Tell me about Charleston

[C-Man 27,194]

Going up there a week from tomorrow for a long weekend. Staying a couple nights with friends, who apparently live within walking distance of a pretty happening area. We will probably hit up High Water Fest on Sunday. The only place that is on my "can't-miss" list is John Lewis BBQ. Even though we've got locals as de facto tour guides, what else should we try and do?

[Mitch Cumsteen 18,547]

I was just there, but only for one night. Neat town, terrible traffic.

We stayed near the market. There are a bunch of bars and restaurants in that area. For restaurants, we thoroughly enjoyed the Swig and Swine although it's not near the market. The Oyster House down there was really good, too.

[Spoosner 86]

Great city with great food, but there's no way my 4 days there could compete with a local.  I will submit the Ultimate Coconut Cake at the Peninsula Grill as easily the best piece of cake I've ever had.  We had one shipped in for our wedding.  We did not eat dinner there, so can't comment on their main menu.

[jimmyjazz 45,890]

Well, missing the historic district would be unadvisable.  I spent hours just walking around looking at houses and other buildings.  

Traffic does suck.  It's a very busy city, even in the "old" parts.

[DCA_HORN 725]

Per capita more hot ass than anywhere in the country.

[C-Man 27,194]

We will be staying with them Thur and Fri nights but are moving to hotel for Sat/Sun. They live in the historic area, or close to it. We don’t plan to get a car and will walk everywhere we can. Any comments on either of these two properties near city center?

* Andrew Pinckney Inn
* The Mills House/Wyndham

[dick 3]

I recommend Leon’s Poultry and Oyster a little north of downtown for good beer and fried chicken or oysters.  You are right to not get a car, very walkable city or short uber rides anywhere you want to go.  

[Hollywood 342]

http://huskrestaurant.com/home/

[captained 57]

I have enjoyed every meal I've had at Slightly North of Broad (SNOB) - down close to the end of the market on E Bay St.

[6th Street 6,390]

10 hours ago, C-Man said:

We will be staying with them Thur and Fri nights but are moving to hotel for Sat/Sun. They live in the historic area, or close to it. We don’t plan to get a car and will walk everywhere we can. Any comments on either of these two properties near city center?

* Andrew Pinckney Inn
* The Mills House/Wyndham

Was there in Dec for the baby moon and stayed in the Andrew Pinckney inn. Great little property, smack dab in the middle of everything - main building is older, smaller rooms with more charm. We stayed in the newer bldg across the street for the larger room, but this one also had a real nice roof deck. Wyndham is also very nice, albeit a much larger property. Can't go wrong with either imo. Vendue is tops - smaller rooms, some with no windows, but really cool art collection. 

I remember eating at:

• Poogan's Porch - good brunch spot, next door to Husk and easier to get a res
• Magnolias - known for shrimp and grits
• Sorghum and Salt - very interesting organic spot near College of Charleston 
• McCrady's Tavern - fancy spot also run by Sean Brock from Husk, good but liked Magnolias better

People rave about Jestine's Kitchen but didn't have a chance to try it, and also heard good things about The Grocery. Didn't eat at any seafood  place while out there since wife was pregnant but oysters are excellent out there. 

[Kyrie Eleison 9,312]

Magnolia's is fantastic.

assuming you live in Texas, i don't know why you'd want to hit Lewis' place when you can get the same stuff or better here at home.  i'd be trying the local 'cue for something different and unique, particularly this...

http://www.rodneyscottsbbq.com/

Edited April 12, 2018 by Kyrie Eleison

[hobbs 243]

10 hours ago, dick said:

I recommend Leon’s Poultry and Oyster a little north of downtown for good beer and fried chicken or oysters.  You are right to not get a car, very walkable city or short uber rides anywhere you want to go.  

This.  Leon's is great.

Also, enjoyed Rodney Scott's and Husk.  Excellent food city.

Edited April 12, 2018 by hobbs

[4th&Five 41,519]

Great food all over town. Have a drink on the roof of the Vendue. Check out Folley Beach if you have time. 

Edited April 12, 2018 by 4th&Five

[Redneck Mutha 7,954]

It's been about 5 years since we were there, so things may have changed. Andrew Pinckney Inn was nice, good location. 

Jestine's was really good.  Poogans Porch, Hominy Grill, and Magnolia's were at the top of the list as well. 

