Listing Directory: General

  • Muse

    Occupying a charming Italianate single house, this restaurant and wine bar serves up Mediterranean cuisine, combining pasta, dates, and Eastern spices with seafood and meats, which creates a happy harmony of flavors. Plus you can count on a handful of Italian standbys: carbonara, tagliatelle Bolognese, and veal scaloppini.

  • Poe’s Tavern

    Poe’s Tavern

    The lively scene at this beloved tavern—with patio seating that’s always packed on sunny days—belies the morose tendencies of its namesake poet. Try the mouthwatering mahi-mahi tacos or Edgar’s Nachos, kicked up by jalapeños and all the fixings. The burgers—your choice of beef, chicken, or veggie—are serious contenders for the best in town. We love…

  • Nick’s German Kitchen

    Find a half-dozen variations of pan-fried schnitzel, ranging from a simple veal cutlet served over a mound of bacon-fried potatoes to a hearty lumberjack version loaded with creamy sauerkraut, bacon, and a fried egg. There are no lederhosen or groaning steins of beer in sight, just handmade spaetzle and an array of tempting specials served…

  • Poogan’s Porch

    Step back into Charleston history in this Victorian house built in 1891 with porch dining on two floors. Biscuits and gravy and fried chicken breast with waffles and sorghum butter star on the brunch menu. Dinner is all Southern all the time, with pimiento cheese fritters and chicken-fried pork chops.

  • Nico Oysters + Seafood

    Nico Oysters + Seafood

    At chef Nico Romo’s French-influenced spot on Shem Creek, you should first hit the raw bar, accompanied by a chilled glass of rosé from southern France. Then settle in for the wide selection of succulent seafood, including bouillabaisse, or a wood-fired steak.

  • Poogan’s Smokehouse

    Barbecue is the focus at this East Bay spot (a sibling of Poogan’s Porch). The offerings include pulled pork, ribs, smoked brisket, and smoked sausage, along with a slew of Southern sides, such as collards and mac and cheese with country ham.

  • Lenoir

    Lenoir

    Vivian Howard’s eatery may be located in the Renaissance Hotel and named for her North Carolina home county, but it feels like a neighborhood spot. Patty melts, cornmeal-dusted catfish, and sticky-sweet blueberry barbecue wings grace the menu; and the cocktail list is fresh and fruit-forward—try the blood orange and mezcal “Above Your Raisin.”

  • Meeting at Market

    Charleston Place may not have previously come to mind when choosing a spot to grab beers, upscale pub snacks, burgers, or even a Cobb salad while watching the game, but that changed with Meeting at Market, a highbrow sports bar overlooking the City Market.

  • Leon’s Fine Poultry & Oyster Shop

    Housed in a former auto shop on Upper King Street, this retro restaurant ranks high as an ideal neighborhood hangout. There’s fried chicken, peel-and-eat shrimp, oyster rolls, and crab Louie salad, but don’t miss the chargrilled oysters—they’re a trademark.

  • Melfi’s

    This classy little Italian restaurant caters to adult diners (i.e, it’s not your children’s pizza place). Melfi’s specializes in simple pasta and creative thin-crusted pies like The Mr. Wally, its vodka-based sauce topped with salami, mushrooms, pickled fresno peppers, and mozz. Love osso bucco? Find your veal shanks here.