25 Best Restaurants in Upper King, Charleston

The menu may be nearly illegible, the space minuscule, and locating the tucked-away location like finding Waldo, but the food is almost always sublime. Each night only two appetizers, two entrées (like snapper with white wine sauce or gnocchi with chanterelles), and two desserts are offered. Sharing multiple dishes is a good option.  If the dining room feels too snug, head to the outdoor patio, perfect for dinner or brunch.

It's not just what's in the pint glasses at this upscale brewpub that has locals raving. The kitchen's mac-and-peas and crunchy salad with shrimp, featuring the region's hallmark ingredients, are almost universally adored. The atmosphere is chic yet comfortable with large booths, canvas chairs, and a huge bar, while an outdoor patio invites you to sip in the sunshine. This is the original location—the restaurant shares its name with a more casual restaurant north of downtown.

Executive chef and owner Kevin Johnson's outstanding restaurant sits in impressive quarters near the corner of Cannon and King Streets. The menu suggests a humble, considerate approach, as the dishes represent local flavors: the wood-roasted carrots come with feta, raisins, and pistachio crumble, while the wood-roasted whole fish is delivered with salsa verde. The high wainscoting and tall shelving filled with jams and jellies, pickled vegetables, and vintage kitchenware add to the earthy, unassuming presence.

Casual, quirky, and a tad Wes Anderson-y, this oysters-and-fried-chicken joint sports a kitschy ambience and blues-heavy soundtrack. Fried catfish, oyster, and chicken sandwiches come towering, dressed in fresh slaw or "comeback sauce" and nestled on perfectly prepared rolls. The oysters are from near or far, depending on the season. Don't forget to ask for a soft-serve ice cream before you go; you can grab it at the window outside the former auto repair shop.

Austin pitmaster John Lewis transformed Charleston's smoked meat scene when he opened this Texas-style joint that serves prime rib, pulled pork, and "hot guts" by the pound. The meat is served on brown paper, the margaritas are tart; and Lewis's patio is uncannily evocative of Texas, thanks in part to the carefully chosen soundtrack. Opt for the monster El Sancho Loco sandwich if you just can't decide.

The third entry in Brooks Reitz's geographically constrained restaurant empire (you can stand on Upper King Street and see all three venues at once), Melfi's is as evocative as the chophouse and oyster garage that preceded it. Styled after a quintessential Italian-American dining room, Melfi's mischievous streak darts through the shaken Negronis and ends with the restaurant's excellent Roman-style pies.

Award-winning chefs deliver every possible type of underwater delight here, from local littleneck clams to wahoo carpaccio. The two-story dining room of this former bank building fills up fast, but you can always belly up to the stunning bar while you wait and enjoy a variety of clever cocktails. Perhaps the best seat is at the oyster bar, where the freshest of bivalves await. And if you're looking for optimum indulgence, ask for the seafood tower. The triple decker will set you back $165, but spilling over with fruits de mer, it is worth every penny.

Although it's billed as a pizza parlor, this neighborhood trattoria stuns taste buds with its entire menu, including anchovies in pepper and grapefruit and entrées like swordfish with horseradish mustard. The thin-crust pizzas are complemented by an impressive selection of natural wines and a daily cocktail special.

Rodney Scott became a darling of the region's barbecue scene in the early 2010s, when he branched out from his family's pit-cooked joint in Hemingway, South Carolina, to create this temple to whole hogs in downtown Charleston. Apart from the requisite sandwiches and platters, he also offers pit-cooked chicken, racks of ribs, and fried catfish. Come hungry and grab an extra handful of napkins.

The creation of Dano and Bethany Heinze—who amount to downtown Charleston's culinary royal couple, having made their names at the much-missed McCrady's—Vern's is one of the many high-end restaurants in the American South masquerading as a cozy neighborhood joint. But don't let the chalkboard and uncovered tables fool you: Interpretations of local produce here are among the city's best.

Amid the boom in Charleston's dining scene in the early 2010s, one thing was distinctly lacking: Asian-influenced flavors, but then Xiao Bao came along and changed the city's trajectory. With curries, fried fish, and Sichuan pork dishes that draw on one of the three owners' Chinese heritage without directly replicating it, the casual eatery in a former gas station has gained national acclaim. The menu is designed for family-style sharing, which is smart because you'll want to try it all.

Against a backdrop of classic French-bistro style—think gleaming wood, cozy booths, and white-papered tables—Charleston's night owls feast on such favorites here as steamed mussels in a half dozen preparations. Order them with pommes frites, as the French do. Each night of the week there's a special, such as the popular bouillabaisse on Sunday. If you're seeking quiet, ask for a table in the dining room on the right. It's noisy—but so much fun—at the bar.

Situated in a restored and windowed corner building, Chasing Sage sets the stage for just about any dish to look good, but the seasonal cooking here would probably taste just as good in the dark. (In fact, when the restaurant's opening was delayed for one year by the pandemic, its vibrant to-go program proved as much.) Order as many vegetable-forward small plates as you can.

