South Carolina

Explore the Palmetto State One Destination at a Time

A statewide search may come in handy for a road trip itinerary; most dining options will likely come down to community-specific choices. This is why the South Carolina restaurant guides provided here cover only one destination per page. Rather than listing waterfront Charleston eateries along with Greenville’s neighborhood restaurants and Columbia’s downtown favorites, this website provides separate listings for those respective destinations.

Obviously, the more popular destinations draw more interest. The Lowcountry region makes Charleston famous for its seafood dishes, while Greenville has become known for an array of innovative, farm-to-table concepts. Meanwhile, Columbia is famous not only for its Southern food but also for its increasingly diverse international cuisine. Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head offer beachy dining venues with fresh seafood selections.

Small towns also need representation. Rock Hill, Anderson, Florence, Beaufort, Bluffton, Spartanburg, Aiken, Summerville, Lexington, Clemson, and other communities all offer great dining venues. Use the destination posts provided on this page to find something interesting outside the more popular destinations.

From Lowcountry Seafood to Upstate Cooking

It provides some of the best tastes of the state. Shrimp and grits, she-crab soup, oysters, seafood, crab, and rice dishes have found many interpretations in Charleston, Beaufort, Hilton Head Island, Pawleys Island, Murrells Inlet, and the Grand Strand. While some restaurants keep closer to the traditional approach, others prepare similar dishes but in more modern interpretations.

Head towards the Midlands and Upstate and you will find the taste profile changed. Barbeque dishes become inevitable in such places, along with mustard barbeque, vinegar-and-pepper barbeque, light tomato, and heavy tomato sauce. There is also a presence of Appalachian foothills’ influence in Greenville and its surroundings along with seasonal produce, bakeries, wine bars, international cuisines, and chef-oriented cuisine.

That’s why a universal list of the best South Carolina restaurants can be just partially right. It is quite possible that what is important for Charleston will not be so crucial for Columbia, Spartanburg, or any small towns located not in the middle of the interstate.

Charleston, Greenville, Columbia, Myrtle Beach and Beyond

Charleston is always the first city where one thinks about enjoying themselves when it comes to food because this holy city combines old-fashioned food traditions with new concepts, giving you a chance to switch from seafood and Southern food to Spanish, French, Asian, and other types of food in the same area. In addition to this, the area includes Mount Pleasant, Sullivan’s Island, Folly Beach, Johns Island, and West Ashley.

Greenville provides another experience. It is a city whose downtown zone has everything from fancy date night restaurants to coffee shops, bakeries, counters, and cuisine from around the world. In addition to this, all these options can be expanded by communities like Travelers Rest, Simpsonville, Mauldin, Fountain Inn, and Greer.

Columbia combines the bustle of a capital city and that of an important college town. There are barbecue joints, soul food, vegetarian cuisine, Asian restaurants, brunch establishments, late-night establishments, and local restaurants in downtown, the Vista, Five Points, West Columbia, and even Lexington.

In the coastal region, Myrtle Beach offers visitors a range of dining experiences, from breakfast restaurants and family restaurants to steak houses, Italian cuisine, seafood restaurants, and views of the sea. Hilton Head Island has its own unique vibe with its dockside eateries, coastal cuisine, elegant dinner venues, bakeries, and neighborhood restaurants. Beaufort and Bluffton are also good destinations for the Lowcountry cuisine experience but without the hustle of the bigger resort areas.

What You’ll Find in Our City Guides

Every guide is created to simplify the choice process. Instead of taking each location equally, these pages allow you to consider the options from different angles depending on cuisine, ambience, occasions, locations, and style. This might include finding a fast lunch near the city centre, seating with the view of the water, a private room for a date, a family place to stop by after sightseeing or a special place you may plan your vacation around.

Also, the set allows exploring more particular cravings. Go through the posts whenever you crave seafood, barbeque, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Southern, steak, breakfast, brunch, desserts or something more exotic. Thanks to the geographical focus, you will be able to find the options that are really suitable to your itinerary and not spread all over the state.

Choose a Place Based on the Experience You Want

A good meal is one that satisfies your needs for the day. A fancy fine dining restaurant will be perfect for an anniversary but not appropriate for a quick lunch. A lively patio by the water front might be perfect during your holidays, while an informal neighborhood café could be a better option at other times.

When it comes to couples, you should seek intimacy, personalized service, fine wine collections, and places that will require reservations. For a family, there should be flexible meals, convenient parking facilities, open spaces, and a family-friendly environment. When it comes to groups, shared meals, wider menu options and space for bigger tables will be necessary.

When traveling, you can also plan according to settings. An urban area will be good when you wish to enjoy walking, shopping, nightlife, and exploring. The coast is good when you wish to enjoy some water views and the fresh catches from there. Small inland cities can offer you traditional Southern plates, barbeque, and meat-and-three tradition.

A Culinary Identity Shaped by Regional Traditions

The identity of the state at the table is based on more than just a few popular dishes. The Lowcountry cuisine embodies the connection to rice, seafood, seasonal ingredients, and the Gullah Geechee cuisine traditions. Other traditional elements include pit-roasted pork, vegetables, peaches, grits, bakery items, and family recipes.

On the other hand, the landscape constantly expands. Contemporary American cuisine finds itself in proximity to such cuisines as Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican, Mediterranean, Italian, French, and others. Such diversity allows visitors to freely combine regional classics with the completely different dishes without changing the destination.

Such diversity also makes the state an excellent candidate for a food-based road trip. It is possible to devote one day to the exploration of the cuisine of the coast, another day to the comparison of barbecue styles in the Midlands, and another day to the tasting of the Upstate. The distance between the regions is short enough to get completely different meals in one trip.

Start With the Place You’re Visiting

This should be your first step after checking out the posts on this category page. You either pick a destination and use the available guide to compare your choices or just check out different communities and find which scene matches what you have in mind.

Whether it’s big culinary centers or smaller communities with devoted followers, there is no shortage of great places to eat at in South Carolina. First choose your destination, then pick the kind of cuisine you’re looking for and then build the rest of the meal accordingly.