Charleston Foodie Guide: Best Restaurants, Breweries, and More

Puffventure approved

This trip started exactly the way the best ones do: Sexy Nerd and I were supposed to be doing responsible adult things, I started scrolling through old vacation photos, and twenty minutes later we had flights booked to Charleston. That's a Puffventure. We spent a week eating our way through the city — and I mean eating — and came home with full hearts, slightly tighter waistbands, and approximately 175 photos of biscuits and pimento cheese. This post covers the food. Because when you visit Charleston, the food is the plan.

Where to Eat in Charleston, SC

Planning a trip to Charleston? This historic coastal city is a foodie paradise, offering everything from Lowcountry classics to gourmet donuts, fresh seafood, and farm-to-table dining. Here's our list of the best places to eat in Charleston, based on our week-long culinary adventure.

Top Charleston Foodie Highlights

• Nigel's Good Food – Famous for Bam's Gumbo and Lowcountry Ravioli.
• Callie's Hot Little Biscuit – Southern biscuits served fresh at the Historic Charleston City Market.
• Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams – Creative flavors like Brambleberry Crisp and Raspberry Rose Jelly Donut.
• Glazed Gourmet Donuts – Inventive flavors including The Red Nosed Goat and Sweet Corn Blueberry.
• The Grit Counter – Customizable grits with bold flavor options like Pimento Cheese and Smoked Gouda.

Fair warning though - you know when you're thinking about Southern food, it can lead to...

A Change in Plans

Step 1: Sexy Nerd and I have way too much going on to even think about planning a vacation, so we will just browse through our photos of our trip to Savannah and Charleston last year.

Step 2: Wow, that place was amazing. The food! The cute houses! The friendly people and the pretty dresses and the towering trees and the history! 

Step 3: Work be darned. It's time to plan a vacation!

While reaching this epiphany, it occurred to me that I said I'd share our Charleston, SC photos here on my site but never did. No biggie because I'd already sorted the ones I want to post...oh, except there are a whopping 175 to share! It really is an incredible place to visit.

My 'work be darned' attitude applies to blogging too. Who has time for that when there's a vacation to plan? Here's a quick summary of our Charleston trip, as well as all 175 photos.

Update: It turns out 175 photos in a single blog post is overly ambitious. Here are photos of the most important travel experience - the food!

1 Week in Charleston Highlights

Nigel's Good Food

When you're in the Charleston area, be sure to eat at Nigel's Good Food. We had Lowcountry Ravioli ("Grilled Chicken, Bacon, Collard Greens, Black-eye Peas, Roasted Corn, and Cheese-stuffed Ravioli tossed in a Whiskey Cream Sauce" - amazing!) and Bam's Gumbo, aka the best gumbo ever.

We also spent a day at the incredible Brookgreen Gardens, which we almost skipped because it's a bit of a drive from Charleston and the admission seemed kinda pricey ($20 per person) for what we thought was just a sculpture garden. We're glad we didn't skip it!

There's no need to skimp on the good stuff because there are plenty of other ways to save money on a trip to Charleston. Another highlight of our trip was simply taking a walk. With cobblestone streets, a waterfront, the prettiest homes, (humanely treated) horses pulling carriages, and history everywhere, even my anti-stroll husband enjoyed himself.

Puffventure verdict: Do not leave Charleston without Bam's Gumbo. Non-negotiable. This is the kind of meal that makes you genuinely angry you don't live here.

Best Places to Eat in Charleston

Callie's Hot Little Biscuit

Food at the Historic Charleston City Market

All Charleston tourists end up at the Historic Charleston City Market. When there, we recommend grabbing a bite at Callie's Hot Little Biscuit. When you're not there? Check out their online recipes.

Puffventure verdict: Callie's biscuits are the kind of thing you think about on the drive home. Get the biscuit with pimento cheese. We're from New Mexico — we don't say that lightly.

Nigel's Good Food — The Food Photos

Nigel's Good Food — Fried Green Tomatoes (which we learned are actually not Southern — surprise!) and Bam's Gumbo

The next day, we took our leftovers from Nigel's Good Food to the beach. Highly recommend this approach to life.

Palmetto Brewing Co

The Gobble Gobble turkey burger. Sexy Nerd was skeptical. Sexy Nerd was wrong.

At Palmetto Brewing Co, I insisted we order a Gobble Gobble turkey burger, which is rumored to be the best turkey burger in existence. Sexy Nerd thought it sounded like a lame choice. As he pointed out, even the best turkey burger is still just a turkey burger. He loved it.

Of course, you can't visit a taproom without having a beer, right? Or 4 smallish beers?

Puffventure verdict: Order whatever sounds weird. That's how you end up loving a turkey burger at a brewery at noon on a Wednesday. No regrets.

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

After we were both disappointed with Leopold's Ice Cream in Savannah, we were wary of trying Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. Would it be all hype like the other?