Off a little alley in a restored indigo warehouse, Coast Bar & Grill has a stripped-down look with exposed brick walls and wood columns. Wood-fired seafood and heavy sauces are staples, but lighter dishes like fish tacos and ceviche make it a standout. Highlights include braised grouper served with tasty herbs, shiitake mushrooms, and decadent bacon-and-cheese grits, as well as the lobster and crab gratin, which comes complete with Parmesan mashed potatoes. The place can be noisy, but it's always fun. (It transforms into a boisterous bar in the later hours.) You can watch the cooks in the heat of the open kitchen in the front room or go in the back dining room where it is cooler. There are usually half-price wine specials, and there's live music on Sunday evening.

A vestige of a past era in Cannonborough-Elliottborough, this stalwart soul food joint still boxes up fried shrimp, deviled crab, and juicy pork chops. The menu changes daily, and it's wise to follow the recommendations of the chef just behind the counter in the open kitchen. Most folks take their okra soup, turkey wings, and country ribs to-go, but there are a few barstools and a couple of simple tables just inside the door.

Thanks to its impressive 28-day-aged USDA steaks, Halls Chophouse is regarded as one of the top steak houses in town. The 28-ounce Tomahawk rib eye, the New York strip, and the slow-roasted prime rib are especially recommended. The bustling bar is a good place to rub shoulders with a variety of well-to-do locals. A heads-up: the service borders on excessive (or is it obsessive?); the staff takes uncommon heed of its guests, though the lavishly prepared steaks offer the restaurant's greatest source of hospitality.

For sophisticated Italian fare in a vibrant (and sometimes boisterous) setting, this hip spot on Upper King is the place. A modern aesthetic of exposed wood and an open kitchen may drive the design, but the food isn't putting on airs. Start with the burrata cheese served with crisp flatbread, then dive into one of the many unique salads. Don't miss the black-pepper tagliatelle crowned with a soft-boiled egg yolk.

You couldn't be blamed for thinking that this burger joint has been here for nearly a century—it's designed to look that way, and the effect works. Leather booths, checkered tablecloths, and plenty of black-and-white imagery create the perfect scene in which to sip a martini before chowing down on a sandwich. Proprietor Brooks Reitz is also the brains behind Melfi's and Leon's (as well as his nationally available Jack Rudy tonic syrup), and his talent for blending aesthetic good taste and flavorful style ensures that Little Jack's stays busy with regulars.

An homage to the Italian city of the same name, Monza provides genuine Neapolitan-style pizza and an introduction to one of the world's most historic motor-sport racing circuits: the Autodromo Nazionale Monza. The pizza—baked in a wood-fired oven, in traditional style—boasts a thin, crisp crust and toppings like house-made sausage, pepperoni, eggplant, roasted red peppers, and locally farmed eggs. Locals are understandably wild for the butterbean salad.

Pink Bellies has followed the Gen-Z trajectory of food truck to food hall tenant to standalone restaurant, but the Vietnamese-leaning kitchen has thankfully never made radical changes to its noodle bowls. Still, it's the bar food that has inspired fans to follow Pink Bellies on its journey, including an In-N-Out-inspired burger and garlicky wings.

John Lewis based his excellent and hugely successful Lewis Barbecue on the time he spent smoking meat in Austin, but he casts his gaze further back at Rancho Lewis, based on childhood memories of meals in New Mexico. Most patrons will mistake the menu for Tex-Mex, but the Hatch chiles and exceptional beans, sourced from Las Cruces, make his state allegiance clear.

Accommodating locals and out-of-towners alike, Taco Boy delivers tasty Mexican American treats to a bustling patio crowd. The ambience is half the allure of this eclectic outpost featuring rehabbed or reclaimed materials—right down to the bar counter, carved from a fallen North Carolina walnut tree, and the funky Mexican folk art adorning every inch of wall space. It's a forward-thinking and fun joint, perfect for downing margaritas and micheladas (beer with lime juice, tomato juice, and chilies) or sharing a sampler trio of house-made guacamole and two types of salsa. For beach-bound travelers, Folly Beach—south of downtown Charleston—boasts the original restaurant on Center Street.

If it looks like a cross between a veterans' hall and a dive bar, that's because the Tattooed Moose is going for a decidedly unpretentious vibe. With 90-plus beers on the menu and a large moose head behind the counter, the place cuts a distinctive figure; homey eats like house-smoked barbecue brisket, chicken salad, jumbo chicken wings, and fried turkey breast are just some of the offerings. The bar's famous duck club is a menu showstopper—it relies on duck confit, apple-smoked bacon, garlic aioli, and ripened tomatoes bounded by sweet Hawaiian bread. If you find yourself on Johns Island, the Moose now has a larger satellite location that caters to families and the happy hour crowd.