As a top foodie destination with an ever-growing food scene, there are myriad choices when it comes to where to eat in Charleston. As a local, I can tell you there is no shortage of delectable eats. In fact, so many are the choices I could eat somewhere different every week of the year and still not visit them all.

Hank's Seafood, a Top 20 Restaurant in Downtown Charleston SC

To simply say the best restaurants or must-try restaurants in Downtown Charleston SC is not very helpful— at least not to me. When traveling, I like to first sample foods that represent the culture of where I am visiting. If there is a particular type of food I love, I may try a recommendation even if it is not the specialty of the area, but only after getting my fill, in this case, of the Low Country and Coastal cuisine Charleston is known for.

The List: 20 Top Rated, Must-Try Charleston Restaurants

There are far more than 20 fantastic and notable restaurants in Charleston. For this list, I gathered a varied selection of primarily Low Country, Coastal choices plus a mix of international cuisine from top restaurants routinely hitting the must-try lists.

Pricing Indicator

Dinner, Lunch Entrees: 20-30 $, 30-40 $$, 40-50 $$$, 50+ $$$$

$ under 15

$$ 16-25

*Breakfast, Brunch: 10-15 $, 15-20 $$, 20-25 $$$ (note: I have added a separate designation for breakfast and brunch pricing for the restaurants listed that also offer these meals. You can find the best spots for breakfast here.

The 20 Best Restaurants in Downtown Charleston SC, in Alphabetical Order

*NOTE: most all “Low Country” designations listed below serve seafood, Low Country style, as part of their menu plating.

In Alphabetical Order, not ranking

1. 82 Queen, Lowcountry cuisine, Classic, Resort Casual attire or nicer, lunch -$, dinner $$

2. Chez Nous, inspired by Southern France, Northern Italy and Spain, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire or nicer, dinner $$$

3. Chubby Fish, Seafood, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire, dinner $

4. Fig, Southern cuisine with a South American and French influence, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire or nicer, dinner $$$

5. Frannie & The Fox, wood-fired Italian, Resort Casual attire, breakfast $, brunch $$, dinner $

6. Hanks, Southern Seafood cuisine, Classic, Resort Casual attire or nicer, dinner $$

7. Husk, Southern, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire or nicer, brunch $$$, dinner $$

8. Le Farfalle, Italian, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire or nicer, dinner $ - $$$$

9. Magnolias, Southern cuisine, Classic, Resort Casual attire or nicer, lunch -$, dinner $$

10. Maison, French cuisine, Resort Casual attire or nicer, Modern, $$

11. Melfi’s, Italian, Classic Resort Casual attire or nicer, $$ + $$$$

12. Leon’s Poultry & Oyster Shop, casual attire, lunch & dinner -$

13. Lewis BBQ, casual attire, lunch & dinner -$

14. Rancho Lewis, fine tex-mex, casual attire, lunch & dinner -$

15. Rodney Scott BBQ, casual attire, lunch & dinner, -$ (mostly under $15)

16. Sorelle & Mercato, Modern Italian, Resort Casual attire or nicer, breakfast $, lunch $8-16, dinner -$$$

17. The Darling Oyster Bar, Classic, Resort Casual attire or nicer, brunch -$$, dinner $

18. The Grocery, Lowcountry cuisine with a Mediterranean spin, Resort Casual attire, Contemporary, $$+

19. The Ordinary, Raw Bar + Seafood, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire or nicer, $$$

20. Vern’s, American Cuisine, Eclectic Modern, Resort Casual attire, $$$

10 Best Charleston Restaurants with Classic Menus Offerings (with menu links)

In Alphabetical Order, not ranking

1. 82 Queen, Lowcountry cuisine, Classic, Resort Casual attire or nicer, lunch -$, dinner $$

