Charleston, South Carolina, might have the reputation as the more refined older sister to wild child Savannah, but both cities boast a remarkable selection of restaurants and bars. Whether you sample seafood or barbecue, champagne or craft beer, you will certainly eat well when exploring Charleston’s 400 church steeples or Savannah’s 22 park squares.
Where to Eat in Charleston
Breakfast
A Southern trip requires a Southern breakfast. Chef Vivian Howard serves up a portable local meal by way of her signature biscuits at Handy & Hot. The fried chicken biscuit with pimento cheese is to die for. That and a steaming cup of coffee will fuel you up for a day of sightseeing.
Lunch
The Holy City considers barbecue a sacred experience and worships two gods in the pantheon: John Lewis and Rodney Scott, each with his own unique approach. In 2016, the former opened Lewis Barbecue, a lunch-counter-style Central Texas barbecue joint serving meat out of hand-built smokers. The smoked pork spareribs, beef ribs, “Texas hot guts” sausage, oxtail, beef brisket and corn chili pie steal the show. In 2022, he debuted the Tex-Mex-style Rancho Lewis.
Rodney Scott’s Whole Hog BBQ opened in 2017 featuring whole-hog, South Carolina-style barbecue. Get started with crunchy pig skins dusted with rib rub, hush puppies and smoked wings, all doused in his signature white vinegar barbecue sauce. Scott prepares the meat using the traditional hardwood style, cooking it over burned-down embers.
Dinner
Just off the lobby in the stylish Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star Hotel Bennett, the two-story Gabrielle restaurant draws upon Charleston’s European influences with a terrace overlooking Marion Square and the South with a menu of flavorful dishes like whiskey-brined chicken with charred lemon or shrimp and grits studded with merguez sausage.
After dinner, visit Camellias, a champagne lounge. The etched-mirrored ceilings and reclaimed pink marble from the former Charleston library used for the floor, bar and tabletops create a rosy jewel-box-like space. Peruse the extensive list of bubbles by the bottle and glass and small plates like caviar, charcuterie and local seafood. End with the fruity Camellias Cake, a lemon-almond sponge with strawberry marmalade and lemon cheesecake mousse.
For a more casual dinner, Emeline hotel’s Frannie & The Fox makes great pizza and other wood-fired specialties. Sit in the charming open-air courtyard or adjacent greenhouse with a cocktail featuring herbs and spices from the Lowcountry.
Cocktails
Inside the L. Mendel Rivers Federal Building — a mid-century modern treasure — The Dewberry hotel’s Citrus Club bar ticks all the boxes. The eighth-floor terrace is Charleston’s highest rooftop, a rare find in a city known for its steepled skyline. Fittingly, it turns out citrus-inspired cocktails like the Dewberry Daiquiri.
The Jazz Age combines with Southern style at The Bar at The Spectator Hotel. Passionate and inventive mixologist Allen Lancaster serves up artful cocktails packed with seasonal Southern flair. If you stay at the 41-room hotel, a butler can hand-deliver your libation and draw a rose petal bath.
Side Trip
Wind down and take a scenic trip about 10 miles east of Charleston to Sullivan’s Island, home to a beautiful stretch of Atlantic Ocean beachfront. On the way back, stop at the historic Post House. Built in 1896, the coastal tavern and seven-room inn reside in the heart of the quaint Old Village of Mount Pleasant. It’s worth a stop for its drinks — which span classics and new concoctions — and coastal bites, such as blue crab toast and Bombay shrimp.
Where to Eat in Savannah
While Savannah might get eclipsed by larger Georgia foodie destinations like Atlanta, it boasts rich culinary offerings. With the renowned Savannah College of Art and Design adding a healthy dose of creative energy, this riverside city surprises with its mix of Old World vibes and modern possibilities. From the retro signage of downtown’s converted theaters and buildings to the developing waterfront, there’s a piece of Savannah for every type of visitor. And as far as the food goes, the eclectic restaurant scene attracts chefs eager to challenge the conventions of Southern cuisine.
Brunch
At Perry Lane Hotel’s The Emporium Kitchen & Wine Market, executive chef Dan Herget takes classic Southern cooking and reinterprets it with a global perspective, bringing in unique flavors, techniques and ingredients from all over the world. Don’t miss the inventive, layered brunch dishes, like a corn pancake with queso fresco and black pepper crema; the lobster croque madame; and the Southern-food-paradigm-shifting vegan biscuits and gravy.
Afterward, pop over to Perry Lane’s Peregrin, the rooftop bar and swimming deck, for a cocktail, a good perspective of the neighborhood and a photo of its toucan wall mural.
Another tempting brunch option is Husk, which also has outposts in Nashville and Charleston. Its eclectic, daily rotating menu makes it a must-visit destination. While Husk’s lauded cheeseburger and hot fried chicken lead the brunch pack, don’t miss the caviar — which features Southern selections such as paddlefish from Tennessee, hackleback from Mississippi and UGA Siberian from Georgia — and the pimiento cheese tartine.
Dinner
Tucked inside a restored 1938 art deco Greyhound bus depot, The Grey showcases chef Mashama Bailey’s comforting yet elevated regional fare, like oxtail pot roast with sunchokes, carrots and turnips, and black bass with shrimp, fennel and a bouillabaisse broth.
In a city with plenty of dining destinations, newcomer Common Thread has made a splash. Situated in the multi-level Krouskoff House, originally built in 1897, the restaurant changes its menu with the season, but the mainstays — the oysters, crudo, beef tartare, short rib and shrimp dishes — consistently impress.
