Now on Resy: The Italian Boy After Dark, Nick’s German Kitchen, and More Local Favorites

If you have doubts about a tasting menu where sandwiches are the focus, then you haven’t experienced The Italian Boy After Dark. These are sandwiches stuffed with premium ingredients, crafted by Anthony Marini of The Pass, no less. Expect antipasti, pasta, and dessert to round things out, and note: There’s only one nightly seating for a dozen diners, and trust us, you’ll want to be among them.

Don’t wait for Oktoberfest to enjoy the richly flavored variations on spaetzle, schnitzel, and other Teutonic classics at this cheery Mount Pleasant favorite. Nick’s German Kitchen offers plenty of good wine and beer (German and otherwise), too, and comes from Nick and Kelly Ruhotina of Mezzo fame.

For classic Mexican flavors 1,200 miles from the border, you’ll definitely want to head to this vibrant Meeting Street taquería-plus. The menu covers all of the favorites, but doesn’t stop there — there’s also spicy aguachiles, savory alambres, assorted vegan options (like nopales tacos), and a whole genre-expanding birria menu.

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.  

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.  

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.