2. Frannie & The Fox, wood-fired Italian, Resort Casual attire, breakfast $, brunch $$, dinner $

3. Hank’s Seafood Restaurant, Southern Seafood cuisine, Classic, Resort Casual attire or nicer, dinner $$

4. Magnolias, Southern cuisine, Classic, Resort Casual attire or nicer, lunch -$, dinner $$

5. Melfi’s, Italian, Classic, Resort Casual attire or nicer, $$ + $$$$

6. The Darling Oyster Bar, Low Country Seafood, Classic, Resort Casual attire or nicer. brunch -$$, dinner $

7. Leon’s Poultry & Oyster Shop, casual attire, lunch & dinner -$

8. Lewis BBQ, casual attire, lunch & dinner -$

9. Rancho Lewis, fine tex-mex, casual attire, lunch & dinner -$

10. Rodney Scott BBQ, lunch & dinner, casual attire, -$ (mostly under $15)

10 Best Charleston Restaurants with Modern / Contemporary Menu Offerings (with menu links)

In Alphabetical Order, not ranking

Sorelle, a new comer to Charleston and already a local favorite restaurant

1. Chez Nous, inspired by Southern France, Northern Italy and Spain, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire, dinner $$$

2. Chubby Fish, Seafood, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire, dinner $

3. Fig, Southern cuisine with a South American and French influence, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire or nicer, dinner $$$

4. Husk, Southern, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire or nicer, brunch $$$, dinner $$

5. Le Farfalle, Italian, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire or nicer, dinner $ - $$$$

6. Maison, French cuisine, Modern, Resort Casual attire or nicer, $$

7. Sorelle + Mercato, Modern Italian, Resort Casual attire or nicer, breakfast $, lunch $8-16, dinner -$$$

8. The Grocery, Lowcountry cuisine with a Mediterranean spin, Resort Casual attire, Contemporary, $$+

9. The Ordinary, Raw Bar + Seafood, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire or nicer, $$$

10. Vern’s, American Cuisine, Eclectic Modern, Resort Casual attire, $$$

Top 10 Low Country, Coastal, Seafood Charleston Restaurants

In Alphabetical Order, not ranking

1. 82 Queen, Lowcountry cuisine, Classic, Resort Casual attire or nicer, lunch -$, dinner $$

2. Chubby Fish, Seafood, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire, dinner $

3. Fig, Southern cuisine with a South American and French influence, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire or nicer, dinner $$$

4. Hanks, Southern Seafood cuisine, Classic, Resort Casual attire or nicer, dinner $$

5. Husk, Southern, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire or nicer, brunch $$$, dinner $

6. Leon’s Poultry & Oyster Shop, Casual attire, lunch & dinner -$

7. Magnolias, Southern cuisine, Classic, Resort Casual attire or nicer, lunch -$, dinner $$

8. The Darling Oyster Bar, Low Country Seafood, Classic, Resort Casual attire or nicer, brunch -$$, dinner $

9. The Grocery, Lowcountry cuisine with a Mediterranean spin, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire, $$+

10. The Ordinary, Raw Bar + Seafood, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire or nicer, $$$

Italian

1. Frannie & The Fox, wood-fired Italian, Resort Casual attire, breakfast $, brunch $$, dinner $

2. Le Farfalle, Italian, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire or nicer, dinner $ - $$$$

3. Melfi’s, Italian, Resort Casual attire or nicer, Classic $$ + $$$$

4. Sorelle Mercato, Modern Italian, Resort Casual attire or nicer, breakfast $, lunch $8-16, dinner -$$$

Other

Fajitas at Rancho Lewis in Downtown Charleston

1. Chez Nous, inspired by Southern France, Northern Italy and Spain, Contemporary, Resort Casual attire, dinner $$$

2. Maison, French cuisine, Modern, Resort Casual attire or nicer, $$

3. Rancho Lewis, Casual attire, lunch & dinner -$

4. Vern’s, American Cuisine, Eclectic Modern, Resort Casual attire, $$$

Must-Try BBQ rounding out the Top 20 Charleston list

Rodney Scott BBQ in Downtown Charleston

1. Lewis BBQ, Casual attire, lunch & dinner -$

2. Rodney Scott BBQ, Casual attire, lunch & dinner, -$ (mostly under $15)

There you have it. My list of the 20 Best Restaurants in Downtown Charleston SC to try when traveling here.

For more options that are casual, come as you are attire, there are 10 casual options here where locals routinely eat out.

You May Also Like:

10 Places Where Locals Eat Lunch in Charleston

5 Best Coffee Shops in Charleston, From a Local

Best Breweries, Cocktail & Rooftop Bars in Charleston

17 Iconic Must-Sees in Charleston

Want to narrow this list down even further?

Grab my free Quick Picks Guide to Charleston for my top 5 in these,

plus where to grab breakfast, where the locals do lunch, have coffee & dessert

plus what to see and do while in town.