Do a carriage ride when you arrive, gives you a good overview of the city and layout of the area. 

[Elvis Presto 21]

Hello friends,

I can answer all of your Charleston questions.  For dinner if you want the real Charleston style meal go to 82 Queen and get she crab soup.  Leons is a good spot and the fried chicken there is fantastic.  I live here so i avoid places like Poogans porch.  Husk is usually hard to get a reservation unless you book pretty far in advance.  For drinks and looking at hot girls go to Stars bar roof top or Vendue rooftop.  Another cool spot with a sweet courtyard is Blind Tiger Pub.  Lewis bbq is great and Home Team bbq is right next to them.  Home Team is a good spot to drink at and the wings are their best thing.  Also, right near Lewis is a place called Edmunds Oast.  They brew beer and its got a sweet little outdoor seating courtyard.  There are a ton of cocktail bars on Upper King if you like fancy drinks.  Take a trip out to Sullivans island and eat at Poe's Tavern.  

[C-Man 27,194]

I sent my buddy a list of all the places y'all have recommended and his response was, "Who gave you those recs?? Southern Living Retirement Magazine?" Lulz

[Kevin O’Shea 279]

Going in July. What beaches do you recommend for a day? Looks like Kiawah only had one public beach. 

[hobbs 243]

Going in July. What beaches do you recommend for a day? Looks like Kiawah only had one public beach. 

Sullivan's Island is really cool. Skip Folly.

[HeHateMe 883]

On April 12, 2018 at 3:55 AM, Hollywood said:

http://huskrestaurant.com/home/

This 

[captained 57]

On 4/13/2018 at 10:08 AM, Elvis Presto said:

Hello friends,

I can answer all of your Charleston questions.  For dinner if you want the real Charleston style meal go to 82 Queen and get she crab soup.  Leons is a good spot and the fried chicken there is fantastic.  I live here so i avoid places like Poogans porch.  Husk is usually hard to get a reservation unless you book pretty far in advance.  For drinks and looking at hot girls go to Stars bar roof top or Vendue rooftop.  Another cool spot with a sweet courtyard is Blind Tiger Pub.  Lewis bbq is great and Home Team bbq is right next to them.  Home Team is a good spot to drink at and the wings are their best thing.  Also, right near Lewis is a place called Edmunds Oast.  They brew beer and its got a sweet little outdoor seating courtyard.  There are a ton of cocktail bars on Upper King if you like fancy drinks.  Take a trip out to Sullivans island and eat at Poe's Tavern.  

much appreciated for the local tips - i end up there for work every once in a while so will be saving this.

[C-Man 27,194]

We went ahead and are staying Sat and Sun at Andrew Pinckney. Thurs and Fri we will crash at our friends' place. They're apparently right in the middle of all the madness. Nice thing is they spend 3-4 months every year in Africa and we can stay at their place any time we want if they're gone. Chances are we will have to do that from time to time. Really looking forward to this long weekend there. Thanks for all the suggestions.

[next2naus 439]

On 4/12/2018 at 11:18 AM, hobbs said:

This.  Leon's is great.

Also, enjoyed Rodney Scott's and Husk.  Excellent food city.

another vote for Leon's. Magnolias & Mcrady's as well

 

we stayed at the Market Pavilion Hotel, twas nice. Check the Music Farm for entertainment

[Elvis Presto 21]

On 4/13/2018 at 8:35 PM, Kevin O’Shea said:

Going in July. What beaches do you recommend for a day? Looks like Kiawah only had one public beach. 

Sullivans or Isle of Palms are the more family friendly beaches.  I live about 5 miles from Sullivans so it is our go to beach.  Folly is fun and more of a party scene.  They banned alcohol on the beach at Folly a couple of years ago bc frat bros and ohio yankees ruined it for everyone.  You can still drink just be on the DL.  Sullivans will bust you for drinking and from what i hear it's a $900 ticket so bring a yeti cup for stealth drinking.  

Oh, and if you are staying at Kiawah you could go down to Edisto beach.  I've yet to go down there but have heard its a really pretty spot and it's off the beaten path so not as many people.  The Charleston beaches are crowded af in the summer.  

Edited April 16, 2018 by Elvis Presto

[NIUHuskies 504]

If you can get out of Downtown, Nigel's Good Food is legit awesome. (https://nigelsgoodfood.com/)

Park Circle area has been gentrified into a chill area. 

