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Although most of the region’s best-known eateries are within the city limits, you won’t have trouble finding a great meal when you’re traveling to the more far-flung destinations. Mount Pleasant, in particular, is a foodie favorite.
Chef Nico Romo made his name at King Street's longstanding upscale seafood restaurant, Fish, before harnessing that name to venture out on his own in Mount Pleasant. Fortunately, his menu still combines his passion for local seafood with his knowledge of French cuisine, although with perhaps a few more liberties taken. Entrées emerge from the wood-fired oven and are best preceded by oysters from the raw bar that anchors the open dining room.
Mount Pleasant's culinary ambitions perhaps reach their apex at the Shellmore, an unassuming wine bar with a chalkboard menu and some of the most romantic nooks in town. Chef-owner Eric Milley always has cheese and cold shucked oysters at the ready, but devotees know he's prone to work wonders with hulking cuts of beef, including prime rib and veal chops.
At first glance, the odd name appears to refer to this waterfront restaurant's exterior, topped off with a shabby screened-in porch (in actuality, the Richard and Charlene was a trawler that slammed into the building during a hurricane in 1989). Located in the Old Village of Mount Pleasant, the kitchen serves up Southern tradition on a plate: boiled peanuts, fried shrimp, and deviled crabs. The best option is the most expensive—the mixed seafood platter with fried flounder, shrimp, oysters, and scallops. Get here early, as the place shuts down by 8 or 9 each night.
A DIY spin on the South's signature grain, grits here can be topped with pimento cheese or butterbeans, among other options.
In Lowcountry vernacular, "sweet shop" has nothing to do with confections: It refers to a type of building. But everyone agrees H & R is very sweet indeed, with three-quarters of a century of history of serving homestyle plates and a terrific burger.
The Galactic, Krypto, Orbit City, and Blue Galactic hot dog varieties at Jack's Cosmic are otherworldly excellent, with blue-cheese slaw, spicy mustard, sauerkraut, zippy onion relish, and Jack's own sweet-potato mustard, all swaddled in Pepperidge Farms split-top buns. Akin to a diner, Jack's serves milkshakes and sundaes, real custard soft-serve ice cream, draft root beer, and hand-cut fries. This place is a favorite among kids.
South Carolinians have been flocking here for egg salad sandwiches and ice cream for close to a century.
From the moment that Kate and Ben Towill came to South Carolina to open an exceedingly Instagrammable vegetable-focused restaurant in downtown Charleston, fans have clamored for more of their spot-on style. That wish is granted in the form of Post House, an effortlessly tasteful neighborhood bistro featuring thoughtful takes on classics such as Caesar salad, steak frites, and peel-and-eat shrimp.
Locals and visitors alike tend to (mistakenly) overlook this Mount Pleasant staple in favor of the more stylish picks downtown. Chef Ben Berryhill leans on his Texas roots to formulate a South-by-Southwest approach, cooking venison sausage, double-cut pork chops, and rib-eye steaks on a wood-burning grill he calls "The Beast." Also sample savory beef empanadas or large "fork-and-knife" tacos from the bar, and head out to the outdoor patio for a beer or beverage. The nightlife here is lively.
Featuring massive buttermilk biscuits, this brunch favorite is also acclaimed for its Bloody Marys.
