Now on Resy: Rudy Royale, Lost Isle, Sorelle, and More Local Favorites
From a proper dive into Southern cuisine to a John’s Island favorite for live-fire cooking, these are just a few of the beloved Charleston spots that are now bookable on Resy. Right this way.
Note: This list will be updated regularly with new additions each month, so be sure to check back often. For Charleston’s newest restaurant openings, head here.
Rudy Royale French Quarter
Newly added!
You’ve got to love a place whose theme is “chicken + cocktails,” and Rudy Royale doesn’t disappoint. The cocktails include both classics and unique concoctions (like an aromatic honeysuckle lavender martini) and the fried chicken (also available in sandwich form) is epic. But you’ll find steak, swordfish, and more on the menu, too, if you’re not in a fowl mood.
Lost Isle Johns Island
Newly added!
Because the calling card of this stylish indoor-outdoor John’s Island favorite is live-fire cooking. At Lost Isle, expect everything from charcoal-roasted carrots with goat cheese to grilled ribeye with guajillo chiles and herbs — just don’t miss the freezer cocktails to cool things down, and know it was named one of America’s 50 best restaurants by The New York Times.
Myles and Jun Yakitori Summerville
Newly added!
Sure, Myles and Jun has an enticing list of appetizers (agedashi tofu!), rice and noodle dishes (udon!) and specialty entrées (Japanese curry!). But if you’re at this Summerville spot, you’re here for the yakitori skewers. And these go beyond the traditional chicken choices (though the chicken skin skewers should not be missed) with everything from beef heart to duck breast to bacon-wrapped quail eggs.
La Fontana West Ashley
Newly added!
You’ll find just about any familiar Italian specialty you crave — from fried calamari to spaghetti carbonara and veal saltimbocca — on the menu at this friendly establishment run by chef-restaurateurs Steve Hamile and Gary Langevin, who also oversee a handful of Italian favorites around Florida and Georgia.
Stars Restaurant Cannonborough Elliotborough
Newly added!
With an elegant old-school setting (think acres of dark wood and black leather booths), Stars Restaurant delivers steaks grilled over Wadmalaw Island red oak and house specialties like pumpkin sage fettuccine Alfredo and rotisserie smoked chicken. Pro tip: Don’t miss the lively rooftop bar, which you might never want to leave.
Sorelle King Street
You can thank James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Michael Mina for gifting Charleston this destination restaurant. Sorelle is an incredible dive into Southern Italy, featuring bistecca alla Fiorentina, hand-cut pasta, grilled Sardinian octopus, and so much more. Pro tip: On “Wood-Fired Thursday,” Sorelle offers a range of specialty pizzas at the bar.
La Bonne Franquette West Ashley
The name says it all: It’s an old French idiom meaning “honest,” “informal,” or “unfussy,” and those are the watchwords at this traditional bistro opened by Charleston’s favorite French-born chocolatier and pastry chef, Christophe Paume. Come for the escargots Basque and the steak frites, but definitely stay for the decadent desserts.
California Dreaming Charleston
That’s the Ashley River, not the Pacific Ocean, outside the door, but this 40-year-old Charleston classic evokes the Golden State with its breezy atmosphere and its profusion of sun-faded brick and wood. The menu, though, is proudly Southern, from shrimp and grits to Nashville hot wings to baby back ribs, and you’ll want it all.
Cramer’s Kitchen Mount Pleasant
Chef Owen Bernstein made his mark as a private chef, so it’s not surprising that dining in his “kitchen” isn’t exactly going to be like dining at a restaurant. Think of it more like enjoying a mostly (but-not-entirely) vegetable- and seafood-focused meal in a friendly home environment, complete with specially crafted menus that can accommodate allergies and personal tastes.
Galpão Gaucho Brazilian Steakhouse French Quarter
Hungry diners know that few food experiences match a meal at an all-you-can-eat rodízio (or Brazilian steakhouse) and this one goes all out, with 17 cuts of beef, pork, lamb, chicken, and seafood; an epic salad bar; and one of Charleston’s best side dishes — grilled white cheddar with spicy honey.