Tourist stops for Charleston:

Fort Moultrie

Charles Pinckney Historic Site

Angel Oak

Old Slave Mart Museum

[Rockinruthman 0]

Take a trip out to Sullivans island and eat at Poe's Tavern.  

Outstanding burger at Poe’s.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[conVINCEd 21,469]

11 minutes ago, Rockinruthman said:

 

Outstanding burger at Poe’s.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Obstinate Daughter is great as well if you are on Sullivan's.  Just got back tonight from a wedding on James Island.  We stayed beachfront on Folly Island because that's where everyone decided to stay.  Been there a few times in the last few years, and I'll second the recommendations for Husk, Leon's, and Hominy Grill.  We also liked S.N.O.B (Slightly North of Broad).

[Brodarious Hamm Sandwich 126]

anything at 167 Raw, but especially the Lobster Roll

[C-Man 27,194]

On 4/17/2018 at 6:24 AM, Brodarious Hamm Sandwich said:

anything at 167 Raw, but especially the Lobster Roll

Funny I see this. The guy that was helping me at Orvis today specifically told me the best sandwich he's ever gotten was at 167 Raw a few weeks ago. I think he got the scallops po-boy. It was so good, in fact, that his wife and he went back for lunch the next day. It's on the itinerary for Friday, probably.

[Brodarious Hamm Sandwich 126]

Funny I see this. The guy that was helping me at Orvis today specifically told me the best sandwich he's ever gotten was at 167 Raw a few weeks ago. I think he got the scallops po-boy. It was so good, in fact, that his wife and he went back for lunch the next day. It's on the itinerary for Friday, probably.

What time are you planning to go? It’s a tiny space, and last time we went (on a Friday last September to be exact), and they quoted a 3 hour wait when we arrived at 11:30am for lunch. I’d say get there early, but we walked right in later that night around 7:15 and sat at the raw bar...

We’re heading back on a Sunday in a few weeks for small Monday wedding, and we have to be back home to move the next day, but 167 Raw is the only must do on our trip. It’s completely worth it

[Elvis Presto 21]

167 Raw is moving to a new larger space soon on Lower King.  I actually havent been there yet but have heard its good.  

Edited April 19, 2018 by Elvis Presto

[C-Man 27,194]

167 Raw is moving to a new larger space soon on Lower King.  I actually havent been there yet but have heard its good.  

We just walked past their new space. Went to Rodney Scott and Lewis today. Lewis is stupid fucking good.

[Elvis Presto 21]

Lewis' is great.  The chicken fried steak is the special on Sundays and it's legit.  I'm pretty glad he put his restaurant here in Charleston and he is working on a texmex place.  

[C-Man 27,194]

Lewis' is great.  The chicken fried steak is the special on Sundays and it's legit.  I'm pretty glad he put his restaurant here in Charleston and he is working on a texmex place.  

 

Juan Louis? Thought it was already open.

 

About to go back to One Broad Street for breakfast with our friends. Flight is 3:30 or something. This town is incredible. I’ll follow up with a longer post later but for the time being, here’s probably the best fried chicken I’ve ever had. Leon’s Poultry & Oyster House:

 

 

 

 

We had some char-grilled oysters to start:

 

[Elvis Presto 21]

Juan Luis is his texmex and it's basically just a little food court stall at this hipster workshop collaboration right now.  I think he is working on location and intends to open later this year. 

[G650 14,244]

On 4/11/2018 at 6:15 PM, DCA_HORN said:

Per capita more hot ass than anywhere in the country.

This.

On 4/13/2018 at 11:08 AM, Elvis Presto said:

Hello friends,

I can answer all of your Charleston questions.  For dinner if you want the real Charleston style meal go to 82 Queen and get she crab soup.  Leons is a good spot and the fried chicken there is fantastic.  I live here so i avoid places like Poogans porch.  Husk is usually hard to get a reservation unless you book pretty far in advance.  For drinks and looking at hot girls go to Stars bar roof top or Vendue rooftop.  Another cool spot with a sweet courtyard is Blind Tiger Pub.  Lewis bbq is great and Home Team bbq is right next to them.  Home Team is a good spot to drink at and the wings are their best thing.  Also, right near Lewis is a place called Edmunds Oast.  They brew beer and its got a sweet little outdoor seating courtyard.  There are a ton of cocktail bars on Upper King if you like fancy drinks.  Take a trip out to Sullivans island and eat at Poe's Tavern.  

