Best Chef in South Carolina: Jill Mathias
In Charleston, South Carolina, a city that’s world renowned for its food, chef Jill Mathias stands out by bringing a creative personal touch to the scene, handwriting the menu daily at her downtown restaurant Chez Nous, where she is executive chef and co-owner. At the quaint and romantic restaurant, Mathias has offered an unhurried and carefully curated dining experience for over a decade. Guests have two choices of appetizer, entree, and dessert on the rotating menu that reflects the cuisines of Southern France, Northern Italy, and Northern Spain, using local ingredients. The chef, who attended culinary school at Johnson & Wales in Charleston, says travel is a key source of inspiration. “Long lunches, people watching, and walking a town or city are all part of the fun. Going to the grocery store and markets are also a great way to spark creativity,” she says. “It’s always exciting to see what is local to the area and how it influences the way people eat.”
Jill Mathias’ South Carolina Recommendations:
Harborview Restaurant & Lounge, Charleston
It’s the best sunset in Charleston and Jo makes a great martini. An excellent hideout.
For a special treat of excellent high-end sushi without having to make choices.
Graft Wine Shop & Wine Bar, Charleston
Excellent neighborhood hangout with great jazz on Wednesdays and off-the-beaten-path wines
Torres Superettes, Charleston
Perfect tacos in the back of a convenience store.
A fun and relaxed lunch spot for me on a Monday. The food is always great and the staff is very friendly.
Best Mixologist in South Carolina: David Adedokun
“When I started working in restaurants, it had me eating things that I wouldn’t ordinarily eat,” says David Adedokun, head bartender at The Dragon Room. “I try to take that same tack and apply it to drinks: treat them in ways that play up their best tendencies and make people enjoy things that they might not enjoy as much otherwise.” He’s been working behind the bar in Columbia since the mid-2000s and attributes the city’s unique cocktail scene to its ability to develop in its own time, in Adedokun’s words, “without having to draw attention” or chase trends. “What works in Columbia still works in Columbia. And what doesn’t, doesn’t—trends be damned.” His craft cocktail education at War Mouth under Spencer Robinson and former chef Rhett Elliott gave him the perspective of how hospitality and community are linked, including how good cocktails are inextricably tied to the kitchen. “Your job is to provide a good context for the food that comes out,” he says. “If you get a drink and it tastes good with what you’ve ordered to eat, it elevates both things.”
David Adedokun’s South Carolina Recommendations:
COA Agaveria y Cocina, Columbia
COA is a gorgeous space a block over from us that offers small plates, entrées, and cocktails I’ve grown almost addicted to. That’s in addition to boasting what has to be one of the most (if not the most) expansive tequila, mezcal, and sotol collections in the state.
This long-lived, brightly and wildly decorated dive bar holds cultural significance for the city by hosting live music, comedy, arts and crafts markets, and so much more. It’s also a place I come after a tiring shift to relax. The staff treat me like family; they literally and figurative fill my cup.
Columbia Food & Wine Festival Grand Tasting, Columbia
Every year Columbia’s weeklong food and wine festival culminates in the Sunday Grand Tasting. The city’s food and beverage scene is there, sharing drinks and forming new friendships. It feels so good and I deeply look forward to it every year.
Society Sandwich Bar & Social Club, Greenville
I was blown away by the vibe in the two-floor fun factory. I stay up late, so I’m a fan of any place that offers good drinks and late-night food.
Tattooed Moose and Edmund’s Oast, Charleston
Whenever I’m in the Holy City I try to always make time for two things: a trip to Tattooed Moose for a sandwich and a trip to Edmund’s Oast for a beer or two in their beautiful outdoor area. No Charleston trip feels complete without it.
The Best of South Carolina
Best Tried & True: OJ’s Diner, Greenville
Since 2005, Greg Johnson has been serving scratch Southern cooking from family recipes. On the menu are chicken and tilapia, either fried or baked, along with rotating daily specials, from lasagna and meatloaf to baby back ribs, country fried steak, and chicken pot pie. And if you can imagine a Southern side dish, OJ’s offers it, all the way from rice and gravy and turnip greens to squash casserole and sweet potato soufflé.
Best New Restaurant: Marbled & Fin, Charleston
Forget everything you know about a steakhouse—for the better. In a stunning modern space, Marbled & Fin from The Neighborhood Dining Group (Husk, Delaney Oyster House) does steaks exceptionally well, with wet-aged, dry-aged, and wagyu options, but the rest of the menu and the cocktails are worth a trip in their own right. Highlights include the luxury bites, broiled oysters and bone marrow, and the wedge salad, which is served stuffed with Benton’s bacon and Stilton bleu cheese. Don’t overlook the sides—get the roasted carrots and thank us later.
Best Worth the Drive: Indigenous Underground, Abbeville
Go out of your way for Indigenous Underground. The restaurant is helmed by chef Erica McCier, a South Carolina Chef Ambassador, and serves eclectic Southern eats like the exceptional black-eyed pea gumbo with andouille sausage, chicken, and shrimp.
Best Seafood Boil: Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks, Hilton Head Island
More than 90 percent of the seafood served at this long-standing, beloved restaurant on Hilton Head Island comes from local waters. The Lowcountry boil is no exception with steamed local shell-on shrimp and plenty of Old Bay.
Best Street Market: Soda City Market, Columbia
On Saturday mornings, Columbia hosts the Soda City Market on Main Street, a producer-only market featuring handcrafted goods, food trucks, and live performances. The event, popular among visitors and locals, features around 200 vendors a week—don’t miss the giant pans of paella from Paella’South.
Best Pasta and a Show: Jianna, Greenville
Add Jianna to your list, where the wine is all Italian and the pasta is heavenly—think tagliatelle with fresh lobster and black truffles. And for Saturday and Sunday brunch, you may be lucky enough to spot the chef making fresh pasta.
Best Seafood & Sustainability Combo: Hook & Barrel, Myrtle Beach
Hook & Barrel was the first restaurant in South Carolina built with an induction kitchen rather than gas; interiors were constructed with pine from trees felled from the restaurant’s lot. Founder and chef Heidi Vukov prioritizes local sourcing, not only on the menu in dishes like cioppino and crab-stuffed flounder, but also in the art that adorns the walls and makes up creative serving pieces.
Best Global Influence: Bintu Atelier, Charleston
Bintu reminds us how much Lowcountry cuisine owes its origins to West African traditions. Chef Bintou N’Daw takes us back to the roots of Gullah Geechee dishes with Senegalese fare such as thiéboudieun, saka gumbo, and ndambé, a stew of black-eyed peas and sweet potato.
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