As everyone knows, Charleston is blessed with amazing food and restaurants that are not found anywhere else. I thoroughly enjoy going out to eat with family and friends because of the social aspect and of course: eating. In this article, I am going to list some of my favorite places to go, not only for the food, but for the overall experience and ambiance as well. 

One of my absolute favorites is Swig and Swine. This restaurant is pretty scary for a vegetarian or vegan, but if you love barbeque I highly recommend this place because it is genuinely the best BBQ I have ever had. The ultimate food item on the menu however is the baked potato salad. This baked potato salad is to die for, literally. The only complaint I have for this restaurant is that they have taken the chocolate brownie sundae off the menu, and it was my favorite dessert ever. Maybe one day they will bring it back because everyone needs to experience that moment when you bit into that warm brownie pie mixed with the cold vanilla ice cream. The first time I tried it remains a core memory for me and I wish I was kidding.

Bahn Bahn Mi is a must-try restaurant and it is accessible with its two locations being in downtown Charleston and in Mount Pleasant. This southeast Asian cuisine is difficult to find anywhere else in this area. Whenever I go, I order the shrimp summer rolls and then I either go with the drunken noodles or the ginger lemongrass chicken bowl. The ingredients and amount of fresh vegetables incorporated into their menu makes me feel like I am making a healthy choice which is a must after a meal at Swig and Swine.

I am sure almost everyone reading this has eaten at Poe’s Tavern, but I had to include it because it is a classic. Nothing better than a long day at the beach on Sullivan’s, getting a little sunburned, and then going to eat at Poe’s. I have some of the best memories eating here with friends, so that alone makes it one of my favorite locations. Since almost everyone reading this has probably eaten at Poe’s once or twice, I recommend one of the most underrated food items on the menu: the onion straws. Every time I eat here I always substitute the fries for them because they are literally to die for and they go perfectly with the mahi-mahi tacos which I know is an odd choice for Poe’s, but trust me it is worth a try.

My favorite dessert restaurant in all of the Lowcountry has to be Carmella’s. They offer a very fun ambiance as a dessert bar that also sells coffee, alcohol, and sandwiches which caters to everyone’s wishes when visiting here. My favorite cake is definitely the red velvet cake because the cream cheese frosting is made by the gods. My family usually gets the cannoli cake as well which is the ultimate cake for the chocolate lover. They never miss and everything I have ever tried here has been absolutely superb, so you really cannot go wrong here.

Basic Kitchen has the cutest scenery of any restaurant I have been in. I honestly wish I could live in this place because the fixtures are beautiful and the environment is so calming. Their menu consists of very healthy and organic food options that make you feel good about yourself after eating anything on the menu. The curry bowl is my favorite item off of the menu, but they offer a wide variety of options to suit everyone’s cravings. I swear I could just go and sit in this restaurant and be happy without even eating which just goes to show how amazing it is.

My go-to place for seafood would have to be Amen Street. This place never fails to have the best seafood and anytime anyone in my family is craving a meal consisting of fish there is no doubt that we will go anywhere but Amen Street. This restaurant offers a variety of seafood from the Atlantic coastline making their menu very diverse. They have the best oysters that I have ever had and outstanding she-crab soup.

Over the past weekend I went to eat dinner with some friends at this place in Park Circle, and we all agreed it was one of the best places we had ever been to. Jackrabbit Filly is described as “heritage driven Chinese-American cuisine” and was truly one of the most unique places I had ever tried. This family style restaurant was such an adventure and every single thing we had was outstanding. Some of my favorites were the Fragrant Vegetables (pictured below) and the Karaage (which was a variation of fried chicken). Every dish was very unique and I have been craving going back here ever since I ate there Saturday. To say the least, I am obsessed.

These restaurants are all so phenomenal and offer very different experiences. I recommend checking them out and ordering literally anything on their menu because I can assure you it will knock your socks off. These seven restaurants will not disappoint!