They reopened Blind Tiger?

 

Also @C-Man, sorry for coming in late on this. Not sure if you were able to get to Fig or not, but a top three restaurant on the planet (no hyperbole). Some of Elvis' rec's were ok too, Vendue roftop and if Blind Tiger has reopened, both fun.  I'd also have recommended heading out to Bowen's Island for oysters, though it's not the same as before it burned down.

[Elvis Presto 21]

I think Blind Tiger has been open since 1803.  It was still going strong when i was last there a couple months ago. 

[Elvis Presto 21]

19 minutes ago, Elvis Presto said:

I think Blind Tiger has been open since 1803.  It was still going strong when i was last there a couple months ago. 

so you may be right, i think that bar changed hands a few years back.  either way its a cool historic spot.

[G650 14,244]

3 minutes ago, Elvis Presto said:

so you may be right, i think that bar changed hands a few years back.  either way its a cool historic spot.

Dude it went out of business in 2016. I heard some of the employees were trying to get it back open, glad someone did. I've spent roughly 6,397 nights there.

 

[C-Man 27,194]

Dude it went out of business in 2016. I heard some of the employees were trying to get it back open, glad someone did. I've spent roughly 6,397 nights there.
 

I can confirm Blind Tiger is open and is greatness. It’s one of a couple bars our friend will grace with his presence. Lulz

It’s rainy and shitty so we went to Raw to see how long the wait was. Only 30 mins so we snuck that in. Scallop Po boy is righteous.

We also hit Bar Normandy on Broad on Fri night. It was pretty terrific too.

[C-Man 27,194]

167 Raw is moving to a new larger space soon on Lower King.  I actually havent been there yet but have heard its good.  

Guy said it won’t be open for a year or so.

[G650 14,244]

32 minutes ago, C-Man said:

 

I can confirm Blind Tiger is open and is greatness. It’s one of a couple bars our friend will grace with his presence. Lulz

 

 

 

Good, because any friend who wouldn't needs to be eject from the friends list post haste.

Not sure if it was mentioned, but the outside area in back is an old Civil War era stable. Also, used to be 2 dollar Newcastles on Tuesday, which was awesome.

[C-Man 27,194]

Tapa is furked, therefore I've got no pics. Trying to remember the days -- we got pretty saucy each day, so it's hard.

THURS NIGHT

* Fly in and hang at our friends condo across street from The Vendue -- drink at their place

FRIDAY 

* Breakfast/coffee drinks at One Broad Street (corner of Broad and E Bay)

* Walk around the battery district, hopped in an estate sale, pose for picture on Bill Murray's front porch

* Late lunch at Rodney Scott and then "nightcap" at Lewis BBQ then a boat drink around the corner at the shitty BBQ place with cool space (Hard something maybe)

* HH at Blind Tiger

* Walk to Bar Normandy on Broad -- great LTO-type place, ate some oysters, softshell crab and badass ramps dish; great wine list descriptions (pic to come if Tapa starts working)

* Late dinner for some folks to meet us at The Watch -- heard the food sucks there but the view is great and my wife and I were only drinking

* Late night back at Blind Tiger -- I drank so much local IPA I wound up refunding the day's eat/drink activities back at our hosts' place

SATURDAY

* Pop into The Tavern at Rainbow Row, America's Oldest liquor store (est 1686) and buy a bottle of Woodford Reserve with the store stamp on it

* We go to Leon's at 11A on the nose and got in very shortly -- ate char-grilled oysters and the best fry chicken I've ever fucking had

* After a quick stop at Harris Teeters to buy supplies for the boat, head to the Yacht Club to get on a College of Charleston's Boston Whaler to head up the Cooper (pronounced Cuppa) River

* Copious amounts of brown water, beer and gin consumed during what should've been a "three hour tour" (see below)

* Anchored just off the water at High Water Fest and heard Old 97s and Brandi Carlisle from the boat; head back before Jeff Tweedy so I am a little disappoint but I know we gotta get back before dark

* Just as we make it back to yacht club, one of the girls says we should get a closer look at the Battery from the boat; our fearless captain cuts it too close during high tide and we hit an oyster bed or something and fuck the motor, damn near drift into seawall before sliding past and waiting for an hour for Sea Tow to come get us; Mrs. C-Man, who is smarter than me and has spent more time on boats puts on her life jacket while I make sure we're playing good songs on Spotify -- and keeping my cocktail glass full

* Went to prof's house, which is cool as shit and eat good pizza and drink more brown water -- somehow make it to check into Andrew Pinckney Hotel and back to house party

SUNDAY

* After proper-sexing the wife in the morning on our anniversary day, we head to La Farfalle for brunch and my world is spinning. Pretty good brunch with live music.

