The Charleston Restaurants We Loved in 2025
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It’s that most wonderful time of year where Team Resy and Tock have scrolled through our respective camera rolls to pin down the meals that’ve stood out to us the most. It’s never easy to be pick favorites, but our 2025 picks have proven yet again what we know and hold dear to our hearts: Restaurants are our homes away from home, acting as the perfect backdrop for all of life’s moments, both big and small.
From the places where we’ve felt like regulars to the restaurants that hosted our anniversaries, birthdays, and everything in between, here are Team Resy and Tock’s favorite restaurant meals of 2025.
We went to dinner to celebrate…
… our anniversary, my husband’s birthday, and a new baby on the way, and Costa pulled out all of the stops. They kicked us off with a Champagne toast and a personalized card on our table, and several members of the staff stopped by to give us well wishes throughout the night.
We started out with the hamachi crudo and Caesar salad, before moving onto the beef cheek agnolotti, which was easily one of the most delicious and unique dishes I’ve ever had. The agnolotti is stuffed with beef cheek and tossed in a squid ink sauce with bone marrow gremolata, and then topped with slices of grilled octopus. It was a total show-stopper and something I will be thinking about for a long time. We rounded out the meal with the grouper cioppino and delicata squash, and tiramisu for dessert. From the service to the food, it was truly a five-star experience, and a perfect way to celebrate multiple exciting milestones.
— Magen Glaesner, Senior Product Operations Analyst
Talk about a special night…
We went to Costa our 10-year wedding anniversary and I can’t say enough about the staff and hospitality we received — from the host to the bartender, service couldn’t have been better.
We started off the night with the incredibly fresh scallop crudo, which hit every note: the mixture of crispy from the corn, sweet from the peaches, and sour cream smoothness created the perfect bite. From there, we split two pasta dishes: the beef cheek tortelli and the pecorino ravioli. The two dishes couldn’t have been more different, but were actually complementary: the ravioli was fresh and vibrant with its tomato sauce, while the tortelli was more complex with its deeply layered flavors — by the way, the tortelli’s truly a can’t-miss dish, I’m still thinking about it two weeks later. We finished with the golden tilefish (perfectly crispy crust; tender and moist meat) where, surprisingly, the mussels were the star of the dish: they soaked up the amazing flavors of the green curry sauce and the sweetness of the pineapple.
— Matthew Beattie, Sales Development Representative Manager
We’re still talking about this meal months later…
For my birthday, my friends and I went to Vern’s and had a terrific time. I typically don’t eat seafood, but I really enjoyed the raw yellowfin tuna with Calabrian chile oil. And all of their housemade pastas (we ordered all three: their testaroli, pappardelle, and campanelle) were some of the bests I’ve had in a long time — they were just cooked perfectly (and those sauces!). The desserts (we ordered both because why not?) were delicious, and the staff even had a candle out for my birthday. But in unique fashion, they brought it out in a beautiful candlestick holder instead of putting it in the dessert or on the plate. I loved it.
— Stephanie Franchetti, Senior Specialized Hospitality Coordinator
This place is worth every bit of hype…
Cane Pazzo really is amazing. I could eat their fire-roasted bread every single day. Think bread that looks like a personal pizza and that’s served with a big dollop of butter, honey, and spices in the middle. The meatballs were a perfect balance of beef and pork over a lovely bed of polenta; the wood-fired oysters (their version of oysters Rockefeller) were amazing; and their pastas rotate frequently and are all made in house. But it’s the sides that really surprised me. Their roasted carrots were quite possibly the best version of carrots I’ve ever eaten (spicy, sweet, with a smoked Calabrian vinaigrette over whipped ricotta). And I didn’t realize cauliflower and butter beans could taste so good.
— Bud Morris, Strategic Support
You can tell this restaurant’s run by passionate chefs…
… just in the way Sorghum & Salt changes their menu so often — the kitchen’s confidence shines through in everything they do. My favorite dishes of the night were the potato gnocchi with white chocolate (yes, that combo worked fantastically) and some top-tier beets.
— Dan Snitzer, Resy Credit Benefit Management
More Charleston staff picks, right this way.
The views expressed in this article reflect personal experiences of American Express employees at the applicable restaurants — not American Express — and do not constitute professional business advice.