Fuji Sushi Bar and Grill – Belle Hall Mount Pleasant- Belle Hall
The sushi bar here is lively, but the deep brown leather booths and roomy tables are a good choice, too, for enjoying the wide-ranging menu of sushi, tempura, noodles, and hibachi specialties. Pro tip: Consider trying Fuji for lunch, when the menu offers bento boxes and rice or poke bowls, plus a chef’s roll of the day.
Fuji Sushi Bar and Grill – on 41 Mt Pleasant
Come here for the mouth-watering display of fresh seafood, the peaceful patio looking out on stands of trees, the impressive selection of sake, wine, and spirits, but most importantly, an encyclopedia of Japanese fare, from noodles (udon, soba, and ramen) and hibachi specialties to all your sushi favorites, plus a roster of specialty rolls that just won’t stop.
The Darling Oyster Bar Radcliffeborough
This bright, easy-going King Street spot in a vintage building, with its red brick walls, celadon booths, terrazzo flooring, hand-blown glass light fixtures, and of course, an actual 12-seat oyster bar, celebrates seafood in myriad forms. Don’t skip the shrimp and grits, too.
Pearlz Oyster Bar – Charleston French Quarter
Charleston has no shortage of seafood restaurants, but you won’t want to miss this French Quarter favorite from the Homegrown Hospitality group (Tbonz Gill & Grill, Rioz Brazilian Steakhouse, etc.), where oysters are just the beginning, and the lobster roll is pure New England.
TBonz – Charleston Downtown Charleston
You’ll want to eat your way through everything on the mouth-watering shrimp-to-rib eye menu at the downtown location of this popular meat and seafood restaurant from the group behind Pearlz Oyster Bar — and don’t miss the Tommy Texas cheese fries, enhanced with applewood-smoked bacon.
Élevé – Grand Bohemian Charleston Ansonborough
This stylish dining room at the Grand Bohemian Hotel lives up to its name (it’s French for “elevated”) with its shimmering chandeliers, gleaming hardwood tabletops, walls hung with sensuous paintings, and above all, its perfectly crafted France-meets-Charleston menu.
Matador Charleston
Already famous for its locations around the Pacific Northwest, Matador is now creating a buzz on Meeting Street with its wide-ranging Mexican menu based on all-natural ingredients (look for seasonal specials like hot honey fried chicken tacos) and its exemplary agave-rich cocktail program.
Grand Bohemian Wine Bar Ansonborough
This clubby-looking retreat in the Grand Bohemian Hotel is a wine-lover’s paradise, not just for its list of about 50 good wines, from Napa Valley Chardonnay to Argentinian Cabernet Franc, but for the fact that it offers small tasting portions of them all for a few bucks, so you can roam the wine world while sampling offerings from the small-plates menu.
Osaka Asian Bistro South Windermere
This sleek family-owned establishment has been feeding Charleston for more than 20 years with an array of something-for-everybody Japanese dishes (there’s a long, lively sushi bar), augmented by familiar Chinese fare and a touch here and there of Vietnamese and Thai cuisine.
Ruby Sunshine Downtown Charleston Downtown Charleston
Brunch with a Southern accent (daily, from early morning to mid-afternoon) is the thing at this easy-to-wake-up-to suburban Downtown Charleston outpost of the popular South-wide Ruby chain. Breakfast tacos, shrimp & grits, eight different Benedicts, and more will keep brunch-lovers coming back.
Topsail Restaurant Mt Pleasant
The nautical decor helps set the scene at this jaunty seafood-forward Mount Pleasant establishment. Among the don’t-miss specialties: she crab soup and lobster and grits.
Grill 225 French Quarter
The room is elegant, with high coffered ceilings and rich white napery; the steaks are all USDA prime; the sides push the envelope (mashed sweet potatoes with Boursin cheese, anyone?); and to drink, an enophile’s dream of a wine list and the coolest (literally) cocktails in town: 16 different “nitrotinis,” chilled with liquid nitrogen.
Husk Charleston Historic Downtown Charleston
Groundbreaking modern Southern chef Sean Brock may have stepped away from Husk a few years back, but this Charleston original continues to flourish with Raymond England in the kitchen, translating the very best of local and seasonal ingredients into updated takes on the South’s great culinary repertoire.
