Mediterranean
Food is Good (FIG)
Seafood and Oysters
The Ordinary
Fine Dining
Peninsula Grill
Eat Your Way Through Charleston: The Must-Try Dishes
Charleston is one of the best food cities in the South. Here are the must-try dishes:
Lowcountry classics
Shrimp and grits - the signature Charleston dish. Creamy stone-ground grits with local shrimp, often with andouille or a tasso gravy.
She-crab soup - rich, creamy crab bisque with a splash of sherry and crab roe. A Charleston original.
Lowcountry boil (Frogmore stew) - shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes boiled together.
Boiled or steamed local oysters - Charleston cluster oysters, especially in the cooler months.
Soul food & Gullah Geechee roots
Fried chicken - especially the buttermilk version at spots like Leon's or Hannibal's.
Red rice - tomato-based Gullah rice dish, often with sausage.
Okra soup / gumbo and collard greens.
Hoppin' John - rice and field peas.
Seafood
Fresh local fish (flounder, snapper, grouper).
Crab cakes and soft-shell crab (in season, spring).
Sweet & extras
Benne wafers - sesame seed cookies, a local specialty.
Buttermilk pie or Huguenot torte for dessert.
Boiled peanuts - a roadside snack staple.
Southwestern Flavors, Charleston Style
Southwestern food brings a bold, sun-baked palate to Charleston's table, built on roasted chiles, smoky cumin, charred corn, black beans, and bright lime and cilantro. What sets it apart is heat with depth: dried peppers like ancho, chipotle, and Hatch green chile add layers of smoke and earthiness rather than just spice, while flour and corn tortillas, queso, and slow-cooked meats give it a hearty, rustic soul.
In Charleston, that Southwestern backbone gets a Lowcountry twist. Local Gulf and Atlantic shrimp turn up in tacos, regional grits stand in for polenta alongside chile-spiced dishes, and farm-fresh Carolina produce meets the smoke of the grill. The result is a cuisine that feels both far-flung and familiar, marrying the desert's fire with the coast's bounty.
The Best of Lowcountry Soul Food
Shrimp and grits, and so much more
Stay Where The Flavor Is