If you are a member of any local Charleston social media groups, you will see this question usually more than once a week. Someone usually has family coming into town, and they give a specific budget, and they often list a specific part of town, then open it up for discussion. “Dad coming into town, want to go out for a nice dinner, looking to spend less than $80, trying to find something in West Ashley. Any ideas?”
Without fail, one of the top comments will be “There is nowhere good to eat in West Ashley, you should go to this place Downtown.” Even if the question was specifically asked in a West Ashley group!
No, numb-nuts. The criteria was simple. Keep your weird zip code biases to yourself and try to be helpful. I would like to dispel once and for all this myth that there are parts that have “nowhere” to eat. Sure, you are not going to find 82 Queen in North Charleston, but you’d be surprised what you will find there if you will open your mind a little. So, here’s my list of rock solid places to eat in all of the Charleston hubs that aren’t downtown.
Mount Pleasant
Seriously, you could just follow Coleman Boulevard until you reach Shem Creek and just walk around. You will find all of the quality food you could ever want.
Here is my nowhere near comprehensive list in no particular order - please feel free to make additions in the comments.
The list:
West Ashley
This list is contains some of my favorite spots outside of Downtown. West Ashley contains the highest concentration of “diners” in the county. Again, feel free to suggest more in the comments.
The list:
John’s Island
John’s Island is beautiful and laid back, and the local restaurants really embrace that comfortable attitude. With changes like the recent opening of Tattooed Moose’s John’s Island location, the area is really starting to stand out as a cool place to be.
The list:
North Charleston
This one was the toughest for me, and not because there are not many good places to eat. There are just so many bland, culturally void options. With all of the shopping centers along Rivers, with Sam’s, Walmart, and Tanger, an overwhelming majority of the restaurants are national chains and fast food, to the point that it makes it hard to find good local places. The result being that over half of my list comes from Park Circle. Of course, the food scene at Park Circle could stand alone as a reason to visit the Charleston area.
The list:
James Island
James Island seems to be the seat of the Hipster food movement in charleston county. With lots of really cool concepts that embrace the farm to table, sustainable food culture. The community on James Island seems to really nourish and embrace the movement, and it makes for a nice fun environment where the owners and chefs are not afraid to experiment, because their community loves what they do.
The list:
Folly Beach
The three Charleston beaches really bring their food game. Folly’s food culture is as fun and lively as the spring break culture of the beach itself. The food meets the Charleston standard of quality, while being accessible and exactly what you need when you need it. It is a whole island of restaurant concepts based on the kinds of food you might seek out when you have a hangover, and we don’t have any problem with that. All of the of the fat, the salt, and plenty of carbs to soak up last night’s mistakes. In fact, many of the places on the list are just as likely to have caused your hangover, the wonderful, blurry cycle of Folly Beach.
The list:
- Lost Dog Cafe
- The ‘Wich Doctor
- Jack of Cups
- Taco Boy
- Surf Bar
- Loggerheads
- Black Magic
- Chico Feo
- Rita’s
Isle of Palms
When my people visit from out of town, they stay on IOP. It is clean, comfortable, not too expensive, and offers that resort feel that vacationers seek when they are away from home. It offers the essence of Charleston, while existing as a separate sanctuary from all the bustle.
And the food reflects that. It is a high quality sampling of the rest of Charleston County. If you are looking for something, there is likely a passable version of it on IOP so you don't have to leave the island, unless you want to.
The list:
- Acme Lowcountry Kitchen
- Sea Biscuit Cafe
- Morgan Creek Grill
- Savor
- Long Island Cafe
- Coda Del Pesce
- Luke n’ Ollie’s
- Boathouse
Sullivan’s Island
The best place for locals. I love the Charleston area. I told my wife, if we ever won the lottery, and we could go anywhere in the world, we would stay here and get a house on Sullivan’s, right on the water. The restaurants on Sullivan's offer the most welcoming, comfortable dining experiences in Charleston county. If expect pretense and pomp, you will be pleasantly surprised. Cozy, wooden buildings, with doors wide open to the street, proclaiming, “give us your tired, your poor, your hungry masses, flip-flops, cuban shirts, and all”.
The list:
- Poe’s Tavern
- Taco Mamacita
- Sullivan’s Restaurant
- Fiery Ron’s Home Team
- High Thyme
- SALT
- Dunleavy’s Pub
- The Obstinate Daughter
I could say that Taco Mamacita's is an indirect inspiration for this article. They also have two locations in Tennessee, and on a cold day one march I was driving through Chattanooga, looking for some warm food before I hit the road back to SC because my heater was broken. I knew it would be a long drive. This bright glowing orange sign invited me in, “TACO MAMACITA”. It looked exactly like where I wanted to be. The food was warm and just what I needed in that moment. I ate three perfect tacos and still froze all the way home. I got to carry the memory of those tacos with me, and it helped, a little.
Food is like that. It is more than just calories to burn so you can blink, breath, and walk. It is comfort, and memories, and culture. And for someone to say, “there is nothing good to eat in West Ashley” or Mount Pleasant or North Charleston or anywhere in the world where people live and love, is dismissive, and disrespectful.