I love Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams! A trio is not enough. Next time, I'm ordering a flight so I can taste every flavor. Brambleberry Crisp and Raspberry Rose Jelly Donut, I'll be back for you.

Puffventure verdict: We went in skeptical after Leopold's in Savannah let us down. We came out converted. Get the Brambleberry Crisp. Thank us later.

Glazed Gourmet Donuts

With my sweet tooth satisfied, you'd think we'd have walked right past Glazed Gourmet Donuts. Ha, ha.

Like we would skip the best donuts in Charleston. Our donut scene in Albuquerque is impressive, but I've never seen a donut with cranberry jam, goat cheese glaze, and candied rosemary (The Red Nosed Goat), one with sweet corn custard, blueberry glaze, and corn lemon shortbread (Sweet Corn Blueberry), or one with cardamom pistachio filling, and mango glaze (Kulfi). Those are just the normal ones. There's even a donut called Curry Up, which features curried cocoa and candied ginger.

Puffventure verdict: The Red Nosed Goat donut — cranberry jam, goat cheese glaze, candied rosemary — sounds like something a pretentious food blogger made up. It is not. It is genius. Get weird with it.

Columbia Craft Brewing Co — Day Trip Worth Taking

If you have time to explore outside of Charleston, Columbia Craft has inspired us to build a fun brewery just like this one in our backyard. You know, one day, probably. Sours are my favorite beer but most places only offer 1 or 2, if they have any at all. Columbia Craft has enough to create an entire flight.

Puffventure verdict: This is the kind of detour you almost skip because it's a drive, and then you get there and spend three hours. Classic Puffventure. If you love sours, just go.

Summerville, SC — The Bonus Detour

Another great stop outside Charleston is Summerville, SC. It's a charming small town of boutique shops.

Accent On Wine — Wine and Charcuterie in Summerville

We enjoyed creating a custom charcuterie selection at Accent On Wine, which included a few surprises. I'm still not 100% certain what that green thing with the long stem is, but it was tasty.

Pimento cheese! We're going to move to the south one day and when asked why, my answer is going to be pimento cheese.

No rental car? No problem. Accent On Wine has several locations, including in Charleston.

Puffventure verdict: Custom charcuterie + wine + pimento cheese + that unidentified green thing = the best afternoon of the trip. Zero regrets about not knowing what we ordered.

Picnicking with Verde Salads and Brookgreen Gardens

There are wonderful historic sites, nature preserves, and plantations to visit all around South Carolina. Where allowed, bring a picnic lunch by picking up Verde salads. These were huge! We should have just shared a single salad. The lid I'm holding says 'Kale them with kindness' and I love it.

Christophe Artisan Chocolatier

Back in downtown Charleston, I popped into Christophe Artisan Chocolatier on a whim.

I'm a cheapskate, so I don't usually go into stores like this. Sexy Nerd didn't even come inside, complaining that he knows I'm not going to buy anything. Imagine my surprise - the prices are reasonable!

I bought some pastries, a giant meringue, and even a fancy coffee. I think my total was something ridiculous, like $13.

Sexy Nerd couldn't believe it. I'd even bought a pastry for him. He totally got to eat some of it.

Puffventure verdict: Go in just to look. You'll leave with pastries, a meringue, a coffee, and zero regrets. Sexy Nerd waited outside and missed out. That's on him.

Charleston Farmers Market at Marion Square

On Saturday, we enjoyed the Charleston Farmers Market at Marion Square. Our vacation was mid-May and the weather was perfect.

Why a photo of grapes? Because they're absolutely gigantic. Compare them to the plums in the next bin. GIGANTIC!

Puffventure verdict: Go on a Saturday. Get there early before the crowds. Buy the grapes. You'll take a photo too.

The Grit Counter

We may have gotten slightly carried away when ordering from The Grit Counter. Would you have been able to decide between Smoked Gouda, Jalapeño Cheddar, Pesto, and Pimento Cheese grits? It's probably for the best that they don't have a location in New Mexico or we'd be eating grits for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily.

Oh, that would be a good thing because grits are healthy! That goes double for the ones with pimento cheese, I'm sure of it.

Puffventure verdict: We ordered multiple bowls. We regret nothing. Pimento Cheese grits need to be in New Mexico immediately.

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Plan your Charleston Puffventure

Best time to visit

Mid-April through May. Perfect weather, Farmers Market in full swing, not yet peak-summer humid.

How long you need

A week is ideal. 4 days minimum if you want to hit the day trips (Columbia Craft, Summerville, Brookgreen Gardens).

Rental car?

For downtown Charleston alone, no — it's very walkable. For Columbia Craft and Brookgreen Gardens, yes.

Don't miss

Nigel's Bam's Gumbo, Glazed Gourmet's Red Nosed Goat donut, and anything at Accent On Wine that you can't identify.

Pair it with

Savannah is a short drive away. Do both. Our Savannah food guide has you covered.

The Puffventure move

Drive to Summerville for wine and charcuterie, then loop back through Columbia for the brewery. Call it a "research day."

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