* Jump in Uber to head to North Charleston to see High Water Fest from shore -- get there just in time to hear Shakey Graves and Hamilton Leithauser, Shovels and Rope and then closed out the night with a killer set by Band of Horses. Pretty good day.

* Late-night eats at Craftsmen not far from the hotel. Don't have many options late on Sun night -- and I was ready for bed.

MONDAY

* Late breakfast with our friends at One Broad Street again. The owner is apparently a wild man. He went to France and learned to bake and makes a bunch of the bread you find in the bad ass places around Charleston. Apparently, he took a naked header into a cake at a "Charleston's Best" events or something and has been subsequently banned from future events yet they keep voting his shit #1. This place is super, super good BTW.

* Walked through the touristy markets and since it's raining pretty good, figure maybe we can get into 167 Raw. Head over there and it's a 30-minute wait. Perfect. Scallops po-boy is fucking insanely good, BTW. Glad we squeezed that in.

* Headed to airport in the afternoon and flew back to Dallas.

 

In conclusion, that town is fucking amazing. My two favorite US cities were San Francisco and New Orleans prior to this trip. Charleston is now in the Top 3 -- if not #1 overall. It's incredible.

Edited April 27, 2018 by C-Man

[Elvis Presto 21]

Sounds like you did it right.  Charleston is a fun town and it definitely reminds me of a clean safe New Orleans.  We don't have near as many good music shows as NOLA but we have plenty of good food spots and beaches.  I just wish i moved here when i was single bc there seems to be plenty of hot girls in their 20s here. 

[G650 14,244]

1 hour ago, Elvis Presto said:

Sounds like you did it right.  Charleston is a fun town and it definitely reminds me of a clean safe New Orleans.  We don't have near as many good music shows as NOLA but we have plenty of good food spots and beaches.  I just wish i moved here when i was single bc there seems to be plenty of hot girls in their 20s here. 

You should have gone to school there.

 

9 hours ago, C-Man said:

In conclusion, that town is fucking amazing. My two favorite US cities were San Francisco and New Orleans prior to this trip. Charleston is now in the Top 3 -- if not #1 overall. It's incredible.

 

NOLA is Charleston's taint. The best cities in America are Charleston and Santa Barbara.

[C-Man 27,194]

3 minutes ago, G650 said:

You should have gone to school there.

 

 

NOLA is Charleston's taint. The best cities in America are Charleston and Santa Barbara.

I love NOLA. It has a special place in my heart and always will. But, yes, Charleston is a clean/safe version of it.

I haven't been to Santa Barbara but I hear it's wonderful. Got divorced before I could enjoy my former in-law's buying a place there.

[G650 14,244]

21 minutes ago, C-Man said:

I haven't been to Santa Barbara but I hear it's wonderful. Got divorced before I could enjoy my former in-law's buying a place there.

 

Poor planning my man.

[Aqua Buddha 14,582]

On 4/12/2018 at 9:19 AM, captained said:

I have enjoyed every meal I've had at Slightly North of Broad (SNOB) - down close to the end of the market on E Bay St.

Seconded and thirded.  Eaten there multiple times over the years and they've always been memorable.

[Aqua Buddha 14,582]

21 hours ago, C-Man said:

 

 

In conclusion, that town is fucking amazing. My two favorite US cities were San Francisco and New Orleans prior to this trip. Charleston is now in the Top 3 -- if not #1 overall. It's incredible.

Every time we go there, as we're leaving we ask ourselves "Why don't we come here more often?"

[conVINCEd 21,469]

My favorite city in the US.  Glad you enjoyed it.  We may move there in a year or two.

[Elvis Presto 21]

9 hours ago, conVINCEd said:

My favorite city in the US.  Glad you enjoyed it.  We may move there in a year or two.

holler at me.  I have a buddy from Dallas that just moved here to Mt Pleasant.  Texas people are slowly but surely moving here.