce as the Dipstick.

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By day, frozen drinks spin behind the outdoor Bower bar, begging you to grab a patio table with friends, maybe a few house-brewed beers (Something Cold is an old reliable), and definitely some of chef Bob Cook’s unconventional bites. There are no skips on the menu, with options ranging from shrimp toast to the EO burger, other sandwiches, and even fried chicken. At night, the long wooden bar and generous dining room tables inside where to stop with a date or bring the whole crew. Cook’s flavors lean toward the unexpected, like the piquant papaya salad, the Korean meatball, or the housemade kettle chips sprinkled with vinegar and fish sauce — the stuff of salt-and-vinegar fans’ dreams.

In 2023, Jason Stanhope departed FIG 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.  Expect a comfortable, casual setting with 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, and more.

This neighborhood bistro in a recently updated (and designer-appointed) Charleston single house in Harleston Village has been eagerly awaited by neighbors and the throngs of folks who have lined up for Merci’s various pop-ups leading up to the opening. Chef Michael Zettner’s seasonal menu includes snapper crudo in ajo vierge, focaccia  stracciatella, slow-cooked chicken, and beef Wellington for two. Grab a Resy starting seven days in advance.

The team at Chubby Fish has expanded into a neighboring Charleston single house, with a brand-new bar and cozy dining room. The new space is perfect for those awaiting a table at the no-reservations hot spot next door or anyone looking to settle in for a few drinks. And the cocktails are well worth a visit. The menu highlights highballs, or what bar manager Christian Favier is calling “long drinks” that plays with different influences and showcases one of the area’s only Japanese highball machines, a device that chills, carbonates, and dispenses a perfectly balanced beverage. Chef Carlos Paredes joins Seahorse from The Obstinate Daughter, creating a compact seafood-focused menu that’s a collab of flavors from his native Peru and the proven creativity of chef James London, recently named a 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist.

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Chef Ken Vedrinski made his return downtown official in March, opening on Rutledge Avenue near the hospital district, aiming to capture the spirit of small-scale Italian cooking. Vedrinski hooked a loyal following with Lucca on Bogard Street before decamping for a couple projects on Isle of Palms, including Coda del Pesce. The menu at Volpe will shift through Italian American favorites, including small plates, seafood and other proteins, Vedrinski’s popular pasta, and more. (Maybe even the gnudi that earned Vedrinski a victory on “Beat Bobby Flay.”)

This might be Charleston’s longest-running restaurant, in operation by the Barber family since 1945. For generations, Bowen’s has lured Charleston-area residents for family dinners, weddings, parties, community and political events, or just to watch some of the best sunsets around. Enter by the stairs and walk past the oyster room, where steamed bivalves are available by the half tray, full tray, and all-you-can-eat. (Oysters, harvested right off the marsh during “R” months, when they’re in season, are the main event here.) Upstairs in the dining room, seafood platters, Frogmore stew, shrimp and grits and more await.

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Perfectly sized and situated a few minutes’ drive from downtown nightlife hubs, you’ll walk into this cozy corner dining room and immediately feel at home. The Italian menu is divided, helpfully: pizza, not pizza, and dessert. The pizzas are 10-inch Neapolitan-style, with a chewy, slightly charred crust, with traditional faves like the Kevin McAllister (“A lovely cheese pizza, just for me!”) and more experimental, like the Cheli featuring lamb sausage drizzled with hot honey and chermoula. Show up during happy hour for $5 cocktails (spritz, Negroni, and more), $6 house wine, and sub $10 snacks, like basic pizzas and meatballs.

This new King Street wine bar opened in late 2024 next door to sister establishment Felix Cocktails et Cuisine. It may sit in the thick of the downtown entertainment district, but visitors will enter and surely notice the decorative heavy timber ceilings and plaster-washed stone walls — a tribute to its French countryside theme. Bottles from the six-page wine list start at $45, with more than a dozen also available by the glass. Specialty cocktails range from a light French spin on some classics, like the La Cave Martini, to Cezanne’s France, with Calvados. Settle on a bottle, then tackle the French small plate selection, like the filet mignon tartine or spring for the duck confit gnocchi or boeuf en croute.

Tucked steps away from the picturesque Kiawah River, the flagship restaurant of the new Dunlin hotel was one of the splashier openings of 2024, despite being a short drive from downtown. Chef Michael Deccio, most recently from Thomas Keller’s Michelin-starred Surf Club Restaurant in Florida, has created an impressive, yet comforting, menu stretching from raw bar to duck confit. Expect nods to Southern standards (Cheerwine has appeared as an ingredient, after all), with luxe beach club touches, including a sunny dining room with a comfy bar.

The guys at Graft Wine Bar have teamed up with chef Anthony Guerra of Raleigh’s Oakwood Pizza Box to create an instant neighborhood-favorite, conveniently opening next to the wine bar on upper King Street. Set apart with its distinctive square pizzas, Tutti allows guests to get creative, with additions like sesame seed crust, shallots, Calabrian chiles, pepperoni cups, and more piled on 18-inch pies.

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This downtown tapas spot has everything you need if you’re looking for something new. Just a few blocks from King Street, Spanish-inspired specialties flow from the kitchen with Lowcountry flair, like local shrimp, crudo, an Iberian twist on pigs in a blanket, and all the gildas — like a perfectly composed skewer of anchovy, olive, and pickled pepper — we challenge you not to order another round. Securing a Resy is a surefire way to a good time, but the lively courtyard provides the ideal space to enjoy a bev and await your spot. Behind the bar, Spanish vermouth and Sherry tempt curious patrons, whether poured into a citrusy spritz, or served neat.