9 Noteworthy South Carolina Restaurants | Listen

By: The Local Palate

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Our top 9 South Carolina restaurants from tried-and-true classics to new hotspots

From fresh, local seafood to inventive New American dishes, South Carolina welcomes a diverse food and dining scene. In the Local Palate’s 2024 Restaurants Issue, writer Ariel Turner provides a guide to new and tried-and-true local spots with these 9 South Carolina restaurants.

5 New South Carolina Restaurants

Patterson Kitchen + Bar | Greenville, South Carolina

A jewel box on the water’s edge, Patterson offers an abundance of fresh ingredients with its on-site garden and chef Tanner Marino’s connections with local farms. His favorite spring ingredients on the menu include ramps, morel mushrooms, artichokes, and fiddlehead ferns. A more recent addition, the Chef’s Counter experience, offers 12 diners an exclusive tasting menu overlooking the expo kitchen.

Lowland Tavern | Charleston, South Carolina

At his first project since departing FIG, Jason Stanhope serves up culinary nostalgia with the touch of a James Beard Award winner. Items reminiscent of childhood school lunches are as likely to make an appearance as vintage dishes from family gatherings—reimagined, of course. Beef stroganoff, celery salad, banoffee, and maybe even an aspic take turns on a menu Stanhope says is a blast to create.

Crispy quail dish served at Lowland Tavern — Image courtesy of Rusty Ross

Bintü Atelier | Charleston, South Carolina

Bintou N’Daw and Tracey Young’s African culinary workshop merges French culinary heritage with the flavors and hospitality of N’Daw’s birthplace, Senegal. The menu, featuring many ingredients associated as traditionally Southern, reveals crops that were originally West African. Whole fried snapper with al dente skin, pepper soup, fufu, and yassa lamb provide a touch of familiarity while transporting diners a world away to the catering kitchen in Dakar that N’Daw’s grandmother helmed.

Fish dish called Dieun served at Bintü Atelier

Kultura | Charleston, South Carolina

Hot off of his Chopped win, chef and co-owner Nikko Cagalanan opened an homage to his Filipino heritage with his partner, Paula Kramer of Baguette Magic notoriety. Using only portable induction burners, a noodle pot, and a sous vide machine, Cagalanan and his team turn out coconut curry, arroz caldo, and ube-heavy dishes along with wine and sake-based cocktails worthy of accolades and repeat visits.

Dish served at Kultura in South Carolina — Image courtesy of Ruta Smith

Trini Lime Caribbean Café | Cayce, South Carolina

Colonization created “a whole lotta dishes” in the Trinidadian repertoire, says Trini Lime’s chef and owner Sullange Soloman. Chinese, Spanish, Creole, Indian—influences here span the globe. No dish is as iconic as doubles—a Trini street food Soloman includes on her daily rotating menu with goat curry, oxtail, jerk chicken, and her memorable braised cabbage.

4 Tried & True South Carolina Restaurants

Toasted bread and hummus served at Topsoil in South Carolina — Image courtesy of Serenity Wilson

Topsoil | Travelers Rest, South Carolina

This restaurant by James Beard Award semifinalist chef Adam Cooke serves a New American menu resplendent with vegetables and emphasizes sourcing from local small farmers.

Dish served at Chubby Fish in South Carolina — Image courtesy of Paul Cheney

Chubby Fish | Charleston, South Carolina

Chef James London’s menu of fresh local seafood changes daily at this upscale dock-to-table concept—get there early to put your name on the list, because it’s worth the wait.

Crab rice with coconut curry sauce served at FARM in South Carolina — Image courtesy of Eastwoods Media

FARM | Bluffton, South Carolina

Executive chef and partner Brandon Carter serves up simple, fresh plates featuring local oysters, Carolina Gold rice, and elevated Southern classics, with creative vegetarian options.

Bourbon | Columbia, South Carolina

This whiskey bar and Cajun-creole eatery across from the South Carolina State House offers a taste of the Louisiana bayou and an extensive whiskey list.